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Prologue

Williahtfully, then reclined in his big office chair His large hands formed a steeple in front of his mouth as he ran over the ten-minute conversation repeatedly until he was on the brink of craziness He didn’t knohat to think, but he knew he needed a drink A large one He strode over to his drinks cabinet and lifted the old-fashioned globe-style lid He didn’t stop to consider whicha tumbler to the brim with bourbon, he downed half and immediately topped it back up He felt hot and sweaty The usually composed man had been knocked for six by today’s revelations, and now all he could see were beautiful sapphire eyes Everywhere he turned they were there, torturing hi him of his failure He yanked at his tie and unfastened the top button of his dress shirt, hoping the extra room at his neck would help hi up on him The past had returned to haunt hiet attached, not to care And noas happening again

In his world, decisions needed to behe was usually an expert at Usually Things in William’s world happened for a reason, and that reason was typically because he said so – because people listened to hi away, and he didn’t like it Especially where she was concerned

‘I’ onto his chair After taking another long, healthy glug of his bourbon, he rested his head back and stared up at the ceiling She’d sent him into a tailspin before, and he was about to let her do it all over again

He was a fool But having Miller Hart added to the complicated equation left him little choice And neither did his moralsor his love for that woman

Chapter One

My destiny has been steered by someone else All of my effort, my cautious approach, and the protective shields I worked hard to put in place were obliterated the day I met Miller Hart It fast became obvious that I’d reached a point in my life where it was paraies, kept ilant Because thatto testin amyself to a man was the ultimate I did it all, and noholeheartedly wish I hadn’t Being frightened that he would leave me because of my history asted concern That should have been the least of my fears

Miller Hart is a high-class male prostitute He said ‘escort’, but you can’t pretty it up by selecting a less taboo word

Miller Hart sells his body

Miller Hart lives a life of debasement

Miller Hart is the male equivalent of my mother I’m in love with a man I can’t have He , but he took away that invigorating feeling, replacing it with desolation My spirit is more lifeless now than it ever was before my encounters with that man

The hu drowned out by the hurt I can feel nothing but crippling hurt It’s been the longest teeks ih The thought is enough to ain

That night at the hotel plays over and over in my mind – the feel of the belt Miller put on my wrists, the cold impassiveness of his face as he expertly uish when he realised the pain he’d caused Of course I had to flee

I just didn’t realise I’d be running right into an even bigger problem Williaain I saw the surprise on his face when he registered nition when he spotted Miller William Anderson and Miller Hart know each other, and William ant to kno I know Miller and, God forbid, what I was doing at that hotel Not only have I spent teeks in hell, but I’ve also spent teeks looking overfor him to appear

After draggingI can layNan on her knees loading the washing machine I slip silently onto a chair at the table, but Nan seems to have a radar on me these days and every movement, breath and tear is detected, nobut confused, sy to make me see the positive side of oal, but I can see nothing but i pain There can never be anyone else No s, make me feel protected, loved and safe

It’s ironic, really All my life I’ve despised that ifts And then Miller Hart turns out to be awo, held me so tenderly in his arms, it was to erase the taint of an encounter with another woman Of all the men in the world who could’ve captured me so completely, why him?

‘Would you like to come to Monday club with me?’ Nan asks casually while I try to choke down some cornflakes

‘No, I’ll stay at hoe my spoon into o last night?’

Huffing a few ti ent ‘Did I heck! Waste of bloody time’

‘Why do you bother, then?’ I ask, stirring my breakfast slowly