The power had gone out.
Ava stood by the fireplace in the downstairs sitting room, wearing nothing but the long, oversized white shirt she’d thrown on in a daze. The storm hadn’t let up. Rain pounded the windows, thunder growling low like some ancient warning. But she didn’t feel cold. Her skin was already too hot.
Her thoughts tangled—Noah’s warning, Jace’s boldness, Elias’s gaze that stripped her naked without touching her. Every nerve inside her was on fire, and she wasn’t sure if it was fear or desire.
She turned—and stopped.
Jace was there.
Leaning against the archway, arms crossed, dark eyes flickering over her bare thighs. “Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.
“I could ask you the same.”
He stepped closer. “Or maybe you were hoping I’d come.”
She didn’t move.
Didn’t deny it.
“I’m ti
