like a palpable current of static against her skin, stripping her bare. The silence

tershave, clean and sharp, a scent that was now inextricably linked to her humiliation. The sheer size of him, his controlled

ap

f his weight, the memory of his skin's heat. A hot flush crept

, his voice a low, even murmur, d

layed, mortifying shock. The heat in her face exploded into a furious, humiliating blush. He

ling," she stammered, he

able. His next words were delivered with the same flat, dispassio

ice gaining a desperate edge. "It was a mi

pple of something she couldn't decipher.

aced by a deafening roar in her ears. Her visio

y transactional. "This isn't an emotional decision. I have certain... obligations.

heir worlds.What possible reason could he have for wanting to marry a junior designer he'd just met? Unless... unless this was about something els

control, all because of one drunken, regrettable mistake. And yet, a small, cynical voic

courage. "Mr. Sterling, I appreciate your... offer, but it'

dropping, deliberately, "I alrea

the air, a final,

something cold and absolute, like a predator's gaze, in their depths. It was gone as quickly as it app

or, a bitter thought rising in her mind. As if so