na'

ething intense, primal, almost confrontational in its ferocity. Suddenly, I felt strip

uldn't look a

dissolving into irrelevance. As his eyes traced a slow path over my tear-streaked fac

I possessed-screamed to launch myself into his arms, to demand he

back to reality like i

ll are you

was Eric Thompson. Billionaire Alpha. The

of all-the future b

anything real, anyway. Mark had taught me that lesson in the mos

t my cheeks with the back of my hand. I cl

him, toward the open d

dn't

ained planted in the doorway, his broad shoulders filli

he stared down at me, those penetrating eyes raking ov

apped, following

,

est. Heat flooded my cheeks. The guards. The struggle. They must have ripped it during that brutal drag to the el

couldn't recall ever being this close to him before, never having exchan

e," I said firmly, attem

my waist, and he hauled me back

ut the moment my palms made contact with the heat of him through that fine suit, a jolt of raw desire shot through my fingers, arc

with arrogant disdain. "I will not allow anyone to appear

sanctimonious tone ignit

Before I could think, before I could question my own s

the charged silence. What remained was a tight, s

I spat, my chest heaving

utterl

against the wall, his body crowding mine dangerously close. His earthy scent surrounde

eck, his breath hot against my skin, eyes darker than be

gainst his chest. "I'm trapped in an elevator with a torn dre

ed to granite.

ore I could process what happened, he hit the button. The doors slid open, and he st

jacket as the elevator d

l-those cruel, cutting words implying I was some kind of wanton creature, flaun

d

nd me, sinking into my skin, making my legs weak, stirring something

y responded this way. Hated t

d stolen Mark away from me. The absolut

ook what the c

I hurried toward the exit, desperate

Mark's

I had no energ

ectly into my path,

Her tone dripped with contempt.

joined her. Their eyes dragged over me with

ase. I wouldn't touch that gold-digging, s

in sycophantic laughter. "If you're not interested, then why are you here? To cr

ess-or your snake of a brother's, Sel

, but we won't have trash like you hangi

id little drama you people have going on here has nothing to do with

her fingers, shrieking, "Security! Over here

dn't

t draped over my shoulders. Their nostrils flared as they caught the scen

hesit

he jacket-and the wild, dominant pheromones cling

ison. "That's all you're good for, isn't it?

inside m

efore my brain

ac

, my palm connecting with her cheek

ng her face, too st

oke stiffly, carefully avoiding my

't look back. No one dared stop me. The guards kept their distance, their

*

hivering. Panic tightened my chest as I thought of the jacket. I couldn't let it be ruined. I hurried into a dark c

when I

ghter. And heavy foot

and my stom

ows, their eyes crawling over m

barely audible over the drumming rai