Song for the mood: Love Again by Dua Lipa. A snippet of the lyrics:

Never have I ever met somebody like you
Used to be afraid of love and what it might do
But goddamn, you got me in love again

Vera

Sunday, November 13

I wasn't the only one who worked on Sunday afternoons. A few of my colleagues-including my boss-were in the office, dressed casually instead of their usual business attire. Just as I was about to review documents that needed signing, I heard a familiar baritone voice call out my name.

"Vera."

There he was, drawing one foot back and forth in an imaginary line, while his hands remained in his jeans pockets. His gray T-shirt emphasized his toned physique and contrasted well against his bright eyes. He wore his signature Rolex. The tight ache in my heart plummeted to my stomach, releasing an intense craving for the man whose hair, lightened from the long summer gone, now showed glints of gold.

I placed my pen down on my desk and straightened my back. "Mister Scott, is there anything I can do for you? I believe Brenton is in his office if you need to see him."

"It's good to see you," Alistair said. He moved toward me like a panther prowling in the jungle, hunting for prey.

"No," I answered. I shook my head and folded my arms. "Not now."

"I need to talk to you, sweetheart."

Triggered by that word, I immediately stood up and started marching toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Alistair asked, grabbing my hand. I shook it off as if it were poison.

Distancing myself from Alistair's nearness, I placed my hands on my hips and sighed. "I need to get some air."

"Would you like to grab some coffee together?"

"No."

"Why not? It'll just be coffee."

"Why not? Hmm, let me think." I paused, then released a breath of hot air.

"You played me. Firstly, I'm not a rich man's plaything who can be toyed with. Secondly, your crazy girlfriend-oh, sister-in-law or whatever she is to you-came to my home and threatened me."

"I had no idea she would pull something like that-"

"Thirdly, you and Erin are expecting a baby. When's the baby due?"

"In December. She and Oliver are expecting the child because I signed away my rights."

"You shy away from responsibility!" I pointed my index finger at his chest.

"Oliver has Klinefelter syndrome."

"What?"

"It's a chromosomal disorder," he answered. "It causes abnormal development of the male reproductive organs. In other words, Oliver is infertile."

"Oh," I whispered, barely moving my lips. It now made sense why Oliver was willing to take the child as his own. He wanted an heir, and Erin's infidelity with Alistair was a golden opportunity. I bet Erin knew the night she conceived. Smart move, Oliver and Erin. "Thank you for the explanation, Mister Scott. Now, if you don't mind, I don't need the drama that comes with you."

"Vera, please! Call me Alistair."

"I don't address strangers by their first names," I retorted, still pissed at the man. My feelings were off-key, and emotions could quickly become irrational in love and war.

"We're hardly strangers." Alistair scoffed, leaning closer to me. The smooth touch of his thumb running along my face was enough to tranquilize the raging beast of my angry hormones that were ready to explode.

"Alistair," I said with a loud sigh. Why did I feel as if there was an invisible rope from him to me, binding our souls?

"Are you seeing anyone?" he questioned. His eyes pierced mine as he caressed my cheekbones.

"Yes, there's someone I see on a casual basis, but it's not a relationship."

"What's his name?"

"Does it matter?"

"I want him out of your life," Alistair ordered. He released a small chuckle and lifted my chin, murmuring, "Vera, Vera."

"Her name is Holly," I said. Holly James was a doctor, a gynecologist I met at a work-sponsored social event around the time I met Alistair. Ironically, we instantly connected on one subject: Alistair Scott. She knew about the Scott family through friends.

"Is it serious with Holly?"

"No. We meet up, and we fuck occasionally. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"Have you fucked another man?" Alistair cornered me, stroking my arms as his breathing grew heavy.

I didn't want to answer that question, so I said nothing.

"Vera? Have you slept with another man?"

"Yes, I have."

"Fuck! I knew it!" Alistair exclaimed. He looked up at the ceiling, grimaced, then ran his hands through his hair.

"Have you slept with another woman?" I shot back, throwing the ball in the player's court.

"Yes," he replied. His five o'clock shadow brushed against my face, and his forehead touched mine.

"Was it Erin?"

"No. I had a few one-night stands."

"Just a few? You're changing." I laughed, touching the soft cotton of Alistair's shirt sleeve.

"There's nothing between Erin and me," Alistair insisted. His eyes bore down on me, intensely drilling my soul. "She's my ex-girlfriend who's now married to my brother. That's all she is and all she'll ever be."

"Alistair," I trailed off, drowning in a cocktail of lust and passion that permeated my veins as his male scent infiltrated my nostrils.

"Did you miss me? Because I've missed you very much," Alistair murmured, groaning into my neck. I felt his body engulf mine, capturing my curves with his strong, masculine grasp. "You have no idea how much it killed me, the thought of not seeing you around. So, to say that I miss you is a grave understatement."

"Oh, God, I missed you so much," I whispered. My lips moistened from the warm tingle of his supple mouth. He deepened the kiss with the hot, intense zeal of his tongue, which greedily greeted mine. A century of days and nights could have quickly passed as we devoured each other in a hungry embrace. Coming back to my senses, I slowly broke free from Alistair, whose eyes were darkened and lost in crazy desperation.

"Don't pull away from me! I'm still crazy about you. Possessively crazy."

"I'm at work. Brenton's office is just down the hall, and if he catches us-"

"Vera, please!" Alistair begged. He pressed his body into mine, groped my ass with one forceful hand, and squeezed my left breast with the other hand. His grip caused ferocious pain, making me yelp.

"Alistair, you're hurting me! Stop it!" I cried out and raised my hand, signaling him to stop right there.

"Oh, shit. Shit, I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's been too long, and I struggle with control."

"You do not get to touch me that way!" I hissed, recoiling from Alistair. Memories of Ace flooded my head, which pounded with the painful recollection of his abusive nature.

"I'm sorry! I promise it won't happen again!" Alistair apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"I can't do this right now. We're better apart," I whispered, feeling breathless from the mixed emotions running in my heart.

"Old sport, I thought you got lost on the way up here. Do you still want to see me about your case?" a familiar voice asked.

Alistair and I both turned to Brenton, who stood at the doorway with raised eyebrows and a tight mouth. My boss was no idiot-he caught us fresh in the act of passion.

"McCormick." Alistair nodded and cleared his throat while I smoothed my denim skirt. "You may want to button up your blouse," he whispered into my ear, then walked over to greet his buddy with a pat on the back.

I looked down and noticed Alistair had unbuttoned my garment, revealing a little lace. Guard your heart, a silent voice whispered, sending chills down my spine. A storm is coming.

Guard your heart.

A/N: Please, if you're not enjoying the story, stop reading it. You can drop it like a hot potato.

Like the sun's effect on Icarus, is Alistair too dangerous for Vera?

A seventeenth-century relief with a Cretan labyrinth depicting Icarus and the sun (Musée Antoine Vivenel):