he engine made almost no noise. The silence i

d so tight they ached. She watched Anton out of the corner of her eye. He

tone was casual, as if he were discussing the weather. "Then I will have

an her monthly grocery budget. The Corbett estate was the gilded cage where she had spent her teenage years feeling like a

scraped its way

aring straight ahead at the privacy partition. "Have your d

screen. A tiny muscle feathered along

executive chef at Le Bernardin prepare the black truffle risot

He remembered a stupid detail about her eating habits from years ago,

said, her voice hard. "And I do

o look at her. His blue eyes na

was still sitting exactly where he had left her,

cheap apartment building. "It is a shared apartment. The whole place is sma

ween them. It was a dire

hed, replaced by a cold, hard anger. He r

ed the driver. "Take us to

ightly as it changed di

ed, making it hard for Francesca to draw a full breath. She kept her hands cla

ilding. The street was littered with trash. A flickering streetlight cast a sickl

he door handle. She pul

again, harder.

ed her head around to glare at him.

h. He lunged across the wide seat, his large body trapping her against th

s body, smell the whiskey on his breath. His chest brushed agains

low, dangerous growl. "I should be asking y

He was losing control

his breath warm against her cheek

ere hard, his grip entirely unyielding. He forced

opping to a harsh whisper. "What is