Chapter 4

Mila’s POV

“Oh God,” I mumbled, hoping that the ground would open right up and swallow me. The general set me to my feet and the next second, his jacket was off his body and wrapped around my body.

“Come with me.” He said. I wasn’t given any time to respond or make a decision to follow him, because his hand found the small of my back and ushered me ahead of him into a room three doors down from the scene of our unusual first meeting. The room he led us into was large and tastefully decorated. A gigantic bed was the center of attraction in the room.

The TV was on and showing some sort of documentary. The volume was turned all the way down so I couldn’t tell what it was. I had seen pictures of the general of course. Ma’s dossier on him included pictures of him, mostly pictures of him in his uniform though. But the photos could never have prepared me for the real thing. He was tall, that was my first thought. But it wasn’t just that he was over six feet tall, it was that he was imposing. It was the way he stood perhaps, back ramrod straight and shoulders squared, the bearing of a man who was used to commanding others.

His dark hair was carefully slicked back, no single strand out of place. His eyes were the color of molten steel, a peculiar silver color fringed by dark lashes. He had the facial structure of a cover model, the sweeping cheekbones, and a strong jaw. I trailed my eyes down the black shirt and pants he had on. The major was an undeniably tempting man.

“I’m sorry about your dress.” He began.

“I’m Mila Goldum. A pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry about your dress.” I held out my hand. His mouth briefly ticked up at one corner. 

“Jonathan Meiland.” He took my hand. That single contact sent electricity coursing through me and I tore my hands away swiftly in surprise.

“It seems that my night has come to an unfortunate and abrupt end.” I smiled. “believe it or not I’m not in the habit of wandering around with my ass hanging out.”

“If you wanted to rejoin the gathering downstairs, I could get you a dress.” He said. I waved a hand dismissively. 

“It lost its appeal about fifteen minutes in after my escort dumped me at the doorstep and disappeared.” My heart was beating too fast. This could go one of two ways. Jonathan’s sense of honor could either rear its ugly head and rebel at having anything to do with a woman who showed up with someone else tonight. Or he could go in an entirely different direction. I was counting on that.

“I hope he’s somewhere with my escort.” He said.

Step one is complete.

“Who would abandon a man like you?” I scoffed. He raised a brow in a move that was both commanding and sexy. 

“A man like me?” I shrugged, not bothering to act coy about my thoughts. I didn’t think a man like Jonathan Meiland would appreciate games, the best way to catch him was by being as brutally blunt and as straight to the point as possible. Not that I had any time to act coy anyway. The faster I had Jonathan in the bag, the faster I could take the Meiland diamond off his hand and get my sister back.

“You’re a striking man, Jonathan. A man, any woman would want to stick to like glue.” I could see him closing off right in front of my eyes. Fuck. What had I said?

“But then again, she’s probably a whole lot smarter than me.” I chuckled. 

“Has anyone ever told you that you look dangerous, the sort of dangerous that makes women tongue-tied and throw themselves at your feet even though they know that nothing good could ever come from it?” His gaze sharpened on me. 

“I don’t think Sonya has bothered to look that far into me.” And now, it was time to make my exit. I had done what I had set out to do, which was to arouse Jonathan’s interest. I gave him a benign smile. “I think I’m going to call it a night.”

“I’ll give you a ride back to the city.” My brain screeched to a halt. He must have seen the look I was giving him.

“I’m sure you drove with your date who isn’t ready to leave, and you will not find a taxi to drive you out here. Or even locate it in the first place.” He said. 

“It's just an offer, of course, Mila. You can take it or leave it.”

Who in their right mind would even say no to such an offer? I had no idea where to start searching for Orlando from. 

“I’m taking it. Just one problem though. How am I supposed to walk out of here in just your jacket?” I raised a brow. His gaze swept down my body, not in a leering way, more assessing even, but every part his eyes touched felt like a physical caress and I found myself shivering under his gaze and clamping my thighs shut. Jonathan was lethal, that was all I could say. Everything about him was just so magnetizing and intoxicating. But the worst part was how affected I was by him.

I was here to steal from him, not romance him. I had never in my life been attracted to a mark. It complicated things very fast and the last thing I needed right now was any complication because that could be the difference between my sister getting out in one piece or not. I squared my shoulders and pushed the godforsaken attraction down with sheer force of will.

When Jonathan’s eyes finally met mine again, I was ready.

“With your head held high.” He finally said. For the first time in my life, nobody spared me a second glance even in my ridiculous get-up. All eyes were on Jonathan Meiland and I was smug with th

e knowledge that I had hooked and reeled him in.