The headache hit first. Brutal, splitting, like something tearing open inside her skull.

Then her limbs. Heavy as concrete, so dead she couldn't even be bothered to move her fingers.

What happened? She'd been at dinner with Zachary. Her thoughtful boyfriend, the candlelit birthday dinner he'd planned just for her.

Sienna Shaw forced her eyes open. The ceiling blurred, then slowly sharpened into focus.

Her memories were scattered like broken glass. She tried to piece them together. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was Zachary pouring her a glass of red wine.

She pushed herself up on one arm and immediately felt it. A burning heat rolling up from her stomach, spreading through her whole body like something had been lit on fire.

Water was running in the bathroom. And voices, low but unmistakable.

Sienna went still. She dragged herself out of bed and moved toward the sound.

A voice she didn't recognize floated through the door.

"Zachary, you're a smart man. Don't worry. After tonight, the project's yours. And when it comes to the promotion, I'll make sure you're first in line."

Sienna felt her heart stop.

All those promises Zachary had made, the good life, the future, still echoing in her ears. And this was how he'd meant to deliver it. By selling her.

Rage exploded in her chest, hot and wordless.

The water shut off.

She snapped back. This wasn't the time to fall apart. She pulled in a slow breath, pushed the fury down, and forced her burning, exhausted body toward the door.

One step. Two. She grabbed the handle and got out.

But behind the door of room 309, footsteps were getting closer.

She moved fast, stopping in front of room 308. "Is anyone there? I need help."

Silence.

Desperation crept in, but she reached out and tried the handle anyway.

It turned.

"Oh thank God."

Sienna slipped inside, barely had time to breathe, and then the bathroom door swung open.

A tall figure stood in the doorway, backlit in the dark. She couldn't make out his face. The quiet pressed in around her. All she could hear was her own heartbeat.

"You're here." The voice was low, smooth, with a depth that rolled right through her. She felt a wave of heat pool low in her belly.

She didn't answer. Her eyes drifted down. In the dim light she could see the bare skin of his chest, broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, muscle stacked on muscle. He was the kind of man who made your brain short-circuit.

"Not going to say anything?" There was a smile in his voice. "Shy?"

Sienna thought, without being able to stop herself, that if it had to be someone, she wouldn't mind if it was him.

"Come here." Her voice came out rough, barely above a whisper. "Kiss me."

Harrison raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that. He crossed the room toward her, wrapped his arms around her, and let his hands move over the curves of her body. "What's your name?"

He lowered his head and caught her scent. "You smell incredible."

Sienna smiled. Her hands slid across his skin, over the planes of his abs and chest. "I'm yours tonight. Isn't that enough?"

She looked up. In the dark, she caught the glint of dangerous eyes.

She kissed him first. It started as something exploratory, then heat took over and neither of them held back.

Sienna let out a soft moan and pressed herself against him. His hand closed over her breast through the fabric, his thumb finding her nipple, already hard, rolling it back and forth.

"Mm." She pulled back just enough to breathe. "Stop teasing me through my clothes."

Harrison let out a low laugh, his voice rougher now. "Already in a hurry?"

He picked her up, slid one hand under her skirt, and found soaked fabric. "Look at you."

Sienna's face burned but she pushed her hips toward his hand anyway. "It's you. Your voice. The way you look."

He pushed two fingers inside her and dragged his tongue along her earlobe. Sienna gasped sharply, her body clenching around him.

Her fingers tangled in his hair, head tipped back, chest heaving. "Don't just stay there. I want you inside me. All of you. Don't hold back."

Her eyes were glassy, her voice breaking apart. "I want you to fuck me until I cry."

Harrison dropped the towel and finally pushed inside her. They both groaned at the same moment, low and satisfied.

He carried her from the doorway to the bed without pulling out, each thrust going deeper than the last. She soaked his thighs completely, again and again.

Eventually he stilled, breathing hard, and pulled out.

When Sienna woke up, he was asleep beside her.

The memory of the night hit her all at once and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

First Zachary's betrayal. Then a one-night stand with a complete stranger.

"Oh God."

She eased herself free, gathered her clothes from the floor, dressed quickly, and slipped out of the room.

---

The cool air outside hit her as she pushed through the hotel's revolving glass door. She exhaled for the first time in hours.

Then she thought about Zachary, and the rage came flooding back. She pulled out her phone and called him.

"Go to hell! You piece of shit! We are so over!"

She didn't wait for a response. She hung up, blocked his number, and shoved her phone into her pocket.

Her eyes were burning. She flagged down a cab, jaw tight, and went home.

But when she walked through the door, there was a woman she'd never seen before standing in her living room.

"Who are you?"

The woman didn't answer right away. She looked Sienna up and down like she was evaluating something.

"So you're Howard's daughter."

"Who the hell are you?" Sienna kept her eyes on her, every muscle on guard.

"Don't be rude. Where are your manners?" Her father stepped out of the back hallway. "You should be calling her Mom."

"What?" Sienna stared at him. Something in her chest cracked open. "No. My mom is *dead*. I'm not calling some stranger Mom."

She shook her head hard, tears flying loose and streaking down her face. "I don't blame you for moving on. But you don't get to erase her."

The grief settled over her like a weight she couldn't breathe under.

The woman spoke, her tone sharp with contempt. "I knew it. She doesn't care about you at all. She won't even take your name. She kept her mother's last name. Shaw. After a dead woman."

"*Stop it!*" Sienna screamed. She was already at the edge, and that pushed her over.

Her father's face darkened. "I am your father."

"Fine." Sienna closed her eyes. Breathed. When she opened them, the hurt had gone cold. "Then I'll leave. There's no place for me here anyway. There hasn't been for a long time."

She turned and walked out. Her eyes were wet but her chin was up.

"Mom", she said to herself, "watch over me. I'll come back."