nn

ld. The executive office was immense and austere, framed by tow

ng undertone of dominant S-class Alpha pheromones-frozen cedar, dark woods, and bitter frost. Worse still, laced beneath that

ssive ebony desk wa

uctured suit jacket. He wore a crisp black dress shirt with the top two

tch marks and flushed friction burns I had cl

ther chair, exuding an effortless, predat

Liam pulled the double doors shut with a faint c

n, you asked

med glasses, his gaze lingering on the high collar of my su

scended up

etched out like an

hed his chair b

wline, a straight nose, and deep, dark-lashed eyes that carried the instinctive arrogance of h

t, my trembling hands had spent far too much time tracing the dense, iron-h

as my brain dredging up those

ton?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain even and

ing the desk and gesturing tow

ar edge of the cushion, keeping a c

tapped the leathe

two seconds befo

his expression unreadable. My hands tightened in my lap, f

still hurt?" he

eech failing me. Was this infuriating Alpha seriou

ned?" he continued, his tone as casua

arbone, where a visible red sh

ted. "I had too much champagne last night. I truly did not

ting slightly to face me, his arm resting along

But the bite, the temporary mark, and everythin

cheeks until my face burned like crimson silk. It had been mortifying

l accident driven by rut chemistry. The temporary mark will fade once the pheromones metab

ression chill

sted cedar pheromones pressed against my chest. His eyes narro

ke me for

dly whisper. "Do you think I let someone into my ru

id he want? Was he trying to develop some illicit, ongoing relationship? Judgi

ider becoming L

es widened in

in mid-air. I could not decipher a single str

ory. "An S-class rut carries high fertility odds. If you conceive, we will have the child. Even if you do not, Kensi