He believed the man currently having a business meal was his target, but he wanted to be one hundred percent sure.
Reading lips wasn’t his skill, but he knew without a doubt that it was Riley’s. She was an expert at it.
She glanced over at the table, and he stared at her neck. How would she react if he was to press his lips to her pulse? Would she shiver, and beg for more? Maybe kick him in the balls and tell him to fuck off? Or would she turn toward him and kiss him back?
He couldn’t get her out of his mind, and it was driving him crazy.
With the security cameras he had in her home, he knew what she looked like naked, and he liked what he saw. Nice big juicy tits, full ass and thighs. There was not a thing he didn’t like about her or her body.
She was intrigued by him, and damn nosy, but did that extend to physical attraction? Riley played her cards against her chest, and he didn’t have a clue where he stood. He wasn’t the typical playboy women flocked to. Most kept their distance.
“Why?” she asked.
“What?”
She frowned. “Why do you want me to read their lips?”
“Because I’m curious.”
“Does this have to do with your job?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She pursed her lips, and glanced back over at the table. “What do I get out of this?” she asked.
He sat back and stared at her. “You want something from me?”
“You want something from me, so I think it’ll be good to get something in return.”
Now he was intrigued. “What would you like, Riley?” If it was too much he’d turn it down. He could think of a lot of things he’d like to give her.
“An actual date where you don’t want me for my mad skills,” she said.
“This is a real date. It’s classy.”
“And I’m only here because you can’t see what they’re saying. Don’t try to pretend that this is something else. I know it’s not, and I’m not stupid.” She pushed some of her hair back that had fallen over her eyes. “What’s it going to be?”
Riley’s request made him smile. She could have asked him for anything, and yet all she wished for was an actual date. What was is about this woman that managed to melt his cold exterior?
“Fine. I’ll take you out for a date. A real date. Now tell me what they’re saying,” he said. Shadow didn’t want to fuck up this intel. If this was his man, he needed to know.
She took a sip of her wine, and he watched as she rested her head on her hand to glance over. To any onlooker, she was simply observing the table.
He stared at her. He couldn’t help himself, and when she glanced over, she snorted. “You could help me along and pretend to be an awful date.”
Shadow was confused.
Riley rolled her eyes. “Are you for real? You want to know what they’re saying, and clearly you don’t want them to know what I’m doing. Look at your phone. Pretend to be a bad date that is more interested in other details than me.”
“Oh, right, of course.” He was totally fucking this up.
The fact of the matter was, he liked watching her. Riley intrigued him, and now she was ruining his renowned attention to detail.
Grabbing his cell phone, he began to text Maurice, and then Boss. It was useless shit. A date, time, and even some emojis, which was just funny. He even texted Viper while he was at it.
“Okay, they’re talking about a date. He’s got to head out of the city. Someone’s following him. He knows they’re getting close.” There was a pause. “They’re talking about a hit. They know there’s a hit out and he’s being advised on going under the knife again.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her tense up.