He was still a gorgeous man to behold, Mia thought, an older, more mature version of Blair Underwood—a cool combination of boyish charm, dangerous sexuality and a ruthless streak that made for a lethal combination. The tinge of gray at his temples and the tiny flecks in his shadow of a beard only added to the dazzling package.
Michael was eight years her senior, but he was as fit as a man half his age. At forty-five, he had achieved what many only dreamed of and, knowing Michael, he’d only just begun.
Mia forced those thoughts to the back of her mind. He was a prime suspect in an illegal operation and she could not allow the intoxicating scent of his cologne, the glimmer in his eyes or the electricity of his touch to make her forget that.
“Please come in and sit down. I’ve had dinner prepared. But if you’d like that drink first—apple martini, right?” His smile lit up the room.
“You remembered.”
“There isn’t much about you that I’ve forgotten.” His gaze held her.
Mia swallowed. “A drink will be fine, but I really can’t stay for dinner.”
Disappointment creased his eyes. But just as quickly the look was gone. He lightly ran his tongue across his lips and a shiver ran down Mia’s spine.
“I see.” His right brow flicked. “Then let’s have that drink for old time’s sake.”
He walked ahead of her and stepped down into the sunken living room, which was something right out of House Beautiful. The shimmering teal-colored marble floors gave the illusion of walking on Caribbean water. Low contemporary furniture in a mix of fabrics and textures, all in cream and sandy-brown hues, dotted the space. Three-quarters of the room was wrapped in glass. The panoramic view looked out onto cliffs and oceans beyond. One wall encased a fireplace that would be perfect on a winter night, watching the powerful waves crash against the shore.
Mia set her purse on the glass coffee table while Michael fixed drinks. “You have a beautiful place.”
Michael turned to her. “I had it built for you.”
She couldn’t have been more stunned if he’d slapped her. “For me?”
He offered a sad smile. “I’d always told you we’d have a place of our own one day.” He lifted the bottle of vodka and poured some in a silver tumbler, followed by the apple martini mix and crushed ice. “I’m a man of my word.” He capped the tumbler and shook it vigorously. “Got my divorce, too.” His piercing look at her from over his shoulder held her in place.
Mia was speechless. A divorce. A house. It was everything she’d wanted. But it was too late. She was in love with Steven. And she couldn’t let Michael’s powers of persuasion or his unrelenting charm, this fabulous house or the fact that he was a free man dissuade her.
He crossed the room and handed her the drink.
“Thank you.”
He raised his glass. “To old friends.”
Cautiously, she touched her glass to his.
“I wanted to thank you for the referral,” she said, needing to break the invisible hold he had on her.
He shrugged dismissively, walked a few paces and sat opposite her in the armchair that matched the couch, both covered in a butter-soft ecru-colored fabric that was so lush, the cushions so thick and soft, you could sink into it and never get up.
“I’m sure you didn’t need the business. But I thought you’d be perfect for what they wanted.”
“How would you know?”
He offered a slight smile. “As I said before, I’ve followed your career. I’ve even attended some of your events. Incognito, of course.”
That confession shook her. “Why?”
He took a short swallow of his drink, studied the contents for a moment before speaking. “It was my way of staying in your life.”
The answer was delivered so softly, so sincerely that it twisted her heart.
This couldn’t be the man that Jean claimed might be behind an illegal escort service. This was the man she’d once loved. Standing before her was the man she’d prayed he would one day become. There was no way that the two could be one and the same.
“What are you thinking about?”
The gentle nudge of the words drew her back from her thoughts.
“Just that I never thought I’d see you again, especially like this, and that you’ve been following my career.” She shifted her glass from her right hand to her left. “Which events did you attend?” she asked, the beginnings of a smile flickering around her mouth.
Michael chuckled. “The one on the yacht last year.”
A flash of that event ran through her mind, along with the fact that the clients had turned out to be behind an identity theft ring that Danielle uncovered.
“How come I didn’t see you? Why didn’t you say anything?”
There was that shrug again. “I made sure that you didn’t. I can blend in when I need to. Besides, there had to be at least three hundred people there and you were pretty busy.”
“You could have said something.”
“I thought it best not to. The last thing you wrote to me was not to contact you. So I figured the last thing you wanted was for me to show up at one of your events.”
That bit of truth stung. She remembered the letter and the weeks that it took to compose it and finally mail it. She glanced away.
“How have you been, Mia?” he asked gently. “Without me. How have you been?”
What could she say? That she struggled to get him out of her system for nearly five years? That there were still times when she thought of him, remembered how they were together, the emptiness that she felt when she walked out of his life? Of course she couldn’t say that.
“I’ve managed. My business keeps me busy.”
All of a sudden, she looked up and he was standing over her. He took her glass from her hand and put it on the table, then took her hands and pulled her to her feet.
“I’ve missed you. Each and every day I’ve missed you. Everything that I do, dream or plan—you are in my thoughts. I want you back, Mia.”
Her heart thundered. Her entire body was on fire. She could feel his energy wrap around her, draw her in, break down her will. And then his mouth was on hers and she couldn’t move.
His mouth was warm, all-encompassing and incredibly sweet. She remembered those lips, the feel of them against her own. But when his tongue tentatively glided across her lips, then into the recesses of her mouth, she began to shake and he held her—held her firmly against him and she felt his longing, his need press hard and heavy between her thighs.
Her thoughts spun in a million directions at once, then crashed.
She pulled away, turned her head and stumbled back. “I can’t do this.” She shook her head.
He reached for her but she held up her hand to stop him.
“Don’t.”
Michael stepped back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
She dared to look at him. All she saw was longing and sincerity in his expression.
Michael exhaled. “Can we start over?”
She sat down before she fell down and clasped her hands together atop her weak knees to keep them from shaking.
What she wanted