Page 24 of The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain

Plucking a glass of champagne from one of the servers passing by, I made a point to look like I knew where I was going.

The first rule of being at a party alone is to never stay still, so I walked past the pool and the DJ booth and out to the edge of the lawn.

The pounding bass quieted as I reached a set of wooden stairs that led down to the beach below.

I took a moment to watch the edge of the sunset dipping below the horizon, willing some sense of the clarity I’d been hoping this trip would give me. Come on, universe. Give me a sign.

“Train Girl.”

I whipped around to find him—Hot Oxford—somehow standing there, now dressed in a linen suit, his golden hair catching the ocean breeze.

“Train Woman ,” I corrected.

“Train Woman,” he repeated with a smile. “I didn’t expect to see you again. What brings you here?”

“Oh, I come to all of these parties.” I motioned back toward the house with my champagne flute.

“All of Landon’s parties?” He moved to stand beside me and look out toward the water.

“Yeah, Landon and I go way back.”

“Do you?” he said as if he didn’t really believe me, and I wondered if he was about to tell me to pack up my stolen outfit and go. “You do a lot of angel investing, do you?”

“Loads. Cherubim, seraphim, a cupid now and then. If an angel needs investing in, I’m the girl they turn to. Woman, I mean.”

He let out a laugh, and I got the feeling like I’d surprised him. Up close, he was even more gorgeous than I could tell from the glimpses I’d gotten on the train and from across the street in town.

“I’m here with my boss. And you’re here with…?” He let the question trail off and brought the beer he was holding to his lips.

“My friends left to go to another party.” I had to stop myself from reaching toward him and pressing a finger to his dimples.

“And you didn’t want to go with them?” he asked.

“I like the vibe here.” I took another sip of my champagne and frowned when I realized it was finished.

“It’s a good vibe.” He took the glass from my hand. “Do you want to come inside with me to get another glass and say hi to Landon?”

I took a deep breath and let it out in one long exhale, hoping that whatever was buzzing between us would be enough for him to either keep quiet about my gate-crashing or come with me if I got kicked out. “Look, I’m not actually an angel investor. I’m house-sitting next door.”

“You don’t say.” His eyes flicked to the hedge that separated Landon’s property from Amity’s.

“Ah yes, Amity Floyd. We met under”—he paused as if searching for the right words—“ interesting circumstances.” He gave me an appraising look as if deciding how to proceed.

“One of her dogs escaped, and she came over here looking for it while I was in the pool with a friend.” He gave a little cough into his beer. “Without any clothing on.”

“A friend?” I asked.

“I’m very friendly.” Sebastian’s smile was a combination of pure, unadulterated confidence with a dollop of playfulness, and it was melt-your-clothes-off hot.

“I’m sure you are.” A laugh bubbled out of me. “But why would you go skinny-dipping in a pool when the ocean is so close?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Is that a challenge?”

“It’s an observation.” His bright blue eyes met mine, and lust fizzed through me. He must have felt something, too, because his eyes dipped briefly to my lips.

“I’m Sebastian.” His words were quiet, almost whispered, like he was telling me a secret.

My own name came out equally as soft. “Sybil. Sybil Rain.”

“Come to the beach with me, Sybil Rain.”

“Okay.” At that moment, I would have followed him anywhere. He flagged down a server to take our glasses and pulled two more off a passing tray, handing one to me. We walked down the steps into the sand and Sebastian led us past a copse of trees away from the sight line of the party.

I wobbled as I bent down to unbuckle my shoe, and Sebastian’s hands were around my waist in an instant steadying me.

The shock of his touch sent something racing through me, and the crackle from earlier burst into a roar.

The familiar centrifugal force of when I say “yes” to something began to pull at me, and I felt myself barreling toward something inevitable.

Somewhere in my chest, a cog that had been slightly off-kilter settled into place, and the mechanics of my heart that I’d thought rusted beyond repair after my terrible breakup with Liam in college began whirring back to life.

I knew if I stood there, he’d kiss me. But I wasn’t ready.

I wanted to drag this moment out like saltwater taffy.

Shooting him my most incandescent smile, I spun away and waded a few feet into the water, gathering up Amity’s dress in my arms to keep it away from the waves.

It was still pretty early in the summer—the water was bracingly cold but felt so good.

I turned back to see Sebastian’s blue eyes locked on me, bright with intensity.

I was surprised to see he hadn’t bothered to roll up the ankles of his pants.

He was striding toward me in the water, waves lapping at his legs, drenching the linen suit, and in that moment, I was struck with the certainty that we were going to sleep together.

He reached for my hand as he got closer. “You’re very interesting.” His finger started tracing the veins up from my wrist to the crook of my elbow, and I shivered.

“Oh yeah? What’s so interesting about me?” My words came out breathy.

“You just throw yourself into things, don’t you? Consequences be damned.”

I smiled. “These consequences don’t seem too bad, so far. What’s the worst that could happen right now?”

He smiled back. “We could both get our clothing very, very wet.”

“A bit too late for you,” I said.

“You’re being very careful with that dress, though,” he noticed. He traced his hand along the hem, along my thigh, which was now exposed. A thrill went through me, and I had half a mind to throw myself on him right then.

But I kept my cool—for the moment. “It’s not mine,” I said, as much to remind myself as anything else. I could not let my horny personality ruin someone else’s dress that I had no means to replace! At least, not this early in the night…

“An imposter at the party, and not even wearing your own clothes? Who are you, Sybil Rain?”

I laughed. “To be honest, I think I’m still figuring that out.” It was hard to concentrate while Sebastian touched me. “My most promising job prospect right now is a canine-obsessed soap opera star.”

His lips tipped up in a smile, but this time, it wasn’t scorching. It was tentative, but the small break in his confidence made me want him even more. It was like seeing the slightest crack repaired with gold, and I wanted to drag my fingers along those sparkling seams. “We have that in common.”

“We do?” The laughter was gone from my voice, replaced by breathy seriousness.

“I’m not interested in being Landon’s assistant.

I just took the job because of his connections.

” He paused, and his blue eyes met mine with an intensity that rooted me in place.

“I want to travel the world. To work as a photographer. To cover important and beautiful things. Right as they’re happening.

I want to really see the world and be a part of it.

” He said the words quickly, almost like he was embarrassed by them, but each one surged through my body like an electric current.

The whirring in my chest had gone into overdrive, and I worried I might spin apart.

I placed a hand on his chest to keep myself upright, almost dropping the edge of the dress into the splashing waves.

Everything Sebastian wanted was what I wanted: no desk job, no schedule, no limits.

He wanted a life of adventure, and he had a plan. The one thing I lacked.

He pulled his fingers from my skin and curled them around my hands as if he knew the question would require my full attention. “Hey… Could I photograph you?”

“Right now?

“Right now.”

“Okay.” And with that answer, we crashed into inevitability.

In the few moments it took for Sebastian to retrieve his camera from the house, I pulled off the shimmering mesh overlay and threw it on the sand.

I considered keeping the slip on. But I couldn’t risk ruining something of Amity’s so I pulled it over my head too.

To this day, I don’t know why I decided I wanted this near-stranger to photograph me naked, but I guess even then, something about Sebastian made me want to show him everything.

He felt like someone who could handle all of me, just as I was.

“Wow, you look…” Sebastian’s voice came from behind me. “Do you mind if I take a picture of you like this?”

I looked over my shoulder, unhooking my bra and letting it fall to the sand.

“I don’t mind.” I shimmied out of my underwear, tossing them away.

I could hear the soft click of Sebastian’s camera as I waded back into the water.

Being the full focus of someone’s attention was exhilarating and intimate.

It sent tingles across my entire body more intense than his fingers on my skin.

Dipping my head beneath the waves, I didn’t turn to face him until the water reached above my breasts.

He followed me until the water lapped against his waist, taking one last photo.

I’ve seen the photo a hundred times: my hair plastered to my shoulders like a selkie rising from the sea, my eyes wide with lust. He splashed back to the beach to put his camera down, joined me in the water, and we had sex in the ocean.

I thought it was the most romantic night of my life. Even after Sebastian’s boss, Landon, discovered us on the beach, in the middle of round two, and promptly fired Seb from his assistant duties.