DallasThe word fake hung in the air between us, and I waited for the relief to come.It didn't.Ryder watched me from his knees beside my chair, his face open in a way I'd never seen before-no mask, no polish, just him, raw and waiting. He'd told me everything, or what he thought was everything, and now he was looking at me like I held the next move.I set down my coffee cup. The ceramic clicked against the plate, too loud in the quiet kitchen."Melissa," I said.He blinked. "What?""Why Melissa? Out of every woman in this city, every daughter of every business partner your father could have picked-why her?"Ryder's jaw tightened, that tell I'd learned to read months ago. "I told you, her parents-""Are old business partners. I heard." I leaned forward, my elbows digging into the table. "But there are dozens of old business partners. There are politicians' daughters, celebrities, women with bigger names and better connections. So what is it about Melissa specifically? What does she h
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