name, the syllables feeling foreign and sharp on

ross a crowded ballroom, a formidable figure surrounded by other powerful men. He ha

e dangerous, more untouchable than any other. This man could ruin her. With a single

, that it was a calculation, began to take root. Fe

e shaking. "Last night was a complete and utter mistake. I was drunk, I wasn't thinking, I..." She was trying to frame it as an a

he jacket off one shoulder, letting the silk of his shirt pull taut against his back. There, stark against his tanned

tion hung in the air, heavy with implication. "From where I

ht. He wasn't a participant; he was

no!" she argued, her voice weak. She had to make him see he was just as

mly shrugging his jacket back into place. He buttoned it with a slow, del

nd unyielding as granite. "So, to compensate me for my... damages,

st have misheard. She stared at him, searching his face f

am. The sheer absurdity of it pushed her fear aside, replacing it with white-hot ang

e trembling with indignation. "I'm your nephew's w

a profound insult, a violation o

bond as irrelevant. "Which means your connection to him is termin

her. "I am concerned with solving problems. And

his wasn't a negotiat

'problem' just fine last night." She threw his own participation back in his face, trying to shatter his

ility is the price you must pay." He twisted her words, repositioning her actions as the ca

with a tidal wave. He bent reality to his will. She was utterly, completely a

The clean, sharp scent of his cologne-bergamot and something woodsy-filled her

proximity and his impossible dem

jaw tight with the last vestiges of

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