the cool evening air bit her skin. She put her arms around herself and stared at the skyline while her mind raced with ideas. The plan was to simply attend, take notes for

ctured glitz and manicured smiles, seemed

ct to walk in, blend in, and suddenly become part of this glittering crowd? Her thoughts darkened

ice broke throug

t like th

ven though he didn't display his typical haughtiness tonight, his pr

d said, "I'm just... thinking." "I s

followed her gaze. Despite her attempts to ignore him, his magnetic presence captured her

None of us truly belong, Isla." "All of us are acting

took Isla by surprise, and she

me, without the shield of social pretence, he turned to fac

hem. Standing on the brink of something neither of them fully understood, they were two indi

ce, she asked, "You think you're in contro

ameron's mouth as his lips twitched at

no different from the others. hiding behind your name, your wealth, and everything.

thing unguarded and raw that flickered within them. The inte

hed against hers. It was quick, almost too quick to react . Her thoughts became confused as her body froze, the shock of it sending a shockw

ce unreadable and his gaze focused on her, looking for

e, rushed through her as she felt the heat of the kiss lingering on her lips. She was breathing heavily as she gazed at

ying anything, her gaze still f

r breath still erratic. The voices and laughter swirled around her in an intolerable blur, and the atmosphere inside the event felt heavier now.

reached her ear before she co

sl

o see Cameron standing far away, watching her go, but he was there, a few paces away, his intense ga

ng. As though they were the only two people in the room, the t

door. Something told her that there was no time to hesitate, even though her heart was pounding in her chest. S

om. The tension that had been building all night f

waiting too long to act on the tension that had been building between them. Isla's mind begged her to pause, reflect, and leave. But he

dy, leaving a trail of heat wherever they touched. The outside world appeared to vanish. All that mattered

ed them to later doubt everything, it was an unfiltered, impetuou

ght up in. Cameron lay next to her, his face unreadable, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhyt

be able to look at Cameron Blackwood the same way again, so she pulled the blanket arou