I didn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the phantom heat of Damian’s hand on my neck and the raw, jagged warning in his voice. Pray the locks on these doors are stronger than my self-control.
I needed the freezing Atlantic to drown the fire he had started. I needed to wash the scent of him—sandalwood, rain, and pure power—off my skin before it consumed me.
I crept downstairs through the tomb-like silence of the estate, found a minimalist black bikini that left far too little to the imagination, and practically ran toward the water. The morning air hit my lungs like a wake-up call, but it wasn't enough. I dived into the surf, letting the icy water shock my system. I swam hard, my muscles burning, trying to outrun the hunger I had seen in his eyes.
But when I finally turned ba
