The office was dark, save for the faint silver glow of the city filtering through the massive glass windows. The hum of the night outside was distant, muffled by the thick walls of the DeLuca estate. Inside, everything was still—too still.
Valeria moved like a shadow, her steps silent against the polished wooden floor. The soft rustle of her silk dress was the only sound as she skimmed her fingers over the cold metal handle of Adrian's desk drawer. Locked.
No surprise.
Her lips curled slightly as she pulled a hairpin from her loose waves, twisting it between her fingers before slipping it into the lock. With a careful flick of her wrist, the mechanism gave a quiet click. Easy.
Sliding the drawer open, she pulled out a stack of documents and let her eyes scan over the neatly organized pages. Most of it was financial records—bank transactions, offshore accounts, coded messages that only someone deeply embedded in the underworld would understand.
She needed more. Something bigger.
Then—footsteps.
Her pulse jumped.
Slow, deliberate, measured steps echoed down the hallway. No. He wasn't supposed to be here.
Her mind spun. No time to run. No time to hide.
Instead, she did what she did best. She adapted.
Valeria pushed the drawer shut just as the footsteps reached the door. With a deep, steadying breath, she turned her focus back to herself—her body, her appearance, her control.
Her dress was already provocative—thin straps, a deep neckline that barely held her curves in place, a slit high enough to make a man's mouth go dry. But now, she made it dangerous.
With a slow, deliberate motion, she let one strap slip lower off her shoulder, exposing more of her smooth skin. She shifted her stance, parting her thighs slightly so the dress bared just enough of her leg to be distracting. Then, with a final touch, she ran her tongue along her lower lip, leaving them glistening and inviting.
Just as the door swung open.
Adrian DeLuca.
The moment he stepped in, the energy in the room shifted.
He was all dark intensity, dressed in a black button-down with the sleeves rolled up, the crisp fabric stretched over his broad chest and forearms. His hair, slightly tousled from the night air, only made him look more dangerous. And then there were his eyes—sharp, calculating, locked on her.
He stopped in the doorway, his gaze sweeping over the room before landing on her.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. "I don't remember inviting you in."
His voice was smooth, but there was an unmistakable edge to it.
Valeria leaned against the desk, letting her body relax into something both effortless and tempting. "You didn't." Her lips curled into a slow, wicked smirk. "But I wanted to surprise you."
Adrian's eyes flickered—to the desk, to the slightly disturbed papers.
Shit.
She saw the exact moment he put it together. He was too smart, too observant, too ruthless to let something like this slide.
She had seconds before suspicion turned into accusation.
Seconds before he asked her something she couldn't explain away.
So she did the one thing that would erase all thought from his mind.
She kissed him.
The moment her lips met his, she felt the shift—the instant change in his stance, the sudden, sharp inhale through his nose. He was caught off guard, but not unresponsive.
Not at all.
Adrian didn't hesitate.
His hands snapped to her waist, fingers gripping her hips with a possessive strength that sent heat spiraling through her. He kissed her back—hungry, demanding, punishing. His lips were hot, firm, moving over hers with a raw dominance that made her knees go weak.
She moaned into his mouth, letting her body mold into his, pressing closer until she could feel every inch of him.
Adrian let out a low, guttural sound from deep in his chest—a sound of approval, of frustration, of control slipping.
His hand slid up her back, gripping the delicate strap of her dress, pulling it down further.
Too far.
Valeria knew she had to stop this before she lost herself in it.
Before she forgot why she was really here.
But when Adrian's teeth grazed her lower lip, when he tugged, biting just enough to send a shiver straight to her core—
She almost forgot anyway.