Skye’s POV
The door swung open all the way and a man stepped out.
He was tall‚ middle-aged‚ wearing a crisp black suit with a white shirt and a thin black tie.
He wasn’t Thorne.
The breath I had been holding for the last thirty seconds came rushing out of me so fast that I almost made a sound.
It wasn’t Thorne.
It was just a driver.
Just a normal‚ professional‚ harmless driver.
Thank God.
Thank God.
Thank God.
The man walked up the short path to our porch and stopped at the bottom of the steps.
He gave a small‚ polite nod and folded his hands in front of him.
“Good evening‚” he said‚ his voice calm and practiced.
“I’m here to pick up Ms.
Moore.”
Mom smiled warmly.
“Oh‚ how nice.
You must be from the company then?”
”Yes‚ ma’am.
My name is Philips.”
”Philips‚” Ethan repeated‚ and the way he said the name made it sound less like a greeting and more like the beginning of an interrogation.
“Philips who?
Who do you work for?”
Philips opened his mouth to respond.
“I drive for—”
”He drives for the company‚ Ethan‚” I said quickly‚ stepping in front of my brother before Philips could finish that sentence.
My heart had started hammering again‚ so loud and so fast that I was sure everyone on this porch could hear it.
“The same company I work for.
They sent him to pick me up for the gala.
That’s it.
That’s the whole story.
Can we please go now because we are already running late.”
His eyes stayed locked on Philips like I hadn’t spoken at all.
“I didn’t ask you‚ Skye‚” he said flatly‚ and then he took another step forward and addressed the driver directly.
“Which company do you drive for?
What’s the name?”
Philips glanced at me briefly‚ and I could see the hesitation on his face.
He was clearly trained to be professional and transparent‚ which meant he was about two seconds away from saying something catastrophic that would blow my entire life apart right here on this porch.
“We are so late‚ Ethan‚” I said again‚ louder this time‚ and I grabbed my brother’s arm and tried to pull his attention away from the driver.
“The gala has already started.
If I show up late on my first work event‚ they’re going to think I’m unprofessional and it’s going to reflect badly on me.
Is that what you want?”
”I want to know who is sending luxury cars to my little sister’s house at night‚ Skye.
I think that’s a reasonable thing for a brother to want to know.”
”And I’ll tell you everything when I get home tonight‚ I promise.
But right now we need to go.”
Philips shifted his weight from one foot to the other‚ clearly uncomfortable with being caught in the middle of a sibling standoff.
He opened his mouth one more time like he was going to try again to answer Ethan’s question.
“Philips‚ could you please open the car door for me?” I said‚ cutting him off before a single word could leave his lips.
“Like I said‚ we’re running very late.”
There was a moment of silence that stretched out way longer than it should have.
Ethan was staring at Philips.
Philips was looking at me.
I was looking at my mother with a desperate expression that I hoped communicated the message “please help me before your son destroys my career on the front porch.”
Mom‚ bless her heart‚ read the room.
She reached out and put her hand on Ethan’s shoulder‚ gently pulling him back.
“Ethan‚ that’s enough‚ sweetheart.
She’s a grown woman going to a work event.
The company sent a driver.
She looks beautiful.
She’s in safe hands.
Let her go.”
”Mom‚ I just want to know—”
”And she said she would tell you when she gets home.
Now come inside and let your sister leave before she really is late.” Mom squeezed his shoulder and gave him that look that only mothers could give‚ a soft yet firm look that said “It was enough.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched.
I could see the muscle twitching with a suspicion that told me this conversation was far from over.
Not even close.
But Mom’s hand on his shoulder and the look on her face was enough to keep him from pushing further tonight.
“Be safe‚” he said to me‚ his voice was tight and controlled like a warning.
“Call me if anything feels off.
I mean it‚ Skye.
Anything.”
”I will‚” I said‚ and I turned and walked down the porch steps before he could change his mind.
Philips met me at the car and reached for the back door.
He pulled it open smoothly and stepped aside‚ and as the door swung wide‚ the soft interior light of the car illuminated the person sitting inside.
Thorne.
He was seated in the far side of the back seat‚ one leg crossed over the other‚ his arm resting along the top of the seat.
His suit was black and perfectly tailored‚ fitting his broad shoulders like it had been sewn directly onto his body.
His dark hair was styled back‚ his jaw was clean and sharp‚ and his eyes were already on me.
Those ice blue eyes moved slowly from my face down to the necklace at my throat‚ down to the way the black dress hugged my waist and hips‚ down to the heels that made my legs look longer than they had any right to look‚ and then back up again.
The entire journey took maybe three seconds‚ but it felt like he had touched every inch of me without lifting a single finger.
I climbed into the car and Philips closed the door behind me.
And I was alone with him.
The car was warm and smelled like him.
My hands were trembling in my lap and I pressed them together to make them stop.
Thorne didn’t speak.
He just sat there in his seat‚ perfectly still‚ his eyes fixed on me with an expression I couldn’t read and an intensity that made the air between us feel electric.
The silence stretched out between us for five seconds.
Ten.
Fifteen.
I opened my mouth to say something‚ anything‚ to break the tension that was pressing against my chest like a physical weight‚ but before I could speak‚ he leaned forward slightly and his eyes moved to the rearview mirror.
“Drive.”