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She ground to a halt at his white-faced shock

‘Your virginity?’ he rasped in a tone that could’ve flayed stone

Perla flinched Of course Of all the things she’d said, that was the one he’d have picked up on Turning around, she squeezed her eyes shut as the fah her stomach

‘Perla’ He was right behind her, standing so close his breath washed over her exposed nape, h her ‘Did you just say you were a virgin e slept together?’ he asked, his voice spiked with emotions she couldn’t name

Clenching her hands into tight fists, she struggled to breathe ‘Yes’

‘Turn around’

‘No’

‘You really need to stop defying s I will let slide This isn’t one of them Turn around,’ he demanded, more forcefully this time

Heart in her throat, she opened her eyes and turned The gold flecks in his eyes stood out with the intensity of his stare ‘You were in on your husband’s death?’

She affected a shrug that felt far frouess’

He gripped her shoulders in an implacable hold ‘This is not the time to be facetious Tell me hoell could have a woman such as you in his bed and walk away Why a woman who could drive any red-blooded in for so long within the bounds of e’

‘Because I did nothing for him!’

He frowned ‘You refused to sleep with him?’

She laughed, or rather she atteged croak ‘On the contrary, I threw myself at him Hell, I even tried to seduce hiested ait Stupidnoble! But it turned out he didn’t want me You want to knohy? Because ay!’

Hazel eyes widened ‘Loas gay?’

‘I’ where he hen your investigators found him in Thailand’

‘We knew he’d taken residence in a disreputable part of Bangkok when he was found but I assumed’

‘He horing it up omen? No, Ari, the man I married was probably shacked up with a boyfriend when your enius to read between the lines And I don’t need a crystal ball to know he changed the terms of his contract and plotted to crash the Pantelides tanker because he neededhabit that killed him’ Raw humiliation threatened to consume her whole, especially when he let out a crude curse