a
in Soho. It was the kind of store where champagne was served at the door, velvet curtains hung from th
le counter-a tall, impeccably dressed woman with a sharp bob-immediately looked up. Her eyes did a rap
e fold inward. Today, I threw my shoulders back, m
le polite but distant. "Look
ooth, loud, and unwavering. "Something short. Something crimson
smile dissolved into something far more genuine. "Crimson red
ctured boning hugged my waist, while the plunging neckline held my chest high, accentuating my fullness ra
boutique's shared mirror lounge, stepping onto the raised p
flying to her mouth. "Oh, my God, ma'am... that c
ounge from the tailor's private studio was pushed aside. A man
oal suits need to be delivered to St. Mi
died mid
dead in h
pensive charcoal blazer, a sharp, shadow-dusted jawline, and dark, unr
the exposed line of my neck, the deep plunge of the red fabric over
he room thin
ense, and ravenous flashed across his features-a look of pure, unadulter
cleared his throat, his deep voice turning noticeably raspy. "I..
ammering against my ribs under the he
in the faint flush on my cheeks, before he gave a slow, deliberate nod of his h
e'd been holding. "Okay... so we
from the stranger's gaze. For the first time in eight months, I
dangerous smile finally to
ay Aft
ch. My golden hair fell in thick, glossed waves down my back, creating a striking contrast
nervous flip. Guests were already mingling on the terrace-peopl
c fl
'd think I showed up as a desperate ex holding onto hope, begging for attention.
back to me, phone pressed to his ear, one hand in the pocket of a
dragged a breath into my lungs, marched straight up b
cash if you walk into that church and
went dea
lowered his phone from
ed into the bac
e. That same intense, hungry mouth I'd seen
lted on its
flushed cheeks, and the fierce, terrified determination in my
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