Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(11)

Embarrassment tore through me as I realized the soft laughter had come from the last person I cared to see at the moment—Adam Ward. Seated across from me in an overstuffed black leather chair, he was shirtless and smirking, his jean-clad legs propped up casually on a mahogany wood coffee table situated between us.

“W-where am I?” I stammered, glancing around a living room lit only by the warm glow of a crackling fire in a soaring stone fireplace. My feet rested on a Persian rug, pigmented in rich shades of chocolate and claret. I had no doubt it was a genuine.



I looked up, and Adam raised an eyebrow. Pay attention, Maddy. You’re obviously in the house of the person whose property you were trespassing on.



“I mean,” I hastily corrected, “what happened? How did I end up here?” A chill ran through me as I recalled the calloused hand covering my mouth before everything flashed black.

Adam raked his fingers through his messy hair. There was something insanely sensual about the way his long fingers lingered in the silky, dark strands; the way his eyes, blue but stormy, studied me. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question, Madeleine?”

As crazy as it was, in that moment, all I could think was: Well, I guess he remembers me from high school.

My fingers absently traced the collar of the blue shirt—his shirt—while I tried to think of a plausible explanation. I glanced over at Adam, his eyes taking in the lazy movement of my hand and then traveling up to my too-thin tank. Unapologetic, he met my gaze, and his mouth turned up into a wickedly suggestive smile. I stilled, suddenly feeling incredibly warm but definitely overexposed. I struggled to arrange the damn blue shirt in such a way as to cover myself, while Adam looked on with amusement.

My mind screamed danger, but my body began to feel alive in a way that had been dormant for far too long. God, the sinful thoughts this man evoked. I needed to get a grip, but no. Unable, or maybe unwilling, to stop myself, I involuntarily licked my lips and allowed my eyes to wander over the unclothed parts of his body—the curves of his biceps, the impressive breadth of his broad shoulders, the expanse of his bare chest. My gaze descended to the perfectly shaped v of his torso, down to his hips, and just kind of lingered there.

Adam cleared his throat. Quickly, I looked away, questioning my sanity. Had I hit my head when I fainted?



“Madeleine.” Adam’s voice was low and seductive, served up with maybe a hint of jest. “If you were looking for that, you should have just rung the doorbell.”

Could this get any more embarrassing? Clearly this was all some sort of a game to him. Certainly he’d been made aware that this was my first day on the island—his damn island. Yet he allowed some kind of henchman of his to scare the living daylights out of me. All due to the fact I’d dared to step onto his precious property. Never mind I’d been trespassing and, really, kind of spying.

The most enraging part, though, was that I was so, so madly attracted to Adam—even after all these years. But sitting there so cool and calm, he was having far too much fun at my expense. So I retaliated in the only way I could think of, I balled up the blue shirt and threw it at him.



Adam began to laugh, blue eyes no longer stormy. Now they sparkled like ocean water rippling under the sun, much like this afternoon. He caught the shirt with one hand. “It was just a joke,” he said. “But I am curious as to why you were out in the woods watching me.”

“I got lost. I went for a run and ended up here,” I explained. “It’s the truth, no matter how bad it looks.” And it mostly was.

I folded my arms defiantly over my chest, and Adam lowered his legs from the coffee table and leaned forward. He fluffed out the blue shirt I’d thrown and slipped it on. “Fair enough,” he said.

I mumbled something about how a person couldn’t even take a stroll through the woods around here without getting accosted, and Adam, apparently possessing exceptional hearing to go along with his many other fine attributes, said, “For the record, Max never intended to frighten you so badly. He was merely doing his job.”

“Oh, Max, the security guy for the island?” I retorted sarcastically. I’d already suspected Max’s top priority was keeping Mr. Ward safe, and this just proved it.

Adam didn’t acknowledge my sarcasm. Instead he hesitated and then said in a quiet voice, “You know, you’ve changed a lot since high school.”



I almost laughed. I’d changed? I felt like saying, “Seriously?” But I went with the more benign, “Haven’t we all?”

I wasn’t sure where this turn in the conversation might possibly lead, so best to tread carefully.



“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Adam sighed. “Unfortunately not all of us have changed for the better.” His voice now laced with bitterness, he looked away. Maybe this was the real Mr. Ward—bitter. It was kind of sad.

Feeling the need to lighten the mood, I quipped, “Well, you’ve certainly done very well for yourself.” I motioned around the room like a game show hostess. Oh God, Maddy, stop now!

“I guess it depends on one’s perspective,” Adam said distractedly, while finally getting around to buttoning his shirt. “But I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.”

“It’s true though,” I muttered to myself.