CHAPTER 7 - THE QUIET HOUSE

Flora POV

The Uber ride back from the lounge felt entirely too short. When the car pulled away from the curb, leaving me standing alone in the driveway, the sheer silence of the neighborhood hit me.

Emily was officially at the lake house. The house was empty. Well, almost empty.

I unlocked the front door as quietly as I could, stepping into the dim entryway. The only illumination came from the soft, amber accent lights in the hallway. I kicked off my heels, holding them in my hand as I padded softly across the hardwood floor, my emerald dress rustling slightly with every step. I assumed Eugene was already asleep in his room.

"You're back early."

I jumped, a small gasp escaping my lips.

Eugene was sitting in the armchair in the corner of the living room, completely draped in shadows. The only light hitting him was the faint glow from the hallway. He had discarded his shoes, but he was still wearing those dark jeans and the forest green turtleneck that had driven me crazy all evening. He had a glass of amber liquid resting loosely in his hand, and his eyes were fixed entirely on me.

"Eugene," I breathed, my hand flying to my chest, right over the deep neckline of my dress. My heart was suddenly hammering against my ribs. "You scared me. I thought you were asleep."

"Couldn't sleep," he said, his voice lower and rougher than usual. He took a slow sip from his glass, his gaze locked onto the exposed skin of my collarbones, tracking the way my chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. "How was the rest of your date?"

"It was... fine," I lied, stepping a fraction closer into the room, drawn to him like a magnet despite the warning bells screaming in my head. "Sam is very nice."

Eugene let out a low, dark sound that was almost a scoff. He set his glass down on the side table with a soft clink and stood up. In the shadows, his broad frame looked massive, completely overpowering the space between us.

"Nice," he repeated, taking a slow, deliberate step toward me. "Is that what you want, Flora? A nice boy?"

Eugene’s question hung heavily in the dark room, his deep voice vibrating right through me. “Is that what you want, Flora? A nice boy?”

I stood my ground as he took that slow, deliberate step toward me. The shadows stretched across his broad shoulders, and the scent of him—expensive cologne, whiskey, and pure warmth—filled the small space between us.

"Why do you care what kind of boy I want, Eugene?" I countered, my voice trembling slightly, though I forced myself to look him dead in the eye. "You're the one who told me to go. You're the one who sat at that table and practically begged me to go find someone my own age."

Eugene stopped just inches away from me. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off his chest, towering over me in the dim light. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek.

"I was doing what I was supposed to do," he growled low, his gaze dropping to my lips before snapping back to my eyes. "I was trying to be the adult. I was trying to remember my place."

"And what about now?" I whispered, my heart hammering so loudly against my ribs I was certain he could hear it. I took a tiny step forward, intentionally closing the last bit of distance, my bare shoulder brushing against the soft green fabric of his turtleneck. "Are you still trying to remember your place tonight?"

Eugene let out a sharp, ragged breath. His hand twitched at his side, his fingers flexing as if he was fighting every single instinct in his body to keep from grabbing my waist.

"Flora," he warned, his voice dropping into a dangerous, gravelly register. "You have no idea what you're doing right now. You're playing with a fire that will absolutely consume you."

"Maybe I want to burn," I challenged softly.

The words had barely left my mouth when Eugene went completely rigid. For a fraction of a second, I thought he was going to pull me against him. His eyes flared with something primal, and his hand actually rose, his knuckles brushing the bare skin of my collarbone. A violent jolt of electricity shot straight down my spine.

But then, as if someone had poured ice water through his veins, he tore his hand away.

He closed his eyes tight, his chest heaving under the green turtleneck as he forced a brutal, suffocating wave of discipline back over himself. When he opened his eyes again, the raw hunger was locked behind a cold, hard wall of regret.

"No," he said, his voice dropping into a flat, strained whisper. He took a massive step backward, completely breaking the heat between us and leaving me freezing in the dark room. "No, Flora. This is wrong."

I stared at him, my lips parting in shock, the sudden rejection stinging like a physical slap.

"I apologize," Eugene said, his tone turning fiercely formal, though his clenched fists betrayed how hard he was fighting himself. "I've had too much to drink, and I let this go entirely too far. I am your friend's father, and I am the adult in this house. This will not happen again."

Before I could even find my voice to reply, he turned on his heel. He walked down the hallway with rigid, fast strides, his bedroom door closing behind him with a sharp, definitive click.

The lock turned.

I stood alone in the dark living room, my skin still tingling where his knuckles had brushed me, completely humiliated and utterly consumed by the fire he had just walked away from.