The fear didn't disappear. But something in that scent, something deep and primal, pressed it down like a hand over a flame.
"Answer." His mouth was close enough to brush my ear. His voice was rough, quiet, and left absolutely no room for argument. "Act normal. You're safe. I give you my word that no one will trace you to this apartment."
I swallowed hard. In the middle of that chaos, wrapped in the cold-iron weight of his scent, I heard something in his voice I hadn't expected. A thread of softness disguised as command. A gentleness he would never admit to.
My finger slid across the screen.
"Hey, baby." Ronald's voice poured through the speaker like warm honey, amplified in the silent room, while on the screen his eyes stayed razor-sharp. "How's the business trip? I didn't hear from y
