Page 170 of A Convenient Secret

“What’s going on?”

Lily’s voice is like a drug hitting my system,permanently addictive, immediately coloring the world in high definition.

I whip around. “Sorry about that.”

All eyes are on her, the people from her meeting rooted to the floor. She shakes her head. Okay, she’s pissed.

“Go back to work, everyone.” She eats the distance between us and gestures toward her office.

She waits for me to enter, and before she joins me, she turns to her assistant. “Call my security and fire them. He was not allowed to come to this level. Organize me a new security team.”

She walks in and shuts the door behind her.

Fuck, she is hot when she is in charge. When I saw her last week, after the painful days full of doubt and regret, it was like coming home.

Her small frame that she carries with such confidence, her slanted nose, those beautiful intelligent eyes, and her smoking-hot body—it all takes my breath away.

Seeing her now, seething like a goddess of war, is even hotter.

The air is unusually heavy with fragrance, and when I look around, I realize she’s been accepting the flowers. I smile, which only spurs her indignation.

“What are you doing here, Declan? You think youcan just waltz out of here and keep sending flowers without a word—”

“There was a card.”

She rolls her eyes. “What do you want? I have work to do.”

“I brought you something.” I reach into my pocket.

“I don’t want any gifts.”

“It’s not a gift, Lily. And I guarantee you’ll want this.” I hand her an encrypted data stick.

She takes it, frowning. “What is this?”

“Everything I could collect on your cousin. Enough to put him away. Not for what he did to you, but enough for a decade behind bars.”

Her eyebrows rise. She looks at the stick before her gaze returns to me. “Thank you. Is this the reason you came?”

“Will you use it?”

“I don’t know. I need to see what it contains and discuss it with my father. Tim is still a Spinelli; it’s not just my decision.”

“When you see what’s he been up to, you will want to disassociate yourself from him.”

“Okay, I will review it. Thank you. Though I don’t understand why you went to all this effort—”

“I need you to be safe. Even if you never accept me back, I need to know you are safe.”

“Declan, if I accept you back? You came here lastweek, declared your love, and then stormed out.” This fired-up version of her is fucking attractive.

“You told me you want to stay; I didn’t have anything to say to that, so I needed to fix that.”

“What are you talking about? You don’t just leave in the middle of a conversation.” She flails her arms in the air.

Fuck. “I see how that looked. A tactical mistake. I’m sorry, when I’m on a mission I tend to… act less… polite.” I wince.

She shakes her head. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that.” She walks over to the sofa and opens her laptop. “Thank you for this.” She waves the stick before she throws it on a stack of folders beside her.