This is definitely going to be beyond anything I was prepared for. “Why do they want to meet me? Ria and Elise?”

Miguel blinks at me rapidly. “Because they want to know about the woman who took down Leandros Kaplan. Ria has a soft spot for Leo, over the last few years he’s spent a lot of time in their home. She wants to make sure you’re good enough for him. Elise is the one and only person I know who has ever called Leo adorable, then again, she’s more used to dealing with arrogance than anyone. That husband of hers is all kinds of scary hot. They are really excited about you. They can’t wait to meet you. Fair warning, they have no filter and Elise was already wondering if you want to use one of her children as a ring bearer.

“Gorgeous, don’t even start playing coy. I wondered when Leo first called me, but lord has he made it clear you’re it for him over the last week. No detail was too small for his attention, then there’s the way he talks about you. For Leo to give praise isn’t as rare as people want to believe but he talks about you as if you’re the second coming of Shakespeare, the most beautiful woman in world, and more fascinating than Da Vinci.

“I never thought I would see the day when Leo worried about what a woman wanted or needed. I’m just glad it’s someone as sweet and nice as you who also knows how to keep him on his toes. That is so important, Leo is too used to having things his own way. It’s good for him to have to work for things. He’ll appreciate them more when he gets them.”

I feel Leo’s eyes on me, and all the crazy spinning in my head stops. His eyes soften as he moves toward me. All the tension runs out of me when his strong hand goes to the back of my neck and draws me against him. “Are happy with everything?”

“Very happy, with everything.”

25

Alexa

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Renee arrives, she’s even nicer in person than I hoped she would be. I love how she doesn’t try to talk business although she does let me know she’s looked over my contract and there’s every reason to believe she can get me a new one a dozen times better. She also has great news about a foreign language deal. We make plans to meet for lunch on Monday before she goes back to New York in the afternoon.

It’s almost six. My palms are starting to sweat. Leo grabs a glass of champagne, pressing it into my hand. “One glass only, for now, you are getting all tense. Take a deep breath and sip slowly.”