ting light. Her phone vibrated again-a new message. No name.

had washed the city clean, leaving the

er arm, grounding herself in the warmth of her skin. It wasn't fear she fe

t she hadn't told yet. Her leather pants moved with her stride, every step a qu

was walking toward trut

rs tightening around the strap. Her heartbeat set the pace-fast,

den between two shuttered shops. A flicker

ds in his pockets. A dark shirt clinging to a frame built for temptat

and deliberate-trou

before she saw him-smooth as

im light catching on dark hair and s

id, moving close

cologne with something untamed bene

who sent the message," she

some people study art-intent on every line. "I'm the man who knows exactly what's been happen

rned cold. "Wh

carried warmth she didn't tru

. "Then why a

smile that eased nerves. It was the k

Something in the way he said it-confident,

. She felt it trace her-a touch that never quite landed. Over her face a

Chris?" sh

ou." He leaned in, his voice falling to a whisper. "I'm here because you're st

n them felt smaller than it should ha

toward the dim interior of the café.

. Then, drawn by equal parts fea

e was lit-a single lamp throwing gold over polished wood

toward a c

tious, every

ake this simple," he said. "Chris isn't who you think he is. An

eaning in-part threat, part gravity. Eve

voice was velvet dragged over steel. "And wha

to meet his eyes.

u a choice." He hesitated, studying her face as if memorizing it. "Meet me again, an

posure like a hand at her back. "

you realize it or not, you're already c

t enough for her to feel his warmth. "An

moved. The space between them vib

rd across the table. Midnig

buzzed in her bag-a single new messa

ed, quiet and knowing. "That," he sa

he rain, leaving the faint

. Her mind tangled between fear and fascination. Someth

e said no. But