months

high-end Manhattan office building. She gasped for air, her lungs bur

er. Three security guards

ne panicked. She shoved the freshly signed Non-Disclosure Agreement-the docu

esperation, the instinct to survive overrides all fear. To survive, she could become any

's still down here," a vo

darted her eyes around the diml

e license plate was arrogant. The rear passeng

inct. She grabbed her thick canvas tote bag and shoved it under the front of her

nked the heavy door open, and

r balance and crashed face-first into a solid, muscular chest. T

med into him. The tablet he had been using to check stock re

ulders to push her off. His long fingers brushed against the hard, unnatural lu

to the car. He slammed his f

ecurity check!"

Her face was inches from t

eyes of the billionaire from the Ti

on of that night, the torn silk, the silver fox mask vanishing down the storm drain-all the memo

rated disgust twisted his features. He opened his mou

caught meant the NDA being exposed, client retaliation, and the complete severance of any lead to finding her moth

up, grabbed his jaw with both hands

y went rigid. His severe germaphobia flared, sendin

cking around her wrists like stee

him against the leather seat. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She was so terr

of fresh blood bloo

absolute, murderous rage. He released her wrists a

de pounded hard

raised the soundproof partition to block t

r said, his voice like ice.

he embossed logo and immediately bow

y showed the blurred, intertwined silhouettes of a man and a woman i

er mouth away. She scrambled backward, trying t

d stayed clamped on the back of

breast pocket and wiped the blood fro

w, terrifying whisper. "Which corp

hands shaking. Her trembling was half performance, half the genuine aftershock of surviva

e into her voice. "I'm just a pregnant woman. I wa

tical, cold. He noticed the sharp, rectangular edges poki

eached out and grabbed the

s popped and flew across the car. The canvas tote bag

pregnancy

d with intense humiliation. She forced a stiff, awkward smile

gerous slits. He reached over an

d with a heavy, definiti

me blocked out the dim garage lig

over her face. "Faking a pregnancy to extort a payou

ck. The dark hotel room. The crushing weight of his body. H

ion; it was a cornered animal fighting back. Caroline slid her hand down to her leather boot. Her fingertips touched cold metal-something she carried for s

hard into the custom Hermès leather

ced with pure, desperate malice. "Or I swear to God I'll screa

blade threatening his multi-thousand-dolla

lar toy?" he mocked, a cruel smile play

custom cologne hit her again. Cold cedar and smoke. It was chillingly fa

violent