The sun had barely crested over the horizon when the jet touched down on a private airstrip just outside Montauk. The sky was streaked with tangerine and rose, soft colors belying the tension that crackled between Amelia and Adrian like an invisible wire strung too tight. The air felt too still. The sound of the ocean was different here.
It wasn’t wild or unruly like the crashing waves of the Pacific, nor soft and lulling like the gentle Mediterranean tides. It had a cadence, rhythmic and powerful, like a pulse just beneath the earth’s skin.
Adrian stepped out first, sunglasses shielding his eyes from the glare. The ocean breeze ruffled his hair as he turned back to offer Amelia his hand. She took it, descending the jet stairs with her heels clicking softly against the metal. She looked impossibly elegant in a black wrap
Amelia sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers trembling slightly as she untied the burgundy ribbon. The wrapping paper crinkled softly under her touch, revealing a note atop layers of delicate tissue paper.The note, penned in Adrian's unmistakable handwriting, read:"For the woman who turned my world into poetry,The woman who made time stop and my world start,Tonight, let's write a new verse together.Meet me where the stars kiss the sea.–A."Her vision blurred slightly with emotion, and she clutched the note to her chest, whispering, "I
The morning unfolded like a slow, golden lullaby, slanting golden light across the villa's white walls and casting soft shadows onto the polished stone floor. The air was thick with the scent of sea salt and blooming jasmine. Inside, everything was still except for the quiet murmur of waves crashing against the caldera far below.There was no urgency in the air, no schedules whispering at their heels. Somewhere in the distance, a rooster crowed, muffled by the sea breeze. The scent of blooming jasmine drifted in through the open terrace doors, mingling with the warm aroma of coffee and toasted bread.Amelia stirred first. She blinked into the morning light, groaning softly as she turned in the bed, her limbs tangled with Adrian’s. He was still asleep, one arm slung over her waist, his face pressed into the crook of her neck. He
The air smelled of salt and sun.Amelia stepped off the plane into a different world, one where time unraveled lazily, where the sky melted into the sea without apology. She blinked against the brightness, feeling the heat kiss her bare legs, the gentle breeze lift strands of her hair.It wasn't like Zurich’s cold and sharp and businesslike or New York’s electric and demanding. No, Santorini light was warm and slow, a honeyed gold that stretched lazily across the horizon, draping the whitewashed cliffs in fire and dream.Adrian took her hand as they stepped off the plane, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. Their driver, an older man with a kind smile and weathered hands, greeted them in halting English and ushered them into a sleek black car.&nb
Zurich had faded behind them, not in silence, but in stillness the kind that settles over a battlefield after the dust has cleared.Amelia stood barefoot in the kitchen, hair damp from the shower, a white shirt of Adrian’s barely covering the curve of her thighs. Steam curled from her coffee mug as she stared out at the city skyline like it was the first time.Adrian watched her from the hallway. Shirtless, quiet, half a smile tugging at his mouth. He’d gotten used to seeing her in armor, sleek black, sharp boots, a loaded glare. But this version, soft and contemplative, undid him in a way nothing else could.“You always watch me like that?” she asked without turning.“Only when I want
“You’ve been distracting me all day.”Amelia arched her brow. “I was just working.”“That’s the problem.” Adrian moved toward her, loosening his tie.Amelia didn’t move, but her eyes glittered. “There’s glass walls, Mr. Black.”He pressed her back against the desk, lips brushing hers. “Then you better stay quiet.”Amelia's heart hammered in her chest as Adrian's strong hands gripped the edge of the desk, pinning her between his powerful body and the hard surface. The smell of his expensive cologne filled her nostrils, making her head spin with desire. She could feel the heat
The storm had passed. Zurich was behind them now. Just a city with ghosts they no longer owed anything to.The war with Voss had ended not with an explosion, but a silence so complete, so final, that it felt like a breath held for years finally released. The kind of silence that didn't need to be explained. It just was. The ashes of their long war scattered across continents. There was no more chasing, no more dodging bullets or deciphering threats in the shadows.And yet, in the quiet aftermath, Amelia Dorne found it hardest to breathe. Not because of danger, but because peace was a stranger.Adrian’s jet touched down on the private airstrip just past midnight. Amelia leaned her head against the window, watching the city lights of London glitter beneath a curtai