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“I know you well enough that I could answer that for you. And any letter like it.”
    Fear collided with anger. But the stacks appeared to be untouched. The computer hadn’t been turned on. She couldn’t have seen anything.
    His head began to pound anyway. Still, he calmed his voice before he said, “You went into my office without permission.”
    “I didn’t touch anything but this one letter that was already open.” She met his gaze. “Plus, it’s my job to get you organized.”
    He sucked in a breath. Memories of finding his wife’s itineraries and the matching itineraries of her lovers swam through him, making him shake with anger. Not at Laura Beth, but at his wife. At her shameless audacity. And his just plain stupidity. Add to that the abortion information. The appointment on the calendar. The payment in her check registry. The way she hadn’t even tried to hide the fact that she’d taken his child from him.
    How the hell could he face that? How could he face another person knowing that his wife hadn’t even told him of the pregnancy?
    It took great effort for him to soften his voice, but he did it. “I’m not ready for this.”
    She pointed at the stacks of papers again. “You don’t have to be ready. If most of this is fan mail, I can answer it. I can create lists of requests for charitable events. I can coordinate your schedule with Olivia,” she said, referring to her friend, who was also his manager. “And I think that’s Constanzo’s point. A smart PA could do a lot of this work for you.”
    “I don’t want you in here! I don’t want anybody in here!”
    His shout echoed off the walls of the quiet office. Laura Beth shrank back, her big green eyes round and frightened.
    He ran his hand along his nape. “I’m sorry. But this will not work for me.” He motioned for her to rise. “Please come out from behind the desk.”
    She rose and stepped away from his desk.
    “You are welcome to stay for the next two weeks. Rest in the sun. Be a tourist. Hell, I can take you around to see the sights. But I do not want a PA.”
    To his great dismay, her lower lip trembled.
    “Seriously. When you return to New York, you can stay in Constanzo’s penthouse. And Constanzo is writing a check for a huge severance.”
    The lower lip stopped trembling as fire came into her green eyes. “What?”
    “This is Constanzo’s mistake. He will pay for it.”
    “I don’t want your severance! I want a job. I’m insulted by your charity when it’s pretty clear I could earn my keep, and even more clear that you need me.”
    To his surprise, she propelled herself toward him and stood directly in front of him. The tinge of flush in her cheeks matched the glitter of anger in her green eyes. Heat poured from her, triggering his attraction. He’d always loved the way she could stand up for herself.
    “I don’t want to go home! I want this job. I need this job!”
    She stepped closer. The raw power in her glittering eyes hit him like a punch in the gut. He hadn’t seen this kind of passion in years. Hadn’t felt it himself in forever. It was everything he could do not to pull her to him and kiss her senseless to capture it.
    He stepped back. “You think you want this job. You think living in Italy will be a grand adventure. But trust me. You will miss your city and your family.”
    She eliminated the distance between them again. The fire in his belly spiked. He caught her gaze. Was she daring him to kiss her?
    She didn’t back down. She stood toe to toe with him. Fire matching fire. “And you can trust me when I tell you that I will not regret being thousands of miles away from my family. I need to be here. I want this job!”
    He snorted in derision. He was feeling passion. She was talking about a job. He must really be tired to be so far off base, thinking a woman was daring him to kiss her when she was simply fighting to keep her job.
    He turned away, started walking to the door.
    Quiet, but close, as if