First off, he couldn't believe a woman as classy and untouchable as the Unsinkable Shanice Brown would find herself behind bars. Second, he'd been asking Charli to introduce him to her again since the first time they'd met a year ago at a high-class shindig thrown in Charli's honour.
Hell, Shanice hadn't known he was alive then. And if not for her little stint with the law, she wouldn't know he was alive now. Even working in the same building for the same firm he hardly ever saw her in the company café, the parking lot or any place else he tried to make of habit of running into her at. In fact, he'd thought perhaps she deliberately avoided him. But that was absurd. This woman had her life together. She was fine as his favourite dessert wine, and on top of her game in her career. And if all she'd done for her sister was any indication, Shanice was an all-out go-getter, yet genuine and giving. Just what he wanted in a woman, mind, body and soul.
When he'd walked into that courtroom and saw her standing there Massimo had been brought up short for a second. Even after having spent the night in jail, the woman set his pulse racing and his imagination skating to catch up with it. What a big difference from the stylish pants suits she typically sported. The woman had on the sexiest little black leather skirt tailored so perfectly it seemed like someone poured it over her hips. But the killer was, in spite of sporting a pair of cheap plastic-and-foam jailhouse flip flops, the things still managed to make her calves look sculpted and her legs go on forever. Dayum!
In the four months, he'd been at Expedex, Massimo had seen Shanice plenty of times, but always from a distance. In fact, she seemed to hold herself apart from everyone, not in a cold way, but... Massimo couldn't quite put his finger on it. Even at Charli's party, Shanice had managed to stay somewhat detached from her guests, always keeping Charli the centre of attention, introducing her to high dollar potential clients.
But this morning was different. No "across the room" interlude or long-distance gazes. Today he'd been within a foot of Mizz Brown. He'd expected the attraction he'd felt for her to dance around in his gut at being so close, but what he hadn't expected was the need to take care of and protect her. Nor had he foreseen the insane sexual craving that made the blood boil down through his arteries.
She'd been a picture of concern and vulnerability with a slight edge of "pissed off". Beautifully steaming mad. And god, he wanted her.
After the proceedings, Shanice grumbled the entire time she'd been in his car going home, but Massimo didn't give a rat's rear end. Today, one of his prayers had been answered—he'd gotten a foot in the door with Shanice Brown. And he was determined to get his whole body through then stick to her like glue.
