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CHAPTER ONE

FRIDAY END OF JULY Six-thirty in the evening

And where, Kate thought, a Or sitting, in actual fact At her desk, with the co in front of her and profit and loss colu that couldn’t wait until the following Monday —but

She sighed and sat back, stretching out the knots in her shoulders, and for a few ht

She enty-seven years old and she knehere she should be right now—and it wasn’t in the office Even if it was a very nice office, in a ious heart of London

In fact she should be anywhere but here

She should be out enjoying herself, lazing around in Hyde Park with friends, drinking wine and luxuriating in the long, hot suarden so inside, with sonificant other discussing his day and asking about hers

She blinked and the vision of possibilities vanished Since ers of one hand the nued to istics a year and a half ago she had made none

Acquaintances, yesbut friends? No She just wasn’t the sort of outgoing, chirpy, confidence-sharing, giggling sort of girl who roup She knew that and she rarely thought about it all—exceptwellit was Friday, and outside the baking sun was fading into pleasant bale were all out there enjoying theardens where barbecues were happening

She glanced through her office door and an array of e out her shortcos

She hurriedly made a mental list of all the wonderful upsides to her life

Great job at one of the ious companies in the country Her own office, which was a ree Her own sh area in West London How e actually owned their own place? In London? Yes, there was a e, but still

She had done well

So she ht not be able to escape her past But she could bury it so deeply that it could no longer affect her

Except

She was here, at work, on her own, on a Friday evening, on the twenty-sixth of July

So what did that say?

She hunched back over the screen and decided to give herself another half an hour before she would leave the office and head back to her empty flat

Thankfully she beca back at her that she was barely aware of the distant ping of the lift and the sound of footsteps approaching the huge open-plan room where the secretaries and trainee accountants sat, and thentowards her office

She was squinting at the screen and totally unaware of the tall, dark figure loo by the door until he spoke, and then she juuarded seconds was not the cool, collected woman she usually was

Alessandro Preda always seemed to have that effect on her

There was so about the manand it was more—reat big company that had dozens of satellite companies under its umbrella

There was soer than life, and not in a co, cuddly-bear kind of way

‘Sir Mr Preda How can I help you?’ Kate leapt to her feet, s the bun at the nape of her neck with the other—not that it needed tidying

Alessandro, who had been leaning indolently against the doorframe, sauntered into her office, which was the only area lit on this floor of his company

‘You can start by sitting back down, Kate When I achieve royal status you can spring to your feet as I enter the room Until then there’s really no need’

Kate plastered a polite sht be drop-dead gorgeous—all lean and bronzed and oozing sexy danger—but there was nothing about hi

Too many people were in awe of his brilliance Too many women swooned at his feet like pathetic, helpless daood He was the man who had it all, and he was very much aware of that fact

But, since he literally owned the ground she walked on, she had no choice but to smile, smile, smile and hope he didn’t see beneath the smile

‘And there’s no need to call me sir every time you address me Haven’t I told you that before?’

Dark-as-night eyes swung in her direction and lazily inspected the cool, pale face that had not cracked a genuine s at his company At least not in his presence

‘Yes, you haveer’

‘Alessandrothe name is Alessandro It’s a family firm—I like to keep it casual with my employees’