The sizzling second novel in a sexy new contemporary romance series featuring the Lawless siblings—from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake. Brandon Lawless is a man on a mission: obtain the information that will clear his father’s name. He’s willing to do whatever it takes—even seduce his enemy’s personal assistant, the beautiful and innocent Carly Hendricks. But with her beguiling smile and captivating intelligence, Brandon soon realizes he doesn’t want to deceive Carly, he wants to win her over—both in the boardroom and the bedroom.   Then a twisted crime leaves Carly vulnerable and Brandon finds himself reeling. The stakes of his mission are now life or death—Carly’s life. And Brandon realizes he’s lost his heart to an amazing woman and his plan must succeed, because the stakes are no longer just revenge, but a once in a lifetime love. Praise for Ruthless   “I love Lexi Blake. Read Ruthless and see why.”— New York Times bestselling author Lee Child   “Smart, savvy, clever, and always entertaining. That’s true of Riley Lawless, the hero in Ruthless , and likewise for his creator, Lexi Blake. Both are way ahead of the pack.”— New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry   “ Ruthless is full of suspense, hot sex, and swoon-worthy characters—a must read! Lexi Blake is a master at sexy, thrilling romance!”— New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst   “With Ruthless , Lexi Blake has set up shop on the intersection of Suspenseful and Sexy, and I never want to leave.”— New York Times bestselling author Laurelin Paige Praise for the novels of Lexi Blake   “The sex was hot, and emotionally charged in many beautiful ways.”—Scandalicious Book Reviews   “A book to enjoy again and again . . . Captivating.”—Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews   “A satisfying snack of love, romance, and hot, steamy sex.”—Sizzling Hot Books   “Hot and emotional.”—Two Lips Reviews   Praise for the Perfect Gentlemen series by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake   “Hot and edgy and laced with danger, the stories in the Perfect Gentlemen series are just that—perfect.”— New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner   “While there are certainly incendiary sex scenes at the top of this series opener, the strength is in the underlying murder and political mystery.”— RT Book Reviews Lexi Blake is the New York Times bestselling author of Ruthless , the debut novel in the Lawless series, as well as the Masters and Mercenaries series, including Master No , You Only Love Twice , and A View to a Thrill . She is also coauthor with Shayla Black of the Perfect Gentlemen series, including Big Easy Temptation and Seduction in Session , and the Masters of Ménage series, including Their Virgin Mistress and Their Virgin Secretary . Chapter One Two years later St. Augustine, FL Carly let the sunshine hit her face and sighed. A whole afternoon. One entire afternoon off and she was doing what with it? Meeting some ridiculously hot guy at a restaurant who would take one look at her, turn, and run. Drew. His name was Drew and the picture the matchmaking company had sent showed a blond man in his thirties who should probably be on the cover of a magazine. Had it been an online service, she might have felt more comfortable. People on those always used the absolutely most flattering picture they could. Sometimes they were years old and pounds of weight ago. Sometimes they were flat-out lies. But the service she was using actually took the picture themselves. No lies. No hedging the truth. He was that hot. She hesitated on the street outside the restaurant. It was a tiny Italian place in the middle of the old city. She loved this part of St. Augustine, with its cobblestone streets and tourists walking around. The sea was never far from here and she could feel a breeze from the Atlantic. What was she doing? Why was she even trying? Her cell rang, the sound emanating from her massive bag. It had to be massive because she was forced to carry around anything Patricia might need. That was her. She was a walking, talking convenience for the Antichrist. Who was probably calling to revoke her afternoon off. Patricia rarely giveth, but she was awfully good at taking away. This was one time it might come in handy. She grabbed her phone and frowned as the real reason she was standing in front of a restaurant wearing her finest Spanx and more makeup than normal was smiling from the screen. She flicked her hand across, accepting the call. "Hey, Meri. I thought you were finishing up class." "I got out early and I wanted to make sure you're where you're supposed to be." Sometimes her sister's instincts were scary good. "I'm at the restaurant, but only to tell him I changed my mind. This was a mistake." Meri groaned. "No, it's not. Come on, Carly. I read the file on this guy. He's hot." "How did you read the file?" Not that she should be surprised. Along with good instincts, Meri also had the tenacity