I didn't sleep a wink.
How could I? A six-foot-two, wounded, semi-naked man had just passed out in my bed after implying I could get my house back--the last thing I owned in this world.
I had to make this work. I had to get it back.
I just had no idea how.
My brain was too busy running through every terrible, wonderful, cliché romance novel I'd ever read, trying to decide which script I was in.
By the time the first hint of dawn tinted the curtains grey, I had a plan.
A List.
Eileen's Foolproof Guide to Winning Over a Brooding CEO/Warlord:
1. Mysterious Aura: Be enigmatic. (Hard to do when he's seen me face-plant out of a window.)
2. Culinary Prowess: Seduce him with food. (I've fed myself for over twenty years. How hard can it be?)
3. Unignorable Presence: Be everywhere he looks. (Also known as stalking, but with better intentions.)
4. The Touch: Accidental, lingering contact. (Must not flinch.)
I was mentally rehearsing Step 3 when I finally dared to look at him properly.
And that's when I saw it.
His side, where a nasty gash had been weeping blood just hours ago, was… smooth. Perfect. The only evidence was the dried, rusty stain on the sheets.
My jaw went slack. What the actual—
Forgetting the List, I reached out, my fingers hovering an inch from his skin. How was this possible?
A hand snapped up, catching my wrist. His eyes opened, clear and alert, zero trace of the exhaustion from last night.
"What are you doing?" His voice was a low rumble.
"Your… your wound," I stammered. "It's gone."
He didn't look surprised. Instead, a look of grim satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"So it is."
In one fluid motion, he pinned both my wrists above my head, the sheet tangling around us. He leaned in, his nose skimming the line of my jaw, then down my neck, inhaling deeply. It wasn't a lover's gesture. It was clinical. Predatory.
"Why you?" he murmured to himself, his breath hot against my collarbone.
"What is it about you?"
My heart hammered against my ribs. This was it. The moment. He was finally going to—
He let me go.
Just like that.
He sat up, swinging his legs off the bed, presenting me with his flawless back. "It was a scratch. You were seeing things."
"I know what I saw!" I scrambled onto my knees. "And last night—you said I could take the house back!"
He paused at the door, glancing back. The look he gave me was so deep and unreadable, it sent a shiver down my spine. "Everything has a price."
The List!
My mind screamed. This is the negotiation phase!
I launched into Operation: Seduce the Boss.
I slid off the bed, attempting a sultry walk I'd seen in a movie once. I hoped I looked like a panther, but probably resembled a newborn giraffe on ice. I let my sleep shirt strap slide off one shoulder and pitched my voice to what I hoped was a husky, alluring whisper.
"Well then… what would you like… for breakfast?"
I took a step closer, batting my eyelids. He just stared, his expression utterly blank.
I took another step, reaching out to trail a finger (Step 4!) down his arm.
I never made contact.
Before I could get within three feet, he yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind him with a force that made the walls vibrate.
I was left standing alone in the middle of the room, one strap dangling, looking like an idiot.
The day did not improve.
Within the hour, Rudy showed up, giving me an enthusiastic wave before disappearing into Kaen's study. Then Selene arrived, shooting me a death glare before joining them. This cycle repeated all morning. A parade of suspiciously fit, attractive people in and out of his study.
And every time I caught a glimpse of him, he was buried in giant, ancient-looking books or scowling at maps on his tablet.
It was so obvious.
This was Step 3—Unignorable Presence—but he was doing it to me!
He was creating opportunities for me to "accidentally" bump into him, to bring him coffee, to ask what he was researching!
He wanted to be pursued. He was just too proud to admit it.
Fine. Two could play that game.
I just needed to find the right moment to execute Step 2: Culinary Prowess.
How hard could making a sandwich be?