guest room was lin

ted the brass handle. Hot water poured fro

r hands together and pressed them to her face. She massaged the oil into her skin, feel

warm water

to the mirror, the ug

hed, framing eyes that were a striking, piercing shade of hazel. Her lips, free

sh white towel and

he looked around the room.

s past midnight. The house was dead silent. The brothers

re a loose, oversized silk pajama shirt. She opened

e thick Persian runner. She headed toward the end of the hall,

mahogany door. It wa

it open and s

the sitt

velvet curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the moonlight. The only source

desk sat Cl

e was loosened, his top collar button undone. He was pinch

air from the open do

s snapp

ory. Sharp, cold

caught in her throat. She instinctively took a step

he side of her face, illuminating the sharp, perfect slope of her nose, the

lated. The air in

he stunning, ethereal woman standing in the do

ted with l

dark hair fell forward like a cur

ed, her voice thick and comple

ck and pulled

a

lammed into the bookshelf behind him. He crossed the r

n the long, e

t a sound.

yellow foundation twice as thick. She drew the eyebrows har

into the

rke were alr

cold, eagle-like stare locked onto her face. He scrutini

She forced her hand to tremble as she pushed her glasses up. She pulle

d rubbed his temples. He had been reviewing the European merger documents

n of the Wall Street Journal

e about gold diggers trying to marry into old money. You parasi

set her glass

pathetic, trembling act

nglish was crisp, sharp, and compl

caught off gua

he public financial reports she had skimmed on her phone late last night. "I believe the Chavez Group's stock dip

ce draine

hat you have been personally managing for the last six months. So te

a violent, angry red. He slammed his hands on the table and

roze halfway to

e annoyance in his eyes was gone. In its place

ir. She calmly picked up her linen napkin, d

ck and walked out of the dini