, yes, but her tight, revealing dress screamed trouble. A gold digger, he thought, or worse. He made a mental note t

e his studies, the Sterling family had rented the entire penthouse suite for K

f mineral water, his voice softening. "You can stay here tonight. It's too late to find a place now.

apartment before landing on him. A faint, almost imperceptib

fing his chest slightly

of dishes from a high-end restaurant, wanting to provide for her. As he waited, his gaze kept drifting to the closed door. He imagined her restin

uld eat something before you...

small, intricate tattoo between her shoulder blades, resembling a celestial glyph. The dramatic curve of her waist flared into the generous swell of her hips, all leading down

rvingly calm. "Are you planning to stand t

ing against his ribs, the image of her bare back seared into his mind. He'd been with women before, experienced in the ways of casual flings, but not

a goddess, and he, a mere mortal,

rged, wrapped in one of his plush bathrobes

le to meet her eyes. "I... the

by hunger and a marriage where she was often an afterthought. It was a trait that had once contributed to her "plain" appeara

light, healthy dishes, expecting her to eat like a bird. Instead, she consumed it all with a genuine h

r a glass of water. She took it, her vo

overriding his nerves as he caught her

The robe gaped slightly, offering another tantalizing glimpse of the curve

some... exercise?" she murm

brushed firmly against the growing tightness in his trouser

ally. So easily arou

from her expression as if it had never been there.

oom. Pausing at the door, she glanced

d the door, le

strated desire. The sound of the bathroom sink running a few minutes la

s now groveling before a pretty one. She had even given him her real name, a bold, mocking test. He hadn't even flinched. H

y connected the dots. The boy who had poured water on her and called her a

was sleeping. For the first time in his pampered life, he attempted to make breakfas

tly on her door. "Elara? Are you awake?"

more, his voice tinged with panic. When no sound came from

la

made, empty bed. The plush bathrobe was folded neatly

ng the empty corridor. A devastating realization shattered something inside him. The first woman who had ever felt like a miracle, the one he