Page 46 of Betrayal

“In the interests of keeping dirt out of your home.”Bitter resignation shaded his voice.

“Go with me on this.Is Raed Hariri related to Casildo and Maha.”Anna was giving him a second chance, a chance to share more of himself with her.Something she never did, but she’d be damned if they’d part with Nick Richardson poisoning what they’d started to create.

“It’s a common Saudi surname.”He was quick with a reply.

“Kate and I have used that line about Turner to pretend we’re not related.”

“Does it matter?”

“You didn’t want to be at that party tonight before you discovered Nick would be there.”She poked him in the chest.“You can explain that another time.But if you want to share my bed, we have to get past Nick seeing my eighteen-year-old body naked.”

“You’re entitled to change your mind.”

“You’re the one getting a second chance.”Anna wrapped her hand around his tie and tugged it out of his jacket.“Because for some stupid reason, I like you.”A light snapped on in an upstairs apartment, allowing her to see Hunter’s face.“Casildo’s dad owned the building you just bought.”

“Yeah.”

Some of the tension left her.She’d breached his first barricade.“I’m not psychic.In checking your contract, I re-checked the original lease.I’d been focused on the managing agent, and his name was in bold print.Antonio called it The Hariri building, but you mentioned Raed.I didn’t join the dots, until I found his name in the small print.”

“I knew you’d check every word.”He smiled, his first genuine smile since the bar.

“And you admire my caution.”Anna inhaled, a deep breath she released in small huffs of air.“We’re finding our balance, Hunter.”His scent was part of the balance.Away from the crowd, here in a shadowy garden, no one could find them or pursue them.“Nick’s worse than a lecher.”

“He’s a grade-A bastard.Ruthless in his personal and professional acquisitions.And if that’s too polite for you; he enjoys destroying people—friend and foe alike.Specifically, he preys on women.”Hunter sounded like he was releasing years of disgust with the words.He rested his hands on her hips.

She looked up at him from under her lashes.“And you’re working hard at emulating his success in both fields.”

“You’d have kneed me in the balls by now if you believed that.”He braced in case she opted to punish him for taking so long to come clean.

“Another digression when you haven’t finished the original story.”Anna kissed his chin.

“Your courage blows me away, you know.You’re not interested in revenge or punishment.You walk away or stay.”

“Remember that.”And thank you for understanding what matters.

“You’re right.Casildo’s dad owned the building.I spent a lot of time in their home as a kid, which is enough reason for Nick to target father and son Hariri.Casildo’s dad is the opposite of Nick.He caught us one night looking at some porn.He asked us about it.Sheesh, it was mortifying.

“Who did we think was having the most fun?”

“Who got to choose the moves”

“Did we think they liked each other?”

“Had they both agreed?”

“Cas has two sisters.We both upchucked when his old man asked if we could picture one of them in the scene?”

“Are you trying to distract me?”

“Is it working?”

“No.”

He gave a loud sigh.“Casildo’s dad is a good man.With a few floors vacant, he wasn’t making enough to cover all his repayments.”

“How did Nick discover that?”

“While I wouldn’t put it past him to have informants in places where he shouldn’t have them, I’m guessing he keeps an eye on friends of mine.”