I could hardly be in love with a woman I’d only just met.

Though I’d watched my brother fall hard and fast for Lacey.

I wasn’t my brother.

Still…I was feeling something, and “love” was the word that had slipped into my consciousness from beyond.

I’d scare her if I confessed that I loved her.

But as I sat, watching her take dainty sips of her water, watching her silver eyes sparkle when the calamari came, watching her wriggle uncomfortably in that damned navy-blue suit…I knew.

I loved her.

I loved Charlie Waters.

Damn.

I’d never allowed those blurred images to surface in my mind. Instead, they lay dormant, their only purpose the mindfuck I’d lived with for so long.

How long?

How old had I been?

Rock had already left. I’d graduated from high school.

Right.

It was that summer. That last summer before college.

That last summer of what costumed as my youth.

The Wolfe building.

I hated this place. Had no interest in the family real estate empire. Still, I’d agreed to intern the summer before I left for college. I’d wanted to go straight to art school, but the great Derek Wolfe insisted on a liberal arts degree. Like that would help me ever in my life.

I never actually saw my father, of course. I was the property of one of his many assistants, doing grunt work.

Not that I minded the grunt work. It was easy, and it kept me out of my father’s scope. I didn’t want to be around him anyway.

Today’s grunt task was to move some old records to the lower level.

I loaded the cardboard boxes on the dolly, got into the elevator, and pushed LL, the lowest floor in the building, two floors below the lobby.

The elevator descended, and—

I fell against the wall as the small room dropped rapidly. My stomach lodged in my throat as my flesh prickled. The boxes tumbled off the dolly, banging to the floor.

The red button.

Push the red button.

The lights flickered as I smashed my hand against the crimson disk.

“Here you are, sir.” The server set a basket of warm bread on the table.

I inhaled, letting the yeasty scent warm me, take away the thoughts that wanted to permeate my brain.

Why? Why would they come now, while I was with the woman I loved?

Yes. Loved.

I couldn’t tell her. Couldn’t even think about telling her this soon. She’d freak out, and rightly so.

I reached toward the basket, ready to grab a piece of kalamata olive bread, one of my favorites, and then picked up the basket instead and handed it to Charlie.

She smiled, taking it and helping herself to the kalamata bread.

Only one piece, and she took it.