Chapter 1 The Forbidden Cousin - Chapter 1

Kethlen's car came to a soft, creaking stop in front of the familiar iron gate, the one that marked the boundary between the real world and the sanctuary of her memories. Her grandmother's house, a mansion from the last century stubbornly resisting time, stood imposingly at the end of the dirt path. The late afternoon light, golden and lazy, bathed its stone walls and wood already worn by sun and rain. The garden, once impeccable, was a little wild, with climbing rose bushes growing without the discipline of yesteryear, an involuntary metaphor for Kethlen's own state of mind. She got out of the car, stretching her body, tired from the long journey. The heavy air of the countryside filled her lungs, a smell of damp earth, grass, and a hint of nostalgia.

The key was supposed to be under the large ceramic pot to the right of the door, as it always had been. Her grandmother, even in the city, kept to the rituals. Kethlen crouched down, her tight linen skirt straining against her thighs. Her slender fingers, adorned only by a simple ring, rummaged through the damp soil under the pot. Nothing. A slight frustration crackled in her chest. Perhaps the old lady had changed the hiding place, or worse, forgotten to tell her. She stood up, rubbing the dirt from her fingers, and examined the massive wooden door. It was then that the metallic sound of the bolt being turned from inside made her step back, her heart giving an unexpected leap in her chest.

The door opened with a low creak, revealing not the frail figure of her grandmother, nor any random caretaker, but a man. A man who completely filled the doorframe, blocking the interior light. Kethlen felt the air leave her for a second.

It was Gael.

But not the Gael she remembered. The lanky cousin from her childhood, with his boyish ways, had dissolved in time. In his place was a twenty-five-year-old man, with broad shoulders and the relaxed posture of someone well acquainted with his own body. He was taller than she had imagined, easily surpassing six feet. His face had lost its youthful softness, gaining defined angles: a strong jaw, prominent cheekbones, and a chin etched with a subtle dimple. The mouth, which she remembered being crooked in an easy smile, now seemed to carry a silent promise. His dark hair, once unruly, was cut in a style that was both casual and intentional, falling in a way that invited a hand to brush it back. He wore a simple white t-shirt, which molded to his defined torso, and faded jeans that fit perfectly on his hips and muscular thighs. On his arms, which he crossed in front of his chest, discreet tattoos snaked – geometric patterns and a phrase in an elegant font she couldn't read from where she stood.

His eyes, the color of a stormy sky, watched her with an intensity that was almost physical. They scanned her body in the blink of an eye, from the tips of her low-heeled shoes to her blond hair tied in a messy ponytail, past the firm curve of her breasts beneath the neckline of her silk blouse and the swell of her hips under the tight skirt. It wasn't the look of a cousin. It was the look of a man faced with a woman he didn't expect to see.

"Kethlen?" His voice was deeper than the one her memory held, a bass that seemed to vibrate in the very air between them. "I thought you weren't coming."

Kethlen forced a steady breath, feeling a heat rise up her neck and color her cheeks. Surprise and an immediate attraction, forbidden and potent, fought within her.

"I promised Grandma I'd look after the house," she replied, her voice slightly huskier than normal. "And you? What are you doing here?"

A crooked, challenging, and irresistibly sexy smile curved his lips. It was a smile that said he knew things she didn't.

"I need a place to stay while my apartment is being renovated," he said, his eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and something deeper, more carnal. "I thought I'd have the house all to myself."

He stepped back, making space for her to enter. The doorway was narrow, an intimate and dangerous invitation. Kethlen hesitated for a fraction of a second before moving forward. As she passed him, the world seemed to slow down. The space was minimal. The soft cotton of her blouse brushed against his bare arm, and the heat of Gael's body radiated towards her like an invitation. Her hip almost, almost touched his. She smelled him in that instant of forced proximity – a clean mix of laundry detergent, the fabric softener her grandmother always used, and something inherently masculine, an earthy base of dry sweat and warm skin that was uniquely his. It was a primal scent that stirred something dormant deep within her belly, a spark that ran through her body like a low-voltage electric shock.