Page 21 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

Settling back into her office chair, the midday sun blinded her as it streamed in through the glass, but it did little to deter her daydreams. When Anika saw something she wanted, she fucking got it.

7

A Showing

Mikko

The manila folder Dr. Layla supplied Mikko with after he called in the favor currently sat in front of him, minimal information on a certain Anika Simmons staring up at him.

Anynormalperson would feel guilty for prying, but Mikko considered himself to be above that. And this wasn’t the first, or last, time he’d used his power to get information on someone. It was a habit he’d grown used to, the access his last name granted him undeniable. Besides, he only had Žofia gather the readily available information about his mystery woman—nothing too scandalous.

Name, height and weight, date of birth.Address.

The last one tempted him beyond anything else, but he averted his eyes. For now. A small picture of her accompanied the information in the folder. It was clipped from one of the security cameras, but it still set Mikko’s heart racing. Almost as much as the real life visage of her did.

While he’d tried to keep himself and his thoughts far away fromher, his brain couldn’t let her go—not without a little investigation. There’d been nights the folder he currently held had burned a hole in the locked desk drawer he’d left it in, in hopes the thought of her would go away.

But it was futile.

The more Mikko resisted looking into the folder—intoher—the more his mind screamed at him.

When his fingers finally brushed along the edge of the papers a couple nights ago, the lamplight his only witness, he’d justified his actions.It’s for the safety of my business.

A lie. He didn’t care about his father’s business, if anything he wanted out. Anika was steadily becoming an outlet, one he’d been using to escape the dull afternoons at work. When she was in his thoughts, the day flew by. When he contemplated stopping by her house to antagonize her, his life suddenly felt whole.

It was the same feeling he got when a beautiful painting captured his attention or a picture’s composition struck awe into him. His creative self was forever chasing captivating things.

The well-being of Romanov Real Estate only mattered to him partly, and that was because of Cristiano. The business motivated his friend, kept him busy and doing things he enjoyed—minus the torturing, but even then he found the positives. If Anika was plotting against the company, Mikko wanted to be the first to know.

After all, she’d come up to him, wants and desires unknown. In Mikko’s world, that was a dangerous place to be, but everyone could be bought and persuaded, he just needed to find out what Anika’s weaknesses were.

Despite these circumstances impacting Cristiano, Mikko kept this close to his chest, unwilling to admit to his…

What even is this?

Regardless of its name, Mikko wanted to keep Cristiano fromprying, his friend always poking his nose where it didn’t belong. If he’d sensed Mikko’s curiosity, he never would’ve let him live it down.

But now he wasn’t even sure that was a truthful reasoning.

His inquisitiveness had grown, percolated into a bitter tonic Mikko was beginning to crave. He was addicted to the idea of her and what she stood for, grasping for something he couldn’t have—someone he couldn’t catch.

And now he didn’t want to stop. He didn’t even knowhowto. The fantasy was too delectable to give up.

In a few short days, his sanity had slipped through his fingertips. The control he usually prided himself on vanished when his thoughts strayed to her, which was more often than not these days. It was miraculous how a small interaction and his compulsive thinking had consumed his thoughts.

He’d been here before, with three other women and it ended in flames…

This time is different,he thought, damn near pleading insanity.

All those other times outside factors had squashed his chances, but this time he was in control of his fate.

Mikko wanted another chance with Anika—wanted her to touch him again. It’d been so long since he’d felt a connection like that. People steered clear of his looming form, knowing his presence meant trouble. But not her. Maybe she was unwise approaching him, ignoring every red flag he usually displayed to others: his stern looks, his unbecoming small talk, and his blasted infamous last name. As foolish as it sounded, there was no denying her intrigue. And if anyone asked, it was for the welfare of the real estate business. At least, that was what he’d been repeating internally until his laptoppinged.

A new notification in his email inbox indicated someone wasinterested in one of the properties he’d listed for lease. Clicking on it, his surprise was hardly masked.

First, the property was one he imagined wouldn’t get much traction, its location prime, but the work needing to be done to it scared most buyers off. Mikko knew there would be a bit of finagling to get it to sell, but now he was eating his words.

And the second part made his stomach drop.