Max smirked.“Good.Maybe you’ll tell me then what had you so distracted in there.Let me guess—a woman?”
Rylan arched a brow.“You’ve been in Seattle too long.You’re starting to sound like the tabloids.”
Max chuckled, unbothered.“Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
Rylan shook his head, but the corner of his mouth betrayed him with the faintest upward curve.They stepped out into the corridor, parting at the elevators—friends, but men who never stopped reading the angles.
Rylan continued toward the building’s exit, his stride steady, his thoughts already pulling in two directions.Yet here he was, walking out with one name missing from his mental index—the green-eyed woman.
He stopped so abruptly that his security detail nearly collided with him.“Find out who she is,” he ordered, voice clipped, eyes hard.“Today.”
His head of security, Tom Hicks, gave a single nod, already speaking into the mic hidden beneath his cuff.That was all Rylan needed to hear.He turned on his heel and strode toward the waiting SUV, his mind splitting neatly into two tracks—one charting the fastest way to identify her, the other calculating the next moves for the empire of concrete, steel, and commerce he managed.
Inside the vehicle, his personal assistant handed him a tablet with updates on the harbor construction project.He scanned the screen in seconds, instantly locating the weak points in the timeline and the budget.His tone was brisk, decisive.“Push the suppliers on materials.No delays.And get Isef on the line.”His voice dropped into the sharper register that always made people move faster.“I want a full report on the Tijan bridge project.They’re behind schedule, and I want to know why.If there’s a problem, replace the engineer.We’ll bring in someone who can deliver.”
The assistant’s fingers were already moving.“Yes, Your Highness.”
Even while issuing instructions that would shift millions in resources, the image of the green-eyed woman threaded through his mind like a distraction he couldn’t seem to dismiss.Those eyes—sparkling jade with a hint of defiance.The determined set of her jaw.The subtle, floral scent that had lingered in the air when she’d brushed past him.
He leaned back against the leather seat, letting his eyes close for the span of one slow breath.The memory didn’t fade.If anything, it sharpened, filling in details—the tone of her skin, the confident rhythm of her stride, the way her gaze had met his without flinching.
By the time the SUV rolled to a stop at his next meeting—interviewing engineering firms for upcoming infrastructure projects—he had his focus reined back in.Efficiency was his trademark.Every decision needed contingencies, every contingency a backup plan.
Yet even as he evaluated proposals and dissected each presentation with ruthless precision, part of his mind drifted.She’d been in his orbit for less than a minute, but she had shifted something inside him.That was rare.Too rare to ignore.
By the end of the day, Rylan knew two things with absolute certainty: the woman was a mystery he intended to solve, and until he did, she would haunt the edges of his thoughts.
Chapter 4
“Thank you so much, Ms.Jeffries,” Natalie said warmly as she shook the woman’s hand.“I’ll get the supplies ordered immediately and let you know when the work can start.”
She returned to her car, packed her materials inside, and drove off.“Coffee,” she murmured to herself, clinging to the promise of caffeine to fuel her through the three remaining client meetings on her schedule.
The rest of her day would be a whirlwind: initial consultations, follow-ups, and sourcing materials.Initial meetings were always the most demanding, requiring her to be fully “on.”Once designs were approved and contracts signed, she could relax slightly, refining and tailoring them to her clients’ personalities.
In the rare gaps, she’d schedule workers, place orders, and scour warehouses for standout furniture pieces.Evenings were spent at her drawing board, sketching layouts and imagining the little details that made each project feel personal.
But no matter how deliberately she filled her hours, there was one distraction she couldn’t banish.The stranger from the lobby.
Her arms still remembered the firm, steady heat of his hands.Her mind replayed the glint of gold in his eyes—an impossible color that lingered in her thoughts far too long.Whenever his image interrupted her concentration, she scolded herself.She wasn’t dating.She had goals.Big ones.Partner at her design firm before thirty.Two years to make it happen.There was no time for tall, magnetic men with voices that could talk her into anything.
Pulling into the coffee shop lot, she sighed, comforted by the thought of a quiet table and her favorite roast.Life was good.She didn’t need a man—especially not one who probably dated women who considered an apple and an espresso “lunch.”
With coffee in hand, she chose a sunny corner table, setting out her laptop and notes.The warmth of the cup seeped into her hands as she took one last moment before diving into the spreadsheet for her next estimate.
She was mid-sip when she heard it—
“Are you stalking me?”
Her hand froze.She looked up sharply, pulse surging, straight into those same dark eyes flecked with gold.
Her breath caught.“No!Absolutely not!”
He chuckled, low and rich, his amusement lighting his gaze.“Since we seem to frequent the same places, would you mind if I joined you?”He lifted his cup toward the empty chair across from her.
“Of course!”she said—too quickly, too brightly.Heat rose in her cheeks as she gathered her scattered notes, stuffing them and her laptop into her tote.“I’m so sorry.I’m not following you.I’d never stalk anyone!That would be… creepy.Scary!I mean—”
She cut herself off when she noticed the way he was smiling at her—warm, teasing, as though her flustered ramble amused him more than anything she could have planned.
