Page 24 of His Wild Seduction

“Josef?” I said his name, but it was a question. A repeat of what I’d already asked him.

I hated how fragile I sounded. But that was what he reduced me to. A shivering shadow of myself trapped somewhere between nightmares and dreams. Our past and our future.

Josef wasn’t like the men who came to St. Elizabeth’s pounding on the door because their wives and girlfriends had left, refusing to be their doormats anymore. Those men I could face. Those men I could argue with.

No, Josef was not some abusive, angry ex. But I thought maybe he was worse.

He was my first love. The man who broke my heart. And I knew if I did this, if I married him, I would give him access to that part of me all over again.

This was madness. There had to be another way—but my hopes were dashed when he pressed his finger against my chin and lifted my face, so I was forced to meet his gaze.

“No.”

That was all he said. That one syllable. And it was so final.

I turned my head towards the open window, taking in the evening sun as we taxied on the runway. I needed to put a name to what I was feeling, and I tried. I really did. But what I found was not exactly reassuring.

I should have been angry or outraged at Josef’s bland announcement that I would marry him if I wanted to save Gray Corps employees’ jobs.

But I felt none of that.

Nope.

My traitorous heart felt something that shouldn’t even be in the vicinity of my emotions when it came to this man.

Relief.

I felt relief.

CHAPTER TEN

JOSEF

Nervousness crept up my spine like the sneaky bastard it was. I cracked my neck, tugging on my suddenly too tight collar.

Where is she? Is she having second thoughts?

Before I could work myself into a lather, I heard soft footfalls in the hallway, followed by some murmuring, and I froze.

Mario opened the door. My heart stuttered. I smelled her before I saw her, and the sweet scent made me groan.

Goddamn.

It took me years to hunt down that particular brand of cocoa butter body cream.

It was made by a Swiss shop, something she must still order despite the expense and her limited funds.

Yes, I’d already looked over all her financials.

I knew about her job, which was almost volunteering with as little as she made there. She hardly touched the money Franklin had been paying her over the past fifteen years.

Well, save for a few large withdrawals. My men were still digging into that.

Did she give the money to an old boyfriend? Spend it on something frivolous?

I had no idea, and it made me curious. I was aware I didn’t really know Little Red anymore.

Hell, maybe I never had.

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