Finally, the veil parted at his words, and her silhouette…moved.
She danced, her arms strumming the air above her, playing the swirling haze like a harp.
The captivating motion of her arms didn’t compare to the luscious, sensual movements of her hips. Desire became flesh and twisted, thrust, and undulated its way into his blood.
From the distant echoes of this erotic world, a slow and stirring beat teased him. She moved her arms, head, and body—not in response to the beat, but as part of it. His breath quickened. She molded the mist around her into a haven of deep and aching desires…alive and real.
The tempo quickened and she followed it, enticing him even as his chest ached from the pounding of his heart.
He didn’t want this dream to end. He had to—needed to—know her, this woman behind the veil, this woman who’d drawn him from real life and made him ache for a living dream.
As suddenly as it began, the beat faded and the silhouette withdrew into the swirling gray.
“No, come back!” he bellowed, anger twisting with despair as he struggled to escape where once he’d been happily shackled. But he couldn’t move, no matter how he tried or how his muscles strained.
As if to toss him a thin safety line in a sea of anguish, the woman in the smoke and mist turned, casting him a sultry look, and then disappeared. Those jade eyes were gone, snatched from his sight, like precious gems stolen by merciless traitors.
He awoke with a gasp and then let out a strangled shout, his chest heaving as though he’d just surfaced from a near drowning. He pushed up from the bed and turned to squint at the golden morning sun as it spilled across the horizon. The fire smoldered in the hearth, the brandy glass still sat on the table; nothing had changed—except him.
He would never be the same again; from that night on, whenever he closed his eyes, the memory of a green-eyed seductress would tempt his soul.
Chapter One
March 28, 2025
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
“Hallelujah,” Haven Edwards exclaimed as she shimmied in the elevator, her well-practiced movements smooth and masterful despite the confined space. “It's been five long years, Elleane. I am ready for it all to be over.”
The elevator dinged its arrival on the ground floor of the law offices of Pearce & Associates.
Over the phone, her friend replied, “I can totally understand that.” Elleane's voice was sympathetic. She’d been the one there with Haven—providing the José Cuervo and Hershey’s—through all the shitty ups and downs during her marriage.
“The divorce shouldn't have taken this long, and if I hadn't met that loser, I never would have been burdened with his soul-sucking gambling debts.”
That loser being Haven’s now ex-husband Elgin, a piece of shit with a killer smile, slick moves, and all the fake charm of a used car salesman with a wife, a side piece, and unpaid child support.
Elleane laughed, then remarked, “Yeah, but if you hadn't met that douche and gone broke supporting his bad habits you never would have met me.”
Humming, Haven replied, “That's true. Whether it’s a good thing is debatable.” She infused her voice with a smile.
“Bitch.” Elleane's tone reminded Haven of the mewl of a de-clawed octogenarian house cat rather than the growling of an attacking cougar. “Besides, Delicious wouldn’t be the same without your splendid assets shaking on stage five nights a week.”
“Well, you’re damn right about that.” Haven laughed. “Theseassetshave certainly made things easier. Sure as hell wouldn’t have been able to pay off Elgin’s debts without them. Speaking of which, I just got the official divorce documentation—I am a free woman! Can you believe it?”
“Haven, honey, you deserve freedom. You've been drowning under Elgin and his shit for five years. Take a break. See the sights. Get laid. Hell, you're twenty-five, gorgeous, smart, and sexy. You’re free! Live a little.”
She smiled at her friend’s rant.
“Elleane, you are preaching to the choir here. Anyway, I need to get going so I can get my workout in before tonight’s festivities. Wait, have you figured out where you’re taking me?”
After years of sacrifice, heartbreak, betrayal, and breaking her back for a man who didn’t deserve it, she needed a night out to celebrate.
“Not quite yet,” Elleane answered, sounding distracted. Though the woman had no idea where they were going, she was still probably picking her outfit for the night—she was overprepared like that.
“Well, you’d better get to it,” Haven commanded with a grin.
“Aye, aye, Cap’n.”
