Liana wasn’t used to being told no.
Not by staff, not by teachers, and certainly not by men.
At twenty-one, she was the only daughter of a powerful senator, raised in privilege and shielded from consequences.
Until the scandal.
Until the threat.
Until her father brought in Cassian Stone, a bodyguard who looked like a man carved out of stone and steel. Late thirties, quiet as a shadow, dark eyes that missed nothing.
He didn’t smile.
He didn’t flinch.
He didn’t even look at her the way other men did.
That made him dangerous.
That made her want to provoke him.
It started with little things.
She’d leave the pool without telling him. Slip past the alarm. Stay up too late. Pour one extra glass of wine.
He watched. Waited. Said nothing.
Until the night, she invited two strangers ove
