Maria. The tool his father had used to hammer home how much he detested his son.
His laptop beeped with an incoming message. Casting another glance at the bedroom door, Narciso pursed his lips.
The next six hours would be devoted to clearing his schedule.
Because once they were in Belize, he would devote his time to deciphering the code that was Ruby Trevelli and why she had succeeded in getting under his skin.
CHAPTER SEVEN
SHE WAS WARM. And comfortable. The steady sound drumming in her ears soothed her, made her feel safe from the erratic dreams that still played in her mind.
But she wanted to get warmer still. Wanted to burrow in the solid strength surrounding her.
The heart beating underneath her cheek—
Ruby jerked awake.
‘Easy now, tigress. You’ll do yourself an injury.’
‘What the hell...? What are you doing here?’
‘Sharing the bed. As you can see, once again I managed to restrain myself. And this time we’re both fully clothed. That means I win brownie points.’
‘You win nothing for letting yourself into my bed uninvited.’
‘Technically, this is my bed, Goldilocks. Besides, you were muttering in your sleep and tossing and turning when I looked in on you. I had to make sure you didn’t sleepwalk yourself out of an emergency exit in your agitation.’
Ruby tried to pry herself away from the inviting length of his warm body, but the arm clamped around her waist refused to move. ‘I wasn’t that agitated.’
Silver eyes pinned hers. ‘Yes, you were. Tell me what upset you.’ His voice was cajoling, hypnotic.
She wanted to tell him about the undeniable threat in the email that had made a shaft of ice pierce her nape and shimmer down her spine. The loan shark had stepped up his threat level, implicating her mother.
Ironic that Narciso, the world-famous playboy and media mogul, had no idea who her mother was but some two-bit loan shark who inhabited the dregs of society knew who Paloma Trevelli was enough to threaten to break her legs if Ruby didn’t reply with a timescale of payment.
Her reply had bought her a few more days but there was no way she intended to tell Narciso what was going on.
‘I told you. It’s my business to handle.’
‘Not if it will potentially impede your ability to perform your job.’
‘I can cook blindfolded.’
‘That I would pay good money to see.’ He pulled her closer, wedging his thigh more firmly between hers so she was trapped. Some time during sleep, she’d curled her hand over his chest. Now, firm muscles transmitted heat to her fingers, making them tingle.
Awareness jolted through her when his lips drifted up her cheek to her temple. ‘If we weren’t landing in less than thirty minutes, I’d take this a step further, use other means to find out what’s going on.’
‘You’re operating under the assumption that I would’ve permitted it.’