Cash frowned at her. âI canât pay you a compliment?â
âYou wonât win me over with flattery.â
âFlattery implies Iâm lying.â
He had moved closer to her. âArenât you always?â She wasnât threatened by the closeness. She would stand her ground and make him move first.
âI wasnât lying. You know youâre gorgeous. Every man and woman on the team thinks so. Iâm the only one bold enough to say it to your face.â
She scoffed. âYou canât possibly know what everyone else is thinking about me.â
âAgain, I have a talent for reading people. When people look at you, they have the same interest in their eyes that I have. Youâre so beautiful they need to look for an extra few seconds to take it all in. But unlike most of the people on our team, I plan to do something about it.â
âWhat is it youâre planning to do?â she asked, unable to help herself.
âIâll win you over and make you forget how much you dislike me. Once thatâs out of the way, youâll see that I have a great many talents you may enjoy.â
Chapter 1
Lucia Huntington peeled off her blue-and-white-pinstriped blouse and dropped it in her dry-cleaning bag. Sheâd spilled coffee down the front of her shirt at her morning meeting, the first in a series of bungles that had lined her day.
At least the day was over, paperwork filed and everyoneâs notes reviewed and approved. After she returned her motherâs phone call, sheâd have a few hours to sleep before she did it all again tomorrow.
A knock sounded on her door. Lucia hadnât buzzed anyone into the building, but her neighbor Audrey from across the hall periodically stopped by before she went out for the night. Audrey had a great sense of humor and would provide some comic relief after Luciaâs dreadful day. On her way to the door, Lucia took another sip from the glass of wine she had been drinking.
Looking through the peephole and seeing David âCashâ Stoneâs face stirred several emotions, primary among them anxiety. Ever since he strode into her morning meeting with his cocky swagger and dark hair, captivating sapphire eyes and buff shoulders, Lucia had been controlling her libidoâs overreaction. Sexy with a hint of danger, everything about him screamed warnings. He was a take-no-prisoners kind of man. If she gave him an inch, he would take a mile.
Her workday was over and that meant she didnât have to deal with him. This was her turf.
Another tap sounded on the door. âCome on, Lucia. I know youâre home.â
Not willing to hide in her condo like a coward and wait for him to leave, Lucia grabbed a coat off the coatrack and pulled it on over her bra. She wasnât a love-struck teenager and she was in control of her hormones. Composing herself, she pulled open the door and met Cashâs steely stare. It was as if he was seeing right through her cool facade to the part of her that was panting and restless just looking at him.
âCan I help you?â she asked. She had other questions, like âHow do you know where I live?â and âHow did you get past my buildingâs security?â but sheâd stick with the one that would get rid of him fast. The less time she had to spend with Cash Stone the better.
He leaned against the doorjamb. âArenât you going to ask me in?â
His visit was inappropriate at best, but Cash played by his own rules. He radiated charisma and self-assurance on top of his playboy good looks, and most women found the combination irresistible. Lucia wasnât most women. She had hard-won, carefully exercised control.
Since knowing about his criminal past didnât put a damper on her lust, she needed to find something physically wrong with him and latch on to it. The one physical flaw she could find was that his secondhand clothes lacked style. She needed to mentally harp on that point and banish any sensual ideas of him. He wasnât someone she was planning to date. He wasnât part of her personal life. He was the con man skilled in fraud, counterfeiting and high-tech crimes, brought in to help in an important investigation. He had an abundance of confidence and he was an untrustworthy criminal, a dangerous combination.
âI am not asking you in,â she said. âI donât fraternize with my coworkers in my home.â
He laughed. The gun at her hip tingled against her skin. Were her instincts sending her a warning? Cash was remarkably bold and she was tempted to close the door in his face. She clamped down on the urge. She wouldnât have an emotional outburst and let him know heâd gotten to her. Unacceptable.