Courting Danger

It was her last chance. She could still stop things. He was giving her a chance to back out. Instead, Rielle did something that shocked her. She squeezed his hand back. ‘Ready.’

Chapter Two (#u98c48e69-95ca-5bf4-8025-2059d9f77ee4)

The drive to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was short, and Rielle only glanced back once to make sure that Luxxor Security was following them. Mel had a driver but, even with all the space, the back seat of the car felt close.

It was the dress. And the man. They both took up more room than expected.

With so much fabric, the skirt was difficult to contain, and it kept brushing against her date’s trouser leg. They’d barely driven a few blocks, and it was already draped across his knee. She wanted to fix it, but she wanted even more not to draw attention to it. He was already absently rubbing the fabric back and forth between his fingertips.

He was quiet. A reception at the White House was not an insignificant thing. It had to be important for his work. She needed to remember that. Tonight was about him, not her. Once they set foot outside this car, she needed to do her part presenting a unified front.

The idea made her toy with her skirt, too. How did Luxxor’s escorts do it? How did they go out with strangers and make them feel like old friends? Or more?

She blushed.

Around him, she was understanding the ‘or more’ part better. She didn’t know him, but he was handsome, reckless and unbelievably sexy. She could easily see how a woman could get caught up in the fantasy of it all.

But she wasn’t escorting him tonight – not that way. He’d asked her out, yet that was somehow even more nerve-wracking for her. At least Luxxor’s escorts got dossiers on their clients and the events they were attending. Nina made sure they were prepared.

She was flying blind.

‘Nina,’ Rielle said, flinching. She’d forgotten to update her boss on the situation. Hurriedly, she dug out her phone and fired off a text.

‘Did you tell her you’d gone off with the big bad wolf?’ Mel asked as she slid her phone back into her borrowed purse.

His attention was back on her, and it was almost too much in the compressed confines of the car.

‘Don’t tease me,’ Rielle said, ‘I’m nervous.’

‘About me?’

Yes. A little. OK, more than a little. She’d moved past the fear she’d experienced when he’d first walked in unannounced. He’d done nothing to make her think he had bad intentions, but she hadn’t dated since…She hadn’t dated in a long time.

And, as well-behaved as he was, he wasn’t safe.

‘I’ll be good.’ He let a beat pass. ‘Unless you don’t want me to be.’

His thumb brushed against the back of her hand. It shouldn’t have been an erogenous zone, but heat bubbled up and made her fingers curl.

She pulled her hand away and patted her hair. She looked out of the window as they approached their destination. ‘How did you get invited to this?’ she asked. ‘What does an accountant have to do with the Prince of Sweden?’

For a moment, he looked taken aback. ‘Well…my company has subsidiaries over there.’

‘What does your company do?’

‘We’re in the timber industry.’

OK, things were starting to make a bit more sense. ‘Is there anything I should know to help you tonight? Are there contacts you need to make? Any agendas I can help push?’

He looked at her, eyes calculating. ‘No business tonight.’

Only pleasure? Her stomach squeezed.

‘Somehow I doubt your sick coworker was simply supposed to be eye candy on your arm,’ she said dryly. An uncomfortable thought occurred to her. ‘Unless you’re more than coworkers?’

The corners of his lips moved. ‘No, definitely not.’

He didn’t seem to smile much, and the few glimpses of humour she’d seen seemed rusty. But devastating. When he smiled, she felt it all the way to her core.

‘So let me help you.’ She could use something else on which to concentrate, something other than being a charming date.

‘You already are helping. I just didn’t expect…I didn’t expect someone like you.’

They pulled into a security checkpoint, and Rielle’s pulse quickened. It sped up even more when they were let through. This was really going to happen.

‘This is so exciting,’ she whispered.

‘Good,’ he murmured. ‘I think you need some excitement in your life.’

She glanced at him. Her heart was pounding, her skin felt warm and energy buzzed in her veins. Maybe she did.

The door beside her opened unexpectedly, and she realised the car had stopped. She felt a blush bloom in her cheeks. They’d pulled up at one of the most famous residences in the world, but all she’d seen was him.

Where had he come from, shaking up her orderly, controlled life like this?

‘Ready?’ he asked.

‘Ready.’

He followed her out of the car and offered his arm. She took it and fell in step with his long strides. She noticed the change in him immediately. Outside the car, that coiled energy about him came back to life. He stood taller, and his head swivelled as he took in his surroundings. Secret Service agents looked sharp in their tuxedos as they held their posts. Paparazzi stood in a designated area with their long-range lenses. The whir of cameras was constant, along with the occasional flash, and his steps quickened.

It was dusk now, with the sun rapidly setting. The spotlights on the White House had been lit, and the sandstone practically glowed.

It made Rielle gape. The illusion made her visit seem even more magical.

The political paparazzi must have thought so, too, because cameras were flashing all around them. Her date turned his back on them easily. ‘Just a few more steps, and we’ll be out of their range,’ he promised.

She nodded. She didn’t like being in the limelight. Trying not to be obvious, she used him as a shield so she wouldn’t be in many of the shots.

Luxxor lived in the shadows, and she preferred to keep her anonymity too.

He swept his arm around her and tucked her closer against his side, sheltering her. He subtly presented his back to the cameras and blocked their views until they made it to the reception area. Up so close, she could feel how strong he was. How muscled and lean.

Not like the accountants she knew at all.

Flustered, she pulled away to take off her coat. The staff helped check it, and they were guided to the reception desk. The welcome was warm, but there was a seriousness about it. The country’s leader lived within these walls. Rielle was relieved to see that her name had made it onto their guestlist, right next to Melvin Summers.

Melvin. Mel. Why was his name so difficult for her?