Devereaux Billionaires Complete Series: Books 1-4

by Mallory Crowe

  Which meant she wasn’t the only one who was affected by this. She was half about to turn tail and run, ordering Luke out of her apartment, when he broke the silence.

  “So how do you want to do this?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

  “Um, do what?” Were they still talking about exercise? She was just going to imagine they were and go with it. “I usually do a warm-up on the treadmill for five minutes and then go into heavy lifting. I alternate what muscle groups I hit. Today is compound lifts like squats, bench presses, and deadlifts.”

  Luke shook his head. “Come on. Screw that. Let’s do some real training.”

  He approached her and she was fascinated by the ripple of his muscles as he moved. “Real training?” she murmured.

  “Like you wouldn’t want a chance to kick my ass?” He stopped just a foot away.

  Her eyes widened as she finally got a hold of her libido and realized what he was saying. “You want to fight me?” she asked incredulously.

  “No. I want you to teach me how you fight. I’ve had a bit of training and would like to see how I stack up next to a trained cop.”

  “Agent,” she corrected. “And you know I can wipe the floor with you, right?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. But I am bigger. And probably stronger.”

  “But not smarter.” She smirked. Seriously, if he thought he could take her, he was out of his mind. Even with a leg that wasn’t up to par, she had been training to take down guys bigger and stronger than her from before she even entered the academy.

  “I’ve gotten into one or two brawls, Evelyn. And I played football in the South. That shit gets intense.”

  She let out a laugh. “High school football! I’ve taken down cartel leaders, murderers, and gangsters. Not exactly the same thing. I can take you in a heartbeat.”

  He raised a brow. “Then prove it.”

  A surge of adrenaline shot through Evelyn as she stared down Luke. “Fine. Move the weight bench and try not to break your head open when I knock you on your ass.”

  He smiled in a way that told her that he wasn’t going to go down easy, and she held her ground while he moved the bench. Probably the first time he actually did what she told him to. Once it was moved, they at least had a little room to move around. The ground wasn’t padded like she was used to while training, but a few bruises would do Luke some good. But she would give him one consolation. Holding onto her weight rack for support, she flipped off her tennis shoes and he followed suit.

  The tension swirled in the air and she could tell Luke was probably just as excited about this as she was.

  Once everything was moved out of the way, Luke stood a few feet away from her and she stood with her feet shoulder width apart as they eyed each other cautiously. “How do we do this?” He shifted his weight.

  She smiled confidently at him. “Come at me.”

  A flash of uncertainty crossed his face. “What if I hurt you?”

  She snorted. “You’re not going to hurt me.”

  “You sound pretty sure of that.”

  “I’m one hundred percent sure of that,” she warned. “If anyone is in danger, it’s you. Now, are you going to come at me or are you going to get on the treadmill to do a normal workout?”

  He growled low in his throat at her threat and she knew that she’d pushed him enough. She tensed and narrowed her eyes as she looked for any sign that he was about to come at her.

  And it wasn’t long before he lunged. If he thought she stood a chance, he probably would’ve gone straight for a punch, but she could tell he didn’t think she could take him, so he grabbed for her arm instead. Evelyn dodged his stretched arm and rammed her foot into his lower shin in exactly the right angle so he fell to his knee.

  She stepped back and eyed the oversized man kneeling in front of her; a self-satisfied grin covered her face. “Want to try that again?” she asked cheerfully.

  Luke didn’t seem nearly as amused. He pushed himself up and faced her again. “Playing dirty?”

  “That was an honest takedown. No dirt required,” she assured. “Now are we going to—”

  He rushed her again. This time he caught her off guard and managed to snag her arm before he twisted her around until her back was to his front.

  Her free elbow jammed back with all her force into his side and as he grunted in pain, she angled her head back to slam into his, but he released her before she made contact.

  She twisted around to glare at him for rushing her when she was unprepared. “Now who’s playing dirty?”

  He held his hand over his ribs were she’d jabbed him. “You were going to head butt me!”

  What a baby. “You wanted to see what I’m capable of? This is it. I’m not like all your family members and your employees who treat you like some special fucking snowflake, Luke. I’m giving you all I’ve got and I expect you to do the same.”

  “What if I hurt you?” he asked again, and she realized he was still holding back.

  “If you hurt me, I’ll get better. Now grow a pair and hit me like a man, Luke.”

  Just like that, he rushed her again. This time she had enough time to see what angle he was coming at and managed to duck aside and landed a kick to his ankle, sending him sprawling on the floor.

  Without missing a beat, he leaped up and came at her again. Except this time, he didn’t rush her, but approached calmly. She retreated until the table pressed into the backs of her thighs and this time he did go for a punch.

  Evelyn leaned back just enough to avoid his swing, but she didn’t have enough room to get a solid kick in, so instead she tried to slip under his arm as he regained his balance to swing again. She was just too slow. He caught her as she was mid-crouch, just managing to snatch her arm. From the awkward angle, she didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver, so she pushed her leg back as hard as she could from her position and connected with his ankle.

  She heard him grunt right before he toppled over. But he didn’t let go, and as he landed solidly on his back, he pulled her down with him.

  Evelyn sprawled on top of Luke, landing on her back. She tried to get up, but he wouldn’t let her go. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she muttered as she tried to jerk out of his grasp, but his fingers were unrelenting.

  “I’m winning,” he muttered right before he jerked her to the side until her back was planted on the floor and he twisted over until he straddled her, one knee on either side of her stomach. She immediately went in for a punch, but this time he was ready for her and caught her wrists before he pinned them above her head.

  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.”

  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.”

  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.”