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1
Ciana
The soundof the waves crashing against the beach below lured me out onto the balcony of my suite. Breathing in the humid, salty air, I walked to the stone half wall, letting the gentle breeze blow the ends of my unbelted silk robe behind me. The guards were in the room to my right, and they didn’t have their own balcony facing the beach. Probably a miscalculation on their part, but something I was all too thankful for as I let the stress of traveling all day slowly release from my shoulders while I enjoyed the view in total peace and quiet.
Burnout had hit me hard over the past few months, and I was exhausted. Not so much physically as I was mentally. I couldn’t possibly have asked for a better family than the one I had, and my job was extremely fulfilling—if emotionally draining at times.
New Hope Obstetrics was the leading fertility center in New York. Watching firsthand the struggle some women had to go through just to get pregnant—from their heartbreak when they came in each month and the pregnancy test was once again negative, to the patients who got pregnant with multiples and struggled just to get through their entire pregnancy. Then there were the patients whose babies had birth defects, and they had to make the heartbreaking decision to continue the pregnancy…or not.
To all of those women, I was just the nurse who merely spent a few minutes with them, taking their vitals and asking how they were feeling. Some of them remembered my name, some of them called me the pretty redheaded nurse with the bubbly personality. They had no clue that when they got bad news, my heart broke right along with them. Or that I secretly celebrated their victories—even the smallest ones.
But with all of the patients I saw on the daily, and the heartbreaks seeming to outnumber the triumphs, I was beginning to dread the sound of my alarm going off every morning.
With my gaze on the view of the moon reflecting off the ocean, I pushed all thoughts of work out of my mind. I’d been given two weeks to relax at this private island resort, and I wasn’t going to waste a single moment of it. I hadn’t even known this island existed. It sure as hell hadn’t been on the list of vacation spots I’d given Ryan when he’d promised to talk to my dad about letting me have this time to myself. But I’d been so desperate for a break, I hadn’t even cared.
This small island didn’t even have a public airport. The only way on or off it was the guests’ own private jets or a helicopter to the nearest larger island that did have an international airport. There was just the hotel, a few boutiques, and two restaurants. No nightclubs and no traffic, except for golf carts the staff used to get from one part of the resort property to the other. There weren’t even any privately owned homes on the island. The staff all lived in hotel-owned bungalows on the other side of the island.
Those who came to this island were looking for peace, but above all, privacy. Something they paid generously for.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a light flip on, casting a soft glow on the balcony next door. Curious, I tilted my head slightly, trying to get a glimpse of my neighbor while not appearing obvious.
The sound of the door opening reached me, but I stayed motionless, pretending to take in the breathtaking view before me.
“Why does it matter where I am?”
The sound of his deep Irish brogue caused me to shiver. Holy shit, his voice alone caused an instant reaction to certain parts of my body, and I was glad I’d left my own bedroom light off. I was in only my bra and panties, my robe over them but hanging open, so there would have been no hiding how hard my nipples were right then.
“My current location is of no concern to you.” My sexy-voiced neighbor sounded cold, emotionless. But I was used to men who tried to play it cool and not give their feelings or thoughts away. Typically when Ryan used that tone with me, he was annoyed. “It isn’t any of your business where I go or with whom I spend my time… If you aren’t bleeding or close to death, don’t fucking call me again during the next few weeks, Cori.”
Out of the side of my eye, I watched as he finally came into view. With a muttered curse, he shoved his phone into his pants pocket. The way he walked pulled my full attention, and I shifted my head, too entranced by his aura to care if I got caught staring. He was dressed in black slacks, his white dress shirt untucked and unbuttoned, showing his hard chest and the deep ridges of his abs.
My mouth went dry as I stalked his every move with my eyes. His voice had caused an instant reaction inside me, but the sight of him was possibly more breathtaking than the ocean view I’d been enjoying only moments before. His dark-blond hair was shoulder-length and pushed back from his Adonis face. He was tall, but in comparison to my brothers, he was a few inches shorter, possibly six one at the most. But that still meant he had a good six inches on me.
From the set of his shoulders, I could tell he was tense. He crossed to the stone wall that edged the balcony and placed his hands palm-down on the top of it. Leaning forward, he dropped his head, causing his hair to shield his masculinely beautiful face from me. For several long moments, he just stood like that, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and he was trying to hide away so no one could see that he was tired of holding it up on his own.
Empathy filled me, and I had the oddest urge to climb over my own stone-walled banister, jump the two feet that separated our balconies, and hug him.
I shifted, taking a step to do just that before I could stop myself. The sound of my movements reached him, and he jerked his head up, his eyes targeting me within a millisecond. The force of his gaze stopped me in my tracks, my breath trapped in my lungs as we stood there just staring at each other.
The tension in his shoulders actually eased right before my eyes, and his face cleared as he straightened to his full height. “My apologies,” he murmured, his deep voice washing over me like a physical caress. “I didn’t mean to disturb your solitude. I was just…”
“Taking a moment to be human?” I finished for him when he trailed off.
He thrust his hands into his pockets with a dry laugh. “Something like that, yes.”
I leaned back against the stone banister, a smile teasing at my lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”
His gaze dropped from my face, tracing along my body, and I remembered too late that all I was wearing were the white bra and panties I’d put on after my shower earlier. Goose bumps lifted along my entire body, and I was once again thankful that my bedroom light wasn’t on to showcase my body’s reaction. But the moon was shining brightly overhead, giving him a glimpse of my near nakedness.
I should have hurriedly closed my robe and tightly belted it. Instead, I took my time, liking the feel of his eyes on me way too much.
My delicious neighbor cleared his throat once I was covered. “I’ll just leave you to it, then.”
“But it’s such a beautiful night.” I stopped him, no longer wanting to be alone. “I don’t mind sharing the view.”
He grimaced. “I have some work to take care of.”
“I don’t know about you, but I came here to get away from work,” I told him with a huff. “Why would you want to deal with something boring like that when you could enjoy this much beauty for a little longer? Honestly, how often do you get to look at something so gorgeous?”
“Never,” he rasped, his gaze glued to me as he took a step in my direction. But then he seemed to remember himself and pulled one hand from his pocket, combing his fingers through his thick hair. Turning away, he faced the ocean. “It’s been a decades or so since I got to see a view this enchanting.”
“Then stay a little longer,” I enticed. “I promise not to disturb you. I was just trying to unwind after a full day of traveling.”
“Too late for that, a rúnsearc,” he muttered to himself.
Surprisingly, a laugh escaped me before I could stop myself. “Did you just call me a roon shark?” I tilted my head, trying to remember the names of all the sharks I knew of. My younger brothers had gone through a phase where they’d been obsessed with sharks, and we’d all been subjected to daily facts about sharks of every type. “What is a roon shark? I’ve never heard of it before.”
A grunt left him, and he walked to the edge of his balcony closest to mine. “Not a roon shark,” he said, his lips twitching with amusement. “I said ‘a rúnsearc.’ It means… It doesn’t matter what it means.”
“Oh.” Heat filled my cheeks, and my smile dropped as a feeling of disappointment pressed down on me. I didn’t know what he’d just called me, but with the gruff way he’d said it, I had to assume it wasn’t flattering. Obviously, he was making fun of me. “Well, I’ll let you enjoy the view in private.”
“I thought you were going to unwind.” His voice stopped me as I took a step toward my bedroom.
I shrugged without looking at him. For some reason, I was having a difficult time trying to rein in my emotions, and I wanted away from him before I did something even more embarrassing, like cry. “I’m tired. Have a good night.”
“Wait,” he called out just as I reached the double doors that led into my room. “Don’t go. Please. I… Did I say something wrong?”
My hair flipped over my shoulder as I turned my head to glare at him. “I don’t appreciate being made fun of or called names. I left guys like that behind in high school.”
I couldn’t tell what color his eyes were, but flames flashed in their depths. “Who made fun of you? What names did they call you? Tell me who hurt your feelings, mo chroí.”
“You did,” I snapped, rolling my eyes.
“I hurt your feelings?” His face darkened, his brows pulling together in confusion. “What did I say? Fuck, it doesn’t matter. I apologize. Don’t go inside yet. Stay and allow me to make it up to you. I just ordered a bottle of wine. Share it with me.”
“You weren’t laughing at me?” I asked hesitantly. I didn’t even know why it had bothered me. I’d dealt with jerks all my life, and none of them had so much as dented my heart—or, worse, my pride. Yet, one assumed slight from this handsome stranger, and my feelings were all over the place.
Apparently I had needed this vacation a hell of a lot more than I even realized if I was getting all emotional over nothing.
“I would never laugh at you,” he growled, making it seem more like a vow. “Tell me the names of every person who ever dared do so, and I’ll make each and every one of them apologize to you. On their knees if that is what you wish, a rúnsearc.”
“What does that mean, then?” I lifted a brow when he hesitated. “If it’s not bad, then just tell me.”
“It’s just a Gaelic term of endearment.” He shrugged. “I use them all the time without thinking.”
“The way you grit it out makes it seem more insulting than endearing,” I grumbled, walking back to where I’d been enjoying the view earlier.
“Forgive me.”
“I guess I’ll let it pass this one time,” I said, my smile returning. “But only if you tell me your name.”
“You first, beautiful,” he countered.
It was my turn to hesitate. For a moment, I wondered if I should give him a fake name, knowing Ryan and my father would prefer it. But for some reason, I wanted this man to know my name—wanted to hear him say it. “Ciana.”
“Ciana,” he repeated, and those damned goose bumps popped up along my entire body once again. “I’m Torin.”
I crossed to where he was standing and, leaning forward, offered him my hand. “Nice to meet you, Torin.”
His gaze dropped to my chest, and I realized my robe was gaped open, showing off the tops of my breasts and the edge of my white bra. With obvious effort, he forced his eyes higher, pausing on my lips for a moment before meeting mine. He didn’t have to stretch nearly as far as I did as he took my much-smaller hand in his considerably larger one.
Flames seemed to engulf my fingers, shooting liquid fire through my palm and up my arm before settling in the pit of my stomach. I bit back a moan at how good his touch felt, not wanting to embarrass myself yet again.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ciana.”
