“Oh!” I gasped, extending my hand to him. “Mr. Lars, it’s an honor.” A modest smile crawled across his lips and my heart tripped over itself as it skittered in my chest. “Please, call me Joshua. And trust me, Mellie, the pleasure is all mine.” He knew my name? No doubt he spied my surprise, as a warm chuckle rolled from the back of his throat, sending a streak of arousal igniting within me. “Abbas has quite a penchant for my work. I made it a point to find out about the woman he’d sent on his behalf.” “Oh.” I nodded, stunned that Joshua would bother with such mundane details. “You never answered my question, Mellie,” he reminded me. Joshua stepped close into my personal space. I glanced back at the alluring woman, trying to ignore the decadent heat emanating from his long, lean body. Quickly averting my gaze—for fear the sub statue might pull me beneath her spell again—only to be snared by Joshua’s intense appraisal.
