Before disappearing down the slope, he turns back. Even across the distance, I feel the weight of his stare, the promise in it.
Then he’s gone.
I stand there longer than I should, rain soaking through my clothes, trying to process what just happened. My fingers touch my lips; lips that had been a breath away from his. Why is my heart still beating so rapidly? I’m already wondering when I’ll see him again.
Hours later,after a hot shower that did nothing to wash away the memory of his touch, I sit at the kitchen table while Martha, the housekeeper whom Derek employs to look after the place permanently, cooks dinner. I told her I could handle it, but she insisted on staying to make a home-cooked meal. The smell of her famous pot roast fills the kitchen, but I can barely focus on it. All I can think about is the ghost of a stranger’s breath against my mouth, the way his fingers had felt against my waist.
“You must be half-starved,” she fusses, ladling gravy over my plate. “Running around in the rain like that. You could catch your death.”
“I met the neighbor,” I say, picking up my fork with fingers that still feel unsteady. “Tall guy, dark hair. Intimidating.”
Martha freezes, serving spoon hovering midair. “You met Hunter Reed?”
The name registers immediately. Everyone knows Hunter Reed, tech billionaire, notorious recluse, rumored to be as ruthless as he is brilliant. My fork clatters against the plate.
“That was Hunter Reed?”
“Must be. He bought the Jenkins estate last year.”
“Hunter Reed,” I repeat, turning the name over in my mind. The image floods back with startling clarity. I can see him standing in the rain, water sliding down his face, those gray-blue eyes fixed on mine. His mouth hovering over mine, the restraint in every trembling muscle. The way he’d looked at me like he wanted to devour me.
Martha nods, setting down a basket of fresh rolls. “He doesn’t come here often. Keeps to himself when he does.”
“What do you know about him?” I try to keep my voice casual, but something in Martha’s expression tells me I’m failing. My cheeks flush hot at the memory of his hands on me.
“Not much,” she says, though her tone suggests otherwise. “Your stepfather deals with him occasionally. Business matters.” She hesitates, then adds with a knowing look, “He’s not married or engaged, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Heat flushes my cheeks darker. “I wasn’t?—”
Martha’s knowing smile stops my protest. “He lives primarily in the city. Has a fancy penthouse downtown, same neighborhood as your father’s place. This is just his getaway.”
I take a bite of pot roast to hide my embarrassment, but I can’t taste it. Since our encounter, Hunter’s face keeps appearing in my mind. His rain-slicked hair, the commanding presence he had, the way he’d pulled me back from the edge without hesitation. The way he’d almost kissed me, that torturous breath of space between our lips. There was something magnetic about him that I can’t shake. Something dangerous.
“He thought I was going to jump,” I murmur, more to myself than Martha.
“Were you?” Martha’s voice is gentle, concerned.
“No.” I look up sharply. “I was just... trying to understand.”
Martha’s hand covers mine briefly. “Some things can’t be understood, dear. Only accepted.”
I nod, but my thoughts have already drifted back to Hunter Reed. The way he’d said,Understanding why someone leaves isn’t the same as following them.Like he’d somehow seen straight through me. The way his thumb had traced circles against my hip. The dark promise in his eyes.
“He seemed... intense,” I say, attempting nonchalance and failing miserably.
Martha chuckles. “That’s putting it mildly. The man has built an empire from nothing. They say he’s brilliant but ruthless.” She refills my water glass. “Not someone to trifle with.”
I should be repelled by that description. Instead, all I can think about is how his lips had felt ghosting against mine, how badly I’d wanted him to close that final distance. How badly I still want it.
Like a moth to a dangerous flame.
And I’ve never been good at staying away from things that might burn me.
2
AURORA
After my encounter with Hunter Reed at the cliff house, I spent two more days there before heading back to New York. The Harrison estate looms before me as my taxi pulls through the wrought iron gates. It looks the same with its imposing stone façade and manicured gardens.
