Page 13 of When He Plays

Well, well. Someone was getting down to business. His private games were highly coveted. Invitation-only. The stakes were killer. Truly. “I don’t normally take my PAs into private, back room events with me.” She deserved that warning. “You go in there, and people will notice.” They’d notice. They’d speculate. Most of the people in that room would assume he was fucking her.

Should he specifically say those words?

Or would it be more fun for her to figure it out at the time?

“I want to be at that game.” A nod from her. All determined.

“Again, my past personal assistants have not gone into my private games. A certain amount of security and confidentiality is required for those events. The only guests who came are⁠—”

“I misspoke. My apologies.” Her apologies cut through his words.

Right before he’d been about to tell her…

The only guests who come in are intimately connected to the players. Lovers, pricey one-night hook-ups…

She cleared her throat. “I will be attending that private event. You will introduce me to everyone there. You’ll tell them that I’m your new personal assistant. That you trust me completely, and that’s why I get to attend your VIP games.”

“You don’t really want to be in that back room. Trust me.”

Her determined little chin lifted. “It’s not a matter of what I want. It’s a matter of what will be. I will be in that room. I’ll be at your side.”

One more warning. “The people in that room will make Morris Hart seem like a teddy bear.”

“Then I will make sure I bring my taser with me.”

A low whistle escaped him. “You’re gonna need one hell of a lot more than that. Sweetheart, you will be walking straight into the lion’s den.”

“That is the plan.”

Oh, was it? “If you’re not careful, they will rip you apart.”

“Good thing I have you for protection, then, isn’t it? Because, for the time being, I am one of yours. And you protect what belongs to you. Isn’t that what you said?”

Need unfurled within him. Dark. Consuming. The pretty spy should tread very carefully. “Repeat that for me, would you?” he murmured.

“Repeat what?”

“The part about being mine.”

Chapter Three

She knew exactly who he was. Charlotte never went into any mission blindly. She’d done her recon work. Carefully researched the man who would be so close to her during the case.

Once upon a time, Logan Sterling had been the beloved son of Jacqueline and Adam. His mother had been devoted to him. His father proudly coaching Logan’s Little League team. Logan had a warm, loving home. Fun Christmas celebrations where his mom made homemade cookies that they left out for Santa on Christmas Eve.

He even had a dog. A big, goofy dog who’d followed him everywhere and slept at the foot of his bed each night.

Then…

In a blink, his life had changed. His parents had been murdered. Everything Logan owned—or his parents owned—had been taken from him. He’d wound up in foster care. The dog had been taken to the pound. He’d learned not to trust. Learned to fight for what he wanted.

He’d been on his own completely.

Or, at least, that had been the story supported by the CIA research. On his own.

But his story hadn’t ended at that point. Logan hadn’t stayed in foster care. His maternal grandmother had found him. She’d taken custody of him. Cared for him. Loved him.

Even as Logan walked on the wilder side of life. Because Logan Sterling was a man with many connections. Dark and dangerous connections.