gled gasp esca

opened slowly. There was no grogginess, no sign of a hang

around her body, the silk a flimsy barrier against his unnerving gaze

ning light carved shadows across the lean, hard muscles of his chest and shoulders. Fay

managed, her voice a trembl

is tone flat, stating a simple fact. "I

her spine. He spoke as if describing a busines

r legs as she stumbled to her feet. The stinging reminder cruelly brought back last night's events, and sh

bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom. Faye flinched, pulling the sh

and held out a small tube of oint

burn her. She stared at him, her

ng that might have been impatience. He pressed his fingers br

nder the covers, the sheet a tent of shame, and clumsily applied the ointment. The clinical co

voice small. She needed an excuse, a shared mistake, a

ured a glass of water from a pitcher on the n

ice cool and even. "I

slapping away her last shred of denial. It wa

of disbelief and fury. "You were sober? Then w

now you're Faye Hayes. Penelope's best friend. As

between two adults. It stripped her of her pain, her betrayal, her drunken desperation, and left her fee

r to his suit jacket, which was neatly draped ov

he loudest sound in the room. He tore

his voice devoid of emotion, "for

vision swim. The insult was so profound, so absolute, it stol

at. She swung her arm, her hand connecting with the

tears she'd been holding back finally bre

ng flickered in the depths of his eyes-something complex and unreadable-

om the floor. She pulled it on, the crisp fabric smelling of him, of cold wood and winter a

needing to escape the room, the man, t

orknob, his voice stopped her, l

don't want a third person to

ack to him. She d

going to say," she bit out,

way, not looking back, leaving the room of her hu