The night sky was a heavy sheet of navy velvet, pinned in place by a moon that shone with the cold, hard brilliance of a gemstone.
Outside, the ocean performed a restless symphony, waves crashing against the shore in time with the salt-kissed summer breeze.
Inside, I was a mess of silk and tangled limbs, rolling from side to side in a bed that offered no sanctuary.
It was nearly dawn.
In a few hours, I had a meeting that required a sharp mind, and my brain always turned to sludge without sleep.
But exhaustion wasn’t the only thief in the room.
*Eduardo.* The name tasted like a curse and a prayer.
Where was he?
I felt like a widow mourning a man who wasn’t even dead—just infuriating.
My life had been orderly, predictable, and remarkably dull until my father hired him.
Why him?
Unless Dad knew I was in danger.
But from what?
The threats only seemed to materialize *after* Eduardo arrived: the stranger at the ball, the whisperings of a scam, Benjamin’s sudden, violent turn.
“God! Nothing makes sense!” I screamed into my pillow, the sound muffled by goose down.
Why the secrets?
Why did Eduardo hold back his intel on Carlos until the trap was already sprung?
He’d played the guards like chess pieces and whisked my horse, Luna, away to a hidden shelter without so much as a ‘by your leave.’ The man who had kept her was strange, the island transfer was a massive risk, and my poor baby had been trembling with stress when we finally retrieved her.
“Eduardo, you meddlesome, insufferable fool!” I yelled at the empty walls, my rage boiling over.
I was mad at his interference, mad that he had laid his heart bare only to snatch it back, and mostly, I was mad at the undeniable magnetism pulling me toward him.
I threw on a robe and marched out into the cooling air.
She was safe, at least.
Then, I turned toward Eduardo’s cabin.
I hammered on the door, but the wood offered no response.
Peering through the windows, I saw nothing but shadows and neatly made corners.
The man was a ghost.
I wandered the grounds, the horizon beginning to bleed into the pale greys of morning.
I didn‘t see the loose stone until my foot slipped.
I braced for the impact of the gravel, but it never came.
Instead, two powerful arms caught me, one hand splayed across my back to steady me.
Eduardo.
He was in his jogging gear, skin slick with sweat, his chest heaving.
“Is everything alright, Ma’am?” he asked, his voice tight.
“Why are you out here at this hour in your nightgown?”
I straightened, stepping out of his heat to put a chilly distance between us.
“You tell me. Where were you? Are you playing the hero again, or just lurking?”
Without a word, he began walking toward his cabin as if I were a piece of the scenery.
“Hey! I asked you a question!” I hurried after him, my slippers clicking on the stones.
“Morning workout, Ma’am,” he tossed back over his shoulder.
“Did you need something?”
“You’ve forgotten who the boss is again,” I snapped.
That stopped him.
He turned on a dime, looming over me with a suddenness that made me stumble.
Once again, he grabbed my arms to keep me upright, his eyes tracking mine.
“I’d never forget my boss,” he said, and then, inexplicably, he gave me a cheeky wink.
“Know your place, Eduardo,” I hissed, though my heart was hammering against my ribs, begging me to lean in.
“Hurry, let’s get to the cabin,” he said, his tone shifting to something more authoritative.
“That outfit isn’t meant for wandering.”
“I can wander around completely naked if I want to.”
His eyes flashed with a sudden, dark fire.
Before I could breathe, he reached down and hoisted me up, his hands firm under my buttocks.
I let out a sharp gasp as he began to stomp toward the cabin, muttering a string of rapid-fire Spanish under his breath.
“Watch your mouth!” I yelled.
“I am your boss! Put me down! That’s an order!”
“It’s cold out here, and my hoodie is too sweaty to give you,” he grunted, his pace never slackening.
“I’m getting you inside before you catch the flu.”
He was so maddeningly protective.
He should have been a doctor; he had the bedside manner of a drill sergeant but the heart of a healer.
“I can walk myself,” I protested weakly.
“Yes, Ma’am,” he mocked, a grin playing on his lips.
“You walk like a heavenly angel floating through the sky, but my giant feet make bigger steps.”
I couldn‘t help a small giggle.
“You don’t just have big feet; you have a big head to match.”
“I wish you could see the size of my heart, too,” he whispered, the humor vanishing.
“Don‘t start,” I said, trying to regain my footing in the conversation.
“You’re the one who couldn’t handle the tension of a one-night affair.”
“If it were just a one-night affair, believe me, I wouldn’t give a damn.”
“I didn‘t come out here to talk about your feelings, Eduardo.”
He didn’t answer, his breath coming in ragged bursts now.
He was carrying me with one arm, his muscles taut from the morning run and the added weight.
“Eduardo, put me down. You can’t even breathe.”
“I’m fine,” he clipped out.
“Don‘t worry about me.”
“Worrying? Don’t flatter yourself,” I lied, my voice trembling.
“If you fall, I fall. That’s my only concern.”
He stopped at the door and looked down at me, his eyes dark and searching.
“I‘ve already fallen,” he murmured, his face inches from mine.
“Haven’t you?”