nce

My fingers traced the condensation on a glass of ice water, the

e that morning, her anxiety a

arned. "You're meeting a powerful Alpha t

taste in my mouth. I was sick of it. S

he private ro

at seemed to suck all the oxygen out of the space. His black suit was tailored to perfection, fitting broa

re landing on me. It was a heavy look, deep and unrea

odds with the raw power emanating from him. With a dismissive wave of his hand toward

ke to speak with

ried out of the room, pulli

o of us. The silence w

I intended. "Sir, are you the person I'm meeting on this bl

ippo from his pocket, his long fingers flicking it open and closed with

eet his gaze. "I just ended a relationship. I have absolutely no inter

d, a low chuckle rumbled in his chest. "That's a coincidenc

nstructed defenses faltering. Th

her-was it amusement? Or something else entirely? "I require a partner in name only. Someone to satisfy the elde

precision. A cold dread washed over m

ffened. "You i

ic courtesy," he replied, his tone smooth

own thoughts. An escape. A way out from under Karter's shadow, from my mother's suffo

ngerous, re

he small pain grounding me. I

voice steady now. "B

lent 'go on,' his eyes watching

my tongue. "For the duration of the contract, we live separate lives. We do not interfere with e

terminated. We part ways, no strings attached. In return, I need

to laugh, to negotiate

hen, a slow, enigmatic smile spread across his lips. It didn't q

," he

it felt unreal. It

stood, towering over me. "L

snapped

his hand to me. "City Hall. We ca

His palm was broad, his fingers lon

also my o

and in his. His skin was warm and dry, his grip firm, pulling

utside the tinted windows of his car blurred

office, the world came back into sharp focus. The thud

s, slid a piece of paper across t

ame printed next to

s my husband. My legal,