a

ks, his hand trembling as he grips

ited tracksuit. His jaw is clenched so tightly that a muscle tethers in his cheek. He

forcing my voice to

cking his phone screen one last time. "Don't look at the flashing li

" Ethan growls, dragging a hand

shes the

outside world is violent. A wall of noise hits us i

! Over

nett! Is

Did you hit Julia

Flash

the London drizzle. For a fraction of a second, my professional composure slips. I stumble, my foot catching on

completely, a massive, heav

hletic build. The heat of his body radiates through his tracksuit, cutting through the freezing rain. My face pr

dons me. My skin under his

er his breath. His voice is a low

as he navigates us through the sea of shouting faces and blinding lenses. To the cameras, it looks like a pro

igid. His chest is rising and falling in shallow, rapid breaths. He isn't j

ward his jawline so the cameras only see an intimate

ark, stormy, and flashing with a dangerous mix of shock a

rd the back of a waiting black luxury sedan. Marcus opens the door, a

roar outside disappears, leaving nothing b

, backing as far into his side of the leather se

nally slowing down. He glares out the window at t

my rumpled blazer before tucking a few loose strands of hair back into place, hop

s he stares at me. The vulnerability I felt under his ribcage a mom

't need a shrink telling me how to breathe in my own car. We established the rules in the

ing to let him see how much his sudden

l detachment. "Because your performance needs work. Your heart was beating so hard I thought it was going to break

s mouth to strike back, "It's already online." Marcus interrupts

ks at the screen. His expression goes entire

a crystal-clear, high-definition photo of Ethan's hand loc

H: ETHAN CROSS SPOTTED FLEEING STADIUM

Vance. @JulianV9 "Good luck, Doctor!. You are going to need it." Thous

intense, dark fire. "The game just started,