Charade. Kate Donovan

his breathing growing ragged and needy—

      And then—as if to rescue them from themselves—there was another unexpected knock on the front door.

      “Damn.” Jeff realigned Sasha so that her cheek was nestled against his chest. “Are you expecting someone?”

      She loved the erratic way his heart was pounding, mostly because it offered proof that he was as excited as she. Not that other proof hadn’t been pressed against her, but that was just physical. Just a guy thing. This breathless lack of control was something else. Emotion. Confusion.

      All the things Sasha was experiencing.

      “I wasn’t expecting anyone. Especially not you,” she told him.

      “Yeah. Me, either.”

      She pulled free and tried not to smile too widely. “It’s probably Carmine Martino. Here to collect on his bet.”

      Jeff’s amorous expression rearranged itself instantly. “He can collect on my fist, the asshole.”

      “Earth to Jeff. If he sees you here, my cover’s blown, remember?” She stroked his tightened jaw. “I can handle him, believe me. Go hide in the bedroom.”

      Jeff shook his head. “I don’t want him alone with you. Not ever.”

      “I won’t be alone with him. You’ll be in the next room. Plus,” she added playfully, “I can kick his ass. And yours. Thanks to my fancy prep school.”

      He hesitated, then grinned. “Yeah. I know all about that from your file.”

      “Don’t forget it,” she said in mock warning. “Now shoo.”

      Still smiling, Sasha forced herself to recover from the lip-lock with Jeff, then took a few moments to re-belt her robe, which had been forced open during the kiss. She knew she should change into something less sexy, but her clothes were in the bedroom with Jeff and the bed, and that combination seemed just as dangerous as whatever was waiting for her in the hall.

      Moving to the peephole, she was surprised to see that her second visitor for the evening wasn’t Carmine, either. Instead, it was a bored-looking delivery boy with a long white box. And once again, security hadn’t alerted her, which was baffling. Not to mention, annoying.

      Your Christmas bonus is in jeopardy, boys, she warned the front-desk crew.

      Then she took a moment to warn herself, as well. Since when are flowers delivered in the middle of the night? Something screwy’s going on.

      Her best guess was that Carmine had sent them. He would have ways of getting them past the guards, either covertly or otherwise. If that was the case, she needed to get this over with as quickly as possible, then get back to Jeff—hopefully for another round of X-rated kissing.

      Wise up. You’re still Franco Bracciali’s daughter. This could be a completely different kind of package, so stop being such a sap. Girls who let strangers into their homes in the middle of the night make headlines the next morning, and not in a good way. So forget about sex and try to focus, will you?

      Clearing her throat, she called out, “Who is it?”

      “Flower delivery. Sorry for the late hour, but it’s a rush.”

      Sasha scowled. “Just leave the box where I can see it through the peephole, then go. Sorry about your tip, but like you said, it’s late.”

      “No problem, ma’am. Have a good night.”

      Jeff was beside her before she could open the door. “Flowers? What’s that about?”

      “I don’t know,” she admitted. “How did he get past security? In fact—” she arched an inquiring eyebrow “—how did you get past it?”

      “The alarm system on the delivery door in the alley is prehistoric. Typical of these ritzy buildings—all the show is up front. But I reset it after I was inside, so…” His tone grew brisk. “Stand back. I’ll handle it.”

      She laughed. “You’re kidding, right? It’s my condo, so you stand back. Never let it be said that a Bracciali allowed an honored guest to get blown up on our turf.”

      “I knew you led an interesting life,” he drawled, “but this just about beats it.”

      She liked the way his green eyes twinkled when he teased her, but reminded herself that he had mostly been an enemy—or at least a detractor—for the majority of their relationship, so she shouldn’t let her guard down so easily.

      Turning away from him, she leveled her eye with the peephole again, then had to admit, “It looks legit. Let’s check it out.”

      Opening the door, she edged into the hall and knelt beside the long white box. “No ticking,” she told Jeff, half jokingly.

      “Allow me.” He grabbed her by the elbow, pulling her to her feet. Then he pushed her behind himself before nudging the lid with his foot. The box opened easily, revealing a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses.

      “Ooh, nice.” Sasha knelt again, scooping the flowers into her arms. The she flashed Jeff a playful smile. “You didn’t send them, did you?”

      “Given how things are going, I kinda wish I had. But no. You’ve obviously got another secret admirer. Some sort of belated Valentine’s Day gift.”

      Sasha could see a tiny envelope nestled between the dark red blossoms. Pulling the card free, she opened it and scanned the simple inscription.

      Your cell and landlines both roll to voice mail. We need to talk. Check your e-mail. AA.

      “What does it say?” Jeff demanded. “Are they from Martino?”

      Sasha pursed her lips, buying time to decide how to respond. Given what was going on at Athena Academy, this mysterious message could only be about the kidnapped girls.

      Which meant they had found a way to allow Sasha to help! And it also meant she had to get rid of her sexy guest. Fast.

      “It’s from my father,” she lied finally. “He feels awful that we couldn’t attend the wedding together. He thinks it’s time to talk.”

      “Man, that’s huge.” Jeff rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Are you ready for that?”

      “Honestly?” She gave an audible sigh. “It bothered me, too, avoiding him the way I did. Gianna and I—and her sister Vittoria—were inseparable when we were little. We played in that ballroom on bad-weather days while Dad and Uncle Antonio sat nearby talking. Obviously they were up to no good, but still…”

      “Still, it was innocent in its own way,” Jeff agreed. “I get that, you know. You think I’m constantly judging you, but the truth is, I get it. That’s the only reason I’ve ever thought you’d crack under the strain. Because it is a strain. He’s your father. You love him. I get that.”

      Sasha stood and looked him in the eye. “Thanks.”

      “What are you going to do?”

      “I don’t know. I could call him. Or I could blow it off. I’ve done that before. But either way, I need to think it through. Alone. I’m sorry.”

      “No problem. I should be going anyway. This was sort of nuts from the start. Not that I planned it. At least, not from the start.” His handsome face flushed. “Did I mention how good you look?”

      Sasha felt her cheeks redden. “You look good, too. I guess we were set up by our own hormones.”

      “Yeah?” He chuckled. “I like that.”

      She couldn’t help but smile. “You’d better go.”

      He nodded, but didn’t move toward the elevator. “I know this sounds corny, but I’m gonna remember that kiss for a long, long time.”

      “Me, too.” She gave him another,