DAY ONE

I stepped back fast, putting the desk between us like it could actually protect me. My pulse was hammering so hard I was sure he could hear it. The folder of investor notes was still in my hand, useless now.

“Mr. Luca,” I said, voice steady even though my body wasn’t. “This is a workplace. I’m here to do the job you hired me for. Nothing else. I’m married. Whatever happened in the past… it stays there.”

His eyes darkened, but that wicked little smirk curved his mouth like he was enjoying the challenge. He didn’t move back. If anything, he leaned one hip against the desk, arms crossed, watching me with that intense, stormy gaze that used to make my stomach flip when I was eighteen.

“Married,” he repeated, tasting the word like it was something sour. “Right. To the man who needs my help to keep his company from sinking. Convenient how that worked out.”

Heat flooded my cheeks, but I kept my chin up. “I didn’t ask for any of this, you offered. I’m just trying to make the best of a bad situation.”

“Bad situation,” he echoed, voice dropping lower. He pushed off the desk and circled it slowly, coming around to my side again. Too close, always too close. “Is that what I am to you now, Nyra? A bad situation you have to endure?”

His hand came up, fingers brushing that same loose strand of hair behind my ear again. Slower this time, and deliberate. The pad of his thumb grazed the shell of my ear, and I had to lock my knees to keep from leaning into it.

I swallowed. “You’re my boss, for now. That’s it.”

He chuckled, low and rough, the sound vibrating right through me. “For now, I like the sound of that.” His thumb traced down again, along my jaw this time, stopping just shy of my lips. “You always were good at pretending, baby, pretending you didn’t want the trouble. Pretending you could handle it on your own.”

I turned my head away, breaking the contact. “Don’t call me that. And I’m not pretending about the work. I’m good at this, better than you expected, apparently.”

That got his attention. He stepped back half a pace... not much, but enough for me to breathe again. His expression shifted, something almost like pride flickering across it before the teasing mask slid back into place.

“You are,” he admitted. “The seniors are already impressed. Clara said you asked better questions than the last three assistants combined. You’re not just here because of family connections, Nyra. You’re sharp. I always knew that fire in you wasn’t just for… other things.”

The way he said it... low, suggestive... sent another unwanted rush of heat between my legs. I hated how easily my body betrayed me. Hated that even after everything, after the way he left me that night seven years ago, part of me still ached for his approval. For his touch.

I forced my voice colder. “If that’s all, I should get back to the emails. And the notes from the emergency call need formatting the way you like.”

He didn’t let me escape that easily. One big hand settled on the small of my back as he guided me toward the door... not pushing, but firm. Possessive in a way that made my skin prickle.

“Stay,” he said quietly. “We’re not finished.”

My heart stuttered. “Luca...”

“Mr. Luca,” he corrected, but there was no real bite in it. More like he was playing with the title, enjoying how it sounded on my lips. “And I meant the work, for now.” His hand stayed on my back a second longer than necessary before he dropped it. “But we do have catching up to do. Real catching up, not just the kind that happens when I’ve got you pressed against a bathroom counter with your husband on the other side of the door.”

The memory slammed into me... his tongue on my ear, his body hard against mine, the terror and the thrill mixing until I could barely stand. I gripped the folder tighter.

“That was a mistake,” I said. “Last night, this morning. All of it. I can’t do this again.”

He went still for a beat. When he spoke, his voice was quieter, rougher around the edges. “You think I don’t know that?”

For a second... just a flash... something raw crossed his face. Not the cocky CEO. Not the teasing stepbrother who used to drive me crazy. Something almost afraid. Like he was terrified I’d actually mean it this time, that I’d walk away for good and he’d lose whatever this fragile, dangerous thing between us was.

It was gone in an instant, replaced by that provocative smirk. But I’d seen it. And it made my chest ache in a way I didn’t want to examine.

He moved to the window again, looking out over the city like he needed the distance. “You’re staying late tonight. We’ve got a client file that needs reorganizing before the morning meeting. I want you to handle it personally. In here, with me.”

I should have said no. Should have cited Richard, or the fact that this was crossing every line. But the words stuck in my throat. Part of me...the part that had never really stopped wanting him... was already nodding.

“Fine,” I said instead. “But it’s work, that’s all.”

“We’ll see.” He didn’t turn around, but I could hear the smile in his voice. “Close the door on your way out, Nyra. And tell Clara to hold my calls for the next hour. I need to… think.”

I left his office on shaky legs, heart racing, body still humming from every place he’d touched. The bullpen outside felt too bright, too normal. People typing, phones ringing, life going on like my entire world hadn’t just tilted again.

Clara glanced up from her desk with a knowing little smile. “First day going okay? He can be… intense.”

“You have no idea,” I muttered, then forced a polite nod. “It’s fine. He wants his calls held.”

I sat at my desk and tried to focus on the urgent emails, tried to forget the heat of his hand on my waist, the way his breath had felt against my ear, the flash of fear I’d seen in his eyes when I pushed back.

It didn’t work.

Every time I shifted in my chair, I felt the ghost of his touch. Every time someone walked past, I tensed, half-expecting him to call me back in. The professional mask I’d worn all morning was cracking, and underneath was the same desperate, rebellious girl who’d once stolen his jacket and begged him not to stop.

I hated it, hated how much I still wanted him. Hated that he knew it.

Hated that, deep down, I was already counting the minutes until I had to go back into that office and be alone with him again.

The intercom crackled to life a little while later.

“Nyra.” His voice, low and commanding through the speaker. “My office, now. Bring the investor file and whatever you’ve got on the Henderson account.”

I stood up, smoothed my skirt with trembling hands, and took a deep breath.

This was only day one.

How the hell was I supposed to survive the rest?