aw set in a hard line. A muscle feathered

his crisp white cuff to glance at t

inutes," he said, his voice flat.

of guilt, any hint that he knew she had heard him reduce the

ter taste in her mout

, keeping her eyes

the ballroom, but the space between

the main hall, the bright fla

e silk of her dress. The heat of his palm seeped through the fabric, but it only m

ay, his hand dropped from her wa

of the club and slid into the b

ide. The driver immediately raised the soundproof partit

esting on the center console, tapped the screen, and be

lights of New York City blurred past. The dark t

ting. It pressed against her lungs

" her voice broke the quiet. It trembled sl

mid-swipe on the screen

asked, his tone dripping with impa

rd him. She needed to see his

hut. The sharp clack echoed

t hers, and they were as

ning," he stated, his voice hard and precise. "The family lawyers have f

hed, her chest aching. "Or is it jus

flicker of panic. But it vanished so quickly she thought sh

oosened his silk ti

te," he warned, his voice dropping an octave. "They

ther seat, looking at her with

giving you a life that every woman in this city

he last drop of war

didn't even respect her

. A bone-deep exhaustion

she wh

he rest of the ride. The air in t

he underground garage of their luxury

d out immediately. He didn't wait for her. He didn't wa

en herself. Her stilettos hit the conc

numbers above the door ticked upward rapidly, but the physic

and the doors slid op

shattered the quiet. It wasn't his work phone. It w