The One Who Got Away (Wilde Ways #12) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,51

street? So not happening. You’ll just get in the way if you try something like that. You’ll make her job—and mine—much harder if you’re playing hero.”

Playing hero. Check.

“We’ll do our jobs. We’ll find whoever is after you. You just follow orders and keep working on those games of yours, okay? Like I said, my little brother loves them.” Niesha gave a quick nod to him, then to Ella before she made her way toward the door.

He let her take a few steps before he snapped his fingers. “Now I remember you.”

Niesha paused.

“Paris runway, four years ago.” He pulled off his glasses. Rubbed them against his shirt. “You took the fashion world by storm. You were going to be the next big supermodel, then you walked away.” She’d vanished. But Niesha Grim hadn’t been the name she used back then.

She looked over her shoulder. Narrowed her gaze on him.

“I never forget a face,” he explained. He slipped the glasses back into place. “Don’t forget much at all. You see, guys like me have a few skills that are useful. Guys like me aren’t always as clueless as you might think.”

She turned and strode back to him. When she was right in front of him, Niesha stopped. She stared daggers at him. “You breathe a word of this to anyone else at Wilde, and I will make your life miserable.”

“Threats?” His brows climbed. “I thought you were on the team to help keep me safe.”

Ella elbowed him. “Antony, stop it.”

Fine. He inclined his head. “I won’t breathe a word to anyone else at Wilde about your supermodel past.” Though why she wanted to keep that secret was beyond him. Not like she’d committed some epic crime.

Niesha’s gaze darted to Ella.

“We’re partners,” Ella reminded her. “You don’t rat out your partner.”

Niesha released a ragged breath. “Thank you. There are certain things that I want to stay in my past.”

“I can understand that,” Ella said. There was just something about the way her tone changed…

I’ve missed something. When I did my search into Ella’s past, I missed something important. Something big.

He’d screwed up.

Niesha slipped out a few moments later, and Antony tried to figure out just what secret Ella could possibly be hiding from him.

“Never forget a face, huh?” Her brows climbed. “Or you just never forget someone as beautiful as Niesha?”

He was puzzling over the mystery that was Ella, so he answered without really thinking about the matter. “Is she beautiful? I hadn’t noticed.”

Ella rolled her eyes. “I thought you weren’t going to lie to me anymore.”

“I’m not lying.” An immediate response. “I happen to think that you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. When you’re in a room, I notice you. Everything about you.” He shook his head. “But there is something I have missed…” Something important. He shouldn’t have missed it. When it came to Ella, he couldn’t afford to miss anything.

“What are you talking about?” Ella’s hands went to her hips.

He had no clue. That was the problem. Antony’s fingers raked through his hair. “Dex is sending an agent to tail us.” Time for a conversational topic change. Though he would most definitely be coming back to Ella’s secrets in the future. “The fellow is supposed to be here soon. I figure he was probably waiting outside for Niesha to leave.”

“How did he know Niesha was here?”

He quirked a brow. “Because Dex probably had him watching the place for most of the morning. This is Dex, and he’s…” How to explain the man? “He likes to be at least two steps ahead of everyone else. That’s his thing.” Two steps. Three steps. A mile. Whatever.

“Oh, I thought his thing was being a jerk.”

God, she was fun. “That’s his other thing.”

She smiled at him.

“You have a gorgeous smile. It was one of the first things I noticed about you.” Unable to stop himself, he added, “When you smile, you light up the room.” How was he supposed to notice anyone else when she had that killer smile of hers twisting him up?

“You have to stop that.” Ella backed up a step. Her hands slid away from her hips.

“Stop what?” He had zero clue about what he’d done.

“Stop looking at me like you want to—to—” She broke off, seemingly flustered as pink dotted her cheeks.

“Strip you naked and have sex with you against the wall?” Antony supplied. Because he did. Yes. He very much wanted that.

She swallowed. “Yes. That.”

His hand lifted, and his fingers lightly brushed over the scratch that