Chapter 2

Audrey parked her old, dented Honda Civic in the LAX economy lot.

The hot morning air shimmered above the vast expanse of concrete as she stepped out of the car. She pulled the hood of her oversized sweatshirt up, shielding her face and neck from the blinding sun.

She walked quickly toward the terminal, the sliding glass doors of the Tom Bradley International Terminal opening with a mechanical hum.

The overwhelming noise of the crowd hit her instantly. Hundreds of people were rushing, shouting, and dragging wheeled suitcases across the hard tile floors. The sheer volume of humanity made her chest tighten with mild anxiety.

Audrey walked over to the giant digital arrivals board. Her eyes scanned the glowing yellow text until she found Julian's flight from London. The status read "LANDED." She let out a long, shaky sigh of relief. He was finally here.

She navigated through the sea of waiting families and chauffeurs holding black iPads with names on them. She found a relatively quiet spot behind a thick, round concrete pillar, giving herself a clear view of the customs exit doors while remaining somewhat hidden.

Audrey pulled out her phone to text Julian her exact location. Her thumbs flew quickly across the cracked screen.

I'm by the coffee shop, behind the big pillar. Look for the gray hoodie.

Just as she hit send, a notification popped up at the top of her screen from her bank app. It showed a dangerously low balance.

Audrey bit her lower lip hard, the sharp sting grounding her. A wave of stress tightened her stomach. Rent was due in a week, and her background acting gigs were barely covering groceries.

She quickly swiped the notification away, dismissing it. She refused to let financial worries ruin the happy reunion with her brother. They hadn't seen each other in five years. Today was about family.

She looked up toward the sliding frosted glass doors of the customs exit. Her eyes scanned the diverse crowd pouring out, searching for Julian's familiar, handsome face.

A group of loud tourists, pushing two overloaded luggage carts, shoved past her. The sudden movement forced Audrey to step sideways to avoid getting hit. She stumbled slightly, her shoulder bumping hard into a tall metal trash can.

"Sorry," she muttered quickly to no one in particular, steadying herself.

As she regained her balance, her gaze accidentally drifted past the main crowd, looking toward the VIP exit lane on the far right.

Through a brief gap in the moving crowd, Audrey spotted a towering male figure.

He was dressed in a meticulously tailored charcoal Tom Ford suit that screamed generational wealth. He had his back turned to her, talking quietly to an airline official in a crisp uniform.

But the broad, powerful shoulders, the perfect, rigid posture, and the dark hair styled flawlessly sent a violent, electric shock straight through her central nervous system.

Audrey's breath hitched painfully in her throat. Her lungs simply stopped working. Her mind instantly flashed back to the intense, suffocating dream from just an hour ago. The phantom weight of his hands returned to her waist.

She took an involuntary step backward. Her cheap sneakers squeaked slightly on the polished airport floor. Pure, unadulterated panic rose in her chest, clawing at her throat.

The man slowly turned his head to the side to address the official.

The movement revealed a sharp, aristocratic jawline. It was a profile Audrey had memorized down to the millimeter. The straight nose, the hard line of his jaw, the cold aura of absolute authority.

Audrey's heart began to hammer wildly against her ribs. The beats were so fast and hard they actually hurt. Her hands started trembling so violently she nearly dropped her phone onto the tile floor.

She immediately ducked behind the thick concrete pillar. She pressed her back flat against the cold, hard surface, squeezing her eyes shut.

No. No. No.

She desperately told herself she was hallucinating. It was the lack of sleep. It was the dream messing with her head. She was rationalizing the impossible. Zane Kensington belonged in New York. He ruled the East Coast. He had no business being in a public terminal at LAX.

She took three deep, shaky breaths, forcing the air into her tight lungs. She tried to slow her racing pulse. She was terrified that he might have sensed her presence, that his predatory instincts would draw him straight to her hiding spot.

A loud, booming voice over the intercom announced a gate change, the sudden noise startling Audrey and breaking her momentary paralysis.

Gathering every ounce of her courage, she slowly opened her eyes. She peeked carefully around the edge of the concrete pillar, praying to God that the man was just a stranger with a similar build.

The spot near the VIP exit was now completely empty.

The man in the charcoal suit had vanished into the crowd, leaving no trace behind.

Audrey exhaled a massive, shaky breath. She slumped slightly against the pillar, the tension draining from her muscles. She felt a confusing, sickening mix of immense relief and a tiny, bitter drop of disappointment that she immediately hated herself for.

She scolds herself internally for being so paranoid. She slapped her own cheeks lightly with both hands, the sharp sting snapping her out of the pathetic romantic delusion.

Get a grip, Audrey.

Her phone buzzed violently in her hand, startling her again. She looked down. The screen displayed an incoming call from Julian.

Audrey eagerly swiped to answer, pressing the phone to her ear. "Julian?" her voice cracked slightly. She cleared her throat. "Where are you?"

Julian's warm, familiar voice came through the speaker, instantly soothing her frayed nerves. "I just passed customs, Audie. My heavy trunks were shipped ahead last week, so I only have my carry-on. I'm walking toward the coffee shop right now."

Audrey smiled genuinely for the first time today. She pushed away from the pillar, her anxiety replaced by pure familial joy.

"I see the coffee shop," she said, quickly walking toward the designated meeting spot. Her eyes frantically searched the faces of the approaching passengers.

Then, she spotted him. A tall man waving at her from the distance, holding a sleek leather duffel bag. Julian.

Audrey shoved her phone into her pocket, preparing herself for the long-awaited reunion.