Page 136 of Blood in the Water

“Congratulations,” he said as he lifted his scotch to me.

I smirked. “Guess you’re stuck with me for a little while longer.”

He raised an eyebrow and slowly dragged his tongue around the top of his lip. Instantly those words replayed in my head:“It’s inevitable that I’ll be buried inside your pussy with you screaming my name as you come.”Shit. I had to look away from him entirely to keep from melting. God, the bastard knewexactlyhow hot he was, and he never let me forget it.

Obi stood and reached out his hand.

I clasped it, fitting my fingers around his. I withheld a small gasp as a tiny little spark of electricity shot up my arm, setting the nerves tingling.

Static electricity, I told myself.

Definitely not another damn man that I wanted to take to my bed. Shit.

Through our connected hands, Obi drew me close enough to whisper in my ear. “You are as smart as you are beautiful, Leona. I look forward to teaching you everything I know.”

My entire body flushed, my brain and body fizzling.

Before the words could settle in, he dropped my hand and lifted his glass. “To our partnership.”

Someone handed me a drink, and I downed it, still trying to understand if he was talking about business… or something else.

I wanted it to be both.

“So, how do we start?” Wynn asked once the cheers had subsided. We’d all ended up sitting around the giant sectional. Even Cas had come to relax beside me, his good arm gently curled around my shoulder.

“I have a plan,” I declared with a smile.

“Of course you do,” Ryuji mumbled.

“Ciel, let’s get my money back.”

48

CIEL

Leona and I worked long into the night, carefully setting up the dominos that would come toppling down onto Volpe whenever we were ready.

Her plan was ingenious. Slightly devious. A little risky. Everything that a good plan needed. I couldn’t wait to see her knock that first domino down and bring Volpe to his knees. With her brain and my skills, it was easy.

She did have a talent for the work I did. It wasn’t that her skill level was high yet—though she was learning—but she understood how the pieces moved together. She could see the patterns as I could, and her brain was naturally suited for the work.

She grinned as I pushed the final chunk of code.

We were ready.

“Nice work,” I praised as I leaned back in my computer chair, shoulder lightly brushing against hers. We’d created a second workstation next to mine, complete with an extra keyboard, monitor, mouse, and headset. Right now, she wasn’t using the monitor, so she had squeezed in close to get a better look at my display. “I give you three years, and you’ll have me beat.”

“Two.”

I laughed, a smile plastered on my face. “Two and a half.”

It was a welcome surprise to find that I was genuinely… happy. Calm. Relaxed in her presence. She had a knack for putting me at ease and weaseling her way under my defenses.

She was close enough that our shoulders brushed frequently when we moved in our chairs, and now, as we faced each other to talk, the details in her big brown eyes were on full display. Flecks of gold. Sparks of light. A complex yet intensely vibrant color.

Mi ángel.

Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out to wind my finger around a stray lock of her hair. She didn’t seem to mind, and the touch kept my fingers busy.