Chloe refused to let the silence in the car soften her defensive walls. The entire drive back to the sprawling Sterling villa had been agonizingly quiet. She sat in the passenger seat, gripping the heavy fabric of Dane's tailored suit jacket tightly around her ruined clothes, her knuckles entirely white. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the heavily armored mercenaries closing in on her. And every time she opened them, her gaze instinctively drifted to the rearview mirror, catching brief glimpses of the stoic, infuriatingly calm man sitting in the back seat.He had saved her life. He had carried her when she couldn't walk. And it was driving her absolutely crazy.They walked through the heavy mahogany front doors of the villa. Berry immediately locked the deadbolt behind them, letting out a long, shuddering breath of profound relief.Chloe limped slightly, favoring her good ankle, and immediately turned her sharp tongue on Dane to mask the overwhelming, confusing flutter in her

"Who exactly do you think you are talking to?" Chloe barked, her hands curling into tight fists at her sides.She took a deliberate, threatening step forward, completely closing the gap in the doorway and forcing Julian to take an awkward step backward onto the porch. Her protective instincts, still running hot from the brutal mercenary ambush on the mountain, completely overtook her pain.Julian’s accusatory finger remained suspended in the air, pointing directly past the two women toward the massive men's suit jacket resting on the pristine white leather sofa. The polished, charismatic neighbor facade had entirely melted off his face, leaving behind the ugly, twisted visage of a deeply entitled, obsessive stalker. He did not look like a man who had just been rejected; he looked like a husband who had just discovered an unforgivable betrayal in his own home."I asked a direct question, Berry," Julian demanded, his voice raising an octave as the veins in his neck strained against his

Dane remained entirely silent. He let his broad shoulders slump just a fraction of an inch, perfectly mimicking the posture of a defeated man. He lowered his dark eyes to the wooden planks of the front porch, furrowing his brow to project a picture of deep, agonizing internal conflict. To the untrained eye, he looked exactly like a desperate, starving man violently torn between his absolute loyalty and a life-changing fortune.Chloe watched his hesitation from the safety of the foyer. Her heart plummeted straight into her stomach. A sharp, incredibly bitter wave of disappointment washed over her, entirely replacing the adrenaline of the morning.Just minutes ago, he had carried her in his arms. She had felt a terrifying, confusing flutter in her chest, overwhelmed by his strength and the intoxicating scent of his cologne. She had started to believe he was a man of absolute honor, a true protector. Seeing him pause to seriously consider a cash bribe shattered that brief, foolish illusi