Testing The Boss (Billionaires In The City, #5) Read online

  She tried to free herself, but he was leaning into her and she had no leverage to account for his bulk holding her down. She forced herself to relax and let her head fall onto the hardwood beneath her. “Are you proud of yourself?”

  He smiled down at her. “You have no idea.”

  “Congratulations,” she bit out. “You beat a girl.”

  “I didn’t just beat a girl. I beat you. Much more satisfying.”

  “I didn’t gloat this much when you were on your ass.”

  “Maybe you should’ve pinned me down. Now I can gloat as long as I want to.”

  “I only pin down the guys I want to...” She trailed off as she realized the dangerous turn the conversation had taken. She suddenly became intensely aware of the exact position they were in. She was half naked and could feel every inch of Luke through his thin pants and was suddenly feeling even more of him...

  Her eyes widened and met his. “Luke,” she whispered. “What are you—”

  He bent down and pressed his lips against hers. Unlike his aggressive pose, his lips were soft and gentle against hers.

  Evelyn froze in shock underneath him. Good Lord, why was Luke Devereaux kissing her? And why did it feel so good?

  Luke lifted his head and Evelyn opened her eyes she didn’t even realize she’d closed. Was he going to apologize? He should apologize. That was uncalled for and unprofessional and un—

  He kissed her again. But this time shock didn’t take over. Something else deep inside bubbled to the surface and she kissed him back. He still maintained control over her hands, but she ran her tongue over the seam of his lips playfully before she met his aggressive kiss.

  He groaned deep in his throat as he released her wrists to skim his palms over the delicate skin of her wrists and upper arms before going lower, along the curve of her breasts and waist.

  It felt as if his hands were all over her and it only stoked the fire. Evelyn stopped herself from thinking too hard about who it was who was running his palms against her bare skin and ass. Instead, she cupped his face and pulled him closer as she let all her frustration and aggravation out.

  Luke pulled away and cursed under his breath. Before she could ask why he stopped, he’d hopped up and lifted her effortlessly into his arms, crossing the few steps it took to get to her bed, and dropped her onto her mattress.

  In a heartbeat, he was back on her, kissing her as if she were the only woman on the planet. But a part of her competitive streak kicked in, and before he could settle his weight on her, she pushed at his shoulder, rolling him over while never once breaking off their kiss.

  He groaned deep in his throat as she settled on top of him, her hips over his, his erection pressing her core as she started to trail kisses along his jawline to nibble at his ear.

  “Damn it, Evelyn,” he bit out as he moved against her. Only a few thin layers of clothes separated them. She was overcome with the sudden need to remove those layers. To have him naked beneath her and thrusting inside her hard and fast.

  She reared back and started to peel his shirt off him, exposing his fit stomach to her hungry eyes until a screeching noise filled her small apartment.

  They both froze in place, staring breathlessly at each other for a few long moments before Luke broke the silence. “That’s my phone.”

  “Shit.” Evelyn scrambled off him so he could leap up and to the table where he’d apparently left his phone.

  “Luke here.”

  Evelyn pushed herself farther back on the bed and tried to figure out what the hell just happened. Luke kissed her. She kissed him back. Who knew how much she’d have given him if his phone hadn’t rang?

  “Okay.” Luke crossed back to the bed and gestured to the phone.

  Great. Thirteen Stars was calling now.

  He sat at the edge and Evelyn maneuvered so she sat on the other side of the phone and could listen in, but she only caught the end of a sentence. “So does this weekend work for you?”

  Luke met her eyes, but she didn’t have an answer to give him considering she had no idea what they were discussing.

  “I have to check my calendar, but I should be able to move any of my weekend plans aside for you.”

  “No, no,” assured the man. “You don’t have to move anything around. We can meet at your office if that works for you.”

  Evelyn’s mind raced. One of the higher-ups coming to the DevX Tech building? She could have Luke’s entire office wired up in a heartbeat. This was the break they needed. She nodded her approval to Luke.

  “That works. Just let me know when and I’ll have Cali clear my schedule.”

  “Tomorrow afternoon should be fine. Around three.”

  Evelyn nodded again.

  “Sounds good. I’ll clear everything. See you then.”

  Luke hung up and Evelyn hopped off the bed. “Who was that? Did they give you a name?”

  “Yeah. Brian Longineu.”

  “Brian Longineu? He’s the man your cousin was blackmailing. He’s the guy we need.”

  “So we’re one step closer,” said Luke.

  One step closer to her being done with Luke. Which fifteen minutes ago would’ve been the best news ever. Back before he kissed her. And she kissed him. Good grief, she couldn’t tell which one of them was more idiotic.

  “I should make some calls and get a few electronics ready to set up in your office first thing tomorrow.” Evelyn took another step back from Luke, wishing more than ever that she was wearing more clothes.

  The sports bra and shorts had made her feel strong and powerful before. Now she just felt vulnerable. He’d touched her all over and felt every curve on her body.

  “You don’t want to do more...training?”

  Evelyn’s jaw dropped, but she quickly cleared the surprise off her face. Luke wanted more? “No more training tonight. It was a good workout, but we can agree that our styles don’t mix.”

  A sardonic grin twisted his mouth. “You kissed me back.”

  So he wasn’t going to pretend it never happened. Fan-fucking-tastic. “We all have temporary moments of insanity every once in a while.”

  He nodded. “Was that temporary moment before or after you were riding my cock on your bed?”

  Evelyn clenched her jaw as she reminded herself not to sucker-punch Luke. “You’re going to play it like that?”

  He held his hands up. “Hey, I’m calling it like I see it. You can’t tell me you didn’t have a little bit of fun. Why not have a lot of fun?”

  “Are you that sure of yourself?”

  He took a step closer. “Oh, I’m absolutely that sure of myself.”

  Evelyn set a hand on her hip and stood tall, not letting him think she was even slightly tempted for a second. “Then I’m sure you can find some woman who will be more than happy for your attention. But I have work to do tonight. I will see you at your office first thing tomorrow to go over our plan.”

  He clenched his jaw but didn’t come any closer. “You don’t want to brainstorm together?”

  “I think I’ll be brainstorming alone tonight.”

  He let out a laugh. “Oh, me too. Trust me,” he muttered as he turned to pick up his briefcase and neatly folded suit jacket and shoes.

  Evelyn refused to let herself think about what he meant by brainstorming alone and crossed to open the door for him. “Thanks for your help, Luke,” she forced herself to say as he approached. They might have their differences, but she was grateful he was going so far out of his way to help the agency.

  He nodded but paused in the open entryway. “This isn’t over, Evelyn.”

  She took a breath and released it slowly. “If things play out with Brian right, it could be over.”

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it. You think I’m going to forget what we just did?”

  “We didn’t do anything.”

  “We will,” he assured.

  “You know I’m not one of those women who’s turned on by cockiness and arrogance.”r />
  Luke leaned in closer. “That doesn’t matter. Because now I know that you’re turned on by me. And soon enough, we’re going to finish what we started here.”

  Evelyn’s heart beat a frantic rhythm in her chest as she tried to keep cool. “Good night, Luke,” she said in a cool, calm tone.

  He inched even closer and Evelyn braced herself for his kiss, unsure whether she’d push him away or whether she’d give in.

  “I’ll be seeing you, Evelyn Price.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Luke pushed himself harder, ignoring the burning in his lungs and legs as he told the treadmill to go even faster. He made it fast enough that he wouldn’t spend any time at all thinking about Evelyn’s luscious body pressed up against him. The way her mouth felt on his as she rubbed herself against him.

  The way she’d wanted him just as much as he’d wanted her.

  He upped the incline once more and forced his aching quads to keep up. He had to focus today. He needed to be on his A game and not in the midst of some fucking schoolboy crush on Evelyn fucking Price.

  It had been so much easier when he’d thought she hated him. Hell, he still thought she hated him. The kiss had been random and ballsy, both things he specialized in. He was sick of her pushing him down, and seeing as how he was a red-blooded male, it was impossible not to get distracted by her fantastic ass in those skintight shorts.

  So kissing her had seemed like a good idea at the time. She’d punch him in the face, give him a black eye like he probably deserved for kissing a federal agent without permission, and that would be that.

  But instead, she’d frozen under him like a deer caught in the high beams. Which was especially strange because he hadn’t thought Evelyn would freeze for anything, let alone him. So then he’d kissed her again and that was when they both went up in flames.

  “Oh no,” said Cali from his office door.

  Luke’s foot landed slightly off and he had to stumble to keep his balance on the quick moving belt. As soon as he regained himself, he rested his feet on the edge of the treadmill and caught his breath, slamming his hand down on the stop button. “You couldn’t have knocked?” he barked at Cali.

  Anyone else probably would’ve been cowed by the harsh tone, but Cali just raised one blonde brow. “It’s seven thirty and you’re in the office working out. You’re never here this early. I was just dropping something off on your desk.” She emphasized the point by slowly crossing to his desk to drop off the file folder. “So you want to tell me why you’re so pissy?”

  Luke stepped off the treadmill and wiped his face down with a towel. “Don’t worry about it.”

  She snorted. “Easy for you to say. You being pissy directly affects the way my workday goes. So I do worry about it. And I have a distinct impression it has something to do with the intern who isn’t really an intern.”

  Shit. “Don’t worry about her.”

  “You pay me to worry, Luke. It’s what I’m good at, except I’m used to being able to actually fix the things that worry me. Not just sit by while they break their neck running on a treadmill.”

  “That was your fault,” he reminded her.

  “I’ve been thinking,” she said, changing the subject.

  Luke bit back a groan. He didn’t think there was one conversation in the history of man that started with that phrase and ended well. And he already had enough trouble on his plate to deal with for the day. “And what have you been thinking about?”

  “About the offices opening in Seattle. And the fact that Michael seems more committed to the city than ever since he and Lori started spending every waking moment together. I don’t think you have any plans to pack up and move across the country any time soon. You’re going to need someone to head up that project.”

  Was seven thirty too early for a drink? “I need you here, Cali.”

  For the first time in all the years he’d known her, Cali didn’t hide the disappointment from her face. “I didn’t get my master’s degree so I could be your assistant for the rest of my life, Luke.”

  “And you won’t be,” he promised. “I’m going to find a great position for you. One that will suit all your talents and will be timed right. But at the moment, there are just too many outside factors at play. I can’t take the chance that something will be messed up during your transition.”

  “Don’t be a fucking coward, Luke.”

  He jerked his head back. He didn’t think Cali had ever cursed at him before. “What?”

  She shook her head and crossed to the door. “You and I both know there’ll never be a good time to transition me out. So if you were never planning on transferring me, you should tell me instead of stringing me along like one of those bimbos you’re always with.”

  “I don’t string along the bimbos!” he called after her, but she was already walking out, shutting the door behind her.

  Damn it. Maybe it was time to let Cali go. He didn’t know how many more raises he could give her before she finally got tired of this game. She was too smart to be twiddling her thumbs at the assistant’s desk, but she did so much more for the company as an assistant that he’d probably need two or three different people to replace her.

  And he probably wouldn’t like any of those people as much as her.

  He ran the towel over his head and through his hair. He was a sweaty mess and would need a good shower before he could get any work done. Just one more thing to add to his ever growing to-do list.

  Luke pulled off his sweat-soaked shirt and set it in the coat closet in the back corner of the office. He didn’t want to set it in his bag until after it had dried but didn’t want it sitting out either.

  He heard the doorknob twist behind him. “Just tell me how much of a salary increase you want to make you happy, and it will be done,” he said as he turned. But instead of Cali, Evelyn stood in front of him.

  “I’ve always wondered how great it would be to cross over that six-figure hump.” Evelyn crossed to set a black bag on his desk.

  Luke took a calming breath and set the towel down. Evelyn, as always, looked damn sexy. Her discount suit hugged her ass in just the right way, and the jacket, which actually seemed to match her pants today, wasn’t enough to hide the way her blouse stretched over her generous breasts.

  He was starting to think this whole working out thing wasn’t a good distraction when it came to Evelyn. But he wasn’t sure there was anything at this point that would get his mind off her and her body. Especially now that he knew what it looked like. Felt like.

  “I have a feeling that if you weren’t working for the FBI, you could be making as much as you wanted to.” Luke knew she used to be in the military with Jace, and although he’d chosen to go the private sector path, Evelyn had stuck with the government. Luke was sure someone with her skills would have done very well for herself, taking jobs on a freelance basis.

  “I guess I’m still holding out for a sugar daddy.” She winked.

  He had a feeling she tried to keep her eyes firmly planted on his face, but he noticed as they trailed down over his still overheated chest and stomach. Suddenly all those hours in the gym were completely worth it. She tried to stay cool and collected, pretending that last night never happened, but he could tell he’d gotten under her skin.

  If only he’d gotten inside her the way he’d wanted to.

  “So what’s the plan to set up for today?” he asked, giving her a reprieve. As much as he’d like to continue what they’d stopped the night before right now on his desk, he knew that now wasn’t the time for that.

  “I thought a bit about how things are going to go down today. I think that Brian is still on damage control after Ken tried to kill Lori. He wouldn’t come into your domain like this if he was going to give up any sensitive information. Your main goal for today is to get him to agree to do something outside the office with you.”

  He raised a brow. “Like go out for coffee? I don’t think that’s in the cards.”

  “W
hatever bored billionaires do to bond. Play golf or drink Scotch. I don’t know. Go swimming in pools of money?”

  “That sounds unsanitary.”

  “Probably fun though.”

  He cracked a smile. “So what happens when I go swimming in piles of money with Longineu?”

  “You talk. You talk your ass off. Talk about your family. Talk about your women. Talk about your secrets. You do that, he’ll talk too. Human psychology.”

  “He’s not the kind of guy I want knowing my secrets.”

  “Then tell him the ones he already knows. Talk about Rourke. What you two fell out over.”

  Luke clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck do you know about that?”

  Any joking expression fled. “It was in your file,” she said quietly.

  “And you’ve known this entire time?” Shit. He’d known she’d done her research but didn’t think she’d go that deep.

  “It was a long time ago. But secrets like that will make Brian think he can trust you.”

  “It wasn’t that long ago for Rourke.” Considering the last time he’d seen his brother was after Rourke tossed him through a window in anger, it felt as though it was all too recent.

  Evelyn shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Wining and dining rich people is your specialty. You know what you’re doing. Just make him like you. Hopefully he’ll spill. You already have a big chunk of money with the Thirteen Stars, so it shouldn’t take much to get him saying things we’ll make him regret later.”

  “And you’ll be listening to every word?”

  She nodded. “Give me your phone.”

  He crossed to behind his desk and pulled it off the charger. As soon as she had it in her hands, she pulled off the back and started to install something on the inside of the battery compartment.

  Luke bent closer to get a better look and Evelyn went still. “Do you mind?”