at the thought of Connor's marriage. Even as gossip simmered beneath the surface, th

he line, Connor responded evenly

hen I'll see you n

s," he sai

, the silence in the room

effort to address the awkward tension. Sliding the Braille ph

ear a colleague chuckle behind him. "Ms. Perry seems like a genuin

arp enough to cut, Samue

.

ollow silence and took on a new life, as if some

he mellow glow of the lights, Nicole drifted from room to room, quietl

, her tone measured and efficient, offering only what

venly, "There's no need to account for eve

other's sudden death left her worn down and cautious, so Connor's effortless t

nd headed to the bathroom

-brightly colored bottles lining the counter, the air faintly scen

across his face. It seemed Nicole could be timid to the point of yielding at ti

apped in a soft pink towel, only to find that she had alread

lain, he didn't stop her hands or

, yet the figure exposed beneath the loose towel told another story-solid muscle defined his

he same. That unease sharpened when her gaze betrayed her, catching the unmistakable

g he was supposedly impotent; otherwise, she honestly suspected she might no

en, Connor shifted topics with effortless calm. "Next month,

d and answered with unexpected gravity, "Okay. You do

ad no re

ika's name flash across the screen, the faint warmth on

Nicole, you didn't forget my birthday, did you? I

gged up old memories, and Nicole felt the familiar

a had always used such gatherings to flaunt herself, t

cole didn't hesitate when the invitation landed; lifting

round. With an affected laugh, Erika drawled, "I've got to go-Jerald's calling aga

the call, her fingers tighten

, mocking scoff. "That strong of a response?" he asked coldly.