Alice

I remained standing there, frozen, as if a cold hand had clamped down on the back of my neck—tight, heavy, almost suffocating.

Was he coming here too?

Now?

At the exact moment I was with Javier?

Shit.

I couldn’t explain why my chest suddenly tightened, but one thing was painfully clear: I wasn’t ready. Not even close.

Knowing Lance… in the three weeks since our deal began, he hadn’t stopped teasing me.

And not the cute kind of teasing—no.

He had weight. Warning. That I-know-your-weaknesses sort of edge.

Every time I left his condo after doing everything to my body and claimed me countless times before letting me go,...