Kate had been buried in documents for over an hour, her eyes red from reading, but she refused to stop. Not with the trial looming over her.

The office door swung open without warning. She looked up, irritation sharp in her gaze, expecting her assistant.

It wasn't her. It was Ethan.

Kate's fingers stilled on the pen. She set it down with a sharp click against the desk.

"What are you doing here, Ethan? We've already talked. This is going to trial. Or did your client suddenly decide to sign without a fight?" Her voice was pure ice.

Ethan shut the door and dropped his briefcase onto a chair. His eyes held something that unsettled her instantly, something that had nothing to do with business. He circled the desk with deliberate steps, and Kate barely had time to stand before he grabbed her waist and pulled her in.

"Ethan, what—"

She didn't finish.

He kissed her.

It was sudden, clumsy, desperate, as if he could claw back something that no longer existed. For a second, she