Novels by Ellie Wynters

Grace’s POV“Grace, you need to think about what is best for you. You can’t let them force you into doing something you are uncomfortable with.”Max’s voice was calm but firm as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. His sharp blue eyes studied me carefully. The easygoing charm he usually wore was gone, replaced with something much more serious. He was worried about me. It was so nice having someone worry about me and not for their own gain.I swallowed hard, stirring the remnants of my drink with my straw. “It’s not like that. They just want to make sure I’m okay.”Max rubbed his hand over his jaw. “And what do you want? Have you even stopped to ask yourself that?”The question made me stiffen. What did I want? I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I had spent so long letting Helena, my mother, and now even Hunter decide what was best for me that I wasn’t sure I had an answer. The thing was, I wasn’t a weak woman, just hopelessly in love with a man that didn’t see me that way.

Grace POVThe next morning, I arrived at the office earlier than usual, hoping to bury myself in work before my thoughts could catch up to me. Last night with Max had been… unexpected.Not just because he had been charming and made me feel like I was someone outside of being Helena’s surrogate, but because it was the first time in a long while I had felt seen. I wasn’t sure what that meant yet. But he had asked me to lunch today, and I was going. Normally, I would just have a sandwich at my desk. But not today. Today, I was going to enjoy the company of Max, and it was an enjoyment.What I did know was that today would be difficult. I could feel it, an unease settling in my stomach. Maybe it was just my nerves after the doctor’s appointment yesterday. Maybe it was the memory of overhearing my mother and Helena talking, confirming that I was nothing more than a tool to them. It could be the confrontation I had with Hunter. Or maybe it was something else entirely.I had just sat down at

Helena POVI leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Hunter from across the room. He was quiet tonight. Too quiet. The moment I heard Grace had gone out with Max, I knew exactly why.Hunter sat in the living room, staring at the whiskey in his glass instead of drinking it. He swirled it absently, lost in his thoughts. Thoughts I could guess weren’t about me. No, they were about my sister.Pathetic. I was sure he was worried about Max sleeping with little Grace. Poor, innocent Grace. The bitch was still a virgin. And I knew exactly who she had been saving herself for.Well, tough shit. Hunter was mine. It wasn’t my fault that Grace never made a move, was it? I wanted the life Hunter could give me. Grace thought I didn’t know, but I wasn’t stupid. I kept it all to myself. It wouldn’t do for others to find out. Mom knew enough about why I married Hunter—the lifestyle. But that was it. I never let anyone see the real me.Just the thought of the control I had over people turned me on.

Grace POVI tried to keep myself busy at my desk. I could see the boardroom door from where I was sitting. They were still in there, Hunter and Helena. Max was still waiting in Hunter’s office.I threw my pen down. There was no point in trying to focus. My mind kept circling back to the conversation with Hunter, the way he had tried to control who I saw, his interference. It didn’t make sense. Or maybe I just didn’t want to admit the possible reasons why.I had made dinner plans with Max. A man who made me feel something other than invisible. A man who didn’t see me as just an employee or a sister-in-law. He saw me as a woman. A desirable woman.I wasn’t stupid enough to sleep with him if that was Hunter’s concern. Was he worried that Max’s sperm could somehow get mixed up with his? God, I was a virgin. It wasn’t like I would jump into bed with Max that quickly.I didn’t want to use Max; it wouldn’t be fair to him. I would see how my feelings developed first. If my feelings still didn

Hunter POV The door closed behind Grace, leaving silence in her wake. I held my breath, my jaw tightening as I stared at the empty space she had occupied just seconds before. I had seen the anger in her eyes before she left. My hands flexed at my sides, as if fighting the urge to reach out and pull her back. The irritation burning in my chest was unsettling, foreign, and I didn’t like it one damn bit. “So tell me—what’s going on?” Helena’s voice broke the silence, drawing my attention. My wife stood with her arms crossed, her sharp eyes assessing me with a look I couldn’t quite decipher. Almost like she didn’t know me like this. It wasn’t often she came into the office. I was no boy scout and often lost my temper. She just hadn’t seen that side of me. She had only experienced my softer side at home. I forced a breath through my nose, rolling my shoulders back. “She got stuck in a lift with Max.” Helena tilted her head, a smile playing at her lips. “Max? Your friend Max Cast

Grace POV Hunter exhaled through his nose, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.” I watched him, frowning. Since when had my personal life been in any of his business? If, at one time, he had wanted to be part of it, I would have listened. But now? This conversation irritated me. What right did he have? He had the person he wanted to spend his life with. Wasn’t I allowed that as well? I scoffed. “Since when do you care who I spend time with?” Hunter’s gaze locked onto mine, something dark and unreadable in his expression. “Because I do.” That caught me off guard. But then he said something that explained exactly why he felt entitled to an opinion. “You are my wife’s sister. I think I have every right to worry about my family.” I could hear the frustration in his voice. Hunter didn’t like to be questioned. “I may be Helena’s sister and your sister-in-law, but I am well over the age of consent.” For a second, I had let myself hope he truly ca

Later that day, Roman sat in his office, fingers tapping against his desk in a steady rhythm. The weight of everything he’d just uncovered sat heavy in his chest, but he wasn’t done yet. Not by a long shot.If Blair’s parents had been set up…if their deaths were more than just a tragic accident, then the people responsible had no idea what kind of war they had just stepped into.A knock at the door broke through his thoughts. “Come in.”Peters walked in, holding a file thick enough to signal bad news. “Blair just went to the restroom. She mentioned you didn’t have anyone in here with you.”Roman gave a nod, granting him permission to proceed.“I wanted to let you know. We’ve gathered more information since this morning.”Roman straightened. “Talk to me.”Peters shut the door behind him and placed the file on Roman’s desk before pulling out a chair. “We went back through Warner Industries’ financials with the team you arranged today. We also combed through the estate filings and legal

“Blair,” Peters said in greeting before turning to Roman’s office. “Is he ready for me?”She nodded, pressing the intercom. “Roman, Peters is here.”“Send him in,” Roman’s voice came through.Blair waved him through, watching as he disappeared into Roman’s office. Something was going on. Peters had been in Roman’s office a lot lately. Curiosity itched at her, but she pushed it aside and turned back to her work. She was not going to think about this coming weekend.Roman leaned back in his chair, eyes sharp as he regarded his head of security. “Is there any update on the missing money?”Peters shook his head. “There hasn’t been another transaction, but when that happens, we have everything in place to catch whoever it is.”Roman’s jaw tightened. “I hate that someone is stealing from me.”“I’ll keep digging. It could be some time before they try again,” his head of security assured him. “We will look for any other financial discrepancies in the sales department’s invoices. I have one of

Blair sighed, staring at her phone as if it had personally wronged her. This weekend was going to be hell, and she knew Sutton and Keira wouldn’t take the news well.She blew out a breath before pulling up her sister Sutton’s contact and pressing call. It rang twice before Sutton picked up.“Blair?” she answered, her voice immediately suspicious. “Are you okay?”Blair rolled her eyes. “Nice to talk to you, too.”“Uh-huh. Sorry, but it’s unlike you to call during a workday unless it’s important. What’s wrong?”“Can you talk?” Blair pinched the bridge of her nose.“Yes, just give me a moment. I’ll head to the ladies’ bathroom.” Blair heard Sutton explain to the person she was on reception with, that she needed to take a call and wouldn’t be long. Not long after, Sutton said, “Okay, what’s up?”“Just hold on. I’m adding Keira,” Blair let Sutton know.She switched to a conference call and dialed their youngest sister. It took longer for Keira to pick up, and when she did, she sounded dist

Roman leaned against the cool marble sink, watching Blair through the mirror as she fixed her hair. Her fingers moved quickly, twisting strands back into the sleek style she’d worn before he had thoroughly undone her. He smirked to himself, proud of the disheveled state he had left her in. The way she had clung to him, the way she had moaned, sir. He could still hear it echoing in his head.“You’re staring,” Blair muttered, adjusting the last few pins and smoothing down a stray curl.“Am I?” he asked, arching a brow. “I thought I was merely appreciating my secretary’s dedication to maintaining a professional appearance.”Blair shot him a glare through the mirror. “Well, you sure do like messy me up.” Then she flashed Roman would bet she was remembering just how he liked to mess her up.Roman grinned, stepping closer and resting his hands on her hips. “Semantics. Either way, you look stunning—though I personally prefer the thoroughly ruined version of you. I love your hair down and wil

Roman’s grip tightened on Blair’s hips as he set her down stepping away from her to lock the door before picking her up in his arms again, she clutched at his shoulders as he took measured steps across the room, pressing her back against the cool glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The city stretched out behind her, glittering with sunlight, but all she could focus on was the way his body caged hers in, his presence overpowering. The knowledge that it was reflective glass, so anyone looking up or in couldn’t see them only made the moment more intense. Because they could do anything.His fingers trailed up her thighs, slow and deliberate, igniting every nerve along the way. He wasn’t gentle, Roman’s need was to extreme, but she loved that about him. He didn’t pretend. He took what he wanted, and tonight, she was the only thing he wanted.“Take off your dress,” he ordered, his voice dark, edged with impatience. He stepped away to watch her follow his order.Blair’s breath hitched, bu

Blair stared at Roman, her heart pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it. Marry him? The words echoed in her head, loud and disorienting. It was insane. Reckless. Completely out of control.And yet, a small, undeniable part of her wanted to say yes.She had just ended her engagement with Dan last week. It felt like whiplash to go from that to standing here, listening to Roman ask her to marry him. But it was different with Roman. Everything about him, the way he touched her, looked at her, challenged her, made her feel something she had never had before.Something intense. Something dangerous.It wasn’t love. Not yet. She wasn’t willing to say that word, not when she’d thought she had loved Dan and look where that had gotten her. But this… what she felt for Roman was more than lust, more than attraction. It was raw, consuming, and completely outside her control.She swallowed hard, trying to focus. “This is crazy.”Roman’s lips curled slightly, but there was no humor in his exp