Skin Tight by Ava Gray Read Free Book Online

those questions fall under the umbrella of explanation.” A devil took hold of him then. “Against my better judgment, I’ll answer each one for a kiss.”
    She froze, gazing up at him with wide, dark eyes. Confronted with the warm, tactile reality of her, he was forced to admit he’d been dreaming about her for months, about the way she’d looked at him in Vegas, her expression open and full of possibility and desire. Some people might say she lacked classical beauty, but to his mind, she had strength and unconventional loveliness. He especially liked the sharpness of her nose and the dusky sheen to her skin.
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
    “Then we’re done here.”
    But she seemed to be thinking it over, despite her initial response. “One question, one kiss? Do I get to pick which one out of those I asked?”
    “Of course.” Excitement pounded in his veins.
    Right now, he didn’t give a shit what Micor was doing behind those locked doors if it meant Mia was going to touch him of her own free will. Snapping at her, all those months ago, because she’d wanted to had cost him more than he cared to consider.
    “All right,” she said, and lifted up on her tiptoes.
    Her palms framed his face. For a long moment, she gazed into his eyes, and then her mouth brushed his. The warmth felt exquisite. It wasn’t a deep kiss or an erotic one. Nonetheless, it shook him, because when she stepped back, he could tell she saw him.
    No haze.
    No dream.
    The kindling hope sickened him. He’d thought he had outgrown such fantasies. Ideas of home and family—they weren’t for such as him. He had long since excised the parts of him that could be considered vulnerable. But the sweetness of seeing himself reflected in her eyes nearly undid him.
    He took a deep breath. “I owe you an answer, then. Name your question.”
    “Why didn’t you kill him yourself?”
    Of course she would ask why. Such a question offered more insight than “what,” but he would abide by their agreement.
    “Because I wanted him to suffer.”
    He could have said more. He loved your friend, you see. When she left him, took his money and his affection, it broke his heart, though he did his best to conceal it from me. But I saw the anguish, and I used it. I wanted him broken, as I was broken.
    He saw her calculating that response, trying to factor it into what she knew of the situation. She really was impressively clever, and if he wasn’t careful, she would wind up destroying everything he’d dedicated his life to achieving. Her kisses weren’t sweet enough to take the risk.
    But he would.
    “So do I look like I’ve been making out with the boss?” she asked, surprising him.
    If pressed, he would’ve predicted that she would ask him to elaborate on his previous answer. Instead, she appeared content with his response, making him wonder what she’d surmised. His inability to read or influence her made him uneasy, as if they faced each other as equals.
    He surveyed her flushed cheeks, tousled hair, and smudged lipstick. “You do. I have a private washroom through there if you want to freshen up.”
    Since bending you over the desk is out of the question.
    “Thanks. Then I’d better get back to work. They’re going to wonder what we found to talk about so long.”
    He watched her walk away from him, hips swaying with a rhythm that offered an invitation he desperately wanted to accept. This attraction was unwise. She probably hadn’t forgiven him; it was likely a ruse to get close and persuade him to drop his guard. He knew how it was done. Rule one—get close to the mark. Find out what he needs and offer it. After all, he’d worked that angle many times. But as she sauntered out of his office, he knew he was going to ignore that prudent voice.
    Mia Sauter was going to prove a distraction he didn’t need, but he was incapable of turning away from her a second time.

CHAPTER 4
    The facility was dark, just as Dr. Rowan liked