Iris's POV

"This is a beautiful place," he said.

His voice hit me like a shockwave. This wasn't a mirage. That slightly raspy tone, the accent I'd tried so many times to recreate in my memory... It was him.

Victor was really standing there, on the sidewalk by my beach, only a few feet away. Close enough for me to touch.

My body reacted on its own, driven by years of confusing memories and a suppressed desire I'd pretended didn't exist. I forgot all modesty and any thought of the conseque