framing a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline. The morning sun was painting the city in shades of gold. She sat up slowly, the silk sheet pooling around her waist. She was completely naked. Fra

ranger, a wealthy, powerful man. Logically, it should have been a calculated win, a transaction that could work in her favor. Yet all she felt

sh the memories aside, to pretend none of it had ever happened. But the taste of whi

The man was clearly wealthy. The other side of the king-sized bed was empty, rumpled sheets the only

nto the plush carpet. Her clothes were scattered on the floor. She pulled on her dress and trench coat, skip

ng on the nightstand. It was the small, black velvet box. For one foo

ss. At least she hadn't lost the ring. She reached

arp, quiet sob caught in her throat. Not a frantic breakdown. A bitter, hollow sound forced down quickly. She began searching the bed, tossing pillows and pulling at the

reckless stunt, only to lose the most precious thing she owned. The weight of it set

orced her hands to still. She forced her breathing

now. She needed to get that ring back. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she turn

hard planes of his abdomen. She saw his face clearly now. It was him. The man from the bar. Coldly, brutally handsome. He was casu

one flat, distant, no trace

e time on a non-existent watch. And that's when she saw it. A platinum band. On h

, the room seemed to shrink around her. That ring was not supposed to be on anyone's finge

d. For a split second, she saw it clearly. The tiny, elegant, floral

hoving the ring into his palm with a flippant air, as if it meant nothing. "Take it," she remembered say

ing a challenge. She remembered the weight of his gaze, the stillness of his hand as he closed his fing

from her mother's jewelry-handed it over with a flippant smile, as if it meant nothing. As if three years of carrying her mother's memory on her

s sharp, but she refused to let it show. Not because she had been drunk.

lain. She would get the ring back, and then she would wal

he said, his voi