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The knowledge rocked her world.
After recovering from the shock, she dug a little deeper and discovered his grandmother’s name—Ophelia Delaney.
A search on her name brought up an article in an architectural magazine, featuring pictures of her Garden District home, along with photos of a fundraiser she’d hosted there.
Even though most images didn’t have names of the attendees listed beneath them, she recognized several people. Master Mason and Master Trevor from the Quarter, a former LSU football legend, a movie star who owned a place in the French Quarter, and a woman who might have been Mistress Aviana, but in street clothes and without stage makeup and a theatrical wig, she was impossible to identify.
Kaylee shook her head. What the hell was she thinking, trying to be part of his world? Even for a few hours, there was no way she could fool his grandmother into believing Frost would marry someone like her.
Her thoughts now in even greater turmoil, she once again closed the computer and decided to make herself a cup of hot chocolate, but even that reminded her of being in the kitchen in Frost’s home, standing next to him. And then, what had happened next, in his dungeon…
Damn it. Why couldn’t she get him out of her head?
The sweet-smelling mixture began to boil, and she quickly turned off the burner. As she grabbed a mug, the diamond in her ring glittered.
Its presence represented their fake union, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, leading to the swirling mess of confusion and her hormonal reaction to Frost.
With determination, she removed the ring and carried it to her bedroom where she placed it in its protective box. Not satisfied, she shoved it into a drawer beneath a pile of T-shirts.
Praying the act helped her find the internal peace she sought, she returned to the kitchen to sip her warm beverage.
But it didn’t help.
Filled with restless energy, she did a couple of chores and jotted herself a note to text Maddie during actual daylight hours, apologizing for not calling and promising to be in touch soon. Then, out of things to do, she returned to the bedroom.
The rest of the night was filled with more unsettling dreams, a confounding mix of sex, erotic spankings, and soul-crushing loss.
Monday, when her alarm dragged her back to consciousness, she was exhausted.
And Frost was the source of her problems.
Wrapping a robe around her, she headed to the kitchen for coffee. As she waited for the life-giving substance to flow into the pot, she rested her hips against the counter.
The truth she hadn’t wanted to face last night was now in front of her, stark and real. The time with Frost—being spoiled by him, shared jokes, and her carnal response to his demands—created an intimacy that enticed her to lower her guard. And a wayward, feminine part of her longed for a relationship, so much so that she’d started to allow herself to believe the fantasy with Frost was real.
How ridiculous is that?
To keep her sanity, to save herself, Kaylee realized she had to stay away from him. But how in the hell was she supposed to endure the next thirty-six hours?
CHAPTERNINE
What in the actual fuck?
Anxious to see Kaylee this morning, Frost had gotten up early, worked out, taken a cold shower to keep his libido in check, then headed to the office early.
As expected, she’d shown up right on time, clutching an oversize to-go cup of coffee and bearing no resemblance to the woman he’d spent the weekend with. At the club, her reactions to him had been stunningly sexy, and their time together at his house sizzled. As a woman—and as a sub—Kaylee was sassy, responsive, and gave more than he could have ever anticipated.
Dressed in slacks and flats with an Oxford shirt buttoned all the way to her throat, Kaylee was as remote as the first day he’d walked through Christoff’s door.
No matter what conversational tack he’d tried for the first hours of the day, she’d responded professionally but without warmth, as if she’d retreated into some sort of shell.
Then it hit him. His ring was no longer on her finger.
Frustration gnawed at him, escalating into a pounding headache.
Right before lunchtime, she knocked on the doorframe and entered his office, carrying a pile of checks.
“The accounting department would like your signature on these before you leave for the holiday.”
