owed up at her door, Maya

e. No

ghost of his kiss,

the rain, the confession, the way he touched

s cologne on her pillow t

rousl

ad to face the

eet every time she stepped outside, feeling a prickling sensat

told herself i

r phone

wn nu

u should've

chest. She read the message again, willin

was

t deep in

one knew she had met with Nathan Blackwood.

. She was trained to handle threats. She had dealt

felt di

son

few days off, and spent the next hours combing

for her, they couldn

ldn't l

had to be

he thought

Chase Reynolds at m

, the curtains drawn, the lights off. Only th

s - just in case something

click of the lock

d turned

e was

er phone, darted silently to the

Nathan? Someone else from Chase'

o

Ch

eve that. She need

elf against the

board c

os

os

s shook as sh

en

voice call

art st

as

e he was - standing in her living room, drenche

ing here?" she cried, hal

h his hair. "I got a call. They're not just threatening yo

d at him.

was grim. "They'

st the doorframe,

gger than s

exposé or a f

as sur

etween them, gripping her s

anything happen to y

t me from everyon

well try," h

something dangerously close to longing

in this to

y wanted to

its shadows and secre