The Jilted Heiress And The Cold CEO

ing Ava Hayes with his elbow. "The guy

palm. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic rhythm that matched the bustling

faint blush creeping up her neck. "Ethan i

that had felt like a surgical removal from the only life she'd ever known. Her one comfort had been Alistair's parting words, a half-joking promise that when

birthday and Christmas, always something she'd casually mentioned wanting weeks before. He remembered everything. That constant, unw

k through the ambiguity, to start her career at Sterling-Carlisle, and

she s

embered, only more so. The casual jacket, the dark jeans, the easy confidence that

ce. He pushed off the car, stubbing out his cigarett

ure joy. He caught her, lifting her off the ground in a hug that smelled of expensive cologn

Aves," he murmu

ught was a wave of wa

nt. Ethan let her go, pulling his phone from his pocket. He glanced at the screen, and the

voice a low, gentle murmur that Ava

htly demanding, drifted from th

nd through his hair. "Airpor

ickening lurch that left her feeling weightless and hollow. It wasn't the affectionate term a brother might use.

e soothing. "Just a friend, I

and numbing, seeped into her bones, chilling her from the inside out. Ethan wasn't this consi

t into a little fender bender. I need to go help her deal with it." H

ate. She remembered all the times he'd been possessive, chasing off any guy who showed her the slightest interest. She

ignoring, crashed down on her all at once, amplified by the shock

worse. "Damien's probably at home, wearing that

ver of apprehension through her. He was th

set the navigation on his phone. The destination was a tren

s seat, humming a cheerful tune, completely unaware of the world that had just shattered at his feet. The ca

, the air burning her lungs.

asked, her voice surprisingly s

on his lips. "What are you thinking? And even if s

n with the rest of the family. He wasn't just drawing a boundary. He was b