“I worked until eight and felt restless. Thought I’d walk it off.”
“You must be busy with the festival and… everything.”
“It’s a lot right now.”
“I hope you’re still keeping that balance you talked about.”
“Trying to.” She tilts her head. “What about you?”
“Getting better. Ash has appointed himself my social director. He invited me to play poker tomorrow night.”
“I know those guys. Don’t let them steal your money.” She laughs, reminding me how much I love the unguarded sound.
We fall silent, just staring at each other under the slow rise of the moon. My eyes drift to her necklace, the opal pendant—recalling its meaning—then back to her perfect face.
“Are you sleeping?” she asks, more observation than question.
“Not really,” I admit what I couldn’t tell my family. Luna doesn’t carry their history. “Too much on my mind.”
“Work?”
“Yeah.” I should stop there, but my mouth keeps going. “Mostly you.”
“DK.” Her breath hitches.
The beach stretches empty behind her. No witnesses. No boardroom.
“I pretended in the meeting. I’ll pretend in public. But I can’t pretend when it’s just us.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rayne
The air punches out of my lungs.
I came here to walk. To stop obsessing over him, and stay focused on two priorities: the festival this weekend and my campaign. A full plate. No room for anything else, least of all a man campaigning against me.
And yet, when I saw him slicing clean through the water, I didn’t leave. I waited. Unsure of what I’d say… or what I’d do.
Then he returned, rising out of the water like a fine, thick Adonis. The whole thing happening in slow motion, or so it seemed. His skin glistened under the moonlit sky, droplets running down his body. I couldn’t breathe for a moment. Then all I wanted was to go to him. Throw my arms around his neck… feel him… kiss him… tell him I could be discreet too.
But if I cross that line, there’ll be no turning back. I have to think. Be smart. This is my career. My integrity. My life.
“I’m conflicted,” I admit to a question he hadn’t asked. “That water you just swam in, and this sand you’re dripping on, areexactly what I’m fighting to protect, while you and Diablo are out to destroy it.”
He stills, thoughtful, not saying anything for several beats. Like me, DK doesn’t act on impulse. That would be easier. We’d both say “fuck it” and be on each other in seconds. But that’s not us. There’s too much at stake.
“I understand that,” he finally says. His voice is calm. It’s his eyes that shift with anxiety. DK’s controlled, but not emotionless. “I don’t see it the way you do. The conflict, I mean.”
“How do you see it?”
“You have your perspective on expansion, and Diablo has his. It’s true they aren’t aligned, but Gabriel knows his plan won’t pass as is. The goal is to temper it—eco-conscious partners, phased growth. Closer to the middle.”
“Right.” I scoff, not buying that Diablo has radically changed his tune. “That’s the message you’re here to sell. He hired you for your credentials and track record. The man who rebuilt trust in Maryland. Better packaging is your speciality.”
“Is that what you think of me?” His voice is tight, his jaw set like stone. “That I lie to people? Tell them one thing and do another?”
That is often politics, but no, I don’t believe he’s dishonest. I believe what he told my father about being his own man. “I’m not questioning your character,” I say.
