Sarah was due back from her retreat in six hours. The knowledge of her impending return hung in the air like a heavy curtain, adding a sharp, jagged edge to the tension between Elias and Mia.
Mia was curled up on the oversized velvet sofa, wearing nothing but one of Elias’s white button-down shirts. It was far too large for her, the hem barely covering the tops of her thighs and the collar slipping off one shoulder. She looked small, fragile, and utterly consumed. Her chest felt like it was on fire—a dull, throbbing ache that had returned with a vengeance, making her breathe in shallow, jagged intervals.
Elias stood by the window, a glass of amber bourbon in his hand. He was silent, his gaze fixed on the rain, but his posture was coiled, like a predator waiting for the right moment to st
