them with a decisive click, shutting out the rest of the ma

at had been torturing her feet all day. The cool, pl

-poster bed dominated the center of the room. A fireplace stood cold and dark on one wall,

m," she announced, gestu

e windows, his back to her. The moonligh

was flat, no

security monitors. They showed crystal-clear footage of the hallway outside their door. Two of

nrise," Alistair said, his voice cold. "We will not be g

. "Fine. In this room

g to find a spare duvet and pillows. She would sleep on th

A soft rustle of fabric. The faint,

ears of hyper-vigilanc

pun a

th caught in

rlisle IV w

d realized. At least 187 cm taller, with a powerful, athletic build that his tailored tuxedo had only hinted

Then another. His gait was

cripple, the man the world believed to be broken, was

eet silent on the rug. One step. Two. Unt

ap

eside her head, caging her in. His body was a wall of heat and muscle in front of he

ed, his voice a low, dangerous vi

culine and overwhelming. The feeling

s too

beer, and the sound of mocking laughter. A memory, buried deep and locked away, clawed its way to the sur

lipped in

or started in her hands, then spread through her entire body. The ai

sts clenched so tightly her nails

fear that stunned him. The playful intimidation he had intended died on his lips. Her scent ha

hl

from her, creating a wide, safe space between them. He hel

His voice was different now, stripped of its arrogance, lace

rug in a heap, her body still shaking uncontrollably. She wrappe

lked to the minibar, his movements slow and deliberate. He poured a glass of water and placed

d raw, torn from him. "I was a fool. I shoul

lf to catalog the room. The rug beneath her. The distant sound of a foghorn on the Sound. The scent of

subsided. She opened her eyes. The terror ha

ross the room, no longer a predator, but a man w

"Is this your biggest secret,