Chapter 1
His dark presence drew me in hard and made my head spin.
It also gave me comfort. The ghosts of men had never scared me. I spent most of my life walking among them. My late father, his brother, their father. Even my mother had left me.
But my perfect stranger, he was alive and breathing and standing right in front of me. Only a narrow street separated us.
For a minute, when his intense stare caught mine, we became more than just two living souls at the same small-town parade. We were one painful, beautiful burning connection.
Neither of us looked away.
I forced out an exhale and took in every detail. His height, the width of his broad shoulders, his cut biceps, the thickness of his dark blond hair, his well-defined jawline.
The word magnificent was all I could hear in my head.
When he raised his right arm, the sleeve on his faded indigo t-shirt pulled a little higher, exposing the bottom part of a tattoo on his shoulder. I immediately wanted to see all of it.
I wanted to touch it.
The high school marching band brought the procession to an end, and people moved on from the curbs, filling the street and the sidewalks.
My best friend Jessica and I waited. She let down her pretty red hair and lifted her face to the late morning sun, and I just stared at him, the man who commanded my attention.
I was stuck in the moment with him, in something undefined that belonged only to us. His fierceness broke into my soul and made me want and yearn.
He lowered his eyes to my lips for a second, and a smirk pulled at one corner of his mouth like he’d won something. No, like he’d taken something.
My heart pounded faster and harder.
The idea he could take what he wanted from me drove a sensual shiver along my spine. And another unexpected idea hit me. I could affect his thoughts, and I had.
I smiled, keeping my eyes on his.
Jess put her hand on my arm.
“Hey, who’s the guy? And why are you staring at each other like that?” she asked.
“Like what?”
“You know, like you’re about to get a room.”
I gasped, turned to look at her.
“I don’t even know him.”
“Hmm.”
“What? I don’t. But I wonder if he’s the one who followed me home last night.”
“Wait…Ellie, you were followed again? Maybe it’s time we do something about that.”
“What if I’m wrong? Gran said someone finally rented the vacant house down the block. What if he’s literally just going home and not following me?”
When I looked across the street again, he was gone.
“We could still file a police report, then it’s on record just in case,” Jess said.
I gave her a gentle elbow in her ribs and grinned.
“God, make up your mind. You told me last night to let new people into my life.”
She laughed.
“Well, I didn’t mean some creeper. It’s good to see you opening up more, but don’t take the issue so lightly, Ells. If you think someone is following you again, promise you’ll tell me.”
“I will. I promise.”
Maybe it’s really all in my head anyway.
After all, Stonington was a summer destination.
People were everywhere.
Vacationers loved the historic authenticity, and it offered the best part of the coastline. Tourists filled the shops and the waterfront parks. Longshoremen came to work for the commercial fishing fleet.
My quaint little hometown always posed picture perfect, creating a beautiful backdrop for all the seasonal visitors.
But most of them didn’t realize that when the sun went down, the quiet darkness revealed secrets. Mists often rolled in off the Atlantic, helping to set the stage for drug addiction and crime. And that tragic shitty corruption hit close to home for us…
Jess’s brother had died from an opioid overdose.
“Hey, I’m heading to the art studio now, Jess. Catch up with you later?”
She shut her eyes and lifted her face to the sun again.
“Yeah, see you later for dinner. And many drinks. Have fun with your day-camp kiddos.”
After cleaning up the kids’ paints and brushes, I sent my sister a text message, letting her know I had plans with Jess.
Isabel replied immediately.
You should be having dinner with the man who wants to marry you.
You marry him. I won’t be out too late.
She and our grandmother pushed and pushed for me to get back together with my ex-boyfriend.
Josh Mendes and I had dated for a few years, but we just never got it right. I wanted to love him. He was a good man, a lieutenant with the local police department, but he wasn’t the one for me.
My heart craved the insane collision of emotional and physical bliss that just never happened for us.
My sister and my gran were all I’d ever had, and I knew they meant well. Still, I was almost twenty-four years old and capable of shaping my own future.
Thank you very much.
Glancing at the time, I realized I had an hour to kill before dinner. I locked up the studio and walked to the commercial fishing pier. I often hung out there and sketched the boats, sometimes the people. I sat down on a weathered bench and gazed out over the harbor.
The smell of brine, discarded fish scraps, and sunscreen drifted in on the breeze and back out as the pier’s old bell rang out.
Neptunewas coming in.
When I spotted her, the sunshine bounced off her green paint, and she sparkled like a giant emerald on the water. Not sure why, but I loved that old fishing boat.
While keeping my eyes on the boat, my brain’s interpretation flowed directly to my hand. As my pencil’s charcoal strokes covered the paper, I lost the time. But at some point, her deck crew shouted at the shoremen to catch the lines.
Another male voice came from close behind me, so close, making my shoulders jerk.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said.
I got up from the bench, spun around, and blinked up at the very tall man looming over me.
“I didn’t mean to startle you.”
His tone was as deep as thunder, and he had a polished British accent. When he offered me his hand, a rich masculine scent rolled down his arm.
But I didn’t shake his hand. I got too caught up in the fiery detail in his blue eyes. I’d never seen eyes like his so closely before. Finally, I remembered to say something.
“Hi, it’s you. I mean from the parade earlier. You were staring at me.”
He nodded and pushed his hand closer.
“I’m Will Hastings. You looked rather curious yourself.”
His commanding presence surrounded me. He was power…he was fire. One side of his mouth curved into a seductive little smile as he took my hand.
I bit my bottom lip.
“I’m Ellie James.”
He held my fingers while staring at my eyes, my lips, my body, making my cheeks burn.
“Christ, you’re quite fucking lovely.”
His choice of words, the accent, the gravelly texture layered in his voice, it all captivated me. And then he grinned while kissing the back of my hand, leaving me speechless.
“I should go for now, but I’ll see you again, Ellie.”
My pulse raced. Sweat dampened the back of my neck.
Say something to him, you idiot.
“Will, wait a minute,” I blurted.
But he didn’t wait. He walked away, looking back over his shoulder for just a second.
“I’ll find you again. Quite soon,” he said.
God, the way he moved, the slight swing of his powerful arms, that smirk, his confidence, his authority. All of it stirred up something deep inside me.
My breath caught, and fear flashed through me…
The kind of fear only a beautiful predator could make you feel. Those captivating beasts who could draw us in and make us want to get closer.
I knew better. I knew this man could destroy me.
Still, I chose to find a way to get closer.