numusjamesroses

Hazel Rogers never imagined her mother’s failing heart would force her into the arms of a stranger. With hospital bills piling up and no time left, she signs a desperate contract— as a surrogate for a billionaire who she doesn’t know. Ace Milan is cold, calculated, and devastatingly powerful, a man who built his empire on control and keeps  his heart locked behind a fortress. Hazel is just a transaction to him. But when a scary accident forces her to move into his home, the lines blur. He becomes cruel, unpredictable—testing her limits with sharp words and colder actions. Yet beneath his ice is something else, something broken, watching her with eyes that never quite soften. As her pregnancy progresses, Hazel stumbles upon whispers of the woman who came before her—the first surrogate. The one who vanished. No one speaks of her, and Ace refuses to explain. But the house holds secrets. Locked rooms. Late-night phone calls. Half-truths wrapped in charm. And suddenly, the child inside Hazel becomes more than a contract—it becomes a target. Torn between protecting the life growing inside her and uncovering the truth about the man she’s starting to feel dangerously drawn to, Hazel is forced to make a choice. Walk away before she ends up like the last surrogate… or risk everything to unravel the darkness Ace has spent his life hiding. One thing is clear—nothing in this arrangement is what it seems. And some secrets are buried deep for a reason.

THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET : Her contract, His Heart

I ran into the room with so much force. Slammed the door behind me and locked it like he was chasing after me.

My body shivering from the close contact. His scent and touch stirred something in me. I become so numb when he's close. Why??

I move towards the bed and sink to the floor. Trying to catch my breath. I can still feel his touch. His fingers were cold against my warm lips. I trace my hands to my lips, and towards my jawline remembering how his hands were firmly holding my chin up. The dominance in his voice as he said, "Do as you're told little doll."

God. I hated how those words clung to me. Like a stain. Or worse….like they belonged. Some part of me responded to them, even when everything rational inside me screamed that it shouldn't. I wasn't a doll and I sure as hell wasn't his to play with.

Chapter 19