Rough Waters: 8. High Tide

The sun had fully broken through the clouds, casting golden light across the beachside mansion. Outside, the ocean shimmered, calm now, a gentle breeze carrying the salty tang of the sea. Inside, however, the air was thick with heat, laughter, and the lingering tension of two bodies that hadn’t let up since the storm had passed.

Ivy leaned against the kitchen counter, hair damp from a quick shower, towel still loosely wrapped around her. She smiled as she watched Jace pacing the room, bare-chested, tattoos glinting in the sunlight. His dark eyes never left her, full of playful hunger, that same dangerous intensity she had learned to crave.

“You’re watching me,” he said, voice low, teasing, as he leaned casually against the doorway, one hip cocked.

“I…” Ivy bit her lip, pretending to look away. “I was… um… making sure you weren’t planning anything?”

He smirked, that cocky, infuriating grin that made her pulse spike. “Oh, I definitely have plans,” he murmured,