Rain lashed against me, soaking through my clothes as I pressed the doorbell again, a desperate plea echoing in my throat. "Hayden!" I sniffled, the sound thick with tears. "Hurry, please!" I was a wet, miserable mess, mascara streaks painting trails down my face, my heart aching with the fresh wound of betrayal.

The door finally swung open, not to my brother, but to a vision of chiseled abs and a perfectly wrapped white towel. Aiden. My breath hitched. He smelled of rain and something distinctly masculine, a scent that always made my insides twist. "Petal," he whispered, his eyes, those thundering grey orbs, softening as they roved over my tear-streaked face. My gaze lingered on the perfect V of his hipbones, an odd twinge of heat blossoming low in my belly. "I didn't know you'd be here." He pulled me inside, his large, warm hand around my arm, sending shivers through me that had nothing to do with the cold. He was Hayden's best friend, my childhood crush, and now, my unexpected refuge.