Natalie stepped out of her office that night with exhaustion pressing down on her shoulders like a physical weight.Her entire day had been a series of missteps—misplaced swatches, wrong order sheets—nothing she couldn’t fix.But the one mistake she couldn’t repair was letting Rylan’s words worm their way into her thoughts.
Oh, it’s going to be fun making it your business.
The sentence replayed in her mind like a curse.It made her chest tighten and her stomach clench in equal measure.Worse still was the stabbing, irrational pain when she imagined him with another woman.He was too potent, too dangerous, like standing in the path of a storm with no shelter in sight.
Focus on your career,she ordered herself, pushing through the lobby’s glass doors.
The cool night air hit her first, followed by the sharp, too-loud sound of her heels on the stone walkway.The security lights and low landscaping lamps cast long, skeletal shadows across the deserted grounds.She tightened her grip on her tote bag, the metal jingle of her keys unnervingly loud in the stillness.
Halfway to the parking garage, a sound—low and indistinct—brushed against her ears.
Her name.
Natalie froze, her head snapping over her shoulder.The shadows stared back, empty and still.
You’re imagining it,she told herself, but her pulse didn’t listen.
The parking garage loomed ahead like the open mouth of a cave, dim pools of light doing little to cut the gloom.Her footsteps echoed sharply off the concrete, the sound chasing her.
Then—screeching tires.
The noise ricocheted through the garage, and she spun.A car burst from around the corner, headlights blazing.They weren’t just bright—they were blinding, two blazing eyes locked on her.
Her brain screamedmove!but her legs wouldn’t obey.It was as if fear had nailed her to the ground.Her lungs seized, panic compressing her chest until she could barely breathe.
She calculated without meaning to: the speed, the distance.
I won’t make it.
She stumbled backward, trying to turn, but her tote bag dragged like an anchor.The engine roared, filling her ears until there was nothing else.The light devoured her vision.
And then—impact.
Not with the car.
With someone.
Strong arms slammed into her from behind, yanking her out of the path of the headlights.Her feet left the ground, the world tilting, spinning—her heart hammering in a desperate, uneven rhythm.She landed against a solid wall of heat and muscle, her breath tearing from her lungs in ragged gasps.
The scent of him hit her first—clean, sharp, male.Then the hard lines of his chest under her palms.
She forced her eyes open, blinking against the blur until his face came into focus.
Rylan.
His dark eyes locked onto hers, intense enough to pin her in place.“Are you okay?”His voice was low but edged with something fierce—like he was still coiled, ready to fight the car itself if it came back.
Her breath shuddered out, shallow and uneven.Her body still trembled with the aftershock of what had almost happened.She could feel her pulse pounding in her throat, every beat reminding her just how close she’d been to not walking away.
She swallowed, nodding weakly, unable to pull her gaze from his.The fact that he’d thrown himself between her and the oncoming car was a thought too big to process all at once—it pressed against her chest, fighting for air with the fear.
Then gratitude surged in, raw and overwhelming.And under it, something darker, hotter, that she didn’t want to name.
Her fingers lifted before she could think better of it, trembling as they brushed his cheek.The rough scrape of stubble beneath her touch sent a shiver spiraling down her spine.She cupped his jaw, the motion hesitant but desperate, grounding herself in the heat of him, in the proof that she was still here—still breathing—because of him.
Rylan’s expression softened, but his arms only tightened, as if he wasn’t willing to let her go just yet.The pounding rush of fear in her veins twisted into something else—just as sharp, just as consuming—only this time it wasn’t panic.It was him.
Her head tipped back almost without thought, breaths colliding in the charged space between them.The sounds of the garage faded, leaving only the rapid thud of her heart and the heat of his nearness.Then his mouth was on hers, and the world tilted.
