Lee walked out of her office and Brooke still didn’t know how to take what he had told her. All this time she thought she was going to design their latest million-dollar product, when in fact they were trying to launch the most amazing foundation she had ever heard of. It was going to change lives. Make families whole. Help children and parents when they needed it most.

Who were these men?

She tapped her pen on the desk. She didn’t want to think she had pegged them wrong. That they gave because maybe they were generous, not because they were trying to seduce her. Maybe they gave because that’s how they showed they cared. They gave because it made them feel good.

She twisted her lips together, confused more than before Lee’s visit. What if there was something good about Lee and Tyler buried underneath their sexy exteriors? What if they were capable of caring beyond their global domination? What if they were good men and she had judged them because of something stupid Niall did?

Her head spun with the possibilities. But Brooke did what she always did when things were complicated. She walked to the new design table and picked up a charcoal pencil. There was one place where she could get lost. One place where everything else faded away and nothing else mattered. Her art.

* * *

A few nights later Brooke decided to venture downstairs after a long day of designing. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs when she saw Tyler in the front living room. His back was toward her. He held a glass of whiskey in his hand while he stared at the roaring flames in the fireplace.

She started to twirl and run up the stairs, but he saw her.

“You don’t have to run, Brooke. Have a drink with me.” Tyler watched her hesitate.

Brooke bit the inside of her cheek. “It’s late.”

“You’ve been working late the last few nights. I have barely seen you.”

She sighed. “I take my work seriously. And my freedom,” she added.

“Come with me. I want to show you something before you hide away upstairs again.” Tyler led her to his study. Lee had one on the opposite side of the house.

Brooke reluctantly followed him. Everything inside her told her she should climb the massive staircase, but her curiosity won out.

Tyler stood in front of the bar. He poured a glass of wine for her.

She clutched the glass as he handed it to her.

“How is the project coming along?” he asked.

She took a sip. It was soothing. The glass was probably worth more than her entire apartment.

“I don’t think I should discuss it with you.”

His eyebrows rose. “Afraid it may sway my decision?”

“Something like that.”

She sat on the leather sofa. The fireplace was lit. It was hard to ignore how warm and comforting the room was. The shelves were lined with books about art. Tyler’s collection was amazing. She could stare at the pieces he had in here for hours.

He sat next to her on the couch, the leather bowing under his heavy frame. He was more relaxed than usual. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows. She could smell the masculine scent of his cologne.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. It had to be the wine, but she was seconds away from leaning her head on his shoulder. Instead she scooted closer to the edge of the couch.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“You realize I can’t leave this house. And if I tried to, I’d freeze outside in the blizzard. And here we are having a glass of wine, surrounded by art and literature. It’s like a horrible fairytale I read as a child.”

“Yes. I think I know the one. Something about a beast?”

She stared at him. “It doesn’t make any sense. Nothing in this house makes sense.”

“Brooke.” He looked at her. She felt his eyes heavy on her lips.

She had to get out of here. She placed the wine on the coffee table.

“I’m going to bed. I have work to do. Early.”

She walked to the doorway.

“Stay and finish the bottle with me,” he urged. “We can tell bedtime stories. Maybe revise that terrible beast story,” he teased.

She closed her eyes. She hated that the draw to him was so strong.

“Good night, Tyler.” She walked away, knowing something inside her was shifting and there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

It took ten days. A grueling ten days of working on the Dreams with Wings design. Brooke had never loved a project more than this. She wasn’t sure she was ready to admit it openly, but it was true. She awoke in the massive cabin each morning, eager to get to work on the latest ideas that came to her overnight.

There were some nights she stayed up late, designing and creating. She felt as if part of her soul were invested in it. It had to be the most beautiful creation she had made.

Today was it. Tyler and Lee would receive the final submissions from the other artists. Brooke’s fingers tingled with nerves. It was hard to decide what made her more nervous—wanting the design to be chosen because she loved it, or wanting it to be chosen to give her the freedom she had sought.

Today could be the day she’d leave the cabin forever. This could be it.

Either way, it was enough to keep her stomach in knots. She skipped her cup of coffee Lee offered in the kitchen.

“Can I get you something else?” he asked. “You seem nervous, Brooke.”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t think I can eat.”

Tyler rested his tablet next to him at the table. “Is there a reason you have no appetite today?” He smirked.

She wanted to slap that beautiful smile off his face. It was irritating how sexy he was.

“I think you know exactly what is at stake today.”

Lee smiled. “I’m sure your design is going to be chosen. Ty has excellent taste. How could he not pick yours?”

Brooke exhaled and smiled at him. He had a way of calming her when she least expected it. “Thank you. I guess I’ll know this afternoon, won’t I?”

“Whatever happens, we appreciate that you’ve worked hard for the foundation.”

“Thank you.” She folded her napkin in her lap. There was no way she could eat the omelet Lee placed in front of her.

Tyler poured a cup of coffee. He was relaxed and cocky as usual.

“Maybe I should go for a walk,” she suggested, waiting for one of them to protest.

The men looked between each other and shrugged.

“You’re serious?” She stared at them. “You aren’t going to tell me you have to walk with me? Or that you’re worried I’ll run?”

Lee smiled. “I’ve kept the hiking path clear. You should have no trouble finding your way back to the house on your own, but if you want company, you know I’ll go with you.”

“This is for real? I can leave the cabin?”

He nodded. “Brooke, this day is huge for you. I think the woods and snow will do you some good.”

“Oh my God. Thank you.” She hopped from the table before they could change their minds.

She rushed from the dining room and climbed the stairs to the second story. She had tried to stay away from the guys’ bedrooms, but she had no doubt where each one of them slept.

Sometimes at night she thought she heard one or both of them pause outside her door, but she was never sure. They had respected her boundaries. Over the last two weeks she had begun to trust them, even when she didn’t want to.

They had never touched her. Never hurt her. They had only put limitations on leaving the cabin. Sometimes she had to remind herself why she was angry she was kept in a gorgeous house, given designer clothes and shoes, fed amazing meals, and treated like a princess but two gorgeous men. She had to be going crazy.

As she walked past Tyler’s room she noticed the door was cracked. She paused, noticing the pictures tucked into the mirror.

She had never thought before about what kinds of things mattered to Tyler. She had been too busy either hating him, or trying to keep her distance from his smoldering stare. The last two weeks of work had given her an escape.

But now, she absorbed the photos he had saved.

He had his arm around a woman with wisps of gray in her hair. It must be his mother. There was a picture of him and Lee. She stared at the collection of art museum shots. He had been to every impressive collection in the world. She couldn’t believe it.

Brooke fought the burning interest in her belly. Today Tyler wasn’t a hot sexy man who might have a side she’d like to get to know. No, that couldn’t happen. Today, Tyler was the man who decided her fate. That was all that mattered.

She walked to her room and found the heaviest coat, scarf, and gloves and dressed for the bitter cold.