CHAPTER THREE:
Vanessa had always been good at goodbyes. A smile, a polite nod, a gentle push toward the door was usually all it took to keep her life neat and undisturbed. But with Zack, nothing was neat.
The morning sun slid through the curtains, gilding the room in soft gold. Vanessa stirred first, blinking at the warmth of an unfamiliar weight beside her. Zack lay half asleep, one arm still draped over her, his chest rising and falling in an easy rhythm. For a moment, she just watched him, the strong line of his jaw, the faint scruff of his beard, the way his presence seemed to claim the room even in silence.
She told herself to move, to slip out from under him and start the day. But her body betrayed her, leaning back into the heat of him, savoring the comfort she hadn't known she craved.
"You're staring," he murmured, eyes still closed.
Her breath caught. "I thought you were asleep."
"I was," he said, opening one eye and flashing a lazy grin. "Hard to stay that way with you looking at me like that."
Vanessa rolled away, flustered. "Don't flatter yourself. It was just curiosity."
"Curiosity, huh?" he sat up, stretched, his muscles moving with the grace of a man used to working with his body. "Then let me help you out. I'm Zack. Sailor. Terrible dancer. Excellent cook, if you like fish."
She laughed despite herself, the sound breaking through her attempt at composure. "I already know your name."
"Then you will remember it", he said simply, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. The gesture was so unexpected, so tender, that Vanessa froze. One-night stands weren't supposed to feel like this.
She forced herself to stand, wrapping the bed-sheet around her like armor. "This was …. Fun. But it was just one night. That's all".
Zack didn't argue. He just watched her, steady and unshaken, the corners of his mouth curving as if he knew something she didn't. "We'll see."
And that was the problem. She wanted to believe it was over that he'd walk out the door, vanish back to his ship, and become nothing more than a memory. But deep down, Vanessa already knew: men like Zack didn't just disappear.
They returned.
And when they did, they changed everything.