stopp

much she wante

now how to l

ill know ho

ng. Always close enough to smell, never close enough to lean into. The scent of his cologne

and their eye

orse in

ed away,"

let

ure. He turned away, pacing to the edge of a marble

didn't try

a letter. A single, goddamn letter, Westo

more out of me tha

our torture

ruise. "I lost everything, Weston. My father, Our home, and my future. And you, yo

ed then

eyes someth

, his voice low. Rough. "You only saw

ia fl

ur choice,"

g close again. "You ma

em. The fountain kept tri

shook. That part of her wanted to reach out a

fight for me

n't kn

ton Clay. Heir to everything

ot in

truth between them. Ug

ooked

this again,"

asking

head lifte

y. "One conversation. After that, if you want to walk

ared a

sounded lik

sounded l

rt still remembered what it felt like to lie beneath

n," she said slo

"No tricks.

ar the edge of the glass, where moonlight spille

ter, far enough not to to

wa

speak ri

said, "I know wha

dy wen

something was wrong. That the Vance accounts were

closed h

hink I stopped caring, but I didn't. I just didn

an the

the sa

ed to lo

d. "You left to protect his legacy. To protect your nam

eyes before she

whispered. "What else

id. "Let me s

hey would've r

dn't

d

rward wasn't hol

've told me

ould've

is time, there was no fi

d?" she asked. "If I'd

ation. "Because then I could

s fall, one by o

r slowly and place

she didn'

Outside, the city lights glittered like distant promises. Inside, time felt

strength of his grip oddly comforting, lik

e pull

ct. A lifetime of armor doesn't

Weston?" she asked, voice s

lexed. "E

blin

ot as some ghost from the past. I want you in my

ser

can just say those things and I'll crawl ba

on the horizon. "Which is why I'm not offeri

uth fe

ha

ring over her. Com

nclad. You and me, marr

tion flaring. "You've

. Not right away. It's about

control,"

tects you. The kind that makes sure no one ever

en know who I

ily's ruin over dragging me into a scandal. The woman who disappeared so the m

dly, fury and confusion cras

?" she w

"Because I need you. An

tiffened. "

n hes

ld her more than an

d pulled out a folded manila envel

a didn

ad it when you're alone

slowly, as if

's in

ept my offer, they'll rip you apart again. Th

lope, her breath shall

t there's a press conference on Friday. My mother wants me

s stomac

d her I had someone in min

me... to avoid marr

I don't trust anyone else to stan

roat c

in return?" she a

ts vanished. A new start. A clean future. And when the contract end

taring out at the

ded lik

ed like

he envelop

she asked,

red me like you did. Because even when you left, you never really left me. And because

didn't

coul

family secrets, reputation restorationit w

eady imagining what it might feel like to wear his ring. To wal

allowe

rned t

id. "But don't mistake

ed, just slightly.

the conservator

ther word, the envelope clutch

re in