Page 29

Chapter 14 – Anya

Drew bundled me into his truck. For once, I remembered my own jacket. A good thing, since the wind had picked up. Dinner had been more relaxed than I'd expected. Having Drew in the house and in our tiny kitchen should have made things uncomfortable, but it hadn’t.

Inviting him to join me for a walk had seemed like the friendly thing to do. Especially after he’d cooked us such a nice dinner. And maybe I didn’t want to just disappear into my room.

He’d spent weeks dancing around me. Avoiding me and Vi. And for what? So I could miss him. It made no sense.Imade no sense.

And suddenly, I just didn’t care if there was any logic to it. Maybe it was reckless to want him. To even entertain starting a new relationship when my future was uncertain.

But part of me was dying to kiss him. Feel his scruff beneath my fingers, his soft beard scraping along my neck. Something about Drew had me longing for his touch. Even if he might see too much.

He played a rock station on the radio to fill the silence as we drove out to Lime Kiln, oblivious to the storm building inside me. The state park was the perfect place to watch the sunset. An easy trail led west, weaving through the madrona trees with their red bark and waxy green leaves.

Drew parked, and we strolled through the grass to the trailhead. I huddled into my jacket, glad for its warmth. Wind whipped off the sea, bringing the scent of seaweed and brine with it. Drew kept one palm at my back as we picked our way along the dirt trail toward a small grove of madrona trees with a view of the lighthouse. That one protective gesture only heightened my curiosity. My need.

Waves lapped against the rocks below, a gentle soundtrack for our trek. Sunlight glinted off the bark as we reached the cluster of trees sheltering the picnic tables, making the madrona look like they’d been set afire.

In the distance, Lime Kiln Lighthouse stood proud on the point, limned in orange as the sun sank behind the clouds and islands to the west. Seaweed floated in the cove, and an otter popped its head up before dipping back below the waves.

“Would you like to sit or walk to the lighthouse?” Drew asked.

Did he have any idea what his deep voice did to me? I shivered, fighting back the urge to touch.

“Let’s sit.”

The only break from the wind on the point was the lighthouse itself. Here, we had a bit of cover from the hillside and the trees. I sat with my back to the picnic table, breathing in the salty air. Struggling for control. Drew’s thigh brushed mine as he settled next to me, and I shivered, even that brief contact more stimulation than I’d had in a long time.

Leaving everything behind, learning to exist in survival mode, had cost me more than I realized. Trust had become a luxury, and with it, the small comforts I once took for granted. The quietsolace of a hug. The steady reassurance of a hand grazing mine. Those simple pleasures were stripped away when I walked away from my old life, leaving me starved for connection in ways I hadn’t dared to admit.

Was it Drew I longed for, or simply the warmth of human touch?

With an unintelligible grumble, Drew wrapped an arm around my shoulders, turning to shelter me from the wind with his body.

Him. Definitely, him.

“This okay?”

Heaven. Hell. Nothing so mild asokay, but I nodded.

Waves lapped against the shore, bringing me peace with their ceaseless rhythm. Inevitable and somehow soothing. Drew sighed next to me, the sound of burdens discarded. I snuggled into his shoulder in silent solidarity.

For the moment, I let it be enough.

Life’s problems seemed less cumbersome when you could stare at the sea. Lose yourself. No matter how difficult our individual struggles, life went on. We would too. There was peace that came from watching the sunset here that was unlike anywhere else on earth. Fiery orange turned to purples and pinks as the sun sank beyond the horizon, leaving only the memory of its glow.

Leaning into his strength, I let the natural beauty around us and the shelter of his body soothe the frightened creature I’d become. Burrowing deeper, I sought out his warmth, buoyed by the firm muscle beneath my cheek.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I murmured, unable to tear my gaze away from the last blush on the water.

Drew nuzzled at my temple, dropping a gentle kiss on my forehead. It was so soft, I could have imagined it. But the touch-starved part of my psyche clocked it like parched earth drinking in the first rain.

“Gorgeous.”

Instinct made me look up, catching his stare.

“You’re not looking at the sunset at all,” I chided, uncomfortable with the intensity in his gaze. The hint that I wasn’t alone in my inappropriate thoughts.

“Not when my friend is so fucking beautiful.”