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.

age laying it on thick? That was

Lippert, you're

Ludwik's irritation

and almost flirtatious. It

his brows, cursing her in his heart.

deep, smooth voice slid

a jab at his age. "No wonder

that so? Go on, keep roasting me. I kind

seriously dealing with someone

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

to admit

Ludwik was someone she just couldn't win

you're into that kind of thing, Mr. Lippert, KI come back and roast

"What's wrong?"

finally circled back. "Things not going well with

a pout. "Not exactly. Sienna's out of the way, but getting Sandy through the Nelson family's front door? That's still a nightmare." Ludwik was naturally cold-hearted-other people's drama never

when his wife cared, he had no choice but to pay

effort. "What's the

want to. And Shane's parents