The Stand-in Wife's Deception

e. Cl

heavy oak doors rotate

hardwood, the edges of the thick paper slicing a shallow papercut into the webbing of my thumb. I didn't feel it. I

sec

e was a millimeter of resistance from the envelope beneath. I brought my bare heel

sec

d for the velvet chaise lounge, throwing myself against the cushions and violently crossing my legs, f

oak door

t stepped in

w of his throat and the faint, dark shadow of a scar. His sleeves were rolled to the forearms, exposing thick, corded muscle and a heavy, m

ckened, the atmospheric pressure d

sibly sharp, began a slow, methodical sweep of the room. He operated like a human thermal scanner, registering data points I couldn't even p

aze dropped to

ug back into place, but in my frantic haste, the heavy wool fringe was twiste

The ice clinked against the crystal, so

Every step brought the scent of ozone, rain, and expensive, peaty liquor closer. I pressed my nails into the palms of my h

sto

acing his heavy leather shoes directly on top of the concealed floorboard. The exact spot wh

ice a low, dark velvet rumble that vibrated through the flo

"The climate control in this mausoleum is abysmal," I snapped, my voice steady despite the terror liquefying my insides.

eadable. He took another slow drink of his sc

," he repea

. "A three-carat flawless teardrop. I suggest you hav

2nd.* Two weeks before Vivienne vanished. Had he been investigating her family to find weak points?

devoid of Vivienne's heavy contouring and bright

as an afterthought, an inconvenience. To sell the lie, I had to completely detach from my own identity. I had to look at the man who possessed s

the chaise lounge so we were suddenly, terrifyingly, at eye level. The heat ra

glass on the mahogany side table.

to keep my face perfectly still as his long, rough fingers brushed against the side of

down to trace the sharp line of my jaw. His tou

, my voice threatening t

silver eyes flashing with a dark, lethal promise. He leaned in, the scent of him wrapping around m

is thumb pressing lightly against my racing pulse. "The sharks in this city are circling.

ning into mine with an intensity th

e dropping to a terrifying, deadly whisper. "Because