CHAPTER 3
Sierra
Ishould have known something like this would happen.
Except how could I have known?
This has to be either the most random coincidence in the world or the most elaborate plot known to mankind, because how the hell did I end up running into my ex in a place like this? This is not at all where I ever expected to see him again, if I ever did.
Even worse, the entire retreat is jointly owned by him, some guy named Talon, and this handsome, cowboy-looking chef named Luke who keeps shooting me curious side-glances. No doubt he's wondering what the hell is going on between me and Reid—or maybe whether I'm just a nutcase. I'm sure they get their fair share of loonies turning up here for their so-called “holistic treatments.”
If this was some kind of plot by Reid, Luke clearly wasn’t in on it. He looked genuinely shocked and confused by my reaction to seeing Reid here. We flirted basically the whole way here, even after I'd learned he was one of the owners. I can't imagine him doing that if Reid had told him I was his ex.
Anyway, back to why I am really here.
It’s hard to see Luke as any kind of master manipulator or cult leader. He feels too honest, too down-to-earth, says whatever pops into his mind. Of course, that could just be a front—a way to make me let my guard down. Still, I’d actually started to think maybe I’d been wrong about this place.
I was even looking forward to spending the week here with Luke.
But now that I know Reid is involved, I can’t allow myself that luxury.
And Reid never hinted at who he really was during our correspondence. Why not? What could he possibly hope to gain? Does he just want to screw with my mind more than he already has?
No. That’s too far-fetched, even for him. I might hate the sonofabitch, but that’s not his style. He didn’t seek me out—I was the one who reached out to them, asking if I could stay for a week. Sure, they sweetened the deal by waiving the fee, but it wasn’t their idea, and they didn’t force or trick me into coming here.
What’s for sure is that my encounter with Luke on the road wasn’t staged. I didn’t tell them what time I’d be arriving, and I didn’t follow the route they laid out either—it looked like it would add another thirty minutes. Plus, how could they have known my car would break down in that exact spot? They couldn’t have. The idea is ridiculous.
And yet I’m on edge, looking around me, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
What’s going on? Why did Reid invite me here? Is this really just about getting me to review their treatments like we discussed… or is there something else?
Reid turns around and meets my gaze. My stomach catapults, then twists sharply under the weight of everything that hits me all at once.
“Relax,” he says.
“I mean it. If you still want to leave once your car’s fixed, we’ll help you go. I can even give you an escort or have someone drive you, like I offered in my email.”
“No thanks,” I say quickly.
“So regular people pay your exorbitant fees? Because I know you don’t just cater to celebrities, right?” Celebrities can burn money on things like this; I don’t care about them. It’s the regular folks I’m thinking of — the ones who drop half a year’s paycheck for the promise of peace or healing or answers. People wasting their money on what might well be brainwashing schemes. “I see a lot of reviews from regular people.”
“Yeah,” Luke says. “We didn’t create this retreat to cater to celebrities. We reached out to them first to build some buzz, but we’re just as happy—actually happier—to have regular people stay with us. Celebrities can be… demanding.”
“Happy to take normal, average people’s hard-earned money and convince them their problems are all in their heads, that they can overcome their cancer with the right mindset, huh?” I deliver it with a smile, but the venom sits right under it.
To my surprise, Reid doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t snap. Doesn’t even look annoyed.
If anything, he looks… amused.
And then his gaze drops to my mouth. Slowly. Deliberately.
Heat sparks under my skin.
Memories slam into me so fast I almost stumble.
Especially that last night—the fight over something stupid, like always—and then the sex that followed, hard, rough, and devastating.
As much as I hate to admit it, I loved it.