e of the ballroom. "This marriage is a mistake! We must have it a

lder, more conservative Carlisle relativ

son and hid behind his legs, peering out at

in a sea of hostility. She offered no de

chanical whir b

soft hum against the marble floor. He positioned himself dire

They were now chips of flint, cold and hard and dangerous. He fixed

oft, "was teaching my son a lesson in decorum. A

is the mark of a spoiled, ill-mannered child. Chloe's response was the mark

he last two words,

's just a boy, Alistair. A

family name," Alistair snapped, his authority absolu

e. The iron will of Alistair Carlisle IV was legen

ury in his eyes melted away, replaced by a look of such startling wa

ow a low, intimate rumble. "The boy

to Orion, who flinched as she approached. She simply reac

rambled away, running to his

ack into the crowd, his fac

bandleader, and music once again

lding hers. He reached into his tuxedo pocket a

agnificent, flawless pink diamond, set in a delicate plat

is glove. Slowly, deliberately, in front of the watching eyes of New Yor

with an emotion so intense, so seemingly

magnetic. "In sickness and in health, to love and to cherish

med to fade away, leaving only the two of them, the weight of

ss was warm, firm, and lingered a second too long. A jolt of unexpecte

, Mrs. Carlisle," he whispered, his breath a warm ca

in her veins turned to ice. He wa

nd composed her face into

her voice just as low, just as private. "But let's not