Ginny’s face felt like it had been hit by a truck when she woke up the next morning. Her body felt a little better, but not much—it felt like she’d fallen out of the truck.

Or to be more exact, a car.

She snuggled into her pillow. The sheets were soft and silky, the room cool and dim. How nice it would be to stay in bed all day, but she couldn’t sleep her problems away. And damn, she was in Tony’s bed. She wasn’t sure yet if that was another complication.

Or her salvation.

He’d insisted on taking the couch and tucked her into his king-size bed. She didn’t bother protesting—he was one stubborn man when he got his mind set on something. Plus, she didn’t have the energy. She had been physically and emotionally exhausted.

Every time she closed her eyes, she was back in the car again, with Fedor’s hand raised. She’d never forget the incensed look in his eyes—it was only a shade short of being insane—and it would haunt her forever.

If not for being surrounded by Tony’s scent on the bed—clean and masculine—she wouldn’t have slept a wink. But feeling Tony’s presence grounded her, made her feel safe, protected.

And drove her wild. Even now as she pressed her face into her pillow, she felt tingles running through her body. How could that even be possible after what she’d gone through?

Any doubts she’d had that going to him was the right choice vanished the second he’d enveloped her in his arms.

He’d come through for her last night and she didn’t know that she deserved his caring treatment. How many times in the last few weeks had she pushed him away? Brushed him off when he said he wanted to help her? She hadn’t needed the help, hadn’t wanted it. Because she had it all under control.

What a joke.

She was in so far over her head that she hadn’t even realized it. Stupid—that’s what she’d been. But she didn’t have time to focus on that now.

In a way, what had happened with Fedor changed nothing. The family business was still in trouble and Veronica—well, there was that problem to contend with as well. If it was just the money, she’d walk away.

She knew now, though, that’d she’d been fooling herself this whole time. There was no way she could marry Fedor—promise to love, honor, and cherish him—if it was all a lie. Even if he weren’t a scumbag, it would just be wrong because she didn’t love him. But of course only a scumbag would blackmail her the way he did. She recognized him for exactly what he was now. How could she ever think she could be remotely happy with someone who resorted to blackmail? That was her first red flag, but she’d ignored it because she had to—too much was at stake and she didn’t have any choice other than to give in. True, she could have gone to the cops about the blackmail, but that would also mean handing over Veronica, and that wasn’t an option. No matter how much of a brat Veronica was, Ginny could never give up her sister.

But she couldn’t go along with Fedor anymore. She would have to find another way out of this mess. There had to be one. The alternative was unthinkable.

“Coffee?”

Ginny sat up straight at the sound of Tony’s voice. He stood in the doorway, two steaming mugs in his hands.

“Yes, please.”

Even if he wasn’t holding coffee, he would still look like a dream come to life—chiseled features, intense eyes, taut muscles. His baby-blue dress shirt hugged his chest and biceps. When he sat down on the bed next to her, his powerful thighs filled the legs of his slacks. He looked every bit the part of the capable CEO—slick, dynamic, and exuding masculinity

Her body reacted to him, her nipples hardening and heat pooling between her legs. She tried to tell herself part of her reaction was due to their location—they were on his bed—but that was a lie. It was all him.

She pulled the sheets up higher, worried he’d see her tight nipples through her borrowed T-shirt. She’d tossed her dress in the trash. There was blood on it, but besides that, she wouldn’t be able to wear it again without remembering Fedor striking her.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. Concern shone in his eyes and her heart beat a little faster.

“It hurts,” she admitted.

“I’m sorry.” Fiery anger flashed in his eyes. It was funny how his eyes could change in a matter of seconds. Just moments ago his eyes had showed tenderness.

But now she was looking at a dangerous man. She believed Tony could rip Fedor apart, limb by limb, and not lose sleep over it.

Yet, he didn’t scare her, not like Fedor did.

“I’ll heal. It was a really tough lesson, but I definitely learned it.” She paused. “I guess you want to know why I agreed to marry Fedor.” After everything Tony had done for her—and would still probably do for her—she owed him this. The truth.

Tony didn’t say anything, just gave her time to collect her thoughts. She appreciated that about him, especially because what she was going to reveal was tough. She wasn’t proud of her actions, but they had seemed necessary. Except now she feared she’d made the problem worse.

“Fedor approached me several months ago about a merger of sorts.”

“Like a business merger.”

“Kind of. He has money but wants into high society. Our company is failing, but the Fraziers are established and respected, so . . .” Ginny trailed off, realizing how shallow this made her seem. She didn’t care what most people thought about her, but Tony’s opinion mattered, perhaps more than it should.

Tony’s lips thinned. “So Veronica was right.”

“She talked to you about me?” For a split second, Ginny was shocked, but nothing her sister did any more surprised her. It just disappointed her. “What else did you two say about me?”

Her feelings were mixed when it came to Tony engaging in the conversation. He’d tried asking Ginny questions directly and she’d brushed him off, so she could hardly blame him for seeking information elsewhere. Though she was still perplexed why he cared so much. A man like him could have almost any woman he wanted. After the way she’d brushed him off, why did he bother with her?

Tony shrugged, not even having the decency to look chagrined. Then again, Ginny didn’t guess he embarrassed easily. No, he exuded confidence.

And it was sexy as hell.

Tony had always been hot, but when he’d been with Veronica, he was sleeker, more polished. Now he was rough, dangerous, the type of guy who could handle a man like Fedor Barkov.

It was an intriguing shift, and she couldn’t help but wonder what caused it. Perhaps in the days to come, he’d tell her a little about his own secrets. Something about the constant guarded look in his eyes told her he definitely had some.

A self-conscious blush rose to Ginny’s cheeks. Tony looked like he belonged in a Calvin Klein ad while her face looked like it’d been put through a meat grinder. In addition to the bruises, her makeup had been smeared all over her face last night. She’d done her best to get it off, but without proper makeup remover and with her face hurting like it did, she wasn’t completely successful.

“Veronica had her suspicions about why you would marry him.” He took a big sip of coffee, somehow making even that seem sexy. “She knows he’s not your type.”

“That’s fair, I guess.” It still pissed Ginny off that Veronica had the gall to discuss her with Tony. Veronica had no room to pass judgment, not with how she’d treated Tony. And then Barry—but Ginny put that out of her mind. She didn’t know the truth. Honestly, she was scared to know the truth about what really happened between Veronica and Barry. If it turned out Veronica really had—

No. She refused to even think it. Veronica could certainly be a bitch and her loyalty was definitely in question, but she wasn’t evil.

If Veronica knew the real reason Ginny had entered into that marriage contract, would she be more loyal? Somehow, Ginny doubted it. Veronica was always her own number one priority.

“But I told her that couldn’t be the only reason,” Tony said. Something inside her swelled at the fact that he didn’t believe the worst of her even when evidence pointed in that direction.

“It’s not.” She sighed. It would be such a relief to confide in someone, but she couldn’t take that risk, not while her agreement with Fedor was on shaky ground. She needed to secure Veronica’s safety first. Plus, Tony already hated Veronica, and his reason was justified. If he knew the truth . . . no, she couldn’t tell him. “I can’t tell you the specifics. Not yet. But I can tell you that Barkov has the power to ruin Veronica’s life. But he won’t do that if I marry him.”

Tony cursed and clenched his fist. “Why am I not surprised your sister is somehow involved in this?”

“She’s my sister,” Ginny said quietly. “I can’t just let him ruin her.”

Tony’s eyes met hers. “Does she deserve to be ruined?”

Ginny pulled her gaze away from his and squeezed her eyes shut. It was a question she’d been asking herself ever since Fedor approached her months ago. It was why she didn’t confront Veronica herself and demand answers.

Because she didn’t know the answer to that question, and she couldn’t handle it if the answer turned out to be “yes.”

The bed shifted as Tony stood. “I hate to do it, but I need to go into the office for a few hours today.”

“Of course,” Ginny said, glancing at the clock. It was already almost ten. On a normal day, he’d probably already have been at his desk for several hours by now. “Do what you need to do.”

“I’m going to get out of there as soon as I can, and I’ll work from home the rest of the week. Do you want me to swing by and pick up some stuff from your apartment?”

“I gave up my apartment.” Ginny looked down at her hands. “My lease was up, so I moved into my parents’ place because soon I’d be moving anyway. Plus, it saves money. I haven’t taken a salary from the company in a while.” It pained her to admit that.

Tony stared at her for a second but didn’t comment. “The offer still stands. I don’t think you should go home right now, not until everything gets straightened out.”

Ginny let out a breath. She needed his help, but she hated taking it. His helping her put him in danger and she couldn’t stand if something happened to him. Despite his confidence that he could take on Barkov, she had her doubts. Barkov’s ruthlessness was beyond her comprehension, and his resources were seemingly limitless.

But she was stuck. She had nowhere else to go, and anyway, this was probably the safest place for her. No one knew she and Tony had rekindled their friendship.

She looked up at Tony, old and new feelings swirling around inside her. She’d always suppressed her feelings for him—first because he was engaged to her sister and now because she was engaged to Barkov. She was scared of what would happen if she let those feelings free—the power of them might undo her. No, it was better if they stayed tucked away.

She and Tony could be friends. That’s the kind of relationship they could have—just a friendship, the same as they always had.

Except it wasn’t that simple, not for her, and it never would be.

* * *

“I got the message that the dress fitting was canceled,” Veronica said over the phone. “What the hell, Ginny?”

Ginny rubbed the bridge of her nose. Veronica must have just gotten off the phone with the wedding planner. Ginny herself had only hung up with her ten minutes earlier.

The wedding planner had called after she’d failed to show at the bakery this morning for cake sampling. Ginny had completely forgotten about it. She’d told the planner to cancel all her upcoming appointments. That resulted in a million and one questions from the planner, which Ginny politely but firmly refused to answer.

Some of the questions she had answers for, like when she wanted to reschedule. When hell freezes over with Fedor in it. Others, some perfectly innocent, like whether or not she was okay, she had no idea how to answer. She was far from okay, but somehow, being here with Tony made her more okay than she’d been since she’d gotten herself into this mess.

She’d hit rock bottom, but now that she’d realized the truth about Fedor, she could glimpse light, barely—she was coming out of the darkness.

But she wasn’t there yet.

“It’s complicated,” Ginny said. Damn, she was using that phrase a lot lately. But she certainly couldn’t tell Veronica what was going on. She damn sure wasn’t going to tell Veronica she was shacking up with her ex-fiancé.

Not that she thought of Tony in terms of Veronica anymore. Tony’s time with Veronica had been a lifetime ago. All three of them were different people now.

And “shacking up” was also a little misleading. That would imply there was something going on between the two of them, which there wasn’t. Tony was simply helping her out. As a friend.

She cringed, though no one could see her or hear her thoughts. Just keep telling yourself that.

The memory of their shared kiss from the gala several weeks ago warmed her cheeks.

And her heart.

It had been impromptu, passionate, and perfect.

Then when she’d kissed him at the Grekowski engagement party, she’d intended it to be a goodbye kiss. It had turned out to be anything but that.

So she and Tony were several kisses past the friend stage. But exactly where that left them, Ginny had no idea.

“I’m listening,” Veronica said.

Ginny paused, trying to determine her sister’s intent from the tone of her voice. It made her sad to have to dissect her sister’s words this way, but no matter how much Ginny loved Veronica, she knew her sister couldn’t be trusted.

“Fedor and I had a fight, so I’m laying low for a while,” Ginny said. Better to keep it vague. She’d done the same with her parents, saying she needed to take some time away. Her dad had grown panicky after learning he’d be flying solo at the office. He’d come to depend on her in such a short amount of time. She felt bad about that, but oh, well. It couldn’t be helped.

His reaction had made her stop and think—what were his expectations, anyway? Ginny hadn’t spent years in college earning an education degree only to toil away in the family’s financial firm. It was a great opportunity—it just wasn’t for her. She’d turned down a teaching job to help her family, but she hadn’t planned on staying forever. Heck, she hadn’t even planned on staying as long as she had.

“What was the fight about?” Veronica asked.

“Veronica, I don’t really want to talk about it.” Ginny rubbed her temples. The headache that had receded was quickly coming back.

“Okay. I guess.” Veronica sniffed indignantly, letting Ginny know it was most certainly not okay. Veronica had long ago perfected the guilt trip, but Ginny wasn’t falling for it this time, which was probably a first. “Mom said you’re not even at home.”

“Nope. Just taking some time away.”

“Can I come see you?” Veronica’s voice was hopeful and Ginny’s heart warmed.

Ginny hesitated for a moment. “No, I need to be alone for a while.” It killed her to say no to her sister when Veronica was reaching out and seemed to want to make the effort, but it was better this way. She also had Tony to consider, and she doubted he’d be thrilled to find Veronica in his home.

Plus, she couldn’t be sure of Veronica’s intentions. She’d been burned before.

As soon as Ginny ended the call, her phone rang again. This time, it was Fedor. She declined the call immediately.

That was the third time today. She would have to talk to him eventually, but first she needed to figure out what to say. Fuck off somehow didn’t seem appropriate. Though it pretty much covered everything.

She stood and stretched. Normally when she needed to clear her mind, she’d go on a run. She couldn’t do that, though. She didn’t escape Fedor just to expose herself. Maybe Tony’s apartment building had a small gym or something she could use. Except if someone saw her, it might get back to Fedor.

Damn it! She was a prisoner of her own making.

A horrid feeling settled in her stomach as she realized she’d have to face the thing she’d been burying her head in the sand about—she needed to learn the truth about Veronica and Barry. She needed to know exactly what she was dealing with.

Please Veronica, she silently begged, don’t let it be true.