“I tried at the gas station.” His words draw my eyes back to his. “It didn’t work then, and it’s not working now.”

I turn my eyes to the floor when swallowing becomes difficult. Twisting on one of my ankles, I whisper, “Thank you for everything.” Harbor’s been so nice to me when he could have just been another jerk rich kid.

Packing away a bout of shame for not telling him sooner, I summon the courage to face him and finally confess, “Hi.” My cheeks heat under his considerate gaze. “My name is Lark.”

4

Harbor

Lark.

Her name is as beautiful as she is. “Lark,” I say the name just to feel it roll around on my tongue. Her gaze slides from the floor to my face, seeming to linger just below my eyes before they finally move all the way up. “Go out with me, Lark.”

“I . . .” Her chest rises with a breath she takes, making me wonder how she’ll look naked. Shifting away from me with a faltered step, she says, “I could get in trouble for being here, for being with you, Harbor.”

“What kind of trouble could the two of us possibly get into just from being together?” The question feels better suited for a moment bigger and more important than a stolen one in the upstairs hallway.

Her smile is so sweet that it’s tempting to taste. Tilting her head, she laughs. “I think I better go before we find out.” She’s quick to the stairs.

“Hey, Lark?” She turns back with that smile still on her face. “What do I have to do to see you again?”

Her gaze dips between us as her smile falters. When she looks up again, a look of determination has set her features. “We don’t always get what we want when we want it. Sometimes we need to follow our destinies instead.”

Cocking an eyebrow, I sigh, despite enjoying the exchange. “Patience is a virtue?”

“Exactly.” Her smile reappears. “Only time will tell.”

“Only time will tell.”

She catches my gaze for the shortest moment in time, and then she turns away.

I didn’t expect to be drawn to someone, pulled toward her as if I’m hooked on the end of her fishing line. From the way she moves, so unaware of her appeal, to the mystery that resides in her eyes—pain and happiness cycling through her gaze—she’s utterly captivating.

Is it wrong to long to hear the secrets she keeps from everyone else, to want to kiss her with the same determination as a thief desires the crown jewels?

Desire.

Craving . . .

I’m crude in my need to hear her call my name not just in ecstasy but in reverence when she thinks of me long after I’ve gone.

Fuck.

She’s doing my head in. My shoulders press to the wall as I watch her descend the stairs before she disappears.

I give her enough time and distance to return to wherever she’s stationed before I head down the stairs. As soon as I enter the family room, I see Lark and her boss talking in low voices to each other. He sees me and takes a step back from her as well as a deep breath as if my presence is an intrusion.