he reality of Darci

. Dr. Aris had pinned a series of brain scans on

's in a persistent vegetative state. Locked-in syndrome is a theoretical possibility

dness hit her. He was a war hero. A titan of ind

etched. Aris po

ind her, someone c

f, almost swallowed by the shadows. He stepped

ll, the Trust Committee has acti

owned. "T

ng her eyes. "To ensure the marriage is... consummated

aid, her voice rising. "Wh

imulation Therapy.' You need to provide two hours of direct skin-to-skin con

ep in the same bed. Every night. The

t the floor. "This is perverted. I'm a hum

or the inheritance,"

e last page

, you inherit the Manhattan penthouse portfo

topped b

y mi

ff her stepmother's debts ten times over. That was never ha

She thought of Hugh and

t back

eeping?" she asked.

ical contact. Unless... wel

icked up

I have a

raised an

Gwendolyn and Hugh are banned unless I invite

Sterling agr

her name. Da

. A maid was hovering by th

her voice low and d

scamper

e hospital room. Fleet was

nd walked ov

buttons of his pajama top. "Looks like I hav

l m

rned through Fleet. He had been a soldier. A commander. Now he was a piece of mea

e buttons, expo

the muscles were defined, scarred here and th

to her hands and rubbed t

ands are cold,

r palms flat

e

ped through his cold skin-a jolt of pure sensation that bypassed the

. He hated tha

't

traitorous in the abyss of his

she'd discreetly pulled out her phone and activated the data-smoothing script her brother Garey had designed for her. It wouldn't erase major events, but it would soften mi

ibbled

hetic reflex to touch within expe