ch. Its tires sliced through a puddle, sprayi

vement. Snatching at a streetlamp for balance, she gap

ped several

walk away. Just keep moving. Th

, white shirt, no tie. The rain tried to mess with his hair

oor and strod

urt?" he c

, then the car, then back at

n flicker. "You wal

s cro

n front of a m

iving like you o

uirked. "I do

in disbel

faintest pau

arrogant strangers. Rich on

ragged wedding dress, bare feet, tangled hair, the absenc

e blee

palm-a thin, bloody sc

hing," sh

er, but she jerk

d, not that Arabella could have known. She only knew she'd spent a whole night surrounded by men who t

ke care o

his hand.

d. "What's that

rough a storm in a wedd

nd

not

op to bottom. "Yo

lea

d and wal

ai

d, didn't

t me drive y

N

pour

otic

t even ha

l ma

uld get

on him. "Why

d. For a second, neither said any

at her, unreada

ort, bitter l

ed and w

of her dress trailing through t

e stopped. Plenty would've tried to catch his eye. Some would have jumped at his offer before he f

it-a flicker of a

driver waited under the hote

linked, conf

wom

es

is

n't k

the street. She'd already

out,"

r hesitat

Not her name. I want to

iver n

ement. He bent down and scooped up a small shard of jewelry. Diamond. Expensive, fr

street. Now he was

oaked through everything she wore. She didn't c

that smooth, practiced authority of people used to getting their way. She'd been

ion-dress ruined, hair dripping. She couldn't keep walking around Port Varena like this.

ere was a clothing store still

st catching the sight of her hiding from the rain. She looked exhausted but not defeate

are you?" he mutter

ced at him in t

thi

liar there. Not her face, but her confidence. The way she spoke, like she couldn't care less w

e her in

m his pocket again. He turned it over, catching a tiny engraving on the back-not a maker's m

ur

owerful old famil

woman. The ruined wedding gown. The urgency.

ress was supposed to be sick, going home soon. T

wn at the di

mething

eater, sneakers, and a simple jacket. Changed in a closet-sized fitting room. Looked in the mirror. For the

nd shoved it to the bottom of her purse. Couldn'

pocket. Her hand closed around the engagement rin

long pause. Finally, she closed her fist around it. She'd ne

e pinged. His security chief had ident

t steely. He look

t hadn't told him anything. That

ped away from his help the way she'd looked him dead in the eye and

how long

way, but his phone r

ir

answere

ed something,"

ief

o

t heiress i

d in his hand. And for the first time that night, the name Arabella Laurent sl

e wasn't jus

s, realized that this woman this angry, stubborn stranger wa