Chapter 5

The air on the rooftop terrace was thick, heavy with the scent of expensive cologne, sea salt, and the electric hum of the city sprawling below us. We had escaped the suffocating noise of the gala, slipping away through the glass doors of the most secluded cabana, the one tucked behind a wall of tropical ferns that blocked out the view of the rest of the party. The only light came from the string of Edison bulbs woven through the palms above and the distant, glittering grid of Manhattan’s skyline, casting long, dancing shadows across the white stone floor. My heart was hammering against my ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage of silk and skin. I stood just inside the shaded perimeter of our cabana, watching him. He hadn’t said a word since he pulled me away from the crowd, his hand firm and possessive at the small of my back, guiding me with the confidence of a man who owned the room. He was still wearing that crisp, tailored suit, the black fabric hugging his broad shoulders, the tie loosened just enough to suggest a day of power and control. But his eyes… those dark, predatory eyes