Page 17 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

And he’d done most of the work for her, obsessively watching the footage of their meeting, walking on eggshells at the thought of her turning up at his work or while he walked the busy streets of Portland.

Gritting his teeth, Mikko was annoyed he’d let her in this far, but at the same time, twisted notions were forming in his own mind. Maybe it was because something about her reminded him of someone else long ago, only this time he’d have a second chance to prove himself. Or maybe it was the emotional trauma he’d endured all those years ago shoving him toward this woman, his fixations clawing their way out of his chest.

He was going to find out who she was, even if he had to do questionable things to obtain the answer.

It was only right.

She’ddone this,she’dpoked at him like a human would a bear. Now it was time for him to examine her.

Clutching the leather armrests of his office chair, he realized he was torn between two sides of himself: the logical side and the emotional side.

Logically, Mikko should be wary of this woman, not knowing her intentions. His family business had been profitable over the years, but not without making enemies along the way. She could be someone looking to get back at him for his father’s endeavors. While it hadn’t been Mikko’s doing, or desire for that matter, Alek had destroyed neighborhoods to build a new empire. Cultures and groups of people had been gentrified, erased all for the sake of raising value and rents and money.

Those kinds of actions were bound to create enemies.

But the emotional side…

Switching to the other camera, Mikko rewatched the entire scene again, her profile clear and her sly smile at the camera lens noticeable. This one was angled at the side of both of them, tucked away behind the bar above the highest shelf displaying alcohol.

This time, he could see the way she touched him.

This time he noticed the way her glossy lips tipped up mischievously.

And he recounted how every time her touch passed over his skin, his hand gripped the new glass of tequila tighter. It was a miracle it hadn’t shattered.

But there was something else Mikko couldn’t place, a deeper provocation in her mannerisms.

A danger.

His line of work had revealed corruption was rooted deep within the despicable, and he knew the signs—like called to like, certain people able to detect the atrocities flowing in the blood of others. It was like a mirror, shattered and demented. And whatever horrid things consumed those he worked with, he realized theyalsodevoured her.

His eyes burned from lack of blinking, not wanting to miss a single thing.

You may have waited a long time for me,he internally recalled,but this game has just begun, and my patience is formidable.

Rewinding, Mikko was unable to escape the way she touched him. As if reliving it each time, he could recall the softness of her hands, adorned with rings and her black nail polish impeccable. He remembered the way her eyes glittered at his blatant discomfort. She was enjoying his displeasure, pushing the boundaries to see how far he’d let her go. And he let her cross too many lines.

Cristiano would claim he was being paranoid and delusional. Perhaps he was, but something was off about this woman. And Mikkowasn’t sure if it pissed him off or turned him on. Electricity tainted his blood along with the bitter tang of angst as he kept replaying the security footage.

Who is she? What does she want? Where does she live?

With all these questions piling in his head, her voice and lips forming around his name—one he dreaded because of his father—Mikko was unable to keep his thoughts from plummeting. A deep carnal hunger, not the kind that could be satiated with food, but somethingmore,flooded his senses while he sat behind his desk.

Something darker.

His cock stiffened, pressing against the zipper of his trousers. All alone, he let his hand drift, palming his erection while watching Anika’s pert figure all but harassed him on screen.

The sun warmed his back as it set behind him, the city skyline swathed in vibrant hues of clementine and scarlet. While he was stuck in his office, the endless frames of the woman in front of him covering his screen made the space tolerable.

Maybethiswas how his father had endured it all those years.

He’d found an obsession and let it swallow him whole.

While space and time separated them in this moment, her visage only but a pixelated image, Mikko wanted to be near her again. He wanted to know why she’d stormed into his life and left him questioning things.

It wastorturous.

But he was determined to figure it out, to figureherout.