Claim
By the time Ashcroft emerged from the cave, Harper was already gone-her jet ski cutting across the water, leaving a trail of white foam behind. With a low growl, he mounted his own, the engine roaring to life as he followed her path, keeping her in sight. Every wave between them seemed charged, he could feel deep in his chest that whatever heat they’d shared wasn’t close to cooling.
The salt wind bit at his face, but it did little to clear the storm inside him. She rode like she was running-from him, from what had just happened-but she wasn’t fast enough to outrun what was
between them.
He could still taste her on his tongue. Still feel the defiance in her breath when she whispered his
name like a curse.
Harper’s figure grew smaller ahead, but he didn’t speed up. Not yet. He wanted to give her space- to see where she went, what she’d do when she thought he wasn’t watching.
Because one thing Nicholas Ashcroft had learned? Harper Lin always ran… but she never ran witho
ut reason.
And this time, he wasn’t sure if she was fleeing him or herself.
Ashcroft’s sharp eyes locked on her retreating figure-steady, focused, unrelenting. To him, she looked fearless, untouchable. The wind whipped her hair, under the cold glow of the moon, the sea stretched dark and endless, and she cut through the waves like a storm incarnate-untamed,
unstoppable.
But what he couldn’t see-what the waves and distance hid-was the truth behind that image.
On the side where his gaze couldn’t reach, Harper’s vision blurred. The sting in her eyes wasn’t from the salt or wind-it was the tears she refused to let fall. The sea spray mixed with them, masking her pain in the rush of speed.
Her throat tightened as she gripped the handle harder. The engine’s hum drowned out the turmoil in her chest. She told herself last night was a mistake. And tonight… tonight should never have happened.
She knew better. She always did.
Getting that close to Nicholas Ashcroft had awakened something inside her-something she’d buried deep beneath logic and duty. He was danger, temptation, the one man she should’ve never allowed near her heart.
But the heat between them inside that cave had been unbearable. His breath on her skin, the
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Clam warmth of his touch-it had clouded her mind, stripped away reason, and made her surrender to temptation. Now, her mind was clear; it had to be. She was a Takahashi-heir to a name that carried blood, power, and promises. Yet her heart… her heart had always been her greatest weakness. And somehow, every time she told herself to stay away from such distractions, she ended up exactly where she shouldn’t be. Nicholas Ashcroft was only the second man to ever touch her. The first-the one she’d once told Maya about-was her first love. They’d known each other since grade school, friends who grew into something more. Their relationship lasted almost seven years. She gave him everything, including her first time. What she told Maya-that “it didn’t work out, they just grew apart”-was only half the truth. The real reason was far more painful. He came from a simple family, a normal life-just like everyone else. But not Harper’s kind of normal. In the end, she’d been forced to choose between her duty and her love. So she made the choice that shattered her-she broke her own heart to honor her legacy. She ended it, lying that she’d realized they were better off as friends. They both agreed to preserve that friendship, but it broke her far more than it broke him- especially when she learned he got married three months later. It hurt even more when she met his wife… and saw how happy they were. On the surface, she wore her armor well-thrill-seeker, hardheaded, carefree, the liberated woman most people admire. But behind that mask, beneath the laughter and rebellion, lived a woman who was terrified. Terrified of feeling again. Terrified of giving herself to someone, only to watch her heart shatter all over again. Comments Cedella Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.