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“No one you know. I’ll be right back.”
Bruno placed his beer on a table and headed out of the VIP.
Chapter Seven
Where is Lark?
Squinting without her glasses, Marissa scanned the crowd. Was that her friend over there near the bar?
She started in that direction, but someone bumped her from behind.
A laughing man with ebony skin glanced over his shoulder at her. “Oops. Sorry.” The guy let his gaze drift over her before allowing himself to be tugged away by his female companion.
His fleeting interest gave her a boost of confidence. Maybe she didn’t look too bad after all.
The energy at NV Lounge encouraged patrons to relax after a long day of battling bosses and fighting the drain of Atlanta traffic. And there were a lot of good-looking people dressed to impress. She felt comfortable that she fit in, but she needed to find Lark. She should have never listened to her friend and left her glasses in the car.
Nope, that was not her at the bar. The woman was too thick.
So where the heck was she?
Marissa’s head swiveled to the left.
“What a surprise to see you here.”
A low but familiar accented voice whispered the words in her right ear, and her heart slammed against her ribs. With a quick turn, Marissa bumped gazes with none other than Bruno Santana.
“Mr. Santana.” His name came out in an annoyingly breathless voice.
Could be the darkness of the venue, but he seemed extra tall and his shoulders extra broad, wide enough to rival Atlas in carrying the world.
“Bruno,” he corrected. His gray eyes popped in amusement against the backdrop of his olive skin.
“That’s right—Bruno. Forgive me.”
They stood close together, much closer than they did at the office. She caught a whiff of his scent again—something refreshingly citrus blended with a hint of musk that pleased her nose.
“So, Marissa, you decided to take a break from saving the world, one relationship at a time?” Bruno asked.
What was it about the way he looked at her, as if they were the only people in this entire place? Men like him were the kind who had women making excuses for bad behavior. She could well imagine the chaos Bruno created in the lives of the women he had slept with over the years.
“I’m meeting a friend for drinks, but I can’t find her. I called before I came in here, but the call went to voicemail. I left a message and sent a text, but she probably can’t hear the alerts in this loud place.” Marissa cast her eyes around the open space in a futile search for Lark.
“Girls’ night out?” Bruno asked.
“Something like that. And you?”
Another bump from behind, and she fell into Bruno, who caught her around the waist.
“Oops, sorry, miss.” This time the laughter came from two women about her age, snaking their way through the crowd.
Marissa suddenly realized her hands were splayed on Bruno’s rock-hard chest. Daaaamn.
Against her will, her fingers trailed down his torso, encountering firm abs before she realized what she was doing and snatched away her hands.
“Excuse me.” She stepped back, heart hammering in a crazy, irregular pattern.
“Not a problem,” he said smoothly, slipping his warm hands from her waist.
