He was of average height, but there was nothing average about the rest of him. His hair was the color of midnight, his skin lightly tanned, and his body lean, powerful, and, well, perfection itself. His nose was perhaps a little on the large side, but his jawline was strong and well defined, his mouth full and definitely made for kissing.
But it was his eyes that snared me—they were a rich sapphire in which starlit motes of silver gleamed, and the power that shone so very briefly within them resonated through my soul, waking the inner hunger. It wasn’t the caress of power that stirred her, though, but rather the possibilities that seemed to fly between us.
But even as awareness sharpened, recognition flared.
This man was no stranger.
This man was my island.
ChapterFour
“It’s you,” I whispered, immediately breaking the enthrallment that had held us both still.
One dark eyebrow winged upward, the movement oddly sardonic. “It is indeed me, but I do not believe we have been introduced.”
His deep, velvety tone was devoid of any true warmth, but delight nevertheless skittered across my skin. “But wehavemet—last night, when you saved my life. I owe?—”
“You owe me nothing, Hanna Kang, because I was not in that mall to save your life.”
“And yet save it you did, perhaps at the cost of another.” I’d stopped several meters away from the steps, but that was still close enough to smell the smoky, spicy notes of his aftershave. It was as delicious now as it had been last night. “How do you know who I am?”
“When the game is afoot, it pays to be familiar with all players involved.”
“Monica’s disappearance is hardly a game.”
“Life itself is a game,” he replied. “Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, and sometimes we do nothing more than exist, without hope or redemption, doing what we can, with what time we have.”
“And is that what you’re doing?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Existing?”
“I think it’s a road we both follow, though I suspect I am much further along its length than you.” He paused and seemed to gather himself. “But I am not here to discuss the existential meaning of life?—”
“Then what are you here for?” I motioned toward the building. “Do you live here?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here? Were you by chance visiting Tane Ashworth?”
That eyebrow winged upward again, seeming to hint at amusement even if his expression remained enigmatic. “Are you always this... inquisitive?”
“If you know who I am then you know who I work for. It’s my job to be downright annoying if the circumstances warrant it. So, if you don’t mind, please answer the question.”
He hesitated. “I did come here to question him.”
“About Monica? Or something else?”
Another hesitation, longer this time. “I’m investigating some of Ashworth’s recent dealings with the High Council.”
“You work for the HCI?
“No. I’m merely someone with a vested interest in uncovering the truth.”
“And has Monica’s disappearance got anything to do with this truth you’re investigating?”
“Based on what I currently know, I doubt it, but as ever when dealing with someone like Tane, or indeed Monica, nothing can ever be entirely discounted.”
“If you know anything that would help our investigations into her disappearance, you really need to share it with us.”
“That would not be opti?—”
