Ethan lets out a low whistle. “So, this is it.”
“This is it,” I confirm, pushing open my door.
As we step into the hospital, the familiar scent of antiseptic and anxiety floods my senses. The halls are busy with doctors and nurses in scrubs. Patients being wheeled past. Conversations clipped and efficient.
The entire operation is a machine, its rhythm precise and controlled. It reminds me of a courtroom—everyone plays their role and the stakes are always high.
We take the elevator up to the administrative floor, the polished doors sliding open with a soft chime.
I take a deep, cleansing breath. It’s time to work.
The conference room is at the end of the hall. As we approach, my pulse kicks up a notch, an unexpected rush of nerves threading through me.
I push the feeling down.
I am not nervous.
I reach for the door handle, open it, and step inside.
Then I see him.
Seamus McGloughlin.
Something inside me shifts. It’s instant. A visceral jolt lands somewhere deep in my chest, spreading lower, sinking into my bones.
He’s not merely attractive. He’s undeniable.
Seated at the table with his hands clasped together, his wavy, light-brown hair is slightly tousled and his blue eyes are sharp and assessing. He carries himself like a man who knows exactly who he is—strong, commanding, capable. He seems completely unbothered with his shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows.
Though he’s sitting, I can tell he’s a big man. It seems like he takes up all the space in the room.
Good God, the charisma—he radiates something unshakable.
Fuck me, he isyoung.
Much younger than me.Tooyoung for me.
Our age difference is forgotten when his eyes lock on mine with lethal precision.
Something flickers there—quick, sharp, dangerous.
Attraction. Appreciation.
Lust.
I freeze.
Suddenly, my dream doesn’t feel so far from reality.
Every warning I’ve ever ignored lives in his eyes.
I came here to bury him.
Something tells me, I’m the one going under.
ten
Seamus
