Luca slid into the firm like he'd always belonged. Within a week, he'd charmed the partners, outmaneuvered senior associates, and made himself at home in the office three doors down from Naomi.
Worse—he was good. Too good.
They were assigned to the Corvex Industries merger together, and their working sessions became battlegrounds: debates sparking like flint and steel, glances too long to be professional.
She hated that he got under her skin.
During one late-night strategy session, she caught him watching her—not just glancing, but studying her, as if reading between her silences.
"Something on your mind, Moretti?" she asked, without looking up.
He leaned back in the conference chair. "Just wondering if you fight this hard in every relationship."
She stilled. "This isn't a relationship."
"Could've fooled me."
Her pulse betrayed her. She hated that he noticed.
That night, alone in the elevator, she could still feel the weight of his stare on her skin.