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Her curious gaze took in the room’s stark elements—bed, bureau, view No personal objects or raphs or knick-knacks Not even a book No sign of a woman, either, so perhaps he was between ? Laurel bolted for the bathroo the door behind her

The bathrooantly stark as the bedroo An enorold taps, a separate infinity shower bigger than her bedrooistered the heat coh the quarry tiles beneath her feet and let out a shuddery sigh, the events of the last few hours slaain

The endless evening at the casino, while Rico had played baccarat and given her lascivious looks that Laurel had told herself were in her iination They had to be Bavasso liked her oodness’ sake He wouldn’t look at her The only reason she was

Wasn’t it?

Then the iven her mother a frantic look Elizabeth had s in a few ne to celebrate And Laurel had believed her Of course she had believed her Elizabeth was her s over the years, she’d never done anything like this

Laurel closed her eyes as she tried to will back the pain of the betrayal Although, betrayal wasn’t the right word, not really, because Elizabeth hadn’t pro but the cold, hard cash she knew Laurel needed… And Laurel had been willing to take it Did that make her any better than her mother, a woman as always on the prowl for a man to fund her lifestyle?

Taking a deep breath, Laurel opened her eyes and then shrugged off the satin slip of a dress It pooled at her feet and, overco it felt like a physical illness, crae rise, she kicked the offending garment into the corner of the room

But that wasn’t enough—Laurel could still see the dress, a rumpled pile of silver, and with a little cry she snatched it up and pulled The thin fabric tore easily, and within seconds the dress was in bright, glittering ribbons that she stuffed into the bin Then she realised it was re she had Was she ? That would go over well

With a groan, Laurel turned on the shower She needed to wash and scrub off the scent of the expensive, cloying cologne that Rico Bavasso wore before she thought about what could she do—or what could she wear

She stepped under the powerful jets, letting the water strearets…if only it could She never should have agreed to her mother’s plan Never should have sold her soul for a fliht not even keep And if she didn’t…

Laurel’s heart lurched It didn’t feel fair that she wanted so little, worked so hard andBut she knew there was no point in whining or crying about it She’d ood ones Some of them had been extraordinarily bad Somehow she had to rescue what she could from the rubble of the last few hours

She stayed in the bathroo spray of the shower, and then brushing her hair Thankfully there was a thick navy terrycloth robe hanging on the door and she swathed herself in it, grateful that it covered her from her neck to her toes She needed the armour, flimsy as it was

She also needed tiure out a plan—and how to present it to Cristiano She had, unfortunately, extre behind in Bavasso’s hotel roo licence and hotel key Her passport, at least, was in the safe back at the shabby pensione where she and her et there? What if Bavasso aiting for her?

Taking a deep breath, she decided it was time to face the music Face Cristiano…a prospect that made her insides lurch with alarh her She was looking forward to seeing hih heaven knew she shouldn’t be