Chapter 6.1 - Recognision
985 Words
*Elara – pov*
The man walking toward me looked like trouble.
Not the loud or arrogant businessman type that tried to dominate every room with volume and ego.
No, this kind of danger was quieter, more controlled which somehow made it worse.
He moved with the confidence of someone who knew exactly how dangerous he was and had no need to prove it.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair slightly dishevelled like he’d run his hands through it too many times. Black T-shirt stretched across a body that looked less gym-built and far more stronger in a real way. Tattoos krept from his left arm to his neck.
His eyes locked onto mine as he approached. Something strange happened…my pulse skipped, not from nerves, more recognition.
That can’t be possible. I have never seen this man before in my life.
Still something inside me reacted like I had.
I straightened slightly, forcing my attention back onto the blueprint spread across the hood of my truck.
I need to remain in control. Be professional. Stay focused.
“You’re late,” I said before he could speak.
A dangerous little smile ghosted across his mouth.
“Am I?”
His voice was lower and rougher than expected.
I hated that I noticed immediately and how my body reacted to it.
“Yes,” I replied coolly. “Most people consider forty minutes late.”
His eyes flicked briefly to the papers in front of me before returning to my face.
“And yet you waited.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
Cocky.
“I considered firing you before you even arrived.”
That earned an actual hint of amusement from him now.
Most men would get defensive at that, this one looked entertained.
“I’m Raiden,” he said finally.
No surname.
No title.
Just Raiden.
Very mysterious.
“Elara.”
The second he heard my name, something changed. It was very subtle but unmistakable.
His shoulders tightened slightly. His gaze sharpened on me. Like the sound of my name meant something.
“You own the construction company?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then tell me honestly if these walls can be salvaged.”
I turned the blueprint toward him and stepped closer.
Too close, apparently because the second our shoulders brushed, a sharp heat raced across my skin. It felt like electricity dancing on skin.
We both froze. The air between us thickened instantly.
My body reacted with heat and awareness before my brain could catch up.
I stepped back immediately.
His jaw tightened but he didn’t comment.
Thank God.
Instead, he leaned over the plans, one hand braced against the hood of the truck.
Stay focussed Elara, I lectured myself.
“These support beams are original,” he said after a moment. “If you replace them carelessly, the west side settles.”
“You noticed that from one glance?”
His mouth twitched slightly.
“I’m good at my job.”
I looked at him properly then.
Really looked.
There was no arrogance in the statement.
Just fact.
Annoyingly attractive fact.
I cleared my throat softly.
“The electrical and plumbing were redone this week,” I explained, forcing myself back into business mode. “Ground floor first. Kitchen, lounge, guest suites. I want the house livable before winter.”
“You’re staying here?”
The question came too quickly.
Too sharp.
I blinked once.
“Yes.”
Something dark flickered briefly across his expression.
Disapproval? Concern? I couldn’t tell.
“You shouldn’t.”
My instinctive irritation flared immediately.
“I don’t remember asking permission.”
His eyes held mine steadily.
“I wasn’t giving permission.”
“Then what exactly are you doing?”
A pause.
And for one strange second he looked like he didn’t know how to answer that.
Finally:
“Warning you.”
The words settled strangely in my chest.
It wasn’t dramatic or threatening. It felt almost sincere which somehow unsettled me more.
“I’ve handled myself just fine for twenty-eight years,” I replied evenly.
His gaze dropped briefly like he was cataloguing things about me without meaning to.
“I can see that,” he murmured.
Heat crawled annoyingly up my neck.
God, Elara get a grip!
I stepped around him toward the entrance. Distance between us would allow my brain to take control of my body again.
“Well unless the house plans to murder me in my sleep, I think I’ll survive.”
The second the words left my mouth, something strange happened.
Riaden went completely still behind me. Not normal stillness. Predatory stillness.
I turned slightly.
His attention wasn’t on me anymore.
It was fixed on the forest line beyond the property.
Every muscle in his body looked tight.
Alert.
“What?” I asked quietly.
His eyes shifted back to mine instantly.
Whatever that moment was, was now gone.
“Nothing.”
That was definitely a lie.
Before I could push further, his crew started arriving behind him in trucks and equipment vehicles.
The atmosphere broke immediately.
Movement.
Noise.
Voices.
Raiden stepped aside slightly, smoothly slipping back into professionalism. Good.
“We’ll start with structural assessment first,” he said calmly.
Like the weird moment never happened.
Like I hadn’t felt something impossible every time he touched me.
Like he hadn’t looked at me as though he recognised me somehow.
I should have been relieved.
Instead I found myself irrationally disappointed which was ridiculous.
I had ended my marriage less than a week ago. My life still felt chaotic and yet somehow my brain still noticed:
* the way his T-shirt stretched across his back
* the roughness in his voice
* the unsettling intensity in his eyes
Fantastic.
Exactly what I needed.
A psychologically confusing lumberjack with emotional issues.
Claire would absolutely have a field day with this.
The thought tugged a smile at my lips and almost made me giggle.
Almost.
- Writer
