Page 83 of His Christmas Wife

Refusing to answer, she fled, his vicious curse word echoing on the night air.

As if escaping from the hell of her own making, she ran up the stairs, and once she was inside, locked the door.

Shaking, she collapsed on the couch, wrapping her arms around her upturned knees and dropping her head onto them.

She had thought the breakup with Dwayne had destroyed her, but she had never come close to this depth of feeling before. Evan Frost filled up so much of her life—dominating both work and private—that she’d foolishly fallen in love with him somewhere along the line.

Stupid, stupid…

Then, as sobs racked her body, her soul shattered.

CHAPTERELEVEN

What the fuck?

In stunned silence, Frost sat there, watching Kaylee flee, fighting against every damn male instinct that urged him to chase her down, throw her over his shoulder, and drag her back to his house where she belonged, then fuck her senseless until all the struggle left her.

Instead he was forced to grip the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened.

This was so fucking wrong.

They needed to talk this out, come to some sort of…What?

Compromise?

For Frost, there was no compromise.

He wanted her in his life on his terms, and she’d refused to even talk to him. Until now, he’d known how to get what he wanted with her. But this version of her, with insurmountable walls, was one he’d never faced before.

All he knew was she’d been frantic to get away, despite his stupid, clumsy attempts to hold her money hostage. The truth was, she’d rather skip her sister’s wedding than spend time with him.

What the hell was even happening here?

A security guard riding a golf cart stopped behind him and strode to Frost’s car window and tapped on it with an oversize flashlight. “Everything okay, sir?”

“Yeah. Just leaving.”

“Visiting someone?”

“Just leaving.” This time the words were closer to a snarl.

With a nod, the man returned to his cart and pulled up several feet before stopping again to ensure Frost did as he said.

At least the complex was safer than he’d originally thought. Small comfort.

He started the sedan’s engine.

Then he noticed the box where Kaylee had left it after she’d tried to shove it into his arms.

He picked up the gift.

What the hell had that been about?

Greta had expected to wear the family tiara. But even though they’d had a date set, Gran had kept it firmly locked in her safe. But today, within hours of meeting Kaylee, Ophelia had turned over something priceless and a tangible piece of their family’s history.

As he’d grabbed their presents, he’d seen a second package with Kaylee’s name on it, nestled in the branches of the tree. No doubt Gran had a back-up gift in case she hadn’t liked Kaylee.

He dropped his head against the back of the seat, seeing the situation through Kaylee’s eyes.

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