line was

el shoulder, heels dangling from two f

her mind. There was n

ives out to the middle of n

ow-pe

, not even a single pai

at a time, knowing full well she probably w

ain, what d

Showing up to that farce of an engagement now wo

hy b

ch growle

tered, "Fantastic. Starving, stra

h

ECH.

t. A silver sedan came barreling into view and slammed

blinked,

aybe a few hundred feet ahead, and it

or a second, th

inside wa

knock-

knuckles agai

espo

moonlight revealed only the silhouette of a man slum

r her bleeding heart. She w

otaled. The front was crunched,

ow, she nee

he justificati

nefit, sh

ed a rock and smashed it agai

Bang-

ed under the blows

h

UN

ly swung open f

ck slipped from her fingers, hit

azed. He shook it a few times, trying to clear his vision-then

r tone, then said with forced

le

entless. No one else in sight. Just them, the wr

e car door. His breath was shallow. He looked up at her

w how to

linked. "

sharply. "I need

dy pushing past her, rounding the crumpled

tood ther

ank you'? No 'who

ared misfortune and helping a fell

to waste. She couldn't decide if

His voice was low,

slid into the

faintly in the air-clean, woodsy, expens

d a glanc

arp cut of his brow, the defined line of his throat, th

with his presence, an unspok

re her gaze away,

epped on the gas, and d

*

r, the sky be

avy clouds, casting a pale, golden gl

didn't

d pack of Marlboros jutting from Lia

pped out of the car, lit

su

d like hellfire

n-" She doubled ove

herself to take another pull-like maybe the ache

weight. The passen

eyes were sharp now, f

ment. She jerked a thumb toward the highway entrance behind them.

er. A ghost of a smile-more grimace than grin-t

ows shot up.

st the dented car, arms crossed, studyin

" she

ine." He didn't blink. "

lips curling. "Just a heartbr

ully. "Well then," he countered, voice dripping with irony,

uc

Truce. Neither of us wins t

, rubbing the b

g himself. "Meeting like this, in th

er name in return, polite and c

was tall-but even standing this

right face, and most importantly, compl

e was perfec

g reckless in Cecilia's mind-som

chief as a dazzling smile played across her lips. "Wel

th before snapping back up. "...how about return

an eyebr

agement party," she said, voice s

er a curi

d wider.

econd, then let out a lo

what he'd

azen. Br

nst all o

rk, and without breaking eye conta

id, voice low and st