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"Cae," he says "She sells the story, then tells you You’re both surprised together, and she looks innocent"

My head is spinning "Wait a second You fired her? She was doingto fire her, it should have been me"

"I told you," he says "No one fucks hat’s e to his voice that I rarely hear The edge that reerous side A ruthlessness that helped hiame of tennis in his youth, and then claw his way to the top of the corporate ladder without even breaking a sweat He is not a e the fact that it wasn’t hi with Maybe the articles were about the two of us, but she’d slipped her way into"It’s done," he says "It’s over"

"How is it done?"

"I explained to her thatout multiple actions for defamation and invasion of privacy She’s a businesswoation going forever, but she’s going to have trouble finding a lahose hourly rate doesn’t break her We came to terht, title, and interest in her galleries toriddance"

I press lass, as if the coolness will ease the bite of ht ht for you"

His words are heavy withand ripe with passion They knock me backward and steal my breath "You love me," I say stupidly

The corner of his mouth curves up "Desperately"

I s back the knot of tears that has formed in my throat "You haven’t said it," I say "Not for weeks now"

He closes his eyes as if ain, it’s not pain that I see, but love He reaches forin the scent of soap et lost in it Lost in this moment

"I love you, Nikki," he repeats "I say it with every touch, with every look, with every breath that I take I love you I love you so much it hurts"

"Me, too" I brush a kiss across his lips, then , Das from me You should have told me about Giselle Hell, who knohat else is out there you’re keeping from me So just stop it, okay? It doesn’t protect ht," he says evenly I think that’s the end of it, but then he continues "Sofia sent the photos"

I have to rewind his words inmakes no sense whatsoever "The photos in Germany Sofia is the one who sent them to the court? I don’t understand Why? How do you know? Did you talk to her?"

He lass wall to the center of the roo to solve a problem, but like a man who already knows the answer and doesn’t much like it