At the Ruthless Billionaire's Command

Lia was giving herself a headache, trying to make sense of it.

‘I’ll walk you to the door,’ she offered distractedly.

Gregorio knew he had no choice but to accept that it was time for him to leave and he slowly followed Lia down the hallway to the apartment door.

Lia had a lot of new information to think about. But he didn’t doubt for a moment that David Richardson was involved in this up to his pretty-boy handsome neck.

‘Thank you.’

Gregorio blinked as he focused on Lia standing hesitantly beside the still closed door to her apartment. ‘Sorry?’

She lifted her chin. ‘I appreciate it must have been difficult for you to tell me those things.’

Gregorio drew in a slow and steadying breath, aware that Lia was placing a tentative trust in him.

‘That doesn’t mean I forgive you.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘Only that for the moment I’m cautiously giving you the benefit of the doubt.’

He couldn’t help but smile at her begrudging trust. ‘I can live with that.’

‘And call off whoever you have following me,’ she added with a frown. ‘It makes me uncomfortable to think of someone watching my every move.’

Gregorio would rather Lia felt a little discomfort than any harm came to her. If Richardson thought for one moment she knew of his duplicity there was no knowing what he would do. For the moment the other man felt secure, with his funds in an offshore company, but if Richardson ever began to doubt that security that might quickly change.

‘Gregorio?’

He grimaced. ‘Your father would have wanted someone to take care of you.’

She raised auburn brows. ‘I doubt he ever imagined it would be you.’

‘No,’ he conceded wryly. ‘Am I allowed a goodnight kiss?’

Lia burst out laughing. Which was pretty incredible after the conversation she’d just had with this man. But she couldn’t help her response. It was so ludicrous for a man like Gregorio to ask if he could do something he had decided he wanted to do.

‘When did you last ask a lady’s permission to kiss her?’

‘Never,’ he acknowledged dryly.

She continued to chuckle. ‘That’s honest, anyway.’

‘Your answer...?’

Despite the lightness of Gregorio’s tone, Lia could sense his inner tension. It was there in his expression, in the stiff set of his shoulders and the hands clenched at his sides.

Long and elegant hands she had found herself studying as they ate dinner together. Everything about Gregorio was elegant and controlled. The way he moved. The way he ate. The way he talked. All calmly and elegantly done, and all firmly under his control.

A part of Lia wanted to shake that control—if only for a few minutes.

Besides, it was very narrow in this hallway, and made even more so by Gregorio’s physically overwhelming presence. She could feel the heat of his body so close to her own, and breathe in that seductive aftershave...

‘Yes.’ She looked directly into his fathomless black eyes.

His brows rose. ‘Yes?’

Lia felt a smile parting her lips. It felt good to smile again. In a genuine show of happiness rather than the polite curving of her lips she had been showing everyone for months now. Besides, she had just succeeded in surprising the hell out of Gregorio.

‘Yes,’ she repeated, more firmly.

She didn’t need the warmth of another human being tonight, she wanted it—and not just anyone’s warmth either. Gregorio’s. She very badly wanted to know how it felt to be held and kissed by Gregorio de la Cruz.