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Ash swallows. "That sounds advantageous to you both."

I laugh again and have an urge to mess up Ash's hair. To tug on his collar. Wrinkle his tie. Shake some of the propriety out of him. "What do you think is going to happen?" I ask.

He blinks a few times. "I believe he will agree?—"

I cut him off with a barked laugh. "Not with the prince. Jesus, Ash." I laugh again—sounding almost hysterical. Almost.

I shake my head, the humor quickly fleeing. This isn’t actually funny at all. "I'm not worried about what he will agree to. I mean, with this Linda woman. With this," I wave my hand around the suite. "This whole thing. What is going to happen?"

"Nothing good."

"You're so comforting."

"I assumed you didn't want me to lie."

"I don't." And that reminds me. "But I do want more of a heads-up when shit like that is going to happen."

"I apologize." His lips twitch and for a second I think he's going to smile.

"What?" I ask, my eyes riveting to his mouth.

"Nothing."

"No," I argue. "You almost smiled." His lips part. They're full and lush and surrounded by a dark shadow of stubble.

"You're mistaken," he says.

I shake my head. "No, I'm not. You almost smiled, and I want to know why."

Amusement dances behind his cold facade. I point at his face. "There again, you think something about this is funny." He presses his mouth into a frown but there is still a playful light in his eyes. "Ash! Tell me!"

He swallows, lips quirked. "I was just thinking about when you threatened to kill me." Ash clears his throat.

Heat explodes in my chest. "And that's funny to you?"

"Not funny but…"

Anger forces my feet to move, I get an arm’s length away from him. "But what?" I ask, my tone deadly.

"Charming."

I blink rapidly, trying to understand what he's saying. "You think it's charming I threatened to kill you?"

He takes in a breath, lets it out slowly. Seems to come to some kind of conclusion. "Yes."

"So you decided to keep things from me so I'd threaten you again so that what? You could be charmed by me?"

He does not like that assessment. "No."

"You think I'm charming when I'm so pissed off I've gone homicidal."

"Yes." His answer is quick and simple. His voice deep and true.

"That's fucked up, Ash. This is all fucked up."

"Life is fucked up, Angela. But I didn't keep Linda's arrival a secret to anger you, I did it out of habit. Out of protocol. I wasn't authorized to tell you."

That gives me pause. "But you will next time? Even if you're not authorized?"