offering a slight, elega

empty leather seat acro

before stepping back to stand beside Reid. Dallas signaled the waiter to bring a fresh espresso, sile

ou here," Dallas said, his deep voic

smile. "It's no coincidence at all. I

tory instinct in him flared to life. "To find me? What for? I'm c

riking features composed. "I kno

She reached out, her slender, manicured fingers tracing the rim of the cup before she took a slow, deliberat

er family's sprawling estate, known for her brilliance in pharmacology and her gentle, de

s' quarrel?" Dallas asked, a cyn

h a soft clink. "I simply walked in on him and

d, replaced by a flick

ntended to wear the veil and take her place at the altar, and how they planned to forge a marriage

," Chantal said, her voice as cool as ice. "I have absolutely no intent

efore him. "I was under the impression you were madly

tered smoothly. "I demand absolute loyalty and undivided attention i

ms over his broad chest. "Well, Miss Beaumont-Carlisle, I hate to br

of a wild, passionate affair years ago, resulting in a young son whom Dallas fiercely protected from the media. It wa

right through his defenses. "You need a wife to satisfy your grandfather's ultimatum and keep your seat as CEO. I am intelligent, fiercely independent, wealthy in my own right, an

fragile woman he had heard about. She was a shark, swi

, and I have absolutely no issue playing stepmother to your son. We can live our own lives, secure

the mahogany table, his mind racing through the brilliant, flawless logic of her proposal. Sh

ked, his voice dropping to a

ss to your private intelligence network, and the absolute dest

Dallas agreed.

Ford perfume drifting across the table. "I don't do sexless marriages. I expect a

ir between them instantly crackled with raw, electric tension. Dalla

ve Reid set up a comprehensive medical a