He didn’t make a sound, but I could feel the heat radiating from his skin.

Our proximity felt different now, stripped of the grand ballrooms and the cold business deals we had negotiated.

Here, in the quiet of his penthouse with the rain drumming against the glass, he felt human.

“Why do you do this?” I asked quietly, keeping my eyes on his shoulder.

“Do what?” he asked.

“Live like this. Always watching your back, always waiting for the next attack.”

“It is the only life I have ever known,” he said.

I applied a fresh piece of gauze, my fingers brushing against his warm skin.

A sudden shiver ran through me, and my hand lingered on his shoulder for a second too long.

Arthur turned his head, his face only inches from mine.

His dark eyes locked onto my lips, then traveled slowly back up to meet my gaze.

The silence between us grew heavy, thick with a tension that had nothing to do with Tristan or the syndicate.

“You are a distraction, Kate,” he whispered, his breath warm against my cheek.