A Covert Affair (Deadly Ops #5)(7)

The woman blinked in surprise, but before she could respond, Iker’s grip on Amelia tightened. “Naomi, I see someone I need to speak to, but save me a dance.” As he steered Amelia away, she inwardly cringed.

“Ah, sorry if I was—”

“Don’t apologize,” he said through a smile. “She is . . . an unlikable individual. And if you see me dancing with her later, I beg you to come save me.” The light humor in his voice eased the tightness in her chest.

“You’re not friends with her?”

“No. I’ve done business with her brother, but that’s the extent of our relationship. She’s here because she wants to show off her jewelry and be seen. She doesn’t care about our community.” It was clear he did care.

Amelia wondered what was wrong with herself. Why she didn’t feel more of a spark for him. The setting tonight was perfectly romantic. Afro-Cuban jazz played in the background, the band he’d hired nothing less than spectacular. The music—along with the servers walking around wearing fedoras and the birds-of-paradise centerpieces—gave the auction a vintage, glamorous Old Havana feel.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he continued, pulling her closer to the dance floor, expertly maneuvering through the throng of people. “I had you checked out before asking you on a date.”

Gathering her thoughts, she took a sip of her champagne before responding, “You mean like investigated?”

He nodded. “Yes. I don’t date much and I’m careful when I do.”

Whoa, he must be wealthier than she’d realized, something that made her incredibly uncomfortable. “Okay.” She wasn’t even certain how to respond.

He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, seemingly uncomfortable as well, which was at odds with the polished man. “I wanted to be up front with you. I should probably apologize, but I’m not sorry. I’ve gotten burned in the past by women who wanted only one thing from me.”

The ghost of a smile touched her lips. It was refreshing that he was being so honest, but also a little unnerving. “I Googled you,” she admitted. Definitely not the same thing as having her investigated, though.

He smiled, the charming man perfectly back in place. His hair was a honey brown with just a few faint hints of gray peeking through. “And?”

“And you seem pretty decent.”

He laughed at that. “You do wonders for my ego.”

Shrugging, she took another sip of her champagne. “So, what did you find out about me that I probably wouldn’t have shared on a first date?” She couldn’t help wondering what he’d discovered in his investigation. Probably that she’d changed her last name. Maybe he’d figured out why, maybe not. She wasn’t going to offer up the information, not unless they got to know each other better. It was too hard to talk about. Having her name linked to her mother, a prostitute, wasn’t something she’d wanted for the rest of her life.

“You’re the owner of two successful restaurants, something I already knew anyway.”

“How do you know they’re successful?”

Now he shrugged, all casual innocence. “About a year ago I looked into buying commercial property near La Cocina de Amelia. I checked out the surrounding businesses to see how profitable they were.”

Smart. “Did you buy the property?”

A brief nod. “I did. I wish I’d gone into one of your restaurants back then, though. Maybe we would have met sooner.” His eyes darkened at that, undeniable heat simmering there.

She felt her cheeks warm up just a bit at the boldness in his gaze. She still wasn’t sure she felt anything for him and loathed herself for it. Loathed that after a decade she still had lingering feelings for a man she knew she’d never see again. It was her own fault, but it didn’t lessen the emotions one iota. Glancing away, she nearly dropped her glass when she spotted Nathan freaking Ortiz moving around the edge of the dance floor, headed her way.

Nathan. Ortiz.

Had she lost her ever-loving mind? She gave herself a hard mental shake and looked away. When she found her gaze drawn directly back to the man again, she realized that no, she hadn’t lost her mind.

Taller than her—but who wasn’t?—muscular, yet lean, he filled out his tuxedo with absolute perfection. He had the sleek lines of a graceful predator. Though he wasn’t looking at her, there was no doubt in her mind that he’d seen her and was making his way over here. He was moving with far too much purpose. What was he doing here? Was he living in Miami again? The last she knew he’d joined the Marine Corps, but that had been twelve years ago.

She guessed he could be on social media, but she only had accounts for her business, not herself, so she didn’t know. She’d been tempted a time or two to look him up but had never followed through. She figured he’d gotten married and had kids by now—not something she needed to see or know about. She didn’t begrudge him any happiness, but the thought of him settling down with someone had just been too depressing. Actually seeing pictures of him on social media with a smiling, happy family? No, thanks. It wasn’t as if they had any common friends, so she’d never heard an inkling about him over the years. That alone had made it so much easier to bury her curiosity. Or at least ignore it.

Just watching him move was like watching— Gah, she couldn’t even think of a good analogy, but a low-grade heat started building inside her, her nipples tightening almost painfully in awareness. The man was even sexier than she remembered, but there was nothing boyish about him anymore. He’d been eighteen the last time she saw him, so he’d be almost thirty now. He had a bit of scruff on his face, not a full-on beard, but oh sweet Lord, he was gorgeous. She absolutely hated that her body just seemed to flare to life at the mere sight of him. Like a switch flipping, she didn’t even feel like herself right now. She wanted to crawl out of her skin to escape this surreal sensation of watching the man whom she’d never gotten over make his way toward her and her date.