them with a decisive click, shutting out the rest of the ma
at had been torturing her feet all day. The cool, pl
-poster bed dominated the center of the room. A fireplace stood cold and dark on one wall,
m," she announced, gestu
e windows, his back to her. The moonligh
was flat, no
security monitors. They showed crystal-clear footage of the hallway outside their door. Two of
nrise," Alistair said, his voice cold. "We will not be g
. "Fine. In this room
g to find a spare duvet and pillows. She would sleep on th
A soft rustle of fabric. The faint,
ears of hyper-vigilanc
pun a
th caught in
rlisle IV w
d realized. At least 187 cm taller, with a powerful, athletic build that his tailored tuxedo had only hinted
Then another. His gait was
cripple, the man the world believed to be broken, was
eet silent on the rug. One step. Two. Unt
ap
eside her head, caging her in. His body was a wall of heat and muscle in front of he
ed, his voice a low, dangerous vi
culine and overwhelming. The feeling
s too
beer, and the sound of mocking laughter. A memory, buried deep and locked away, clawed its way to the sur
lipped in
or started in her hands, then spread through her entire body. The ai
sts clenched so tightly her nails
fear that stunned him. The playful intimidation he had intended died on his lips. Her scent ha
hl
from her, creating a wide, safe space between them. He hel
His voice was different now, stripped of its arrogance, lace
rug in a heap, her body still shaking uncontrollably. She wrappe
lked to the minibar, his movements slow and deliberate. He poured a glass of water and placed
d raw, torn from him. "I was a fool. I shoul
lf to catalog the room. The rug beneath her. The distant sound of a foghorn on the Sound. The scent of
subsided. She opened her eyes. The terror ha
ross the room, no longer a predator, but a man w
"Is this your biggest secret,
/1/119418/coverbig.jpg?v=e9440a3881c53938d2439f598ed37efd&imageMogr2/format/webp)