P lounge of The Pinnacle Club, his face an

suit cuffs, and picked up a fresh linen napkin to wipe a

distinct, metallic tang of fresh blood clinging to the fabric of Augustine's

ll did you ju

smoothed his silk tie. "Takin

is long fingers flying across the glass screen with practiced precision. He breached the club's closed-circuit security mainframe, located the h

asses up his nose, and took a slow sip of neat whi

r. "Alright, who was stupid enough to make the undisputed CEO of Ap

corners of his mouth twitched in a faint, danger

ried. A fe

tch. He choked violently, spraying amber liquid across th

glass. His razor-sharp legal brain instantly began calcul

-money heiress from Europe? Is the prenuptial agreement airtight? If

to sign in the hospital room-the paranoid clauses designed specifica

laugh rumbled d

ent terrified Braylon far more

his platinum Patek Philippe watch. His expression instantly

latly. "I have pressing ma

a single, freezing glare, and walked out into the private elevator, leav

sunlight flooded the na

engine for The Interpreter, desperately trying to distract her mind from

otton sleep shirt that barely reached mid-thigh. She rubbed her heavy eyes, walki

n. A crisp blast of cool morning

just as Alayna rea

completely shirtless, wearing only a pair of low-slung, heather-gre

acks on the bottom stair, her

apped securely around the knuckles of his left hand. The pr

cern about the injury, her gaz

-pack. Glistening sweat traced the deep, defined lines of his tors

d frame hit her senses with the force of a tidal w

gonally across his left pectoral, right over his

l and slowly, deliberately wiped the sweat from his chest, his thick biceps and shoulder mu

eathless rasp that vibra

orning,

arp, involuntary shiver straight down Alayna's spine. H

toward the floorboards to escape the sight of his bare chest

edge of the wooden step. She gasped loudly, her arms

e lunged forward with ter

r slender waist, catching her mid-air. He yanked

rock-hard chest. The impact knocked

aty pecs to brace herself. Her fingers brushed against

breathless and trembling. "You're ble

, the memory of slamming Jordon into the brick alley

at the construction site yesterday,

on shirt. The heavy, intoxicating scent of m

r. Their faces were ba

breath brushing against the

already?" he whispered, his tone

ely suffocating. Alayna could feel the rapid, heavy thud

uted, breaking the contact in a flustered panic. She stumbled back

change my

rcase, watching her long, slender le

he lingering warmth of her waist, a low, vi

towel and walked