Page 44 (1/2)

But he couldn’t go home Not after what Louisa had said

In spite of your faults, in spite of your weakness, I love you

His hands clenched to remember it How did she dare? His weakness? No wo to hiotten one step ahead of him!

His weakness

Louisa knew him too well She’d lived with him, day in and day out, for five years No other woman had had such an opportunity to see beneath the facade Or so thoroughly get under his skin She knew him

Rafael didn’t like it It made him feel weak, like she claimed him to be And so he’d checked into the Four Seasons hotel to teach her a lesson; to prove to them both as in control, and how easily he could hurt her Let her suffer the same suspicions he himself had suffered in Key West with her Let Louisa wonder what other loversher place!

He had her ring on his finger And as long as he did, he would never cheat on her His honor would not allow it As long as he ith her, he would be faithful

But she didn’t have to know that She already had too much power over him

A strong man allows himself to be vulnerable He shows his love at any cost A truly stronghe is—to his fa back…! Have you ever considered that you are an impossible ht be you?

He was the problem? Him?

Rafael growled to himself in the elevator She was the one who’d stolen his son!

Ignoring his bodyguard’s cheerful greeting, Rafael pushed open his front door And froze in the doorway

For ahouse This surely could not be his apartment It did not look remotely like the same place!

The old aparthly scrubbed, and all the old dusty knickknacks had been swept away along with the ghostly white covers Fresh floere on the kitchen table He could s in the oven

And how the hell had she ed to replace the old, heavy-set wooden furniture with new -screen TV—all in the space of just a few hours?