Ava pressed her back against the wooden gate that opened into the lavender field, trying to calm herself. The midnight air was thick with anticipation — rich, wild, heavy with promises. The purple flowers nodded in a gentle breeze, their sweet, heady scent a sensual thread tying her directly back to Theo.
As she turned the gate's handle and stepped into the field, a rush of pure feeling — nervousness, longing, pure physical need — washed over her. The lavender flowed around her knees, tickling her skin through the thin fabric of her midnight-blue dress. The moonscape seemed enchanted, a hidden world meant for just the two of them.
Then she felt it — a strong hand, warm against the small of her back — sending a rush of sparks up her spine. Ava turned and there he was: Theo Harper, taller, more sculpted by time, his piercing green eyes glimmering in the glow of the full moon. His shirt was casually unbuttoned at the collar, revealing a hint of hard muscle beneath — a view Ava hadn't forgotten in all these years.
"Theo..." she whispered, not trusting her voice.
He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her doubts, letting their silence say more than words. His other hand slid up her back, knuckles grazing her skin through the delicate fabric of her dress. His breath fell warm against her face as he dipped his head and pressed a slow, deliberate kiss just above her collarbone. Ava trembled under his touch, a rush of pure, raw electricity igniting every nerve in her body.
"I crossed years… miles… time itself… just to find you again." Theo's voice was gravelly, rich with promises — promises of nights filled with passion and renewal.
Ava pressed her forehead against his, letting her doubts dissolve. Whatever lay in their future, it would be forged in the sensual spark of this moment — a spark that neither time nor distance could erase.