Chapter 8

The fire had burned down to a bed of glowing embers, pulsing like a slow, dying heartbeat against the dark sand. The air was thick with the scent of salt spray, woodsmoke, and the lingering sweetness of spilled wine. Around us, the party was dissolving into the night, voices growing quieter, laughter softer, as couples began to break away from the main circle. I sat on a large, smooth piece of driftwood, my knees drawn up to my chest, watching the flames dance. My skin was still warm from the heat, my hair a tangled mess of wind and sand, but my mind was entirely focused on the man sitting just inches away from me. Elias. He hadn’t moved in the last twenty minutes. He had been watching me, his gaze heavy and dark, stripping away the layers of social pretense until all that remained was the raw, pulsing truth between us. When he finally spoke, his voice was a low rumble that I felt in my chest rather than heard with my ears. "Time to go, baby girl." The words hit me with the force of a physical touch. *Time to go.* To the real world. To the office,