She heads back to the counter, and I try to ignore the thud of my heart as I take a sip from my mug.
So what if she noticed how I take my coffee?
It doesn’t mean anything, but it still fills me with warmth to know that she was paying attention.
I eat my breakfast, too focused on Willa to really taste it. Occasionally, she’ll meet my gaze and shoot me a quick smile, and my stomach will jolt so violently that I have to stop eating.
I’m so fucking tired of having to restrain myself.
All I want to do is lift Willa into my arms and take her away from here. Out of this diner, out of this town and back to my cabin in the woods where I can take care of her. I want to tell her she’s mine. That I felt it the moment I saw her, and that I’m going to protect her. I want to tell her the truth about my bid—that it was me—and that I’ll never let another man put his hands on her.
That I’ll kill any man who tries.
Instinctively, I grab my phone and refresh First Encounters. My $100,000 is still the top bid. I’m winning this damn auction one way or another, which means Willa will find out the truthsoon enough. Once the auction ends tonight, I’ll have to come clean. My bid will no longer be anonymous.
She’ll know her boss bid six figures on her virginity.
And she might hate me for it.
7
WILLA
I didn’t thinkI’d be able to get through today. When I finished my shift at Fireside Lodge and got in my car, I couldn’t move. I just sat there, overwhelmed by everything—the bone-crushing tiredness, the auction, my mom. I arrived at Creekside Diner ten minutes late, feeling like a zombie, about to collapse.
And then I looked up and saw Flint.
He was sitting in a booth in his green flannel shirt, his broad shoulders taking up all the space. Those gray eyes were trained on me, and suddenly, I felt wide awake. Being near him gave me a burst of courage, a shot of adrenaline to the heart that carried me through the rest of my shift, even after he’d gone.
I try to cling to that feeling as I sit on the couch in my apartment hours later. It’s nearly nine o’clock, and First Encounters is open on my phone, the screen casting a pale glow in the darkness of my living room. A timer has appeared beneath my listing, ticking down the final few seconds, and a green banner pops up next to it:Last chance to bid!
I watch, holding my breath.
Then, just like that, it’s over.
This auction is now closed.
My muscles go slack. The $100,000 won, of course. It blew every other bid out of the water, and I still can’t wrap my head around the number. The bidder has done their part, and if I want that $100,000, I have to do mine.
I know what happens next—I’ve done my research. Soon, I’ll receive a message with a date, time, and address, all chosen by the bidder. They could be from anywhere, but my travel expenses will be paid. I’ll have to skip work. Pretend I’m sick. Then hop on a flight to somewhere in the world and give the bidder what they paid for.
I try to breathe through the nausea rising in my gut. I need to focus on the money—all the problems it will solve. I try to imagine a life without debt, a life where I can sleep. A life that doesn’t feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff about to fall off. A life where I can finally breathe.
The thoughts should calm me—help me remember why I’m doing this.
But nothing can calm the fear churning in my gut
“One night,” I whisper. “Just one night.”
I can close my eyes and pretend I’m somewhere else.
Pretend I’mwithsomeone else.
Flint instantly appears in my mind’s eye. I picture him in our sunlit office with a cup of coffee in his hand, leaning back in his chair as he looks at me. I wish I was there right now—with him. I wish this would all go away.
My phone buzzes, yanking me from my thoughts. It’s a text from First Encounters. I wasn’t expecting it to arrive so fast, and I stare at the notification, feeling like I might throw up. I’m about to find out where I have to go and when.
I take several tries to open the message because my hands are shaking so much.
