Funny thing about revenge. It could make a killer out of a nun ― KEVIS HENDRICKSON

"I see you haven't been lazing around in my absence," Alex drawled in that supercilious mocking way that was sure to get a rise out of her.

He lounged in the doorway of her office looking like he could stand there forever. She looked up and he was again mesmerized by the way her jade eyes flashed with joy shot through gold-lidded arousal. So he wasn't the only one affected here.

Good to know.

"Alex you're back. So early? What happened? Is everything all right?"

"Couldn't wait to see you," he drawled sarcastically. "After all, we have some unfinished business left. Wouldn't you say?"

Her face scrunched in annoyed surprise. But then he knew what a good actor she was, so he turned back to lock the door before slowly making his way to where she was sitting behind her desk.

"What unfinished business?"

She looked up to see Alex enter and lock the room seemingly ignoring her question. He strode in looking sizzling hot in a navy blue suit with a matching tie and white shirt. The Alex she once knew had been comfortable in ratty jeans, tees and sweatshirts, but this one...was such an enigma wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in mystery, that even with all the polish and fancy trappings, he managed to exude the same danger to Cat as he had years ago.

Maybe even more so now.

His golden looks highlighted by the sun's rays streaming in the room made her breath hitch and nipples bead against the short-sleeved nude-colored dress she wore.

Why did her fucking body come alive in his presence only?

"We both know what we want," Not wanting to discuss her lapse of judgment she decided to repay him in kind.

"I actually have to get back to work and don't have time for your riddles."

"Did you have time to think about my proposition?"

"I tend not to think about things that'll never happen."

"Then tell me about what happened to you after you left?"

"I was trained as an undercover assassin and sent to infiltrate a crime lord's ring. When I was discovered they captured and tortured me for months," she deadpanned. "Now, since most of us can't be successful gazillionaires, traveling around the world with just one phone call..." She shrugged to emphasize her point.

He looked at her with such intensity that Cat literally felt her skin heat as her heart rate sped up, "I hope for your sake that this is only more of your smart-ass mouth running off," He said quietly.

"You should have taken more time to attend to your business in-somewhere in the Orient, wasn't it? Everything is under control here," She deflected.

His lips turned up in a crooked smile as he continued to look at her with amusement.

"I finished my work in China earlier than expected and figured that everything here would be as I left it," He raised an eyebrow at her in amusement.

"Though, you seem disappointed by my early return. I could always take you with me the next time."

She worried that he'd let her off so easily. A quick flare of hope and anticipation flooded her at his last words. Confused by her reaction, she quickly covered it up with a fake smile.

"No thanks. But do whatever you want, Alex. I couldn't care less, as long as you remember that I'm here to review your company on the Government's behalf and that it's your legacy on the line. If you want to flit around the globe and leave the whole process to someone else, it's cool with me."

That wiped the smirk right off his face.

"I know you would like nothing else. But unfortunately for us, you're stuck with me and I with you, so let's just make the best of it," His strong jaw tightened as if his words were dragged from his throat.

"Fine."

"So have you finished going through all the personnel files and current company projects?"

As the conversation turned to business Cat realized that working with Alex was like falling into a comfortable routine. Putting the energy on pause that flared up between them whenever they were within seeing distance of each other, she felt as if they were back at school.

Late-night study marathons, gallons of coffee and the ease with which they communicated. Those singular moments when everything they were or ever could be, aligned perfectly. Each of them in sync with each other and at peace with the Universe.

She'd always felt out of tune with every person her own age and even other, older, seemingly brilliant geniuses. How she hated that word.

When she'd skipped grades and gone to Harvard, Cat had had so many expectations. Since childhood, her parents had been the ones to support and encourage her. Then there had been Uncle Joe who'd tried to keep up with her. But there had always been those jealous of her and those who'd made her feel less and ridiculed her because they didn't understand her. Her drive and need to know how things worked, what was it made of and why not try things another way?

With an IQ score of 160, her intelligence and creativity were based on thinking out of the box and she'd felt happiest when doing what she loved best. Solving intricate puzzles, designing new ways to do things better had eventually culminated in doing a job where she had to reinvent herself constantly to fit any role she was assigned to play. Alex had only ever been the one who had truly encouraged Cat and understood her.

Because he was just like her.