the back of the throat. Essence stood on the cracked sidewalk, her nursing clogs hea

crubs, shivering not from the damp chill, but from the proximity to him. She hadn't gone to the Hancock Tower at ten. She had tried to call his bluff, t

rattled in her chest,

r slid open

ent of sandalwood and expensive leather. It was the smell of he

ophy she knew must be there. But his torso was broad, encased in a charcoal suit that cost more than her ent

utting off the noise of the street. The silence was instant

art hammering against her

n't look at her face. He simply t

ad

hands jerked, a spasm of nerves she couldn't control. The legal terminology hit her harder than a fist. It wasn'

incredulous. "You're i

The gold caught the dim light. "The doctor? The one buying

precise and cruel. Nathan had been

f your business

to him. He pulled out a glass bottle of Evian. Condensation beaded on the glass

of emotion. "You need money. And protection. It's a transaction,

trembled as she fl

canned the

7 Pre-Nuptial Agreem

Three

: Twenty mil

restoration of the Fitzg

y mil

t was enough to burn down the hospital that overworked her and build a new

he saw the

Spouse must reside at the H

ouse must accompany the Principa

She threw it back at him. It hi

be bought," she his

n, wincing slightly as if the movement caused him pain, retrieved t

a disease. "Do you really think his f

ence said, her voice rising. "W

ista

ing m

ng her space until she could feel the heat radiating off him. His breath hitch

mistake when you were sh

The heat. The skin. The way he used to

face, hot and stin

nstinct. She wanted to wipe t

lew toward

n

He caught her wrist in mid

ad been hiding. However, she noticed a fine tremor running through his forearm, a vibration that sug

enerative disease, his strength was terrifying, even if it was fleeting.

e!" she crie

ld her arm suspended,

ly. "If he saw this agreement... if he knew why you real

w. He had to know about the threats against her

corrected. "It's business.

lease

t throbbed. She rubbed the skin, watching it turn a mottled red. Tear

re a thousand socialites in Manha

leather seat, the mask of indif

And frankly, you're the only one who hates my parents

ed at him. Beneath the cold exterior, she saw

want a wife. He

r the door handle. "Whatever game you're pl

He pressed a button on the armr

d to her back. "When your fairy t

dirty air, trying to purge the scent of him from her lungs. But as she stood there, s