Natalie woke the next morning not exactly refreshed, but lighter.The crushing weight of exhaustion that had pressed her down yesterday had eased, replaced by something taut and restless beneath her skin.Her body was still wound tight, but the vibrating edge of adrenaline and desire had dulled to a hum.
The hotel room was hushed, its thick curtains muting the morning.She slid out of bed, bare feet sinking into the plush carpet, and crossed to the window.Pulling the curtain aside, she looked out at Philadelphia just beginning to stir.The horizon glowed in shades of pink and gold, the quiet beauty coaxing a faint smile to her lips.
I outsmarted whoever’s trying to get to me.The thought gave her a fleeting rush of satisfaction.Behind the locked doors of the hotel, she’d felt safer than she had in her own home.
But the small victory crumbled under the weight of memory.
The parking garage.The glare of headlights.The iron band of Rylan’s arms dragging her out of harm’s way.
And the kiss.
Her breath hitched.Heat rose in her cheeks as flashes of last night’s dreams came back in sharp, vivid fragments—Rylan’s hands sliding over her skin, his mouth trailing lower, his body pressed hard against hers.She had woken more than once, breathless and aching, with an emptiness low in her belly that no amount of shifting beneath the sheets could quiet.
I want him.
The honesty of it sent a tremor through her.She gripped the curtain tighter, eyes fixed on the waking city.
Rylan was unlike anyone she’d ever known.It wasn’t just his face—though God help her, he was devastating—it was the power and certainty he carried with him, the magnetic pull that seemed to draw her closer even when she tried to keep her distance.And that kiss… She lifted her fingers to her lips, tracing them as if she could summon back the heat and the weight of his mouth on hers.She had never been kissed like that in her life—like every nerve in her body had been found and set alight at once.
A shiver coursed through her at the thought of his bed.
It wasn’t her style to tumble into something reckless.She’d built her life on discipline, on caution.But Rylan had tilted her balance.He hadn’t just rattled her—he’d upended something deep inside her, replacing control with craving.
There was no doubt in her mind that he’d be extraordinary as a lover.The way he’d touched her—firm, sure, without a flicker of doubt—had been raw, unfiltered passion.Not like Mark.Never like Mark.
Her stomach soured at the thought of her ex.Mark, with his dismissive smirks and his calculated indifference.Mark, who’d made her beg for scraps of intimacy and then accused her of being frigid when he couldn’t be bothered to try.
“Some women are just naturally frigid,” he’d told her once, voice so flat and sure that for a moment, she’d almost believed him.
The memory still carried a sting of humiliation—and a spark of rage.Mark had taken every insecurity she’d ever had and weaponized it.
“Thinking about him is the ultimate mood killer,” she muttered, shaking her head to clear him away.
She turned back to the bed, pulling on the skirt she’d abandoned the night before and smoothing it down with her palms.She’d fallen asleep in her blouse, too drained to do more than kick off her shoes and peel the skirt away.
Her purse waited on the desk by the door.She slung it over her shoulder, scanning the room to make sure she’d left nothing behind.
And then the thought came, sly and dangerous.
Should I let myself have a night with him?Just one?
It was reckless.Risky.And yet the idea curled through her like heat, loosening something that had been locked up inside her for years.Last night’s kiss had been more than attraction—it had been a reminder of what it felt like to be wanted completely.
She shook her head hard, trying to shove the thought away.“Focus,” she told herself aloud.“You have work.A life.You don’t need distractions.”
But even as she walked out of the hotel and slid into her car, the truth was unshakable—Rylan was already in her thoughts again.And she knew he’d find a way to stay there.
The ache in her chest wrestled with the ache low in her belly, and she wasn’t sure which would win.
For now, she needed a shower, clean clothes, and distance.But as she drove through the soft light of morning, she suspected that distance was the one thing Rylan would never allow her to keep.
Chapter 15
“She spent the night at a hotel,” Tom announced as he stepped into the kitchen.
Rylan, who hadn’t closed his eyes once since the parking garage incident, felt the knot of tension in his chest cinch tighter.He’d spent the long hours replaying the scene over and over—the blinding headlights, the sound of screeching tires, the moment he’d gotten his arms around her—and still had no clear picture of who or why.
“Thank you,” he muttered, his voice low, barely glancing at Tom.
