“Like I said.” My voice is calm, edging toward danger. “Absurd and presumptuous.”
Vanessa Hawthorne is about to cross a line with me. Fearlessly, might I add. No idea what gave her the nerve to come here, but she is going to deeply regret her actions if she continues this way.
I’ll make sure of that.
Kara’s wide-eyed gaze lands on me, but I give her a subtle shake of my head—a warning, kind of. To comport herself. Let me handle this.
“Oh come on,” Vanessa says with an eyeroll. “You may have the public completely fooled—honestly, you got me too at some point last night—but I can smell a contract from a mile away. Your entire relationship looks like a business arrangement wrapped in designer labels.”
My jaw clenches. “I don’t appreciate people making assumptions about me, Vanessa. And I
