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Whichhad to be astronomical

Feeling as dirty as Jackson had called her, she had knocked on his study door one evening

To find hi ht that was burned into her brain, her skin, her very cells

The sight of his curling biceps, ropes of sweat-slicked muscles in his chest and back, the sleek contours of his torso, dissolved every brain cell into mush

God, they had been rowing champions at Columbia, the four of theo, if not better She had spent severalin her lower belly, every inch of her body vibrating with desire

When she had finally found her voice and expressed her concerns, he had cast her a look that was like a bucket of ice-cold water over her heated senses

“Don’t worry, bella,” he had said, rising to his feet His thick hair was curled with sweat “This doesn’t count against you After all, our whole agreement rests on the pretense that I want to throw the love ofof her dreams, sì?”

Faced with that ainst the instinct to rush out of there “I have been going over the seating charts and I didn’t see your parents’ naed

His expression shut down instantly, as if a light had gone out “They’re not co”

A warning vibrated in his answer But instead of heeding it, her ht back to them The rest of the Columbia Four and her included, had all envied Stefan his parents’ unconditional love

The Biancos were those picture-perfect Sicilian parents for whom family came first and foremost always And it had been a shock when they had threatened to cut hiraduation

And Stefan hadn’t cared about his inheritance Only Serena had betrayed him when she realized he wouldn’t have the Bianco fortune behind him

“Stefan, your parentsthey forgave you, didn’t they? For trusting Serena?”

“I have not asked them for it, bella”

Why? “Wait, you haven’t I don’t understand”

His gaze unblinking, he opened the door for her, his withdrawal sending the roouest list because I didn’t invite them, cara We don’t need to involve any more people in our deception, do we?”