“What the hell!?” I couldn’t help but jolt up in bed.

The sound of a fire engine—or maybe it was an ambulance—grew in the distance. But how? We are in the middle of nowhere!

Was it even a siren?

It didn’t sound like anything I had ever heard before and I was pretty accustomed to sounds of trauma, urgency, and danger. I could sense, however, from the look on Ty’s face, that he knew exactly what it was.

Oh no…

Just then, the door burst open. It was Axe. He stared hard at me and I was shocked to see such an extreme look of panic on his usually calm face.

Why now?

What is going on!?

Can’t it wait?

This is the most amazing moment of my life!

“Excuse me!” I spurted out. “Axe shut the door right—”

Slowly and intentionally, Axe moved his gaze from me to Ty. I stopped myself when I felt the sheer force of energy between the two of them.

Something was not right.

Axe and Ty nodded to each other and all at once, Axe flew out of the room just as fast as he had entered it. Ty’s energy immediately changed, too, and he jumped out of bed. I watched him survey the room calmly but, at the same time, with razor sharp focus.

He seemed to be taking stock of everything—scanning his surroundings with expertly trained precision. He barely noticed me, if at all, and I have to say I was a little shocked, hurt even. It was as though he’d flipped a switch and gone from completely intense and focused on me and our incredible moment together to warrior mode.

Who was this stranger?

What happened to our secret world?

Ty easily whipped on a pair of black military cargo pants and pulled a tight grey v-neck t-shirt over his abs, covering the tattoos on his torso, strong biceps and shoulders. Then he paused to search for something else.

I sat there, wrapped up in soft silky sheets, completely naked and quite disheveled, barely able to catch my breath let alone understand what was going on. All at once, my presence was at complete odds with Ty’s. There he was, hard, fast and calculated, distant even, and there I was, stuck in the moment we had just been sharing together—abandoned by him—feeling soft, vulnerable and open. I was still warm from his touch while he had become cold and methodical. I watched him with a sort of sad curiosity.

Had I just imagined that our feelings were mutual?

Just then Ty paused and scanned the room, appearing to be almost frustrated for a split-second, then finally locking eyes on a black, high-tech looking watch, he lunged for it. He quickly slipped it on his wrist, fastened the clasp without looking, and practically jumped into soft, sand-colored combat boots. It was easy to see—almost eerily so—that he’d gone through this routine a hundred, maybe a thousand, times. He was swift and systematic, never rushed or scattered, just precise as hell. It all would have been sexy if I weren’t so confused as to what exactly was going on…

The sirens grew louder…

Lastly, Ty put on a black cap on and pulled it down over his eyes. Only his strong jaw line and soft lips remained. The rest was hidden under the brim of his hat. Then, for some reason, his energy changed. He stopped as if frozen in space and seemed to reconsider his actions. I sensed he was about to break his much-practiced routine so I sat up and pulled the sheets around me tighter, curious.

Ty took off his cap and swiftly made his way to my side of the bed, dropped down to one knee and took both of my hands in his. In an instant, he had shifted all of his focus back to me. Whatever he was doing before was now secondary to whatever he had to say to me; it was jarring how easily he was able to shift the energy in the room but his intensity was undeniable. This sweet, cheeky trouble-maker of a boy could turn into a strong, intense man in the blink of an eye. And then back again, just as fast.

It was a fact I would later come to learn over and over again: when Ty Powers wanted you to feel that you were the only person in the world, you felt it. He stared at me hard and, just like that, the whole room faded away into nothing. All I could see were his wolf eyes, narrowing in on me. Making sure I knew that he was looking only at me.

“I have to go,” he said calmly and quietly. His gaze was fixed and even though he knew I couldn’t possibly grasp what exactly was going on, I could see that he was taking the time to make sure I understood that he, did indeed, have to go.

“It’s okay,” I heard myself whisper.

I couldn’t help but drop my gaze to the sheets that surrounded my body. I hugged them tighter around me, in part for comfort, in part because I couldn’t stand to look up into his perfect eyes any longer without cracking into a million pieces and begging him to stay. I wanted to kiss him so badly and pull him back into bed with me. I had never felt a yearning like this before and I was almost ashamed to admit how much I longed for him.

I wanted to dissolve back into our secret world and never emerge. To be tangled up with him and never again be apart. To lose all sense of time. To be wrapped up in the sheets for hours. I wanted to forget the rest of the wold existed—hell, I pretty much already had. Ty Powers was a force that pulled me ever and ever closer to his embrace. It was as though I just couldn’t get close enough to him. As though I missed him even when he was right next to me.

But, of course, I couldn’t say any of this. So instead I just looked down at the sheets and tried my best to keep it together. The truth is, I did understand why he had to go. It was his job. Ty was an Elite Force Protector, it’s who he was. And we’d made no promises to each other. Maybe one night was all we were supposed to ever have.

Oh God please don’t let that be true!

I straightened my posture and looked at him again, trying to be brave, I smiled and nodded to signify that it was okay and that he could go. I did understand. After all, I was leaving as well… a fact I had somehow managed to avoid talking about during our night together.

“Listen to me,” Ty breathed, “there’s no time to get into it… but... Elizabeth, you’re amazing. I mean, last night was incredible. Normally I don’t… I mean… man, I really wish I had more time to explain…”

The sirens persisted and in the distance and now I was sure I heard a helicopter on approach.

“It’s okay,” I said, and of course I meant it, even though I hated to utter the words.

Obviously, something terrible had happened and I could see that Ty was needed somewhere ASAP. I get it; I’m a trauma nurse, it’s who I am and I would trample over anyone who got in my way.

“No. It’s not that. I mean, yes, but no. Listen to me,” Ty’s words brought me back to the moment as I slowly started to get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. There was so much going on it was hard to focus.

The sirens.

My night with Ty.

My failed attempts to push down my feelings for him—or was it just the intensity of the moment? Where was Ty going? Would I ever see him again?

Stop it, Lizzy, enough with this nonsense!

This was only a one-night stand!

Or was it?

How did Ty feel?

Did he feel the same?

The sirens, again.

Why was Axe involved?

What was going on?

I shook my head, it was all too much to absorb, “I am sorry, Ty, it’s just… a lot... I am listening,” I said.

We locked eyes and to my surprise he seemed just as confounded as I did. He exhaled and said, “I can’t go without… I don’t know… damn this is really not the time, I wish we had more time. I want to talk to you—”

I leaned forward and kissed Ty softly. Every fibre of my being was being pulled towards him. The bed was crumbling. Everything was shaking. I felt as though I’d never stop falling and Ty was the only one who could catch me. This wasn’t right, he couldn’t leave.

I needed Ty by my side.

But I couldn’t say anything.

It’s not right.

This isn’t supposed to be happening!

I realized I probably had about five more seconds with this completely amazing, utterly perfect man before he would most likely leave my life forever.

The sirens persisted.

“Dammit,” Ty said and this time it was him who looked down to the floor. “Okay, listen, I have to go. But promise me something?”

“Ty!”

It was Axe banging his fist on the bedroom door.

“Powers, let’s go! Now, man.”

Even the sweet tone of Axe’s voice I had come to know was completely gone. He was all business as he commanded Ty to join him. Suddenly the feeling in my gut worsened tenfold. I felt so ill, I might fall over, or pass out. It was all I could do to keep from tumbling into Ty’s arms and begging him to never leave my side.

“Elizabeth,” Ty ignored Axe. He looked up and kissed my forehead. He softly held my hands in his hands. “You have to promise me something, okay?”

I nodded without really knowing what I was agreeing to. He held my face in his hands and as I looked at him I realized he was both that sweet, charming boy and that strong, powerful man all at once. He looked at me and whispered, “promise me you’ll be my North Star.”

I nodded silently as I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Ty kissed my lips softly, grabbed a black rucksack, pulled his cap down, and sprinted out the door while I fell into pieces.