Pruitt hated it. He was leaning against a ridiculously uncomfortable leather sofa, flipping through a he

sis. She was posed, one hand on her hip, her head tilted at a thoughtf

he said, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous sp

unted, not lookin

d for a fraction of a sec

rvously toward the glass entrance doors, wringing h

ition prov

th enough force to make the little

stood in

her eyes. She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling under

of eyes loc

a smug, challenging smirk. She took a half-step

his brow. Of all the places he didn't want to s

e?" he asked, his voice

the nervous gallery manager. She strode across the

nd steady. "As I said on the phone, our

e. He looked helplessly from June to Augustus, a ma

ng. There's always a first-come, first-served rule. But sometimes, a

ear: Augustus's money

ere cold, devoid of any emotion but disdain. "Mi

stepped between the two women, a solid, immovable wall. The gestu

nt only for her. "Don't embarrass yourself. Herlinda

N

er husband, at the man who was supposed to be her partner, standing there shielding

aid, her voice starting to tremble with the force

d, even though she knew it was hopeless. "I

patience. He looked at her, and his eyes were filled with that same ugly contempt from last

ed it into a petty, jealous spat. He was incapable of see

a perfect mask of concerned innocence. "Gus, maybe we should

e on a fire. It made June look like t

ace, at her refusal to back down, and something inside

?" he asked, a cold sm

in

h, his voice ringing wit

t June, his eyes glittering with malice. "Let's see what you're