Ky had barely caught his breath in the bathroom, towel in hand, when he stepped back into the bedroom and realized the spot by the oak tree was empty. Mara had vanished into the night like smoke. Part of him was relieved she hadn’t been caught in the act. The rest of him was wound tight with questions. She’d watched. She’d touched herself because of him. And then she’d run.
He’d spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling, every shift of the sheets reminding him how close he’d come to losing control completely.
Morning found him stomping into the kitchen, mood dark and restless.
Liam was already there, perched at the table with a half-eaten piece of toast in one hand and a pocket knife in the other, whittling a stick into something dangerously sharp. “Morning, Chief. You look lik
