by Kailin Gow
He closed in and slipped his hands around her waist, letting them rest on the small of her back. “Because, my dear detective, every one of these designer garments is for you.”
Tears of disbelief immediately sprung to her eyes. “Me?”
“I told you… I want the woman at my side to look hot, not like a school marm.”
“So why the ruse? Why didn’t you just come out and tell me?”
He shrugged. “I wanted to see your face when I mentioned another woman, and I wanted to see your face when you learned it was actually all for you. I have to say, I’m pleased with both; the touch of envy for that fictional woman, and the elation when you realized you were that woman. I was right about our first meeting. You want me as much as I want you.”
“I what?” Zara asked, blushing.
“And now,” Leo said ignoring her feeble denial, as he gestured to the clerk. “One final dress.” He reached for the beautiful white linen dress with intricately embroidered hem and neckline. “Something a little casual for a day on the town. I thought we could have lunch somewhere.”
Feeling a sudden pang of hunger, Zara took the dress and headed to the fitting room, only to find Leo following close behind her, a wide brimmed hat and delicate sandals in hand. He set the items on the seat inside the fitting room and looked expectantly at her.
“Need a hand getting out of that?”
“I don’t think so,” she said, waiting for him to leave.
“I think you do,” he whispered as he turned her back to him. His heated fingers brushed along the nape of her neck and down her back as he drew the zipper down.
Conscious of her exposed skin, Zara stood straight and stiff, her breath caught in her lungs.
“Relax.” Leo brought his hands to her shoulders and gently melted the tension away. “You’ve got to learn to relax.” His voice was a hushed rasp in her ear.
Closing her eyes, Zara let her breath ease out of her lungs and the tension slip out of her fingertips. His touch was heaven and she wanted to discover the effects of an even more intimate touch.
Her wish was quickly granted when Leo pressed his lips to the nape of her neck. An aroused gasp escaped her and Leo responded by gently sucking on her flesh.
“Oh, my God, Leo. What are you doing?”
“Succumbing. Watching you these past hours has been very enlightening,” he murmured. “It gives me a chance to look at you, to enjoy seeing your beauty, instead of the one being watched. I love how classic lines fit your body, and how clingy garments accentuate every curve. Most of all, I love the fiery look in your eyes when you see just how sexy you really are. Your innocence is so fresh yet sexy at the same time. And you’re this amazing killing machine. You are the most fascinating woman I’ve ever met.”
Zara backed into him, surprised by the hard strength of his chest as she let go and leaned into him.
“You’re hot and you're sexy and you're gorgeous, but what really gets me, is that you don’t know it.”
She spun around to face him. “I’ve never had the luxury of wasting time on how I look. A quick ponytail and a comfortable uniform and I’m off.”
“Yeah, I’ve kind of noticed that these past days. Even today; plain blue jeans and a ho hum shirt. It’s a cool look, if you're planning on running down a criminal, but it won’t cut it in my world.”
Unhappy with his assessment of her, she pouted.
“Don’t be offended. Despite your lack of fashion sense, you still look hotter than most women I know.” His tongue snaked out to slowly run along his lips. “And your lips. How do you…?” He leaned in to touch his lips to hers “… taste.” His mouth covered hers and took possession while his fingers clawed at her bare back. “Delicious.”
Zara welcomed his tongue and eagerly took him in. He tasted fresh and masculine, and when she shyly brought her fingertips to his shoulders, she was mesmerized by the power and strength there.
“I want you,” he whispered. “I want you so badly.”
Her lips hungered for his, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t take a hold of them. Instead, she remained still, and desperately tried to ignore the carnival of thrilling sensations that was taking over her body.
“I can’t,” she finally whispered.
“Can’t what?”
“This. I can’t do this. I can’t let myself get personally involved with you. I can’t get this close to you.”
“Your body seems pretty happy with the arrangement.” His smile was playful, smoldering and filled with promise.
“Leo…”
“What is it? Are you afraid you’ll lose control? Are you afraid to get close to someone because you don’t want to risk losing them?”
“I’m not here for fun and games, Leo. I’m here to protect you. I’m here to do anything and everything to keep you out of harm’s way, even take a bullet for you.”
Shocked, he took a step back. “Take a bullet? I didn’t know…”
“It’s part of the job.” She pulled away from him. “I can’t lose sight of the job I’m here to do. Now, please let me get changed so we can get out of here.”
His jaw tight, and his eyes hard with disappointment, he opened the door and left her.
Though her heart continued to beat with arousal, she quickly changed and resumed the look she was the most comfortable in; jeans and simple shirt.
Chapter 6
Leo
Leo sat in his office with thoughts of Zara blotting out all the important files that sat on his desk. First thing that morning, he’d sent her a thoughtful and understanding text telling her he accepted her decision and wouldn’t hold it against her.. He would ignore his body’s urge to seduce her and simply be content to work at her side.
At eight o’clock sharp, he called her office. “Can I see you in my office a moment?” Not waiting for a response, he hung up and waited. His body had a swift and strong reaction to the mere thought of seeing her again. She had an odd and unexpected effect on him, and while it troubled him, he relished the sense of excitement that took a hold of him. As he waited, he felt nervous and edgy. No woman had ever touched him so profoundly.
The door to his office opened and he stood to greet her, but instead of coming face to face with Zara in one of her newly purchased outfits, he was met by a handsome young man with wavy copper hair and light-colored eyes wearing a stylishly tailored suit.
Frowning, Leo shot a displeased look at the man. “Who the hell are you?”
“The name is Peter, sir,” he said with a thick British accent as he scanned the spacious office. “Peter Brock.”
“Where’s Zara ?”
“She had a family emergency, sir. I know she’s been doing a great job here, and believe me, sir, I intend to work just as hard.” He peered beyond Leo’s shoulder at the view of the harbor. “Exceptional view, sir. Very impressive.”
Seething, Leo sat down and glared at the stranger. Since first waking up, he’d thought of the passionate kissed he’d shared with Zara and had been looking forward to seeing her again. He knew damn well the family emergency story was bullshit. She simply didn’t have the guts to come in and face him that morning, and it pissed him off.
“Will she be in tomorrow?” Leo grumbled.
“I don’t believe so, sir. Her grandmother has taken ill and Zara wanted to spend time with her.”
“You can drop the ‘sir’ bit.”
“My apologies. It’s the London boy in me.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Glaring at the young Brit, he had a sense there was more to the story than he let on. “Tell me, why should I trust you? Who’s to say you’re who you say you are. For all I know you’re some whack job who just walked in off the street.”
“I assure you, sir… um, Mr. Lee, that I’m highly trained for this position.” Peter pulled out a badge and flashed it at Leo. “I received my training in London and have been in Hong Kong for the past three years.” Pride gleamed in his eyes as he put the badge away. “Zara and I have b
een working hard to capture the leaders and players in this crime ring for over a year. I know the dossier very well.”
Leo took a closer look at Zara’s replacement. He was a good looking guy, well over six feet tall, with a good build, chiseled jaw and piercing grey eyes. He seemed to be closing in on thirty, but he wore it well.
“How well do you know Zara,” Leo asked on a hunch.
He peeled his eyes away from the door that led to Leo’s private quarters. “Very well.” The cocky arch of his brow told the story. He and Zara were close, or had once been. Zara was someone special to him.
“What are you looking for?” Leo said when he noticed Peter’s searching gaze.
“I’m just taking it all in. The more familiar I am with my surroundings, the better equipped I am to do a good job. “Do you often have the opportunity to take a shower here?”
“It happens. I work long hours and going back home isn’t always possible. Since I travel extensively, I can leave the office and head straight to the airport at a moment’s notice. Just hop in the shower, change into a fresh suit and I’m off. Same goes for when I return from a business trip. I can come straight here without stopping at home first.”
“How convenient.” He seemed far from impressed by the explanation. “Has Zara had a need for a shower yet?”
“That’s a peculiar question.” He knew Peter was fishing for something and he decided to goad him on. “But yes. In a rush to a business meeting, I recently needed her assistance. She helped me get dressed.”
“What an odd function for an assistant,” Peter said with ill-concealed displeasure. “And who would think a grown man would need help getting dressed? Is this a part of the job I should look forward to?”
“Hardly,” Leo said. “I’d happen to celebrate the opening of my new restaurant a little too heavily. I was somewhat hung over the next morning and Zara helped keep me stay steady.”
“Oh. How fortunate for you.”
No need to get snide, Leo wanted to say, but truth was, he enjoyed toying with the man who obviously held some affection for Zara. For a long moment they stared at one another, squaring off and sizing up.
“Is there any way I could reach Zara?” Leo finally said. “She’d started looking at the personal profiles of my employees and I’d like to know if she’s learned anything interesting.”
“I was perusing those very files when you called me to your office, sir. So far everything looks fine.”
“Still, I would like to talk to Zara personally. Would you happen to know where she is exactly?”
“I believe she took her grandmother to the hospital. Which one, I couldn’t tell you.”
Leo still didn’t believe him, and he fully intended to call Zara on her cell phone once Peter left the office. “That will be all for today, Peter. You can take the rest of the day off.” He had no intention of spending the day with that man following him around.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Zara left strict orders. I am not to let you out of my sight. The order of the day, sir; where you go, I go. The furthest I’ll be from you is in my office.”
“Fine,” Leo muttered. “But leave me a little breathing space, will you?” His curt nod was Peter’s cue to leave the office.
The moment the door closed, Leo dialed Zara’s number, but when he got her voicemail, he hung up. Something told him she wouldn’t call back if he left a message. He’d have to try to reach her some other way.
Prepared to placate Peter, he passed by his office on the way to the boardroom. “I’ll be in a meeting with the board members for the next two hours if you need me.”
“Perfect, sir.”
After the board meeting, Leo once again popped his head in Peter’s office. I’ll be with developers in my office for the next hour.
“Perfect, sir.”
With the meeting over, he visited Peter once more. “I’ll have lunch in my office.”
“Ditto here, sir.”
Leo closed the door and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. “Ditto here, sir,” he muttered, mimicking Peter.
He had a quiet lunch alone in his office, but felt trapped and in a desperate need to get away. Seeing how Peter had settled in so comfortably, he decided to pay him one last visit.
“I’m having a meeting with the staff. Do you want to participate?”
Peter held up an employee file. “Too much work here. I’ll pop in on the next one.”
“Perfect,” Leo said, and as he closed the door behind him, he smiled.
With purposeful steps, he headed to the elevators and took the first one down to the parking garage. Behind the wheel of his silver Mercedes, he took off. “Free at last,” he said as he directed the car to the hospital. If nothing else, he wanted to know if this was all a lie.
And if it was true, he wanted to show Zara that he was there for her.
Chapter 7
Leo
Assuming Zara’s grandmother still lived in Kowloon, Leo asked his GPS to find the clinics and hospitals in the neighborhood and headed to the first one on the list; Victoria’s Health Clinic. He distinctly remembered Peter mentioning the name Victoria over the course of the morning and felt sure it was the right one.
It’d been a while since he’d driven himself around. Accustomed to having a hired chauffeur at his disposal at all times, the only times he ever got behind the wheel of a car was when he wanted the thrill of a speedy ride. However, driving around town had never been his idea of fun, and as he rounded the corner and approached the rundown hospital, he remembered why he hated driving in the city. The narrow streets were congested and finding a parking spot was virtually impossible.
Though he disliked the idea of appearing like a careless and spoiled billionaire, he parked his sporty car in a no parking zone. Paying a fine was of little importance, all things considered.
He shook his head and chuckled as he got out of the car. Who would have ever thought the heir to billions would forego the chauffeured limo and drive himself to such a neighborhood? It was hard to believe this was what his life had become; always on guard, always on the lookout and always with Zara giving him pointers on how to stay safe, like insisting he send his chauffeur away on paid leave. The same had been suggested for the greater part of his household staff.
“You can never be too cautious,” she’d said. “Sometimes your enemies can lurk right under your nose.”
After a thorough profile check, she’d reluctantly agreed to let him have one housekeeper come in to clean up once a week, but she’d insisted she be there whenever the small, older woman came in.
“That’s their favorite method of getting close,” she’d gone on to say. “They infiltrate the very household of their intended victim.”
He smiled at her thoroughness, and marveled at how he’d come to enjoy his time with her within such a short amount of time. Barely two weeks after first meeting her, he found himself thinking of her almost constantly. He admired her bravery, and while having an undercover cop around him unnerved him at first, it was easy to put that aside and simply enjoy his time with her.
Until that morning when Peter showed up. Strange how only a few hours without her had him sneaking out of his office to find her.
He missed her… already. It made no sense, but it was there all the same.
He walked up to the front of the hospital and looked up and down the street then up at the shabby building with the graffiti covered door. This was the neighborhood Zara had grown up in, the type of neighborhood he’d heard about, read about, had seen on television, but had never, ever set foot in himself.
All of his life had been on the prosperous side of Hong Kong, and while he’d always been vaguely aware of the poverty so many people lived in, it had always been something distant and abstract. The type of thing stylish fundraisers with tiny finger sandwiches and French champagne were meant to aid.
Now, the reality of that poverty was right in his face. He looked up at the high rises around him. How ma
ny people lived high above in penthouse slums? How many people shared apartments smaller than his ensuite bathroom at home?
More than anything he wondered, how had Zara managed to come out of such a dreaded childhood so well balanced and smart. She’d must have had to grow a thick skin…that much was clear. She had the beauty of an aristocrat. She must have stood out like a bright flower or target in this neighborhood filled with seedy characters. He could easily imagine the men who’d harassed her, who’d attempted to get sexual favors in exchange for…
Disturbed by the notion, he shook his head, wanting to punch every man who dared treat her less than the lady she was. He wanted to take her out of this dark and dangerous world and keep her safe. He wanted to protect her, care for her. She may be tough, but he saw the sweet little vulnerable girl in her when she told him about her parents. He saw the real woman that was underneath the detective, and boy did he wanted her.
He coughed, partially to clear his throat of the stale air, but mostly to rid himself of the sense of despair that suddenly draped over him.
Almost hoping he wouldn’t find Zara in such dismal surroundings, he took another look at the building. The place was so horribly rundown it was hard to imagine anyone coming out in better health than when they’d gone in.
Hiding his disdain, he entered the clinic. “Why didn’t you call me, Zara?” he quietly said to himself. He could have easily made arrangements to have her grandmother admitted to the best hospital in Hong Kong. A quick phone call and she would have had the best care Hong Kong could provide.
The smell inside had him instantly gagging and he pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and brought it over his mouth. The stench, part urine, part blood, and part death with a drop of disinfectant thrown in, was overwhelming.
He followed the narrow corridor and found a nurse’s station, but no nurse in sight. After waiting a moment, a young woman arrived and hurried behind the counter.
“I’m looking for Zara Zee,” Leo said as he shoved his handkerchief back into his pocket. “I believe she came in last night with her grandmother.”