y

who was supposed to be a plumber w

ling in his tailored charcoal suit, fl

out, his eyes l

ht through him

he wanted to play strangers in t

low laugh

ught my wrist, spun me around, and pulled me throu

icked shut

you i

got before his mout

the back of my head to protect it from the wood while he kissed the breath

head, we were both breathin

?" I whispered fiercely.

r under my chin and tilted my face

of you I wanted to

d toward the s

on

my mouth right as heels click

You in

hree feet away, just on the

nt r

g rang in my ears:

said about me, and I didn't care abou

he door frame, I looked up at R

mpletely unbothered. His free hand slid around

und caught i

til his lips brus

and her footsteps faded

my heel and brought it down hard on the

ows tw

led to life. "Ivy

y ivory jacket, and slipped ou

was over and the Sheikh's

the trainees were slumpi

er bag. "Ivy, a few of us are gett

cut in sharply fr

ne wen

e. "It's an internal staff dinner. If anythin

l said she was cleared

eeping over the trainees. "A wolfless temp did better than

ers sagged. Nobody d

rom the chair and slun

eat. You were my first loser ten year

went blotch

or, paused with my hand on

l has the same accent

behind me, leaving th

or, my face was calm,

epped on

t slow down the whole

first time in my life, a man I knew noth

me, climbed the six flights, and

later, the

er one finger. He stopped when he saw me

n last forty-

urned. I

d Grant send you

said he was a nobody from out of state. A nobody didn't w

et onto a chair and l

d braced both hands on the back of the sofa

picious? And you say

It was like pushing a b

b and forefinger, his eyes narrow

home with me. Didn't like

ike he was the one

closet, not now. And when you ca

you are. We're don

flickered

our losses

d, shoving hi

d rock-hard under

into his fac

tight, his breathing heavy, and as I glance

. His body was giving

eyes flashed that terrif

ghtened up fast, and turned his back o

ny Grant." His

grabbed my purse off the cushion and hea

ep with m

oze on the

round, my face flam

ndowsill, looking straight at

I can't eat, can't s

ensible part of me said to open

toward me, slow and steady, until the

his calloused thumb

vy

r used my n

low voice sent a shiver

I had caught w

up on m

collar and kis