Title: When Hearts Catch Fire

Chapter Seven – The Breaking Point

Isla hadn’t been able to shake the memory of Aiden from that night.

The way he touched her, the way his lips hovered just a breath away from hers before he walked away. She couldn’t decide if she was angry or turned on, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw him again—his hands, his lips, his body pressed against hers, ready to break.

It was maddening.

And she hadn’t seen him since.

Every day she came to work early, hoping he’d be there, but he hadn’t shown up at the resort in days. It made her wonder if he was avoiding her.

If he was avoiding this.

But it was late one evening when everything changed.

The sound of her phone vibrating against the table made her jump. She glanced at the screen. A text from Aiden.

Aiden: Come to the boathouse. Now.

Her heart raced. There was no question. She grabbed her coat and headed out the door, no thought except to find him.

---

The boathouse smelled like saltwater and old wood when she arrived. The rain had stopped, but the air was still thick with humidity. Aiden stood by the edge of the water, his back to her, hands shoved in his pockets.

Isla felt the pull in her chest again—the magnetic force that always seemed to draw her to him. But tonight was different. Tonight, she wasn’t going to wait.

She approached him, stepping closer. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears.

“Isla,” Aiden said, his voice rough as he turned to face her. “You came.”

“I’m here,” she said, her voice steady despite the chaos inside her. “Now tell me why.”

He stared at her, eyes dark and intense. “Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

She swallowed hard, walking up to him until they were just inches apart. Her fingers itched to touch him.

“I tried to stay away,” he muttered. “I tried to keep my distance, but I’m not that strong.”

Isla’s pulse quickened. This was the moment. The moment everything broke.

She reached up, brushing her fingers over his chest, feeling the thrum of his heartbeat beneath her fingertips. “Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t hold back anymore.”

Aiden’s eyes flickered down to her lips, and he closed the distance between them in a rush. His mouth crashed against hers—hard, hungry, and desperate. The kiss was everything they both had been holding back for days, weeks. Their bodies pressed together, heat igniting between them as she let out a soft moan against his lips.

Aiden’s hands slid to her waist, pulling her closer, and Isla felt a wild surge of need sweep through her. She responded with the same intensity, her fingers tangling in his wet hair, tugging him closer, urging him to take more. To take it all.

He groaned against her mouth, lifting her up by the waist and pressing her against the side of the boathouse. His body was hard and unyielding, his touch desperate as he kissed her with a hunger that matched her own.

Isla gasped as he kissed down her neck, his hands moving to the back of her thighs, lifting her higher. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, pulling him even closer. She felt the heat of him through the thin fabric of her dress, the hardness of his body against hers, and it made her dizzy with desire.

“Aiden…” she breathed, her hands sliding over his chest, feeling the muscles there. She wanted more.

“I want you,” he rasped, his voice raw with need. “I can’t keep fighting this.”

Her heart hammered in her chest. “Then don’t.”

He looked into her eyes, something wild and untamed in his gaze. “I won’t.”

With that, he kissed her again, more deeply, more urgently. His hands moved under her dress, sliding up her thighs, his touch sending shocks of pleasure through her body.

The air around them was thick, the only sound their ragged breathing and the rush of blood in her ears. Isla’s hands roamed, desperate to feel every inch of him, to prove to herself that this was real, that they weren’t just a fire waiting to burn out.

“Aiden…” she gasped again, her hands tugging at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against hers.

He pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes full of fire. “Are you sure?”

She nodded, breathless. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

And with that, the world fell away.

---

Hours later, they lay tangled in the sheets of a small cot inside the boathouse, the warmth of their bodies mingling in the cool night air. Isla’s heart was still racing, her body sore in the best way possible. She was spent, exhausted in a way she’d never felt before, but there was a peacefulness inside her now.

Aiden lay beside her, his arm draped over her waist, his breath slow and steady.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the occasional creak of the boathouse and the soft lapping of the water against the shore.

Finally, Isla broke the silence.

“What now?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Aiden’s fingers traced lazy patterns on her skin. “Now?” he said, his voice a low murmur ''Now we see if we can keep this fire burning without getting burned.”

She smiled softly, her fingers threading through his.

“Maybe we don’t have to try so hard,” she said. “Maybe we just let it burn.”

And for the first time in what felt like forever, she was certain.

This fire—whatever it was between them—wasn’t something either of them could walk away from.

Not now. Not ever.

---

That was the moment they couldn’t come back from.