into the black velvet box and snapped the lia shut
She pickedup the box her heart beating a litle faster, and walked down the hall to the study
The heavy door was cracked open. Harding was standing by the floor-to ~ceiling window, a crystal glass of amber whiskeyin his hand, staring out at the glittering grid of Manhattan
Anissa pushedthe door openand walked in She set the velvet box down on the center of his massive desk. The soft thud made Harding tum around.
He looked at the box, then up at her. His thick eyebrows pulled together ina dangerous.
“What is this?" Harding asked, his voice dangerously quiet.
“The play is over," Anissa said, ke epingher voice steady, thoughher palms were beginningo sweat. "This belongs inyour vault. Its too valuable for me to ke ep. | don't want to overst ep the boundaries of our arrangement.” She wanted to be clear. She had used his power for her revenge, but she refused to bea gold digger She refused to blur the lines of theirbusiness deal
Harding's jaw clenched so hard a muscle poppedin his cheek He set his whiskey glass down on the windowsill. The glass hit the wood with a sharp, violent crack.
He closed the distance between them in three long. predatory strides. “Overst ep?” Harding r epeated, hisvoice droppingan octave, vibrating with suppressed fury. You thinkyou are retuminga borrowed prop?”
Anissa took a st ep back but her hips hit the edge of the heavy mahogany desk. She was trapped.
Harding stopped mere inches from her. His towering frame blocked out the light from the room, casting her entirely in his shadow. The heat radiating from his body was suffocating.
I am a businesspartner,' Anissa argued, her breath cominga little faster as she looked upinto hisstormy eyes. 'l cannot acc ept the true weightof what that necklace means to your family."
Hardinglet outa dark, humorless laugh. He reached around her, higamn brushingagainst her bare waist, and picked up the velvet box from the desk.
He poppedit open. The red light of the rubies flashed between them.
He st epped even closer, his chest almost brushingagainst hers. Anissas heart hammered frantically against her ribs She was completely caged between his body and the desk.
EVN 10 me
iu £% +120 Points at most He looked down at her, his eyes burning with a fierce, ternrying possessiveness “You don't get to decide what you can and cannot acc ept,’ Harding whispered harshly, his warm breath fanning across her forehead. "As my wife, wearing this necklace, acc eptingmy protection, and standing by my side... that is your duty." Anissa swallowed hard. The sheer force of his dominant energy was making her dizzy. She tried to turn her head away to break the intense eye contact Harding raised his free hand. He gently but firmly caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look back up at him. "Do not ever try to retur what is yours to me again,” Harding wamed, his voice a low, dangerous purr. "Unless you want me to start collecting the debt you owe me in... other ways." The blatant, sexual threat in his words sent a rush of heat straight to Anissa’s core. Her face flushed a de ep, burningerimson. She bit her lower lip, completely paralyzed by the heavy, thick tension pulling between them. Seeing her flushed cheeks, Harding's eyes darkened further. He slowly released her chin He shoved the velvet box hard against her chest, forcing her to take Ít “Take it to your room and lock it up? he commanded Anissa clutched the box to her chest. She ducked under his arm and practically sprinted out of the study. She leaned her back against the cool wall of the hallway, gaspingfor air Her legs felt weak. She realized with terrifying clarity that the man she had married was a beast, and the cage she had built around her heart was beginningt crack. You have unlocked exclusive
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< Marying My Exs Powerlui Bllonare Un... #2 +12 Q Points at most Anissa locked the velvet box Inside the heavy stee! safe hidden behind the mirror in her closet. Her hands were still shaking slightly from the encounter n the study
She strippedoff the heavy velvet gownand st eppedinto the shower. She tuned the water to scalding hot, letting it beat down on her tense muscles, trying to wash away the lingeringscent of Harding's cedarwood cologne and the phantom heat of his fingers on her chin
When she st epped out, she dried off and slipped into a soft, pale silver cotton robe, tying the belt securely around her waist. The heavy fabric provided a comforting barrier against the lingeringtension of the evening Her throat was parched. The champagne and the adrenaline had left her completely dehydrated.
She walked out of the master suite and padded barefoot down the long, silent hallway toward the kitchen The penthouse was completely dark, save for the faint, amber glow of the floor-level nightlights The only sound was the soft, rhythmic hum of the central air conditioning Anissafilled a tall crystal glass with ice water from the refrigerator. She took a long drink the freezing liquid soothing her dry throat.
Holding the half-full glass, she turned and walked back out of the kitchen her mind still r eplaying the dangerous, hungry look in Harding's eyes
She turned the sharp comer of the hallway
She didn't even see the massive shadow movingtoward her until it was too late
Thud,
Anissa slammed face-first into a wall of solid, unyieldingmuscle.
She let out a sharp gasp as the glass slipped from her fingers, The ice water splashed violently upward, soaking the front of herrobe and splashingacross the chest of the man she had just hit
She stumbled backward, losing her balance
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