Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

The man scolded her with a strangely proper tone, lazy but never crude.

It was only this morning she'd asked him for a favor-to help spread the news about Shane.

But this..... this was something else.

Whitney looked like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. She bit her lip and snapped, “Ludwik, who said anything about getting in your pants? I didn't do anything with you. I just asked for a little help, and you keep holding it over my head like some big threat. Real classy."

"Oh, alright then. Let's drop it. But tell me when are you actually going to... do anything with me?"

He put a wicked emphasis on "do," his voice lazy and teasing, a low chuckle in his throat.

Whitney's brain short-circuited. All the blood in her body rushed to her face, and her ears rang with the sound of his calm, amused voice.

She blinked hard, her cheeks flaming red. Her throat felt tight. "You, you—"

With Felix still in the car, she was terrified Ludwik would take it further and start saying things even more outrageous.

She slapped her hand over her phone, trying to play dumb, biting down her anger as she changed the subject. "Sorry, the signal was bad-I didn't catch what you said. But if you're done being bored, you can hang up now."

Some young guy flirting? That could be kind of cute.

Ludwik's age laying it

Lippert, you're such

it as an insult, but Ludwik's irritation faded at the

voice, soft and almost flirtatious. It

his brows, cursing her in his heart. Damn

pause, his deep, smooth voice slid out.

taking a jab at his age. "No wonder

that so? Go on, keep roasting me. I

dealing with someone this

could hear the seriousness behind his playful voice-that not-quite-a-smile. Maybe he actually thought she was flirting. Was

to

Ludwik was someone she just couldn't

lip, trying to keep her tone cool and even. "If you're into that kind of thing, Mr. Lippert, KI come

"What's wrong?"

circled back. "Things not going well with

way, but getting Sandy through the Nelson family's front door? That's still a nightmare." Ludwik

cared, he had no choice but to

made an effort. "What's the

Sandy herself doesn't want to. And Shane's parents are dead set