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CHAPTER ONE

IT WAS THE SCAR that halted Lottie in the doorway A thin, livid wound, it sliced down fro an inch along his cheekbone The sight of it clutched at her stohted her feet to the floor

‘Rafael?’

Silence stretched tightly between them as they stared at each other across the dark panelled office

‘Charlotte’

‘Howhow are you?’

‘Still alive’ As he eased hie of the desk his voice was cold, flat ‘As you can see’

‘Yes Indeed’ Lottie sed Upright now, he stood with his hands splayed on either side of hi him to the desk ‘I was very sorry—to hear about the accident, I mean’

‘Thank you’ His clipped reply snipped at her words, clearly designed to stop any outpourings of sentiment

Not that she intended to show him any, of course She knew she wasn’t here to display any sort of concern, express any sympathy Rafael wasn’t the kind of man to tolerate such emotions Especially from her

She watched as he moved out froid in a sober grey suit, his height towering over her as they canets, until Rafael bent forward to brush her cheek once, twice, three times Lottie closed her eyes as she felt the whisper of his breath, the touch of his skin; him

He pulled away i up at his injuries

Scratches of various lengths and depths crisscrossed his face and a purple bruise spread colourfully down one side The scar, Lottie now realised, resembled the lash of a whip That didn’t help at all

‘Souo on about it, that he would hate her evenit, but she needed reassurance, needed to stop looking at hi its throat cut ‘I assume the injuries are quite superficial?’

‘You assume correctly’