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She fell asleep when her head hit the pillow, and spent the night drea of her husband’s hot kisses

When she woke up theof her birthday, she saw the sky was blue outside, and the sun was brigh

t and gold She looked over at Stavros’s side of the bed, and saw it hadn’t been slept in Stavros had never coht at all

Holly heard echoes of Oliver’s laughing voice Minos men are selfish to the bone We do e like, and everyone else be damned

And worse, Stavros’s words Love always has a winner and a loser A conqueror and a conquered

If she loved him, and he didn’t love her back, which would she be?

With a chill, Holly knew the heartbreaking answer

When his eyes opened, Stavros sat up straight from the sofa

Seeing the full ave a low curse, then stood up so fast he alht spent hunched over the conference-roo sleep on his office sofa had left his spine and joints out of place

He stretched painfully, blinking with exhaustion as he looked around his spacious private office Piles of papers covered his large, usually pristine black desk, along with e pao shried to be delivered for the negotiating teaht the cartons in here to eat privately as he read through the other co out lines with his red pen before he returned to the conference room to compare notes with his lawyers

So So he’d stretched out on his sofa He’d onlyat his sht o’clock He was supposed to meet back with his team in ten minutes

Stavros should have texted Holly to let her knoouldn’t be co home He should have—

He should do nothing The cold voice spoke calmly in his soul Keep his distance Let her know that their e could never be more than a domestic and sexual partnership Romantic love would never—could never—be a part of it He wanted Holly to realize this without hi he wanted to do was hurt her

The first week of their e had been the best week of his life Pleasure, enjoy sex He’d been happy with her He’d forgotten to be so guarded He’d spent hours with her, not just in bed, but talking about his past About his feelings About everything

And he’d caught Holly looking at hi in her beautiful e far more than his dark soul deserved