Page 84 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

“It does,” she perched herself on a barstool. “Glad to see you’ve done your research.”

“Gotta impress a pretty woman somehow,” he chopped the vegetables into small chunks, “in case the meal doesn’t.”

Anika smiled as she glanced over what he’d laid out. “Looks promising to me.”

“I present to you vegetable gnocchi soup with a rich mushroom sauce.”

“Chef Levi has a bit of ring to it, no?” Anika hid her grimace with the rim of her wine glass.

“Let’s see how you feelafteryou taste it.”

Another swirl of her wine. “True, the pressure is on.”

“So,” he began, back to her as he started boiling water for the gnocchi, “what made you go into financial analytics?”

“And here I thought you had me all figured out,” she teased.

“As I said, it was merely coincidence tonight, but you’re always so elusive. I want to know more about you, so don’t avoid my question. What got you into this field?”

A sly wink had a grin forming on her face even though it didn’t reach her eyes.

Why the fuck did I come here?

To get answers on her hunch that both Mikko and Levi were up to no good. Regardless, here she wastryingto let her armor fall away in hopes she could find a detrimental weakness of both men.

“Hmm, I don’t even know where to begin with that question,” Anika started, memories of her childhood—both good and bad—flashing across her mind. “I guess I’ve always loved puzzles and numbers. They came easily to me when I was younger, a skill I honed fasterthan most in my grade. It made me feel accomplished, so I clung to it and realized I could make it my career if I really wanted to.

“But more than that, I enjoy the patterns and trends found in data. Observation is…how I learn, I guess you could say.”

“Observation, huh? And what have you observed about me?” he asked, hands busy pan searing the vegetables to soften them before adding them into the roux.

“I thought we already played this game,” she countered.

“Oh, that was all superficial things my social media told you. Now that you know me better, what has your little analytical brain brewed up about me.”

Did I mention narcissism earlier?she thought with a metaphorical eye roll.

The aroma of the seasoned vegetables sizzling and the gnocchi boiling on the stovetop filled her nose. Her stomach growled at the promise of food. Instead, she took another sip of wine, trying to be careful. On an empty stomach the Malbec would loosen her tongue.

And only gods knew what would come out if that were to happen.

“I don’t think you want to know,” Anika said, a smile on her face despite her seriousness.

Levi took a sip of his water from a nearby glass before, “Try me.”

Great.“To most you’re outgoing and charming; people can’t seem to say no to you even if they wanted to since you have this way of making them feel guilty for choosing themselves. It makes sense why Romanov would want you on their team since those features make a great business person.”

The words were barely softened by her already simmering annoyance, but Levi didn’t seem to mind.

“Nothing gets by you, does it?” Levi said, his back muscles flexing as he transferred the drained gnocchi into the sauce. “I know you’ve caught things Ineverwould’ve even known to check for.”

“Good thing your boss isn’t here to hear you admitting to incompetence.”

“I mean…incompetence is a little harsh don’t ya think?” His azure eyes flicked over his shoulder, a humorous twinkle in them.

“Your pay reflects your skills,” she joked, gesturing to his nice apartment. He chuckled as his deft hands plated their food. “How about you? What persuaded you to pursue real estate, with one of the biggest moguls of all, no less?”

Watching his reaction, she noticed his spine stiffened slightly, before his throat bobbed.