The blades of the helicopter sliced through the humid air as they descended onto the pristine lawn of the Greenwich Polo Club. Kate gripped the leather armrest.

"Relax," Armond said, his voice low in her headset. "You look like you're going to an execution."

"Social execution," Kate muttered.

She was wearing a white vintage dress Armond had had delivered that morning. It fit perfectly, which was terrifying.

When they stepped out, the cameras started clicking. Armond took her hand. His grip was firm, possessive. He pulled her close, presenting a united front to the vultures.

"Smile," he whispered against her ear. "Don't embarrass me."

They walked toward the VIP tent. Kate saw them immediately. Lucas and Estelle. Lucas was holding a champagne flute, his knuckles white as he watched Kate approach on the arm of the most powerful man in New York.

Estelle looked like she had swallowed a lemon. "How?" she hissed to Lucas. "How is she with him?"

Armond didn't even acknowledge Lucas's existence. He walked past him as if he were a piece of furniture. It was the ultimate insult.

Inside the tent, the air was cooler. Kate took a breath, but it was cut short by a figure in a red jumpsuit blocking her path.

Evette Duncan. The shipping heiress. Armond's ex-fiancée.

"Armond, darling!" Evette kissed Armond on both cheeks, lingering too long. Then she turned her predatory gaze to Kate.

"And this must be the consultant," Evette said, her voice carrying over the chatter. "I heard you charge by the hour. Two million for the night, was it?"

A ripple of titters went through the nearby group of socialites. Kate felt the blood drain from her face.

Armond stood still. He was watching Kate. Waiting.

Kate straightened her spine. She thought of Leo. She thought of the gallery. "Actually, Ms. Duncan, my rates are based on value added. Something you might struggle to afford, given your family's recent stock performance."

The laughter stopped. Evette's eyes narrowed into slits. "Clever girl. Let's see if you're as good in bed as you are at reading financial reports."

Suddenly, a shout from the field drew everyone's attention. A horse had spooked, breaking through the low wooden barrier near the tent.

The crowd screamed.

Before Kate could react, an arm clamped around her waist. Armond yanked her behind him, shielding her body with his own. The horse thundered past, inches from them, mud flying.

It happened in a split second. Armond's reaction was instinctual. Pure protection.

When the horse was corralled, Armond released her. He smoothed his jacket, looking annoyed, but his eyes scanned her quickly for injuries.

Lucas took the opportunity to approach, emboldened by the chaos. "Mr. Emerson," he said, stepping into their space. "I heard you're looking at the tech sector. Sterling Group has some-"

"Who are you?" Armond interrupted, his voice flat.

Lucas's face turned a violent shade of red.

Kate felt a surge of dark satisfaction.

Later, during the divot stomp, Kate found herself separated from Armond by a throng of people. Lucas materialized at her elbow.

"You think you're safe?" Lucas whispered, his breath smelling of alcohol. "I know about the kid in Queens. A little boy. Does Emerson know he's paying for another man's bastard?"

Kate froze. "You stay away from him."

"If Emerson finds out you're playing him, hiding a kid... he'll crush you. You're walking on a knife's edge, Kate."

Across the field, Armond was watching. He saw Lucas lean in close to Kate. He saw the intensity on their faces.

Jealousy, hot and irrational, flared in his chest. He didn't know what they were saying, but he saw the intimacy of enemies.

He started walking toward them, his strides long and angry.

Armond didn't say a word. He gripped Kate's wrist and pulled her away from the crowd, marching her toward the private stables at the edge of the club.

"Armond, you're hurting me!" Kate gasped, stumbling in the grass.

He dragged her into the cool, hay-scented shadows of the stable and spun her around, pinning her against a wooden stall door.

"What were you talking about?" Armond demanded. "Are you two reminiscing? Planning a reunion?"

"He was threatening me!" Kate rubbed her wrist. "You know he hates me."

"I saw the way he looked at you," Armond snarled. "Like he owns you."

"He doesn't own anything," Kate snapped.

"Good." Armond turned and grabbed the bridle of a massive black stallion. "Since you seem to have a problem with boundaries, let me teach you how to handle beasts."

"What are you doing?" Kate backed away.

"Get on." It wasn't a request.

Armond led the horse out. He lifted Kate by the waist, his hands strong and unyielding, depositing her onto the saddle. Before she could protest, he swung himself up behind her.

His chest pressed against her back. His legs framed hers. The intimacy was suffocating and electric.

"Hold the reins," he ordered, his breath hot on her neck. He covered her hands with his. "If you don't control him, he'll throw you. Just like men like Lucas."

He kicked the horse into a gallop.

They surged forward, tearing across the open field away from the club. The wind whipped Kate's hair. She screamed, leaning back instinctively into Armond's solid warmth.

"Open your eyes!" Armond yelled over the wind. "Don't hide. steer him!"

They rode hard, the physical exertion mirroring the tension between them. Armond was asserting control, claiming her space, marking her.

He slowed the horse near a line of trees. Kate was panting, her heart racing from the adrenaline and the proximity.

"Lucas Sterling is a bully," Armond said, his voice lower now, right in her ear. "You don't negotiate with bullies. You break them."

Kate turned her head slightly. His face was inches from hers. "And you? How do I handle you?"

Armond paused. His gaze dropped to her lips. "You submit. It's your only option."

He crushed his mouth to hers. It was a punishing kiss, full of frustration and desire. Kate tried to push him away, but her hands curled into his shirt instead. She opened to him, the chemistry between them undeniable and dangerous.

Armond's phone rang.

He broke the kiss, breathing hard. He cursed and pulled the phone from his pocket.

"What?" he barked.

It was the investigator. "Mr. Emerson. We found a discrepancy in the Swiss records. The clinic Ms. Silva visited... it specializes in obstetrics."

Armond went still. The heat in his veins turned to ice.

"Keep digging," he said softly. "Find out everything."

He hung up. He looked at the back of Kate's head, at the woman he had just kissed.

"Get down," Armond said, his voice devoid of emotion. "The lesson is over."

The interior of the stretch limousine was a tomb of silence. The partition was up. Kate sat pressed against the door, watching the Connecticut trees blur past.

Armond was reading a financial report on his tablet, but he hadn't scrolled in ten minutes. The air between them was thick with the memory of that kiss and the sudden, cold withdrawal that followed.

Suddenly, the limo swerved violently. The brakes screeched. Kate was thrown forward, but Armond's arm shot out, barring her chest, pinning her back against the seat.

"What the hell?" Armond shouted at the intercom.

"Blockade, sir," the driver's nervous voice crackled. "It's... it's Mr. Sterling's car. He cut us off."

Armond looked out the window. A silver sports car was parked diagonally across the narrow private road. Lucas Sterling was stumbling out of the driver's seat, looking disheveled and drunk.

He slammed his hand on the limo window. "Kate! Get out here! I know you're in there!"

Kate shrank back. "He's drunk."

Armond pressed a button. The window lowered an inch.

"Sterling," Armond said, his voice calm and deadly. "Do you want to lose your family's company by tomorrow morning?"

"She's mine!" Lucas slurred, spitting at the glass. "She was mine five years ago, she's mine now!"

Armond's jaw tightened. That was it.

He opened the door. He stepped out, towering over Lucas. He didn't raise his fists. He didn't need to. He adjusted his cuffs, looking at Lucas with pure disgust.

"She was never yours," Armond said. "You were just a mistake she made. Now, she belongs to Emerson."

"You don't know what she is," Lucas sneered. "She's a liar."

"Get in your car and drive into a ditch for all I care," Armond said. "But if you come near her again, I will dismantle your life piece by piece."

Armond's security detail stepped out of the trailing SUV. Lucas looked at the muscle, then at Armond's icy glare. He spat on the ground, turned, and stumbled back to his car.

Armond got back into the limo. He slammed the door.

Kate was staring at him. "Thank you."

Armond turned to her. The restraint snapped. He grabbed her face, pulling her to him.

"I don't like other people touching my things," he growled. "Tell me. Do you still love him?"

Kate looked into his eyes. She saw the jealousy there. It terrified her, and it thrilled her.

"No," she whispered. "I hate him. I've always hated him."

Armond made a sound low in his throat. He kissed her again, deeper this time, possessive. He pushed her back against the leather seat, his hand sliding up her thigh, bunching the white dress.

Kate gasped, her hands tangling in his hair. For a moment, she forgot the lies. She forgot the secrets. There was only him.

The car slowed to a halt.

"Sir, we've arrived," the driver said.

Armond stopped. He rested his forehead against hers, his breathing ragged. He pulled her dress down, smoothing the fabric with a surprisingly gentle hand.

"Come upstairs," Armond said. He looked at her, his eyes dark. "Stay tonight."

It wasn't a question.

Kate looked at the Emerson Tower looming above them. If she stayed, she wouldn't be able to go home to Leo. She would have to make an excuse to the nanny.

But she needed to cement this alliance.

"Okay," she whispered.