Tessa’s heartbeat pounded in her ears like a war drum. Nathan stood right in front of her, tall and rigid, his hands locked around her arms. He was the only thing keeping her anchored while the world spun out of control.

Time felt suspended.

Those blue eyes, the ones she knew too well, the ones that could turn ice cold or burn hot, were fixed on her with a sharp intensity. She could feel him taking in every detail: her ruined dress, the reddish marks forming around her neck, the panic ...