A Game of Vows Read Online Free PDF

until things were legal and permanent between them she’d felt the need to hang on to that bit of control.
    It was so much easier to deny her sex drive than to end up back where she’d been nine years ago. Being that girl, that was unacceptable. She never would be again.
    “Lies by omission are still lies,
querida.
”
    “Then we’re all liars.”
    “Now, that’s true enough.”
    “Show me to my room,” she said, affecting her commanding, imperious tone. The one she had gotten so good at over the years. “I’m tired.”
    A slow smile curved his lips and she fought the urge to punch him.
    “Of course, darling.”
    This time, he picked up her bags without incident and she followed him into her room. Her room. Her throat tightened. Her first experience with homecoming. Why should it mean anything? He had replaced the bedding. A new dark-colored comforter, new sable throw pillows, new satin curtains on the windows to match. The solid desk she’d loved to work at was still in its corner. Unmoved. There was no dust on it, but then, Eduardo had always had a great housekeeper.
    “This is … perfect,” she said.
    “I’m glad you still like it. I remember you being … giddy over it back when we were first married.”
    “It was the nicest room I’d ever been in,” she said, opting to give him some honesty, a rare thing from her. “The sheets were … heaven.”
    “The sheets?”
    She cleared her throat. “I have a thing for high-quality sheets. And you definitely have them here.”
    “Well, now you get to live here again. And reap the benefits of the sheets.”
    She arched a brow. “My fiancé was a billionaire, you know.”
    “Yes, I know. I would expect you to find nothing less,” he said.
    “I’m not sure how I feel about your assessment of my character, Eduardo. You express no shock over Zack’s financial status, or over the fact that we weren’t in love.”
    “You’re mercenary. I know it … you know it. It’s not shocking.”
    She
was
mercenary. If being mercenary meant she did what she had to to ensure her own success. Her own survival. She’d needed to be. To move up from the life she’d been born into. To overcome the devastating consequences of her youthfulactions. And she’d never lost a wink of sleep over it. But for some reason, the fact that it was so obvious to Eduardo was a little bit unsettling.
    “Is it mercenary to try and improve the quality of your life?” she asked.
    “It depends on the route you take.”
    “And the resources available to you are a major factor in deciding which route to take,” she said.
    “I’m not judging you, Hannah, believe it or not.”
    She planted her hands on her hips. “No, you’re just using me.”
    “As you said, you do what you must to improve the quality of your life.” His expression was strange, tense. Dark.
    She looked away. “I have to do something.”
    “What is that?”
    She looked down at her left hand, at the massive, sparkly engagement ring Zack had given her a few months earlier. She tugged it off her finger, a strange sensation moving through her like a strong wind. Sadness. Regret. Relief.
    “I have to send this to Zack.” She held it up and realized her hands were shaking. She couldn’t keep it. Not for another second. Because mercenary she might be. But she wasn’t a thief. She wouldn’t take from Zack. Wouldn’t do any more damage than she’d already done.
    “I can have someone do that for you. Do you know where he is?”
    “Thailand,” she said, without missing a beat. “We were supposed to honeymoon there.”
    “And you think he went?” he asked, dark eyebrows raised.
    She smiled. “Zack had business in Thailand, so yes, I think he went. No, I know he went. He’s not the kind of man to let a little thing like an interrupted marriage keep him from accomplishing his goals.”
    Eduardo studied her, dark eyes intense. “Perhaps he was perfect for you.”
    “Yeah, well, I’m trying not to dwell on