Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27995 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27995 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
She tenses slightly before relaxing against me. Within minutes, her breathing evens out, and she’s asleep in my arms, looking heartbreakingly peaceful. I study her face in the moonlight—the curve of her cheek, the fan of her lashes against her skin. So beautiful it aches.
Whatever she’s hiding, whatever debt or trouble has driven her to that auction, I’ll fix it. I have the resources to solve any problem, eliminate any threat. Tomorrow, I’ll tear down whatever wall she thinks stands between us.
Because this woman in my arms belongs here. With me. With Ryan.
She thinks she’s leaving tomorrow.
She’s wrong.
8
RAYNE
This is it. I’ve never hated Monday as much as I do right now.
I carefully slide out from under Ronan’s arm and slip into his discarded dress shirt, breathing in his scent as I grab my phone and pad barefoot toward the kitchen. Thank goodness his staff are just on-call or else I wouldn’t be this comfortable walking around his mansion.
The coffee maker is a far cry from my instant coffee. After some fumbling, I manage to brew myself a cup, cradling the steaming mug as I wander to windows overlooking the backyard.
Fresh snow blankets everything, pristine and untouched. The Christmas lights strung along the trees twinkle despite the daylight, creating a winter wonderland that seems almost magical. I press my forehead against the cool glass, exhaling slowly.
In just a few days, my entire life has changed.
The weekend is almost over. I came here with a clear goal: make enough money to help my mother. Go back to my life. Move on. Instead, I’ve been thoroughly, irrevocably changed.
I should feel nothing but relief. Mom’s treatments are secure. The next round of hospital bills won’t send me spiraling into panic. But instead of relief, a hollow ache spreads through my chest. I’m mourning something I never really had, never expected to have—a fairytale ending with a man like Ronan Ward.
Men like him don’t end up with women like me. Not long-term. Not really. Especially not someone they essentially won at an auction.
My phone buzzes on the counter where I left it. Probably the hospital with Mom’s morning update. I reach for it, unlocking the screen with my thumb.
My coffee cup nearly slips from my fingers.
A bank notification. A transfer.
One million dollars.
The numbers blur as my eyes fill with tears. This can’t be real. We agreed on three hundred thousand—an obscene amount already. This ... this is life-changing. Life-altering. This is my mother’s full treatment, rehabilitation, a safe place for her to recover. This is freedom from Lucian King, the loan shark whose calls I’ve been avoiding for almost a week. This is—
“Sweetheart, let’s talk.”
I spin around, nearly sloshing coffee all over my pajamas. Ronan stands by the kitchen with nothing but a poor excuse of a pajama bottom. His chest is bare, marked with faint scratches I left last night. He crosses his arms, flexing those biceps, his expression unreadable.
“What is this?” I whisper, holding up my phone with the notification still glowing on the screen.
“Exactly what it looks like.” He moves closer, bare feet silent on the polished floor. “A payment.”
“This isn’t what we agreed on.”
“No.” A slight smile curves his mouth. “It’s what I decided your weekend is worth.”
My defenses rise automatically. “You don’t know me that well. You don’t even have any idea about my favorite color, my favorite movies, or whether or not I like pumpkin spice, or give a damn.”
“Then tell me about you.” He stops just inches away, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from his skin. “Let me in, Rayne. Because I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you.”
“This was supposed to be a weekend,” I insist, but my voice lacks conviction. “That was the deal.”
“The deal has changed.” His hand comes up to cradle my face, thumb brushing over my cheekbone. “You’re mine. I knew it the moment I saw you.”
His certainty is staggering. No hesitation, no doubt. Just absolute conviction that I belong with him. My walls—the careful barriers I’ve built to protect myself—begin to crumble.
“Why are you doing this?” I whisper.
“Because I can’t let you go. Because whatever’s haunting you, whatever brought you to that auction—I want to face it with you.” His eyes, usually so hard, soften. “Let me help you, Rayne.”
Oh God. I’m actually considering it.
But…
Maybe it’s time. Maybe I don’t have to carry everything alone anymore.
“I want to show you something,” I say finally. “Someone, actually. The most important person in my life.”
His expression doesn’t change, but something in his eyes sharpens. “Your mother?”
“Yes.”
His thumb traces my lower lip. “When do we leave?”
I glance at the clock. “Visiting hours start in an hour.”
“I’ll have the car ready in thirty minutes.” He kisses me softly, briefly. “And Rayne? Thank you for trusting me.”
He turns to leave, but I catch his wrist. “Ronan? Thank you. For everything.”