Sinjin was still a hundred yards from shore when he heard the rumble of an engine and the distinctive sound of tires on gravel. He paused his daily swim workout to tread water and look around, wondering which of the lake’s few cabin owners were putting in a rare appearance.

It took him a few minutes to find the vehicle. It was a dark red Jeep that flickered in and out of view between the pine trees that spanned the shoreline. The Jeep was moving too fast to see much, but he caught a flash of sunlight on blonde hair and a general impression of slender arms and delicate features. His new neighbour was a woman, and judging by the luggage stacked in the back of her vehicle, she was planning on staying a while.

He watched to see which cabin she was heading for, assuming she’d drive down to the far end of the lake where most of the vacation cabins were located. Instead, the Jeep slowed and turned down the narrow lane that led to a pair of private lots, one of which was his current home. “Son of a bitch,” Sinjin sighed. It looked like the powers that be had decided he’d been alone at Dark Water Lake long enough.

The wind picked up, and he set out for shore again, swimming hard against the light chop that had suddenly appeared. The exertion felt good, and he felt a pang of relief when he realized that nothing was hurting, despite the extra effort. It was the first time he’d pushed himself this hard since the accident, and it looked like his body had finally healed. Now if he could just get over the nightmares, he’d be ready to go back to work.

He reached the beach outside his cabin and stood, the wind blowing hard enough now to make goosebumps chase over his arms. “Weird weather,” he muttered to himself as he snagged the towel he’d left on shore and dried off quickly. Normally the lake was calm and still since the hills surrounding acted as a weather break. He slipped on his shoes and jogged back up to the cabin, already looking forward to the long, hot shower he’d promised himself.

By the time he had dressed again, the wind was actually howling at the windows and he looked outside, expecting to see a storm. The sky overhead was still clear and blue, and the sun was warm where it fell on his skin through the window, but the trees outside were being beaten down by a serious blow. When he looked toward the water, he noted it had turned to a deep slate colour beneath the choppy waves. The lake was living up to its name today.

He pulled on a sweatshirt and headed out back to double-check the generator. If the wind kept up, he had no doubt he would lose power.

The little Honda needed a fuel top-up but was otherwise ready to go, and Sinjin headed back to the cabin, gathering up an armload of firewood along the way. It had been too warm for a fire before today, but tonight might be a good night for it. As he dropped the wood off on the porch, he wondered if the new arrival at Dark Water was prepared for a power failure.

Michelle hauled the last bag inside and dropped it on the floor of the cabin’s larger bedroom. “And I’m home,” she announced with a faint laugh. Walking back into the main room, she looked around and wrinkled her nose at the musty smell that filled the air. “Spiders and mice and dust bunnies, oh my. First order of business is to get this place aired out.” She opened several of the windows, struggling slightly as the old, weather-warped wood resisted before giving up with protesting creaks and groans. The wind was still picking up, but Michelle left the windows and door open, preferring the slight chill to having to breathe musty air.

She checked the old-fashioned icebox and was relieved to see it was clean and still well sealed. Her family had never bothered to buy a modern fridge for the cabin, which meant for the next while she’d be roughing it in a world without ice cubes. She got busy unloading the groceries she’d bought on the way, restocking the cupboards and filling the ice box.

Staying busy was important. Since she’d been woken up the night before, Michelle had been constantly on the move, not standing still long enough to let her thoughts catch up with her. She’d barely managed to snatch another hour or so of sleep before she’d given up entirely and gotten out of bed. Her mother had called early, confirming Michelle’s long-standing belief that her mom somehow always knew when her daughter needed her. They’d talked for an hour, and it had been her mom’s suggestion to come up to the cabin and get away from everything for a few days. It had seemed a brilliant idea at the time, and Michelle had set about packing immediately. She’d kept up a near-frantic speed all morning at the idea of being able to get away to somewhere quiet and safe. She wanted to be far away from Nancy Turner’s threats and whatever it was that had caused her to imagine she had heard Robert speaking to her last night.

She called her new boss and given her apologies, explaining that there were family issues regarding the funeral and will and she was going to need a few days off to deal with it all. She’d expected to be fired, but her boss had understood and given her the time away, even though she hadn’t worked there long enough to earn it.

Now she was at the lake though, she was having second thoughts. It was too quiet, and there was nothing to distract her from remembering everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Letters sent from beyond the grave, Nancy’s venomous accusations, and the strange breeze that spoke with Robert’s voice.

The wind blew hard enough to make the windows shimmy in their frames, and she went to close them, yanking back her hand in surprise when the last window slammed shut before she’d barely laid a finger on it. Her nerves on edge now, she turned to the door, and was stunned to see a man’s shape filling the doorway. For a moment, she was seized with panic, her heart squeezing into her throat and choking her as irrational thoughts filled her head. It’s Robert. He’s here! Part of her mind screamed at her to run, but she couldn’t move, or speak.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” It wasn’t Robert’s voice, and now she realized whoever was standing at her door was taller than her ex-boyfriend, his big body very nearly filling the open space.

“It wasn’t your fault. I just seem to be jumping at shadows today.” Michelle offered her apology without moving, curious as to who would be out in this normally isolated area.

“I know how that can be.” Her visitor stepped just inside the cabin door and stopped to lean back against the frame. The cabin lights were bright enough to reveal his face for the first time. “My name’s Sinjin Heath. I’m in the cabin next door.”

All the air rushed out of Michelle’s lungs as her eyes drank in the vision in front of her. He was tall enough to make her tip her head up to see his face, which was rare considering she was five foot ten in her stocking feet. His brown eyes were so dark they seemed almost black, and he wore his hair long, its dark-brown length falling loose past his shoulders. A thin scar ran from his temple to just by the outer corner of one eye, giving character to a face that might have otherwise been too pretty to be real.

“Hi.” She finally managed to pull herself together and gave him what she hoped was a friendly smile as she offered him her hand. “Michelle Jamieson.”

He took her hand with a smile, but instead of shaking it, he raised it to his mouth and brushed a brief kiss over the knuckles as his brown eyes stared into hers. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Michelle.” His mouth turned her name into a whispered caress, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. As her mind returned, she realized he was still holding her hand in his, and she tugged it out of his grip. “In all the years my family have been up here, we’ve never seen anyone at that cabin. I thought maybe it had been abandoned.”

“I don’t think it gets used all that much. It belongs to the company I work for. They keep it for use as a retreat for employees in need of a little peace and quiet.” He shrugged slightly, his eyes still watching her intently. “I’ve been here a few weeks. You’re the first person I’ve seen.”

“Sorry if my arrival has disturbed your solitude,” she said, wondering what could make someone leave their life to come out here to hide. Then she realized that was exactly what she was doing. “I uh…needed some time away myself.”

“I think this lake is big enough for the two of us to share.” Sinjin’s lips quirked into a grin that made him look like a mischievous boy. “I’ll take this half, you take the other side?”

“Maybe I should take the top half and you can have the bottom.” She found herself grinning back.

“No thanks, I don’t have any gills.” He turned his head and swept back his hair to show her his neck. “See?”

She caught a glimpse of another scar as she leaned in and pretended to examine his neck for gills. “I see. Well, I suppose we’ll just have to share the top half then.” Without thinking, she reached up and brushed her fingertips to the scar just visible above the collar of his shirt. “What happened?” The words were out before she realized she was speaking, and she felt him stiffen and his hand reached up to cover hers.

“It’s a long story. Let’s just say my line of work comes with danger pay.” He kept her hand in his as he lifted it from his neck, his fingers moving lightly over hers. “I came over to see if you needed help. If this wind gets any worse, we may lose power.” It was hard to think when he was holding her hand like that, and it took a moment for his words to sink in past the warm tingles that rose at that simple caress.

“I haven’t checked on the generator yet. Thanks for reminding me.”

“Just being neighbourly.” He smiled again, and her heart did a triple beat. “I wouldn’t like to think of you over here sitting in the dark tonight, all alone. Why don’t we go check on it now?”

“It’s just out back. I’ll show you.” She felt a glow of something she determined was most definitely gratitude and nothing more as she headed for the front door. After all, she’d never been up here without either her dad or Robert, and the generator was a bit of a mystery to her. He was just being kind. That was all.

“Could you show me what to do with it? My dad never thought to tell me. He always considered it the man’s job, like barbecuing and chopping wood.”

Sinjin laughed and followed her out, somehow still holding onto her hand. “I’m not an expert, but I think I can manage to show you the basics.”

The moment they stepped outside, the wind blew harder, screaming through the trees above them and sending a shower of leaves and debris down on their heads. “This is nuts! Let’s run for it!” She tugged on his hand and bolted around the back of the house to the small add-on where the generator and water pump were housed. She ducked inside and laughed as he followed her in, his large build taking up most of the room. Grabbing a flashlight from its place on the wall, she flicked it on and ran the light over the generator.

“Perfect, it’s just the same as the one at my place.” Sinjin crouched down and started showing her what he knew as she knelt beside him. The musty smell of the shed couldn’t completely obscure his scent, and she breathed it in, woodsy and subtle. His presence filled the entire space, and she realized she’d lost track of his explanation, distracted by the play of muscles in his forearm and the way his hands moved as he talked.

“—and that ought to do it.” He glanced over at her with a smile that shot straight through her, warming her body in intimate places.

“Thank you.” She looked up and found herself caught in the gaze of two brown eyes, and when his hands rose up to cup her cheeks, her breath caught in her throat. For a long moment, they stayed like that, and then he leaned closer. He lowered his head and brushed a soft kiss to her mouth, sending sparks sizzling through her entire body.

“This is not a good idea,” he murmured before kissing her again.

“Probably not,” she managed to reply before leaning in to kiss him back, her arms around his neck, the flashlight beam shining off into the rafters, forgotten. She felt his hands leave her face to glide over her torso, stroking her lightly through her T-shirt. As his arms wrapped around her waist he stood and pulled her up with him, drawing her in tight to his hard body. She moaned, and her lips parted beneath his. He took control then, deepening the kiss, his lips slanting over hers, laying claim to them. Strong hands curved over her ass, holding her in place.

Her fingers drifted to his chest, spanning muscle and sinew as she worked her way lower, finally finding the edge of his shirt and slipping her hands beneath. His skin was warm, and every part of him felt solid, strong, and huge. She moaned into his mouth and nipped at his lower lip, needing more. After all the chaos and upset of the past few weeks, this was what she needed. He was what she needed. She didn’t know why, but she knew it deep down inside, had known it since the moment he’d appeared at her door.

He kissed her again, fierce and hot. His tongue twined with hers, and his cock rose hard and heavy between them. “Michelle.” He groaned her name and lifted his head at last. “I want you, but not here.”

“Not here,” she whispered in agreement, her pulse racing and her knees weak. “Come with me.” Part of her was stunned by her brazen behavior as she untangled herself from him and then took his hand, leading him back around the cabin. The rest of her was too turned on to care. She wanted him, and for once in her life, she was going to take what she wanted without worrying about the consequences.