Undercover Desires

Combustion

Krystal

The second the door shut, I let out a slow, shaky breath. f*****g Ryland.

His stupid, cocky smirk. His damn voice, all dark and teasing, like he f*****g knew what he was doing to me.

“I’ve seen better.”

Bullshit.

A hot, burning sensation curled in my chest, a mix of irritation and something far more dangerous. I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t want to prove anything to him. But damn it, I did. I wanted him to f*****g choke on his words, to look at me like I was the best thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

Shaking my head, I turned away from the door. I had more important s**t to focus on. The room was massive, almost too much. The kind of space meant to make someone feel small. But the second I stepped toward the giant windows, everything else faded. The view stretched out into the night, city lights flickering in the distance. And the balcony? Huge.

All I could think about was getting f****d against that glass, Ryland’s hands gripping my hips, his mouth at my neck, his voice a rough growl in my ear.

Jesus f*****g Christ, Krystal, get a grip.

I had a job to do. A mission. And Ryland Johansson? He was the last goddamn thing I needed to be thinking about.

Sleep took me before I even realized it, exhaustion wrapping around me like a blanket.

And then—

“KRYS!”

The door slammed open, and Travis f*****g Johansson came barreling in like he owned the place. Which, let’s be real, he probably did.

I groaned, cracking one eye open before deciding, nah. f**k that. I wasn’t dealing with this yet.

“Don’t pretend, you’re awake,” Travis sing-songed, and then—

Oh, hell no.

His fingers dug into my sides, tickling me like a goddamn menace. I jerked, barely biting back a squeal as I swatted at him. “Travis, you little s**t!”

He just laughed, dodging my weak-ass attempt at smacking him. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.”

I groaned, flopping back against the pillows. “I hate you.”

“Lies,” he shot back, plopping onto the bed beside me. “Now, be honest. You get any sleep?”

I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. “Yeah, I was comfortable.”

Travis just smirked, eyes twinkling with something too damn knowing. “Good. ‘Cause we’ve got a week to make Steffen Oberoi an offer he can’t refuse.”

Just like that, reality slammed back into me. The reason I was here. The reason I couldn’t let some infuriatingly hot bastard distract me.

Travis must’ve sensed the shift, because he nudged my shoulder. “Relax, Krys. You’ve got this.”

I forced a smirk. “Damn right I do.”

He chuckled, standing and stretching before making his way to the door. “Get some more rest if you need it. You’re gonna kill it.”

And just like that, he was gone.

I tried to sleep again, but f**k, my head was pounding like a b***h. With a groan, I finally dragged myself out of bed, running a hand through my hair before stepping out into the hall.

And then—

Bam.

I slammed into something solid.

No, not something. Someone.

My hands shot out, gripping onto bare, sweat-slicked skin as I stumbled back. A firm grip caught my waist, steadying me, and then I looked up—

And f**k me sideways.

Ryland.

Shirtless. Hair damp from a workout. Sweat dripping down the hard planes of his chest, trailing lower, lower—

God f*****g damn it.

I swallowed hard, tearing my eyes away before I did something absolutely f*****g stupid.

His lips curled into a slow, lazy smirk. “Like what you see?”

Cocky asshole.

I forced my expression into something unimpressed, arching a brow. “You look like you just crawled out of a swamp.”

He let out a low chuckle, stepping just a little closer. Too f*****g close. “And yet, you’re staring.”

Shit.

I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest, which did absolutely f*****g nothing to steady my racing heart. “I was trying to figure out how someone could possibly smell worse than a sewer.”

That damn smirk didn’t budge. “Cute.”

I rolled my eyes, stepping around him—big mistake. His scent hit me like a punch to the gut. Something dark, musky, and f*****g addictive.

Jesus Christ, I needed to get away from this man.

As if sensing my struggle, Ryland leaned in just enough to let his breath ghost against my ear. “You’re not fooling anyone,Firecracker.”

Fuck.

I spun on my heel, forcing a glare. “Neither are you.”

His brows lifted slightly, intrigue flickering in those sharp, piercing eyes. I didn’t wait for him to say anything else. I turned and walked away, fighting the urge to look back.

But the heat of his gaze burned into my skin, all the way down the hall.

This was going to be a long f*****g week.