Chapter One
Louisa
The ocean was rough this morning. The storm clouds out at sea caused the waves to churn in a way I found unsettling. I was far enough away to be safe, but it made me nervous when the ocean was like this. Still, I loved being out here first thing in the morning, watching the sun rise over the shore. The skyscrapers of downtown Wayborough Shores, California, sparkled in the distance like something out of a fantasy film.
This city on the Northern California coastline had been my home for many years now, and this was something I did every morning. I had done it for longer than I could remember, it was ingrained in me. I felt off-kilter if a morning went by without going to the beach, which wasn’t far from my apartment.
Digging my toes into the sand, I watched a lone surfer sitting on his board, waiting for the next swell. He was always here. The ocean called to him, drawing him to it like a siren.
As a wave formed behind him, he pushed his dark, scruffy, shoulder-length hair out of his face, then he was followed by the swell of the ocean. My breath caught in the back of my throat when he rode the wave back to shore.
He jumped off his board while grinning like an excited kid.
It looked like he got a kick out of this, and my body responded similarly when he grabbed the string attached to the zipper of his wetsuit and pulled it down.
I looked at my watch and realized he must’ve been out here early if he was already finishing up.
My pulse quickened when my eyes traveled up his lean, muscular body, stopping at his washboard abs as his wetsuit rolled to his waist. When he picked up his board, I quickly averted my gaze to the origami boat in my hand. It was folded to perfection, made of navy-blue craft paper, strong and sturdy.
It had been a year since I had last made one, but I hadn’t forgotten how.
I’d never forget.
During another sneaky glance, I found the surfer looking at me. I turned away, but I wasn’t quick enough.
“Hi.”
I drew in a slow, shaky breath. After breathing it out, I spun back to him with my eyes wide. Caught red-handed, I thought as I muttered, “Hello.”
His gaze roamed over my face, then his eyes narrowed with concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yep.” I fell silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say. I hadn’t meant to strike up a conversation with this mysterious man. Nonetheless, I felt compelled to talk to him since he had gone out of his way to approach me. “It looks like you had a good time out there.”
He grinned. It was a smile that could melt any woman’s heart. Probably a few men too. “I always do.”
Feeling hot, I shifted my focus to the water. “It’s rough out there today.”
He half shrugged. “The waves are the best when it’s a little rough.”
“Aren’t you worried you’ll get hurt?” I asked after returning my eyes to his.
He smiled again, adding to the unease swirling in my stomach. “That’s part of the thrill.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Would it be so thrilling if something happened to you?
Feeling the tension coming off me, he indicated to my hand. “What have you got there?”
I reluctantly held up the boat, holding it firm to make sure the wind didn’t catch it. “It’s an origami boat.”
“Did you make that?” He sounded impressed.
His pride made my nod not so dismissive. “Yeah.”
As I set the boat back in my palm, he joined me in the dunes. When his fingers brushed the top of the boat, his fingertips made contact with my hand. A spark zapped through me.
“It’s a pretty little thing,” he murmured, his voice indicating that he spotted my body’s response to his touch.
My mouth fell open as his bright gray eyes held my gaze, making me suspicious over whether he was still talking about the boat.
“Whoa!”
Startled by his shout, I pulled back from him. “What?”
“Your eyes. They’re mesmerizing.”
“Oh.” I involuntarily blinked.
My eyes were a point of conversation for a lot of people.
“They’re so green and blue and… wow.”
“Teal, if you want to get technical.” I pushed a wayward strand of my thick, blonde hair behind my ear as shyness overcame me.
His lips quirked at one side. “And an accent. Are you an Aussie?”
My smile matched his. “Good guess.”
“Welcome to America,” he said with a playful wink.
With a laugh, I replied, “Thanks, but I’ve been here for a while now.”
“I’ve noticed.” When my jaw dropped, he laughed at my gasping expression before introducing himself. “I’m Royce, by the way.”
“Louisa.”
His knee-jerking smile was back. “Great to meet you, Louisa.”
“Likewise,” I replied, trying to remain unaffected by his smoldering smirk.
He held my gaze for a few more moments before he turned to face the ocean. “I’ve seen you down here a lot, but I’ve never seen you in the water.”
“Oh.” I took a couple of steps backward, suddenly feeling less friendly. “Yeah, I… umm… I don’t do that.”
Royce shifted back on his feet to face me. “Why not?”
I gulped. The pain in my chest was brutal. As my hand gripped the hem of my white, knee-length beach dress, I sucked in a nerve-eradicating breath. When my endeavor to calm down failed, instead of offering him an answer, I walked across the sand and placed the boat in the water, setting it free.
My heart thudded as it bounced over the waves. As it was swallowed up by the ocean, I took a few steps back from the water threatening to touch my feet.
I jumped out of my skin when Royce mumbled at my side, “See ya, little boat.” I was so caught up in my grief, I forgot he was there.
After snapping myself out of my haze, I said, “I-I should get going, or I’ll be late for work.”
“Okay.” He studied me intently, cautious he did something wrong. “It was nice to meet you, Louisa. I hope you have a great day at work.”
Even in the throes of grief, his kindness garnered a smile from me. “Thanks. I’ll see you later,” I pushed out before racing for freedom.
“Tomorrow,” he shouted loud enough for everyone on the beach to hear.
I bit my lip, hopeful it would push back my growing smile, but I didn’t dare look back at him no matter how much I wanted to.
* * *
As I stood in front of the full-length, oval mirror in my bedroom to change into my work pants and blouse, I cursed myself to hell. I couldn’t believe I had flirted with a surfer on today of all days. What was I thinking? The act was such a betrayal.
My heart pained when I glanced at my dresser. While staring at a silver photo frame, I twisted the two rings on the middle finger of my left hand. Nestled behind the dust-free glass was a photograph of Alex and me. It was taken at the Grand Canyon on our second wedding anniversary.
My sweet Alex, who carries my soul even with him shattering my heart into a million pieces every single day. What would he think of me lusting after the surfer?
After slipping into sensible closed-toe shoes, I dashed to the doorway, scooping up my purse as I exited my one-bedroom apartment. I brushed past Byron, the maintenance man, on the way to the stairs, muttering a polite, “Hello,” as I went.
“Morning, ma’am.”
He was such a sweet guy. Quiet, but kind and extremely helpful. He had taken care of a lot of things in my apartment—the leaky kitchen tap, repairing the light fixture when I busted it trying to change the bulb, and he’d even rectified the air conditioning unit when it had a hissy fit.
Alex once took care of all that. When it came to fixing things, I’m a stereotypical girl, which was embarrassing, to say the least. But Byron didn’t seem to mind. He liked helping me.
I reached the bus stop in the nick of time and jumped onto the bus that would take me downtown to within a five-minute walk to my job. The mailroom of Rawlins Industries, and while it wasn’t exactly my dream job, it paid the bills, which was the most important thing right now.
Maybe one day I would get ahead of my debts.
I tried to stay positive, but some days were tougher than others. More times than not, I couldn’t see a way out of my overwhelming sadness.
Today was my eighth wedding anniversary.
At least, it would have been if I were still with Alex.
In China, eight is a lucky number. It’s also the symbol for infinity, but there was nothing lucky about my life right now except that my love for Alex was infinite—even if we couldn’t be together.
That would be a beautiful thought if it weren’t holding me back from living my life to its fullest. Three years have passed, yet every time I try to move forward, like flirting with Royce this morning, I felt like I was betraying Alex.
As usual, I arrived at work ten minutes early. I stored my things in my locker and had a quick glass of water, then started my rounds.
As I made my way to the mail carts, my supervisor, Deb, nodded at me. “Good morning. You’ve got the big floor today.”
I cocked a brow at her. “The big floor?”
She nodded again. “Yeah. The executive offices.” She pointed skyward, and her eyes grew big.
“Oh!” I had only been to the fortieth floor once, and it was by accident. I didn’t belong up there. It was where all the big guys convened, including the company’s owner, Tate Rawlins.
“Best behavior, Louisa.” Deb paused partway through her warning. “Aw, hell. I know I don’t have to worry about you. Off you go.”
Trying my darndest to hide my eye roll, I wheeled my cart to the elevator. It was a slow journey to the top of the building with people hopping on and off at various floors. I hung near the back, trying to remain inconspicuous, which was difficult with my cart taking up half the space.
Finally, on the twenty-seventh floor, the elevator emptied, leaving me on my own. Just as the door was about to close, a large hand shot out to stop it. After pushing it open, the hand’s owner stepped into the elevator with a confident swagger that had a lump forming in my throat.
He looked great in a tailored suit and black leather shoes. Although his thick hair was slicked back, unruly locks fought to break free from the gel he’d applied. Even this early in the morning, a few strands already looked mussed.
He scratched his stubbly chin before hitting the button, drawing my attention to his full lips and narrow nose. They were plump like they were recently kissed, and his nose was perfectly straight. When he leaned his tall, athletic frame against the wall next to me, my body buzzed in anticipation of his closeness.
Fucking hell, what was going on with me this morning? First, I’d flirted with the surfer, and now I was lusting after this tall, dark, mysterious stranger in the elevator.
I snuck a sideways glance at him, startling when I noticed him glancing at me too. I swallowed my gasp and snapped my gaze away. The next ten-story climb was tortuous, and before we reached the thirty-seventh floor, I was peeking at him again. When he caught my gawk that time around, he laughed, his gray eyes crinkling at the corners. They were the second pair of gray eyes I’d seen this morning.
“Are we going to keep ignoring each other?”
His deep voice resonated through me, making me shiver.
Unsure of what to say, I turned to face him. “Uh…”
He arched a brow at my sardonic expression. “We just checked each other out. You know that, right?”
I forced my eyes to the doors in front of me. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Sorry? What have you got to be sorry about?” The man cocked his head to the side as a questioning expression formed in his eyes.
I finally found my voice. “I didn’t mean to be inappropriate.”
“There’s nothing inappropriate about it. It’s perfectly normal.”
Stunned, I looked at him again. “It is?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I find you attractive. You find me attractive. So we look. It’s human nature. It only becomes ‘inappropriate’…” he air quoted the word, “… if something non-consensual happens.” He buried his hands in his pockets and crossed one ankle over the other before nudging his head to the mail cart. “Do you work in the mailroom?”
Although shocked by the quick change-up in our conversation, I nodded. “I do.”
“How do you like it?”
I shrugged. “It’s fine.”
“Just fine?”
I huffed, unsure why he cared if I liked my job. “It pays the bills, and I have a good boss. It isn’t my dream job, but it’s not terrible.” Needing the focus off me, I asked, “What about you? Are you doing your dream job?”
He smirked in a way that made my body pulse. “This is definitely my dream job.”
The touch of pride in his voice made my reply not so bitchy, “That’s nice. I’m glad you’ve found your dream job.”
He smirked gracefully. “Thank you.”
Silence fell for a few moments before the elevator doors opened with a ping.
Neither of us made a move, which made me feel more at ease than worried.
I drifted my eyes up his body when he said, “I’ve seen you around here before.”
“You have?” I asked, my eyes widening.
His eyes darkened with heat. “Yeah. It’s hard not to notice you.”
I shuffled my feet, suddenly nervous. Compliments were nothing new to me, but I still didn’t know how to respond to them if they weren’t coming from Alex. “I should get started on my rounds.” I headed for the door as it began to close.
The stranger caught it again before muttering, “That was inappropriate. I apologize.”
I offered him a tight smile. “No worries.”
“Ladies first.” After gesturing for me to exit the elevator, he followed me out, then asked, “Do you have anything for Mr. Rawlins?”
“Yeah. A fair bit, actually.”
He held out his hand.
I stared at it, unmoving and unspeaking.
He took a moment to relish my frozen state before saying, “I’ll save you the trip.”
When what he was suggesting dawned on me, I briskly shook my head. “Oh, no. I have to deliver it myself. Confidentiality and all that.”
He leaned in close and whispered, “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
My body reacted to his alluring voice, superior tone, and sexy half-grin on a level I hadn’t experienced in years and didn’t want to feel. Desperately, I tried to think of Alex, to draw myself away from these dangerous feelings, but no matter how hard I fought, all I could do was lose myself within this man’s confident beauty.
After a moment, he held his hand out again.
Desperate to get away from him before I did something I couldn’t take back, I asked, “Are you sure I won’t get into trouble?”
He dipped his chin. “Positive.”
I dug Mr. Rawlins’ mail out of the cart, realizing I could be making a horrendous mistake. “I really need this job, so I should take it to him myself.”
The man thrust his hands back into his pockets, clearly amused. “What’s your name?”
I frowned. “Why do you want to know my name?”
“Tell me your name,” he insisted, worrying me further.
I hugged the stack of mail to my chest. “So you can report me when I give Tate Rawlins’ mail to someone other than Tate Rawlins?”
He laughed a husky chuckle that did strange things to my insides. “Damn. You are good at your job. Maybe you need a raise.”
I was over his playfulness about a job I badly needed, and I asked, “Where’s his office?”
He indicated to the doorway that led to an outer office with an assistant’s desk. “Right in front of you.”
With a huff, I marched over and dropped the mail into an inbox tray, then stormed back to my mail cart.
He smirked at me. “Job well done.”
I ignored his compliment, too concerned with my odd responses today to let it sink in. “I’d better get a move on.”
I was partway down the hallway when he shouted, “Have a good day. Oh, and I love the accent, by the way.”
I threw a glance over my shoulder, startling when I noticed his gaze was on my ass. “Thanks, it’s all natural.”
He winked like he knew something I didn’t. “Good to know.”
I snapped my eyes front and center before he could see me blush. I had bills to pay and no desire to entertain this man further.
