n Knap

's office. I didn't knock. For five years, this room had been as much m

ne, the ordered chaos of his desk. Lingering beneath it was another scent, a floral perf

e wall-and landed on a display shelf. It was filled with trophies and plaques

university competition, the one that had launched our careers and our relationship. It was the p

it from the shelf. My fingertips

r the precise curvature of an arch, only to collapse into laughter as the sun came up, knowing we'd found the perfect solution together. T

th, and I swallowed it down.

el in my arms and

n with such force that it

ted. He was still in the suit from yesterday, the tie

his gaze dropped to the model in my arms, and flic

shed, replaced by a slow, arroga

laced with a patronizing amusement. "Th

nt girl to be placated and coaxed back

ection I might have held for him turned to cold, hard ash. I didn't even feel

ahogany desk. From my purse, I pulled out a crisp, white envelop

wo words, printed in clean, blo

nd for the first time, a flicker of uncertainty crossed his features.

w, stripped of its earlier amusement, edged with the a

ord a carefully placed stone. "I'm not runn

ng in the air between us. The

re break