llroom doors and practicall

her footsteps, but the heavy pound

amped down in

fighting the sudden, intense urge t

the ballroom doors swinging open

ie!

ounced off the high ceili

r thumb digging ruthl

bank and slammed her palm

s slid open wi

a hand shot out and clamped

nked her

t of his grasp as if hi

ng over his face like she was insp

Ryder hissed, keeping his voice low. "My

ss laugh tore fr

s space. "I see the greed in your eyes, Ryder. Y

ackward into

ging his shoulder between the clo

small, confined space

d the air, a smell she used to love, but now

ded, reaching out to grab her

didn't

nd swung it with every ounc

ith his cheek in a s

ently off the metal w

e side, a red mark instant

d the doors slid open t

is frozen body and

h the hotel's rev

of a late autumn New

s, but she didn't care. She just

doors a second later,

ing her

the rain, his face twisted in anger. "You are

g rain, the water plasteri

oice colder than the storm. "G

turned purp

ing to physically drag her

ls slipped on t

tumbled sideways, bracing for

hite light sliced through the heav

Maybach rolled forward, its dee

p mere inches from

lled directly thro

ed up, soaking Ryder's custom leath

n toward the car, his mouth o

ear passenger seat slowly rolled down,

a pair of deep, predatory eyes locked

the authority radiating from the

tinctively took a step back, h

e drifted out from the da

in th