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some skirt-lifting womanizer who couldn’t say no to a bit of pussy even if it had teeth.
    Anyway, she had other worries.
    She poured herself some coffee, checked her watch, wondering if her mom was in bed yet. Should she call and check, or would that just upset her? Lily chewed her lipstick before sipping the syrupy brew. You’d think after so many years the grief would get better, but her mother just couldn’t let go. She wanted someone to blame. She wanted someone to punish. And she could never accept that Chrissie might have been responsible for her own death.
    The last twelve years had been hell, especially after her father died. Lily pushed her dyed-blond hair out of her eyes and stared into space. He’d been gone three years now, but she still missed him.
    A warm blast of air ripped through the room as the door opened behind her. She didn’t bother turning. “I’ll be right out, Niall.”
    “It is not Niall.” Rafael Domenici’s accent was deep and rich.
    “Well, trust me, Niall will be pissed if he catches you in here so go away.” She tipped the dregs of coffee into the drain and rinsed the mug before drying it and putting it back on the shelf.
    “Lily, I think we, how you say? Get off to a bad foot?”
    Amused, she turned and quirked an eyebrow. “Ya think?”
    Muscles bunched beneath a T-shirt as he scrubbed a big hand through his mop of hair. She tried not to notice.
    “It is jeitinho brasileiro . The Brazilian way.” He shrugged one shoulder and took a hesitant step forward. “You and I, we work together for the next three years, sim? I made a mistake. I no treat you with respect. Sinto muito .” His pale blue eyes looked earnest against his gorgeous tanned face. “I am sorry.”
    Lily couldn’t hide her surprise. “If this is another angle to try and get into my knickers, forget it.”
    He blew his hair out of his eyes in frustration. “I no want to get in knickers.” The word knickers sounded odd coming from his lips.
    Lily cocked a leather-clad hip and challenged him with a look.
    “Ah, sim , you very beautiful.” He backed up a full step, his forehead glistening with sweat. His laugh had an unflattering edge. “I am weak. I no say no.”
    Lily snorted and whirled away. She was glad she made him sweat even if she wasn’t interested.
    “But…” He reached out and touched her arm, the skin-on-skin contact making her jolt. “I am sorry I treat you bad. We can be friends, sim? ”
    She tilted her head to look into his eyes and realized he wasn’t pissing around. He was serious. Her neck ached from looking up because he was a big guy. She kept forgetting because her mouth and pride were both bigger.
    But some days she got tired of fighting.
    “Are you going to stop flirting with our supervisor?” The only thing that mattered to Lily, apart from her family, was getting her Ph.D. She didn’t know why it was so important to her, she only knew it was. “Dr. Cooper isn’t interested and you’re stirring up a really bad atmosphere at work.”
    He let go of her arm and bowed slightly. “ Sim . I promise I no flirt with you or Dr. Cooper.” He stood tall, puffed out his perfect chest. “But your jealousy will never come between me and Mabel.”
    A laugh burst out of nowhere. Who’d have thought he’d have a sense of humor? “Okay, but if you act like a jerk again I’ll have to hurt you.” She grinned and realized she didn’t laugh much anymore. One day when she wasn’t looking, life had turned grim. She held out her hand. “Deal.”
    He took her hand, his palm smooth and hot against hers. “ Valeu , Lily.”
    A stray flutter of attraction caught her by surprise and stopped her breath. Niall barged through the door and stared at their joined hands before Lily jerked free.
    “Who the hell are you?” Niall asked.
    “Niall, this is Rafael. I work with him in the Gatty.” She ignored the anger in her boss’s stance. Jealousy didn’t win any points with her.
    “Nice to meet