of myself I'd guarded for so long. Rhys had this ability to listen without judgment, his eyes soft and steady, while Adrian, who was quieter but

tle town, Evelyn?" Rhys asked, his voic

if I was going to start over here, there was no point in hiding. "Well,"

oaded glances that held more than words ev

augh escaped me, one more bitter than amused. "About a month ago, my relationship got exposed in the wo

't a small celebrity and the news has been everywhere, but it didn't come. Rhys reached

gaze darker, intense. "And t

eeping it vague. "But he was untouched by it. A man's r

ding a warmth that tingled all the w

ion, like he was a guardian against all of that. I had to remind myself to breat

a steady tone. "You must have

I caught the barest flicker of a smil

's had to reinvent themselves. Life in the public eye..." He trailed off, his expressi

we ended up here. Somewhere we cou

ng between us. It was like we'd all been running, tr

unsaid was filling the room, binding us together in ways I hadn't anticipated. That's when Rhys's hand

little too soft. "Maybe the q

parts of me I thought I'd hidden away. "Careful," he murmured, a smirk tu

ountered, surprised at

hat made me feel like I was sinking. "I t

was more than capable of showing them the parts of me that still had teeth. The room was dim, warm, the shad

the hearth, casting a warm glow over everything. I settled onto the couch, th

lence, a hint of admiration in his tone. "To start ov

humor in it. "Maybe I'm just stubb

Stubbornness is a strength," he murmured, leaning in close. His scent, earthy and warm, f

barely able to think with

hat I could catch my breath. Adrian watched us, his gaze sharper, assessin

d Adrian alone in the quiet. The silence was thick, almo

," Adrian finally said, his

k, keeping my tone light,

lied, his voice a low rumble t

anging in the air. And then, as if breaking the spel

a hint of mystery in his tone. "There's

Rhys opened it slowly, flicking on the light. Inside was a small studio, filled with canvases and paint-s

inside, mesmerized by the rows o

were finished, others only half-done, but they all shared a common thre

ft behind me. "He pai

ge of a cliff, looking out over a stormy sea. The figure's face was obscured,

" I asked, my voic

ze fixed on the painting. "Becaus