Chapter 72

• Chapter 72: The Art of Negotiation
• The silence stretches between them like a taut wire, ready to snap at the slightest provocation. Luca's breathing is ragged, his body pressed against hers with barely controlled desperation, and Lena can feel the tremor in his muscles—the way he's fighting against every instinct screaming at him to take what she's so obviously offering.
• She studies his face, noting the way his jaw clenches and unclenches, the wild look in his dark eyes, the sheen of sweat on his forehead despite the cool air conditioning. He looks like a man on the verge of breaking, and something unexpected stirs in her chest.