After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 186

So, he was her target?

Lawrence had to be at least six-foot-three, with a sharp, icy presence that made him impossible to ignore. He was like a sword, unsheathed and dangerous, the kind of man you couldn’t look at for too long without feeling the edge.

Bonnie had spent years in the nightlife scene, brushing shoulders with every type of man—rich ones, powerful ones, handsome ones. But this guy was different. There was something raw and rugged about him, a kind of masculinity she’d never seen before.

A thrill buzzed through her. A man like this, she thought, was worth the challenge. Even if she got him for free, she’d call it a win. Getting paid for it? That was just a bonus.

She started toward Lawrence. Every other man in the room turned to check her out, but Lawrence didn’t even glance her way. His eyes were glued to the screen in front of him, brows drawn together like he was solving some kind of puzzle.

Bonnie’s lips pulled into a sly smile. Now this was interesting.

He was even more compelling up close. It wasn’t just his looks or that broad-shouldered build. It was the energy he gave off, that confidence and power. Even if it was only for a night, conquering someone like him would be worth everything.

She stepped closer, letting her gaze linger on his face. She caught a faint whiff of his cologne—clean, subtle, just enough to make her want more.

This man was trouble, and she loved it.

“Hi, everyone. I’m Bonnie, the new assistant in Engineering,” she said, putting on her shy act.

The guys around her started checking her out, but Lawrence barely spared her a glance before turning back to his work.

Bonnie felt her confidence slip, just a little. Seriously? Was she not his type?

She found herself watching him. His lashes were long and thick, throwing shadows under his eyes. His nose was straight, his lips pressed in a straight line, unreadable.

She nudged the guy next to her. “Who’s that?”

“Oh, that’s Lawrence. He runs this whole workshop.”

Bonnie flashed a bright smile. “Hi, Lawrence.”

He finally turned to look at her. The moment their eyes met, she felt caught. His gaze was steady, calm on the surface, but there was something deeper there, something that made her heart skip. She looked away fast, pretending to be shy.

“Everyone, get back to work,” Lawrence said to the group, then walked off toward his office.

Bonnie tried to steady her breath. Just that brief moment of eye contact had her off balance.

She was definitely going to get this man.

Catherine’s face turned serious. “Alright, Project Apex Initiative kicks off next week. You two need to get up to speed with everything here, fast. Make sure you can keep up.”

“Understood,” Naomi and Lyman replied, their playful mood fading.

***

Later that afternoon, Nestor walked through the workshop, checking on things. As he passed one of the automated production lines, a loud alarm blared and the control screen flashed with bright red error codes.

Two engineers rushed over to try and fix it. One threw up his hands. “We can’t do this. This is the newest Nexus Dynamics code system.”

“Go get Lawrence. He’s the only one who understands it,” the other said.

A technician hurried off toward Lawrence’s office.

The executive next to Nestor looked worried. “What now? This tech is way too advanced. Can our people even handle it?”

Nestor held up his hand. “Let’s wait and see.” He wanted to know if Lawrence could handle the pressure.