Chapter 22 The Second Secret

• "If I stay," I finally said, pulling my chin out of the cupped warmth of his hand, though not without some reluctance. "I won’t be blindfolded, Lachlan. I won’t be caught by surprise." I steadied my breath, even as the room seemed too small for the both of us. "Give me one secret. Something real. Something you’ve hidden. Leave it bare on the table before we go any further. If I’m to give you my trust—fully—I need to know what’s locked beneath your surface."
• The muscles in his face tightened. Lachlan McIntyre, the billionaire tycoon, the man accustomed to control and owning everything with his presence alone, hesitated. His fingers slipped from my cheek and grazed the polished wood of the desk, forming a tight fist that told me this wasn’t just a simple ask; it was monumental.
• "You’re asking for something no one has ever dared ask me for before," he said quietly, his gaze hardening. "But I suppose that’s what draws me to you, isn’t it? You’re not like anyone else."