Ruthless Temptation

by Ravenna Tate

  She had a point. They had what they needed from Ralph already, and Viggo doubted he knew anything else that could help them. The more Madison recorded his conversations, the greater the risk she’d be found out.

  “You’re right. It’s too risky. And honestly, you probably didn’t cover your tracks completely. Not saying they’ll find it unless they go looking for it specifically, but it’s probably still there in some fashion for an IT person to find. As for Ralph, these calls have only been recently, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “They might already be monitoring them and he’s being watched, which means you’re at risk, too. You could quit, you know. Leave today. Come work for me.”

  She blinked a few times. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course. I told you I wouldn’t leave you with no employment, and I meant it.”

  “But don’t you need more information?”

  He shook his head. “What you got today is more helpful than you know.”

  She look so conflicted Viggo wished he knew what to say to help her make what to him was an obvious decision. “Won’t Ralph become suspicious if I quit just like that?”

  “Don’t tell him where you’re going.”

  “He’ll find out.”

  “Probably, but it will take a while. By that time, we’ll have Dave.”

  “How do you know that?”

  Viggo smiled. “Once Brent Easton finds out why we need him, we’ll have him. Trust me.”

  “You scare me a bit.”

  He laughed and pulled her close again. “You have nothing to fear from me.”

  She sighed, and then he felt her nod. “All right. I’ll quit today.”

  Viggo kissed her hair. “Welcome to Ingram Properties, Miss Overton.” He had no idea how this would turn out, but it felt right, and Viggo always trusted his gut.

  Chapter Twelve

  Thursday morning, Madison had thought she’d be afraid to confront Ralph in person, but the conversation wasn’t filled with anger. It was merely a bit terse. He asked her why she was leaving and she told him she’d found an opportunity where she could use her marketing skills. He had snorted and said he knew this job hadn’t given her the chance for that, and then he’d wished her well.

  She carried her small box of personal items from her desk straight to the building that housed Ingram Properties, where Viggo came down to the lobby to greet her. “Do you think he knows you’re here?”

  “No. Not unless he had me followed.”

  “Come on up. I’ll introduce you to everyone and have one of the other analysts help you get settled. I’d do it myself, but I have another conference call with all the Weathermen shortly.”

  He’d been on his computer in a series of video calls most of Wednesday evening. She’d gone to bed while he was still working, and he hadn’t woken her up during the night. This morning, he’d apologized for letting her sleep, explaining he was exhausted. She’d told him he had no reason to apologize to her, and thanked him again for the new job.

  She waited until they were alone in the elevator to ask about the call. “What’s it about this time?” The evening before, he had sent the others the recording Madison made, and they’d discussed the contents and devised a plan. She hadn’t been in the room during the calls, but whenever he’d taken a break, he’d summarized them for her.

  “We finally have the thirteen, and we picked up Rob. Now all we need to do is find Dave.”

  “Wow. That was fast.”

  His grin sent shivers down her spine for two reasons. One, she wanted to make love to him again in the worst way, and two, she was finally beginning to understand the far-reaching power he and the others had. It was intoxicating to be near someone who could make things happen with a single phone call.

  Her new office was in the marketing department, which was on the same floor as his office. The entire department reported directly to him. She couldn’t stop smiling as he led her inside. What a strange set of circumstances that had finally led to her landing a job where she could use her skills.

  He asked her to put the box on her new desk, then introduced her to the department’s two administrative assistants and the other three analysts. She also met Oscar Velez, whom Viggo introduced as his head of security and IT team.

  “Oscar is setting up a new system in this department, so you’ll be seeing a lot of him.” Viggo asked one of the analysts, Lisa Kinder, to help Madison settle in. Then he gave Madison a wink and told her he’d see her later.

  Based on the lust coming off him in waves as his gaze lingered, if anyone in the department wondered whether she was dating Viggo, they wouldn’t now. Madison wasn’t sure what to make of that, but she’d deal with it another time. For now, she needed to begin learning her new job.

  She didn’t see Viggo until it was almost time to leave for the day, when he stopped by and asked if she’d like to go out to dinner instead of having it at home. Madison grinned. “You call it ‘home’ as if I live there now.”

  “You might as well. Most of your things are in the guest suite.”

  Madison wasn’t sure if he was happy or not about that fact, so she decided to take the coward’s way out and ignore the remark. “Where did you want to go to eat?”

  “Cibo Delizioso. Have you been there?”

  “Are you joking? Of course not.” It was crazy expensive. She felt guilty just walking past it.

  “Great. I love introducing you to new experiences.”

  The way he said it made her shiver again. He’d introduced her to more new experiences this past week than she’d ever imagined would happen for her. “In that case, I’d love to go.” She glanced down at her jeans. “But I probably should change first.”

  “Definitely. There’s a dress code.” He held out his arm. “Come on. I’ll help you choose something.”

  She laughed and took his arm as they made their way toward the elevator. “We might not make it out of your apartment in that case.” The last time he’d offered to help her choose something to wear, which happened to have been Tuesday morning, they didn’t get to the office until almost ten.

  He cupped her face and kissed her, hard and rough. Madison was dimly aware that several people passed them in the hallway, but she didn’t give a shit. When he finally released her mouth, food was the last thing on her mind.

  “Later,” he said softly. “After dinner. We might have to work from home tomorrow.”

  She let out a shaky breath. “In that case, I’d better go back and grab my laptop.”

  “Good idea.”

  ****

  The meal was incredible. The dress Madison wore was one she’d never worn before. Viggo had taken one look at it and grinned in a way that had her wet in seconds. She hadn’t bothered looking at the others she’d stashed in the closet of the guest suite.

  He looked as handsome as she’d ever seen him in a suit and tie, and he smelled heavenly. It had been more than a bit overwhelming to walk inside, be shown instantly to a secluded table, and have their picture taken at least ten times before they sat down.

  Viggo seemed totally unfazed by it. Madison opened the menu and closed it again. Most of the dishes cost more than she paid each month for Internet access.

  “Will you order for me? Too many choices.”

  “I’d be delighted to. Any food allergies or extreme dislikes I haven’t heard about yet?”

  “No. I’m sure I’ll love whatever you choose.”

  She didn’t know one word of Italian, but it sounded to her as if he spoke it perfectly when he ordered.

  “Is there anything you can’t do?” she asked, once their server retreated.

  He tilted his head to one side for a few seconds. “I can’t make anagrams as fast as you can.”

  She laughed. “I’d hardly call that a life-changing skill.”

  “On the contrary. You never know when switching letters around in your head at lightning speed will be the key to saving the world.” He reached across
the table and took her hands. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

  “A few times.”

  “I can’t wait until we’re back in my apartment. I want to make love to you again.”

  She shivered. “Not tired of me yet?”

  “Not even close.”

  His eyes blazed with lust, but there was something else, deep in them. This wasn’t just sex for him. She knew that, but she didn’t dare go there in her mind or get her hopes up this might last longer than any of his previous relationships had. The longest one she could find had lasted three months, and that was four years ago. It had ended publicly at a charity event.

  She wondered if he ever thought about any of the women he’d dated. She’d almost asked him a few times, but it had never seemed like the right question and she didn’t want him to think she was fishing.

  Their wine arrived, and once they each had a glass and their server retreated again, Viggo clinked his glass gently against hers. “To saving the world.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” She took a sip. “Wow. This is amazing.”

  “I was hoping you’d like it. It’s very rare underground.”

  “Of course it is. You never do anything half-assed, do you?”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  She glanced around as a flash caught her attention to find yet another person had taken their picture.

  “You’ll get used to it,” he said quietly.

  “Really? When?”

  He put his glass down, and she did, too. Then he took her hands again. “Does it bother you a great deal?”

  “I’m learning to ignore it, but how do you deal with it? I mean, this happens to all of you, right?

  “It does.”

  “Do your friends’ wives and fiancées find it bothersome?”

  “I believe some deal with it better than others.”

  “What about the weddings? Aren’t they overflowing with reporters?”

  He shook his head. “No. We keep them out. Those are private. Speaking of weddings, I had hoped to take you to Dominic’s and Angela’s next month, but they’ve postponed it until February.”

  He wanted to take her to one of the Weathermen’s weddings? Oh my… “Why did they postpone it?”

  “Because of everything going on in Central. The others had decided to have them each six months apart so we could all attend, but there’s talk of having them all within a couple of months in Central, early next year.”

  A cold chill settled over her heart. “Oh my God. You’re afraid you all won’t be alive long enough to see each other get married.”

  He nodded slowly, and the most profound sadness spread over his face. Madison had to blink back tears. This had to be stopped, but how?

  “That’s exactly why they’re talking about doing it that way. No one wants to risk waiting.”

  “What are you all going to do? This has to be stopped.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  She was about to say something else, but their appetizer arrived. Viggo released her hands. “I don’t want anything to spoil this. You’ll love it. I’ve never tasted calamari the way they make it here.”

  “Can you believe I’ve never tasted it at all?”

  He gave her a long, searching look, and once more she had the feeling something deeper was going on, but didn’t have a clue how to address it. He speared a piece with his fork, then dipped it into one of the sauces. “Open your mouth.”

  She had to bite back a moan at the tone in his voice. It was as seductive as if they were in bed and he had just asked her to take his dick into her mouth. She did as he asked, and then closed her eyes as she chewed. “Oh wow. Wow. Delicious.”

  He watched her, a tiny smile on his face and his eyes filled with amusement. “Do you know what I like the most about you?”

  “I think you were pretty clear on that the other night.”

  His laugh sent shivers down her spine. “Well, all right. I did say that, didn’t I?” He’d told her loved her boobs more than anything else on her body, and thought they very well might be the nicest ones he’d ever seen. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  “Really? I’m shocked. Truly, because you’re a boob man if ever I met one.”

  “Careful, smart-ass. I might have to spank you in public.”

  She nearly came at those words. “Oh … I might like that.”

  “You might. You might also turn as red as the tablecloth if I do.”

  Madison squirmed slightly. Time to change the subject even though the idea of him bending her over and smacking her ass right now was a total turn-on. “So tell me, please. What do you now like most about me?”

  He waved his hand in a small circle. “This. The way you embrace every new experience and dive right in. I’ve never seen anyone take so little in their life for granted. Everything is fascinating to you. You make me feel young again, Madison.”

  She almost choked on her food. No one had ever said such a wonderful thing to her, and certainly not a man she’d dated. She was stunned and unable to completely process what he’d just said, so she simply stared into his beautiful eyes.

  “Have I offended you?”

  “God no. I’m … I don’t know what to say. You’re larger than life, and to hear you say something like that to me, well, I don’t know how to respond. My life is so different from yours. It’s so different from the life most of women you’ve dated lead.”

  “Not that much. Not really.”

  “Seems that way from what I’ve read. I’m not fishing. I’m merely starting observations.”

  “I know you’re not fishing.” He took her hands again. “I’m happy you walked into my office that morning. I was pretty upset at the time, but now I’m grateful you did.”

  “So am I,” she whispered.

  He glanced up as their server approached, carrying salads. “Let’s enjoy this meal.”

  Madison could barely eat now, but she wasn’t about to waste the best food she’d ever tasted. She was stuffed by the time they lingered over coffee and dessert. They’d been there three hours when they rose to leave, and their picture was taken several times as they left the restaurant.

  She was used to Viggo’s security staff now, and noticed this evening how easily they deflected the photographers who would likely follow them to the apartment if left to their own devices. Viggo grabbed her hand as they walked, and Madison smiled. Words weren’t necessary. She didn’t want them to dull what he’d said to her earlier. She wanted to bask in it a while longer.

  And, she couldn’t wait to make love to him tonight. She had a feeling it would surpass anything they’d done so far.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Viggo was in big trouble and he knew it. This charming girl had crawled so far under his skin he was acting like a lovesick teen, kissing her every moment he could in public and holding her hands in a restaurant. The really disturbing part was that he didn’t mind.

  No breaking out in a cold sweat. No waking up at night, finding her next to him, and wondering how the hell he could ask her to sleep in another bed that night without turning the request into a raging argument. No inventing reasons to push her away or break up. No feelings of claustrophobia, and no nitpicking at her quirks to find a petty reason to end the relationship.

  He’d asked her to Dominic’s and Angela’s wedding, for God’s sake. Well, okay. To be fair, what he’d actually done was tell her he had planned on taking her. But, to be equally fair, he hadn’t brought a date to Ace’s and Harper’s wedding, or to Emmett’s and Liane’s.

  And even more amazing was the fact that she hadn’t jumped on his mention of it and started talking about her own wedding, or hinting that she couldn’t wait to get married one day and have shitloads of kids.

  He didn’t know how to deal with this. He kept waiting for it—expecting it—but it never came. Instead, she’d understood the urgency behind Dominic and Angela, Kane and Julianne, Damien and Sela, Addison and Nadine, Barclay a
nd Rissa, Grayson and Valerie, Oliver and Blair, plus Atticus and Emma each moving their wedding dates up, and agreeing to have them in Central within a few months of each other. She knew why they’d done it, and that had been her focus. The fate of the planet.

  Not the flowers, or the dresses, or the band, or the cake, or the event itself. She’d asked him what they were going to do about stopping The Madeline Project.

  Just as if she was already one of them, and cared about them as much as she would her own family or best friends.

  Then he’d changed the subject, but not because he didn’t want to talk about weddings. And then he’d told her those things. Those romantic, heartfelt things that he’d never said to any woman. And he meant them. God help him. He had meant every single word.

  She looked at him like he hung the moon. The real moon. The one that was still up there somewhere, waiting for all of them to return to the surface one day and gaze at it. They would write songs about it once more, and poems, and they would marvel at its beauty and majesty.

  Viggo believed this with his whole heart and soul. He had to, otherwise there was no point in continuing down here. There was no point in holding Madison’s warm hand right now, or gazing down into her beautiful face, so full of promise and excitement. He had to do this for all of them. He had to do this for her.

  God help him. He was falling in love with this extraordinary woman. Holy shit.

  ****

  Madison put her arms around Viggo and kissed him as soon as they stepped across the threshold. He captured her mouth in a kiss so hot she was sure the tile underneath them would melt. He released it and lifted her into arms as if she weighed no more than a leaf.

  A retort about her weight sprang to her lips, but she held it back. She hadn’t put herself down all week, and she wasn’t about to spoil this evening. He held her gaze for long moments, and his expression was impossible to read. Those deep blue depths were a mystery most of the time, but she’d grown used to that.