THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

hectic flush in her cheeks, but nothing could disguise the sheen of hope and excitement in her eyes.
    Giving up, she smoothed the material of her sweater — the plunging v-neckline of which was more daring than anything else she owned — before running her hands over her hips in the slim-fitting khaki pants she’d chosen.
    Too obvious?
    Not nearly as obvious as the dress she’d almost chosen. But maybe the sweater was too much…
    She glanced at her watch and sighed. She’d have to do as she was. She was out of time.
    To say that she expected to find Delano alone was an understatement. To find him there with another man jolted her, but it was nothing compared to the jolt she got when she looked closer at the other man.
    Vampire! Dear God, he was absolutely beautiful! And he made no attempt to cloak what he was. In the artificial light of the lab, he shone with an incandescent vitality.
    “Ainsley, permit me to introduce Aiden Afflack, an associate of mine.”
    Keenly aware of the gorgeous stranger’s personal power, she moved closer to Delano, but extended her hand. “How do you do, Mr. Afflack?”
    He grasped her hand briefly before releasing it, but the sensation of power shot up her arm, spiking her heartbeat again.
    “Very well, thank you. And you?”
    She murmured what she hoped was an appropriate response, but her eyes had already gone to Delano.
    Reading the questions there correctly, Delano spoke. “Aiden is a good friend of mine, Ainsley. Our association goes back longer than either of us like to credit.”
    This drew a chuckle from Aiden, a soft, easy expression of amusement that sent a tingle up her spine.
    “He’s right, I’m afraid,” he drawled.
    Lord, he had charisma! That laugh of his slid right in under a woman’s defenses and said, Like me. A lot. She could easily see how this charmer could win over women with a dazzling smile and a flowery compliment. She could also see he was a heartbreaker. He was everything, in fact, that Delano was not. Delano had always downplayed his vitality, and easy, casual seduction was not in his repertoire.
    Ainsley smiled politely and waited for an explanation.
    “Aiden has agreed to do a job for me, provided you concur with our approach.”
    Her stomach lurched. “What kind of job?”
    “My investigation of Lucy Michaels’ situation discloses some unpleasant things about her husband,” Delano said. “He’s the chief of police in St. Cloud, correct?”
    “Correct.”
    “And he abused Lucy to the point where she felt she had to flee, to protect herself and her daughter. Correct?”
    Ainsley’s fists tightened at the thought of Weldon Michaels and all the misery he was responsible for. “Also correct.”
    “Did you know that Weldon Michaels is bosom buddies with the director of your department in the hospital where you worked in St. Cloud?”
    Chief Michaels and Dr. Demmings were pals? “Really?”
    “And did you know Dr. Demmings was in the process of divorcing his wife? I understand that can be an expensive proposition. The good doctor was a prime candidate for a cash bribe, and Chief Michaels offered him a handsome one to get you fired.”
    Ainsley felt her blood pressure mounting. “ Weldon Michaels did this to me? That little weasel got me fired?”
    “Beyond the shadow of a doubt. You see, he must have figured out that you were subsidizing Lucy and Devon’s living expenses. He probably figured if he could pauperize you, Lucy would surface sooner rather than later.”
    “Ohhh! I’ll have his balls!
    Delano laughed. “Frankly, I think we have a better idea.”
    “I can’t imagine what that could be.”
    “I propose to have Aiden pay him a visit.”
    Ainsley’s gaze flew to the stranger, who had a hard glint about his eyes now. “You wouldn’t … I mean…” She looked at Delano again, her eyes searching his. “You’re not proposing to…”
    “Kill him?” The softly-voiced question came from Aiden Afflack. “No. I won’t even hurt him, unless you consider possible injury to his pride. Or unless you want me to.”
    His smile thinned ever so slightly, but Ainsley sucked in her breath at the leashed menace in it.
    “I’m just proposing to spend a leisurely evening with Chief Michaels, acquainting him with the full scope and diversity of the creatures with which he shares the night. We’re thinking that once he appreciates that his wife keeps company with not one, but many of us, he’ll lose interest in persecuting her