Free Irresistible Nemesis by Annalynne Russo Page A

in typical Italian-American fashion. “May I present Ms. Louise Shepard. Louise is the curator here at the museum.”
    “Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Shepard.” Eva smiled warmly and gently shook the other woman’s hand.
    “This is Eva Sambucco, a parishioner of mine at St. Patrick’s.” The priest focused his attention on the huntress. Then he cocked his head to the side and took note of Andreas’s hand on her back before smiling. “Eva, it seems you’ve already met Mr. Kristopolous. He’s an old friend of mine. He is also a member of the Arts—” She cut him off before he could finish. “Thank you for the introduction, Father. Your skills of deduction are impeccable. Mr.
    Kristopolous and I are well-acquainted. You might say that we work in some of the same circles.”
    “Well then, you must know that Mr. Kristopolous is the man responsible for tonight’s festivities, as well as for this beautiful new edition to the MET?” he asked.
    Andreas put his index finger to his lips in an effort to shush the older man. He didn’t need anyone to toot his horn. His ego was as healthy as any other millionaire in the room. “Father, please. I’m trying to keep a low profile.” Andreas joked with the priest as if they were old schoolmates.
    Ms. Shepard came to stand on the other side of Andreas and locked her arm in his. “No need to be bashful, Mr. Kristopolous,” the curator said before turning her attention to Eva. “Our friend here just bequeathed his late mother’s entire Picasso collection to the museum.
    It was her last wish before she died. It’s valued at nearly $50 million.” Andreas felt the muscles in Eva’s back tense and took note of the menacing glare she shot at the hapless Ms. Shepard. By now, he knew the huntress well enough to sense when she was about to attack.
    If Andreas didn’t know any better, he would swear Eva was jealous of the museum curator. Oddly, the gesture made him grin. He pulled Eva closer and rubbed his hand over her bare shoulder in an effort to still the rage. But in truth, this new territorial side of the huntress made his cock as hard as steel.
    “How fortunate that the MET can take advantage of Mr.
    Kristopolous’s generous donation.” Eva leaned into Andreas and wrapped her arm around his waist. Clearly, the huntress meant to stake her claim on him. Poor Louise didn’t have a clue who she was dealing with.
    Eva tugged on the lapels of his tuxedo jacket and forced him to meet her gaze. Her expression turned serious. “Your mother must have been quite some woman.”
    Her words took him by surprise. Andreas lowered his head and placed a hand over his heart in remembrance of his beloved mother. “Yes. We were very close. She was definitely one of a kind.” He hadn’t had time to think about his mother much lately. But the opening of the Picasso wing had the potential to get him feeling nostalgic. It took a woman as special as Eva to get him to realize it.

    “She was, indeed,” Father Mancini interjected. “Such a caring and compassionate woman. Christine did a lot for this community.
    She was a faithful Catholic, too. You could count on her to be front and center at Saturday evening Mass each and every week.”
    “Well, I should get going. My date must be looking for me by now.” Eva glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Andreas’s reaction. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Shepard.”
    “Likewise, Ms. Sambucco.” Louise kept herself firmly glued to Andreas’s side as she reached out to shake Eva’s hand. The huntress took a small step back and bowed her head with a smile, and politely refused to accept Ms. Shepard’s outstretched hand. Without another word, Eva turned and walked away.
    Father Mancini called to Eva as she moved through the crowd across the dance floor. “I’ll expect to see you at Mass on Sunday, young lady.”
    Eva winked at the old man over her shoulder as she made her way to the other side of the room. She headed straight