youâll think this is an attempt to hurt you like you hurt me, but thatâs not the case at all.
You were doing your job. I understand that. You had to catch the men involved in the drug ring, and Iâm glad you did. In the end, you saved my business.
But itâs the rest I canât put out of my mind. I was falling for you, hard. If I werenât, I wouldnât be so lost at finding out you werenât who I thought. That I was just a suspect you needed information from, at least in the beginning. I know you fell for me, too, but you still played me. You went too far.
As for what happened in my office, seeing you kill two men frightened me. Worse, seeing you almost dieâthat terrified me more than anything. So much that I canât sleep. Even if I can forgive you, even if I can give us another chance, youâre still Grayson Sloane, FBI agent. Your enemies will try to kill you.
And one day, if one of them succeeds, I wouldnât survive losing you. Not like that. I donât have it in me to take that chance with my heart.
Maybe Iâm a coward for cutting my losses, but I canât deal with all of this. I need time to think, and as hard as it is for me to say, I donât expect you to wait for me. I honestly hope you find what youâre looking for.
Heal fast, please. Iâm so glad youâre going to be okay.
Love,
Anna
âI already found what Iâm looking for,â he whispered. The letter fell from his hand, and his eyes burned. Inside, he was scraped raw and bleeding.
âAnd I wonât be okay until you come home.â
***
Anna was sprawled in a lounger on the white sand of Aruba, soaking up the Caribbean sun.
Too bad it couldnât melt the chill inside.
Three days sheâd been here, and she was no closer to an answer. She used the time to relax and unwind from the stress of what had happened in New York. Stress from making the restaurant successful, too, pouring her heart and soul into the place. She hadnât realized how tightly wound sheâd been from that alone.
Should she call Gray? She missed him. But would that solve anything, or just make things worse? She didnât know what to do.
âExcuse me, is this seat taken?â
Shielding her eyes, she peered up at the man standing under her grass umbrella. Her mouth immediately went dry.
The man smiling down at her had tanned skin, natural, if she had her guess. Raven hair was swept back from a face that would make Antonio Banderas weep from shame, and his teeth were a slash of white in his angular face. He was tall and wearing Speedo swim trunks that barely covered the essentials and left not one thing to the imagination.
More than being gorgeous, he was imposing. Even mostly naked, he had a commanding presence that suggested his question was a mere formality. Heâd asked to sit next to her, but he clearly expected her assent. The old Anna wouldâve bristled and snarled a rejection, but sheâd come here to relax, after all. Who said she couldnât do that while talking with a sexy man?
And he was the most stunning man sheâd ever metâexcept for Gray. Quickly, she pushed that name aside.
âWhoâs asking?â she said, keeping her tone playful. Light.
His smile deepened, revealing grooves bracketing his mouth that she suddenly wanted to trace with her tongue. âIâm Joaquin,â he said. âAnd you?â
âIâm Anna.â She studied him, cocking her head.
âIs something wrong?â
âNo, itâs just . . .â She shrugged. âI thought Iâd heard that name before recently. Itâs kind of unusual. So, what brings a man like you over here to talk to me?â
âIâll confess: Iâve been watching you since I arrived yesterday.â He took a seat without waiting for confirmation that he was welcome.
She arched a brow. âOh? Stalking much?â
He shook his head
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