Chapter 13
Through the window, he watched her, his beloved Imogen, her evening unfolding like a private performance meant solely for him.
He had followed the rhythm of her day, studied the minutiae of her solitude as she carefully packed boxes.
He watched in admiration as Imogen Bly took a stroll, fitted in dark pants and a sweater showcasing her midriff.
The authority in her gait thrilled and consumed him; the soft curl in her long hair, flowing behind her with the subtle blow of wind.
When she descended the Holloways’ lakefront staircase, clopping down the worn wooden steps, the man momentarily departed his post at the window to breathe the same air she did—cold, pine-needled—as he concealed himself behind the trunk of a western hemlock, standing on jagged rocks to gain full access to the scene.
Who was with her? Who had dared to accompany her?
The Holloway boy…
The realization twisted his intestines. It ignited a steady fire, crawling up his chest, coiling in his veins. He attempted to fathom a rational reasoning for their lone adventure. But he couldn’t produce a scheme that didn’t involve something… romantic.
The trees obscured his view as they pushed off the dock. He followed, jogging back up the hillside, back to the window. His face pressed against the cold glass, heart hammering as they rowed, stopped, and then… embraced.
In an instant, a rush of indignation washed over him—jaw tensing at the sight of her with another man.
Her head rested against Rory’s chest, her back pressed against his groin.
The man’s eyes stung; his earlobes grew hot to the touch.
But this anger paled in comparison to the utter fury that crossed him when he watched Rory kiss her.
He even rubbed his eyes, desperate to ensure he hadn’t imagined it.
Even from behind the glass, he saw every caress of the face. Every brush of the lips.
He couldn’t watch. Not for another second.
The betrayal was too great. Not just at Rory Holloway for taking what’s his, at her for wanting someone else.
But at the same time, at his own failure to intervene, to possess, to reclaim what was his first. Two days she’d been back in Lake Blair.
Two days of waiting, watching, planning.
Her departure could be imminent. Yet his fixed observations of her haven’t brought them closer to reuniting. And now a barrier had risen where none should exist.
He must correct it at once.