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“Eve,” she replies.

“Let me get you another drink, Eve,” I say, my voice dropping lower.There’s no rush to my tone, no urgency.Just a calm, deliberate invitation.“It’s the least I can do.”

She doesn’t respond immediately, but her body betrays her silence as her nipples pebble under the thin fabric of her bikini.I catch the subtle hitch in her breath.It’s faint, barely there, but I see it.Her eyes never leave mine, though, steady and defiant, even as I sense the tension rolling off her in waves.

“You’re far from home,” I add, my tone softer though no less deliberate.

“So are you,” she counters, her pulse fluttering at her neck, a subtle but telling sign.

Her gaze doesn’t falter even as the tension crackles between us, an invisible thread pulling tighter with every second.

“Am I?”My voice is laced with challenge.

Her lips press together, but there’s a flicker of amusement in her eyes now, almost as if she enjoys this verbal sparring.

The faint scent of her perfume drifts toward me, soft and floral with an edge of something sharper.It suits her.Confident.Intriguing.The kind of scent that lingers, refusing to be forgotten.

“Come on,” I say, motioning for her to follow.“Let’s fix this mess.”

She doesn’t move immediately, her gaze holding mine for a long moment.Then, without a word, she steps forward, her chin lifted in quiet defiance as she falls into step beside me.

The night stretches out ahead of us as the music from the party begins to fade into the background.Whatever business brought me here feels a million miles away now.Because I already know this woman isn’t just another passing stranger.

She’s something else entirely.

Aoife

What the hellam I thinking following this man away from the safety of the crowd?Danger oozes from him, yet I continue walking.The music and the noise of the party fade into the distance, replaced by the rhythmic sound of the waves lapping against the shore.The only light is from the moon shining overhead, casting silvery shadows that stretch across the path.

“Where are you staying?”he asks, his voice low, breaking the silence.

I hesitate for a moment before gesturing ahead.“In a private villa,” I say, my tone clipped, as if that will somehow mask the fact that my pulse is racing.

“Of course you are,” he murmurs, a hint of amusement in his voice.

We walk side by side, the tension between us palpable.Every step closer to the villa feels like a step away from reason.My body hums with awareness, my skin prickling under his steady gaze.

When we reach the villa, he stops just outside the door, turning to face me.“Your key card?”

I narrow my eyes, gripping the slim card tighter in my hand.“Why should I give it to you?”

The corner of his mouth curves into a slow, wolfish grin.“Because, love, if I were the big bad wolf, I wouldn’t be asking.I’d already have eaten you.”

The audacity of his response sends a shiver down my spine.Against every ounce of common sense I have left, I hand over the card, my fingers brushing his for the briefest moment.

He slides it into the slot, the electronic lock clicking open with a soft beep.He doesn’t step in right away.Instead, he holds the door open, tilting his head slightly as he looks at me.“After you.”

I step inside, and the awareness of his presence steals my breath.The villa is quiet.The soft glow of the moon filters in through the sheer curtains, casting the room in muted silver tones.

The moment the door shuts behind him, the air shifts.

It’s not just tension anymore—it’s a storm, crackling with heat and intensity.Building with every shared glance, every unspoken word.

What the hell am I doing?The question flashes through my mind again, but it’s drowned out by the pounding of my heart.My body responds to him in ways I can’t control.The magnetic pull between us is impossible to resist.

He steps closer, his presence overwhelming, and I feel the heat of his body even before his fingers brush a stray strand of hair from my cheek.

“Careful, Eve,” he murmurs, his voice a rasp that seems to ignite something deep inside me.“You don’t want to get burned.”