I had felt, arranging that loan, more like a wife than I had at any point in our courtship.

It is a strange thing to build a trap out of tenderness and not know until much later which one you were making.

The leash and the gift had been the exact same act.

The only thing that changed between them was what he chose to do the next morning, over tea.

Chapter 9 — Forty-Eight Hours

“Status of the facility?” I asked, leaning against the desk in my study.