“I don’t want six months.” He cupped her face. “I want forever. But I was too proud to say it. So I wrote a contract instead.”
“I protected it.” His jaw tightened. “Until he died, I never called in the debt. Now I need something from you, Lily. And I will take it.” lynne graham books
She froze. “How do you know that?”
Lily felt the floor tilt. This was blackmail wrapped in a diamond ring. But it was also survival. “I don’t want six months
“Bought it last year. It’s empty.” His smile was the one she remembered — warm, boyish, full of wonder. “I was waiting for the right gardener.” The garden by the Aegean was bursting with peonies, roses, and wild herbs. Lily knelt in the soil, sun-warmed and happy, while Rio held their newborn daughter — a squalling, dark-haired miracle named Eleni. So I wrote a contract instead
The ceremony was a blur of candles and chanting. When Rio slid a diamond band onto her finger, his thumb brushed her palm, and she felt a shock of heat she despised. Later, at the reception, he kept her close. His hand on the small of her back. His voice low in her ear. Smile. They’re watching. You look beautiful when you’re furious.
“She has your temper,” Rio said.