I didn’t bother watching her go.
Instead, I stood there, staring down at the cliff face. The sunlight hit the waves hard, scattering diamonds across the surface while the scent of salt wafted up. It usually grounded me, but today, it made the noise in my head louder.
I breathed in the heavy heat when Amir cleared his throat behind me.
I turned to find him grinning.
“Going back to the beach or inside?” he asked.
My gaze darted to where the cove was just out of sight, swallowed by the cliffs and sea haze. I’d be able to see her from my office window, but I didn’t need to have her within my sight to conjure her image in my mind. I could still see her sitting there beneath thatumbrella, a faint smile on her lips, looking around like she belonged in a place she wasn’t supposed to be.
And though I wouldn’t admit it, part of me hoped she’d be back tomorrow.
I shook my head and turned to climb the stone steps.
“I have work to do.” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “Keep an eye on our guest, will you, Amir?”
“But you?—”
“I’ll be inside.”
Chapter 8
Sophie
Iwasn’t a woman who got distracted easily.
I’d delivered twins during a power outage, performing a C-section while the anesthesiologist sang Taylor Swift lyrics and the father-to-be filmed.
But none of that prepared me for my attraction to this man.
“Kian Cortes,” I whispered, tasting his name on my lips.
He’d left the beach, but I could have sworn on my life that his eyes remained on me.
I glanced around one last time, scanning the shoreline, but the beach remained empty. The sea glittered beneath the sun like scattered glass, stretching endlessly beyond the curve of yellow sand. Waves whispered as they slid in and out, their soft rhythm the only sound keeping me company.
Kian was still nowhere to be seen.
So, with a quiet sigh, I let my gaze fall back to my book, willing the words to pull me under and distract me from this restlessness.
I tried to focus on the sentences in front of me, talking about unrequited love and Italian vineyards, but I ended up rereading the same page five times.
Frustrated with myself, I snapped the book shut.
I’d survived overnight shifts, crying patients, and hospital cafeteria food, but apparently, one annoyingly handsome silver fox with a suspiciously calm demeanor was my undoing.
As if summoned by my thoughts, he reappeared on the other end of the beach a few hours later. Or the sun was getting to me.
I closed my eyes, then opened them again.
He was still walking toward me, a small figure in the distance, so I pretended not to recognize him and adjusted my sunglasses. I lowered my eyes to my book, feigning interest. I even turned a page I hadn’t read.
But the whole time, I felt his eyes on me.
Holy shit, are you supposed to feel someone’s eyes on you so intently?
My heart hammered against my ribs. My breaths were shallow. It made no scientific sense.
