My fingers danced along her skin in a slow and steady pace, getting closer and closer to her panties. She spread her legs for me, her body naturally obeying mine.

I smirked to myself, tugging on the little bow on her thong.

She moaned, lifting her hips off the seat, her body begging for my touch.

Carefully, I snuck my hand under the small triangle of fabric, all while keeping my eyes on the road. At that moment, I was the master of multi-tasking.

“Cruz…” she whispered, grabbing my wrist. “Should we really be doing this?”

“Don’t worry, baby, nothing is going to happen,” I whispered, my voice soft and seductive. To persuade her even further, I ran my fingers along her slit.

Instantly, her back arched in reaction. Her fingers tightened around the edge of her seat. In the short amount of time I had known her, I already knew how to play her body like a violin. I knew her sweet spots. How to touch her to make her moan. She was mine.

Soon enough, however, we arrived at the casino. It looked like an abandoned warehouse building. All of the lights were off, and there wasn’t a car in sight.

“Where are we supposed to go?” Amelia asked, fanning her face. She was flushed red from the little car ride. Subtly, she pulled down the hem of her skirt, pretending like nothing had happened.

“Franklin told me there would be a parking garage. The casino is actually underground so that no one becomes suspicious of the sound.”

“Is it that?” Amelia pointed to a small ramp lined with inlaid lighting.

“Good eye.” I turned into it, following the ramp until it panned out into the first level of the parking garage. It was packed. Expensive cars of all makes and models were stowed away.

“This is so strange…” Amelia was leaning toward the windshield, soaking up the sight. “I never would have guessed that London’s unground crime would legit be underground.”

“Not very creative, are they?” I snickered, trying to make light of the situation even though I was starting to feel a bubbling of anxiety deep within my chest. This was quite possibly the most dangerous mission I had ever been on. Most of the time, I had backup, but this time, the only person by my side was Amelia, and she was more of a handicap than a crutch.

But we would make it out of this alive. We had to.

“Keep a look out for a parking spot,” I said as we climbed to the second level.

She nodded, her face practically glued to the glass. “Do you really think all of these people are here for the casino?”

“What else would they be doing here?”

“I don’t know… it just seems so… odd.”

I shrugged. “When you have so much money that you could practically throw it away, you start doing stupid stuff with it. That’s why I would never want to be rich.”

“Oh?” She cocked her head in my direction. “I thought it was everyone’s dream to win the lottery.”

“I’ve already won the lottery with you.”

Her cheeks turned crimson. “Do you really mean that?”

“Yes.” I took her hand and pulled it to my lips. “You are, hands down, the best thing that’s ever happened in my life. There’s just something about you that makes me feel so alive. I can’t quite explain it, but it’s here.” I dropped her hand to my chest, right over my heart. “I never want to lose you, and that’s why bringing you here was the stupidest thing I have ever done.”

Her eyes locked with mine. “And did you really think that I would let you go on this suicide mission alone? If we go down, then we go down together, okay?”

I frowned. I had hoped to convince her to stay behind, but I’d known she would never do that. She was much too stubborn. Maybe that was why I liked her so much. She was a lot like me.

“Fine.”

“Oh, and there’s a spot.” She pointed to a very tight space near a shattered window.

“Good thing this car has a sunroof,” I said as I slid into place. The Bentley beside me wouldn’t be happy he couldn’t open his passenger door, but I didn’t really care.

“Are we really going to climb out of the sunroof?”

“Do you have a better idea?” I asked her, already pulling myself through the overhead window. Once I was on the roof of the car, I thrust my hand back inside, ready to pull her up. She grabbed it, and in one smooth motion, she was in my arms as we slid down the back of the car, landing perfectly on our feet. “That went better than I’d expected.”

“You didn’t do that on purpose?”

“What? Of course I did.” I slicked my hair back and wrapped my arm around her waist. “Of course I did. Totally.”

She chuckled, resting her head on my shoulder. The moonlight snuck through the window, illuminating her delicate features. Soft, pink lips. Button nose. Gorgeous eyes.

God, she was perfect.

I held her tighter. No matter what happened in there, I had to keep her safe. It was my number one priority.

With this thought in mind, we headed for the elevator, her heels clicking against the asphalt, and her perfume wafting into the air.

For a second, it was almost like we were going on a nice, romantic date. If only…