Knight’s Storm (Sanctuary Falls #1)

Prologue

One Year Ago

“Can I get your phone number?” Nick Storm hadn’t asked for a woman’s number in… He couldn’t even remember. But as he stood there covered in hot coffee, he wasn’t letting this chance go.

The woman, Berkley, smiled up at him, and he didn’t care that moments before she’d spilled coffee on him.

He wasn’t letting on that it burned because it was clear she felt bad enough. And her smile was like the sun coming out.

“Oh my god, of course. But I can just pay you for the dry cleaning now. You don’t have to hunt me down for it, promise.

” She shook her head slightly, her dark hair swishing around her shoulders.

“I seriously can’t believe I did that. I wasn’t paying attention.

Clearly,” she added, with another light laugh.

She was carrying two big bags, one filled with what looked like random fabric and another that was zipped up so he couldn’t see inside.

The front of it said So Many Books, So Little Time.

“So who’s the ‘adorable assface’ you were talking to?” he asked.

“Oh my god, you heard that? It’s my youngest brother. And he is an adorable assface.”

He laughed at her horrified expression, her green eyes wide as she talked about her brother.

“I have a younger sister so I get the frustration.” He cleared his throat.

“Also, I’m asking for your number because I would like to take you out.

On a date.” He wanted that really clear.

“I wasn’t asking because I want you to pay for dry cleaning.

” Or anything else. Because yeah, he needed to get this shirt off as soon as he got out of here.

He probably also needed to put Neosporin or something on his chest too.

“Oh.” Now she blinked up at him, looking unsure.

Maybe he’d misread the vibe between them. Or maybe she wasn’t single. She didn’t have a ring on but that didn’t mean anything. She could be in a committed relationship, or hell, just not into him.

“Okay,” she finally said after what was only a second, but for some reason felt like a season had passed.

He cleared his throat. “It’s okay. I’m not trying to pressure you. We’re good, I promise.”

“No,” she blurted. “It’s not that. I just… You know what, yes, you can have my phone number.” She smiled again in that same warm way as before and he felt it all the way to his core.

He couldn’t ever remember being this affected by a woman, and definitely not someone he’d just met. Something about her smile was infectious though and he found himself wanting to smile right back at her.

“Fair warning, I’ve been out of the game a while and have limited social skills,” she said as she pulled out her phone.

Which made him laugh. “My sister tells me that my social skills suck too, so we’ve already got that in common.”

She laughed a little harder, then rattled off her number. He texted her so she’d have his number and then he lost track of time as they made small talk outside the coffee shop—until she got a phone call and had to leave.

He needed to get to work too, but hadn’t cared about being late for his morning meeting. Because something told him that his life had just changed.

“Nick.”

He glanced over to see Henry Moore walking up to the coffee shop. He shouldn’t be surprised since it was across the street from the hospital. Made sense the surgeon would frequent it. “Hey. How are you?”

“Good. Tired of the cafeteria food so sneaking out for a bit.” His smile was easy, but shifted ever so slightly. “Did I just see you talking to my ex-wife?”

He hadn’t even realized Henry had been married.

Nick had been in the man’s office a couple times for post-op discussions with his sister, but he’d had absolutely nothing personal in there except a few awards and framed pictures of himself accepting said awards.

“I was talking to a woman named Berkley.”

“That’s her. Best and worst years of my life,” he said on a laugh that sounded more strained than anything.

“If she hadn’t cheated on me, I’d have forgiven her for anything.

” Now he shook his head slightly, looking almost defeated.

But then he clapped Nick’s shoulder once and seemed to force a smile.

Something Nick had seen his own mother do time and time again after his dad cheated on her.

“I’ve got to get in there before the line gets too long, but I’ll see you soon. We’ll catch up.”

He nodded and murmured something polite, but that high he’d been feeling cracked and fizzled. Part of him hated that he’d run into Henry, but he’d rather know the truth now than later.

Henry had saved his sister’s life, was one of the best surgeons on the East Coast, had dedicated his life to helping others. And the pain in his voice had been real.

Sighing, he deleted Berkley Knight’s phone number from his cell so he wouldn’t be tempted to reach out to her. He knew what a destructive wake cheaters left and he wanted no part of it.