Rhaella's POV

Instead, I felt his hands adjusting my coat, to cover my body.

My eyes flew open as I took in the hard look on his face.

“Do you honestly think I need to pay a woman for sex?” he asked, cutting through the silence. “I’m sure you know I have many options.”

Heat rushed straight to my cheeks.

“I just thought…”

“You thought offering yourself would make me help you,” he said flatly, cutting me off. “You’re already trapped in a scandal, Miss Hammond. And the last thing you’d want to do is turn into exactly what they’re accusing you of.”

That sounded like he didn’t believe the...