Overture

I'm lucky, I get to do what I love for a living. I can stay indoors for days at a time and create to my heart's content. Until now, I had only one true love, and he came in the form of a body of water. Odd, I know, but I was content with our one-sided arrangement. I could always count on the ocean being there. It wasn't that serious.

Okay, that wasn't entirely accurate. The truth is that my love went much deeper, bordering on obsession for reasons I would never admit out loud. So of course Ethan didn't know. He had seen some darker bits of my mind from the paintings, but he had no way of knowing just how disturbed I really was. To be honest, neither did I sometimes. It was easy to forget when playing normal.

And so long as Ethan was near, it was so easy to play normal. Except he wasn't normal. I was coming to realize, too late, just how out of my depth I was - more than I could ever be in that body of water.

Daphne is a talented but deeply anxious freelance artist who prefers a quiet lifestyle. Taking refuge at her best friend's place, she creates a temporary safe haven away from the stress of her reality. When the prestigious business owner Ethan Desmond commissions her to paint a mural, Daphne is wary of the job's peculiarities but finds herself intrigued by the quiet, self-assured man behind the proposal.

Ethan observes from a distance, captivated by Daphne's graceful presence and paradoxical blend of traits. His candid request to take things a step further leaves Daphne conflicted. Despite her strict no-dating policy, she considers entering into a so-called venture with him, establishing clear rules to protect herself.

Where games are played, shadows follow. Daphne isn't the only one withholding certain truths - Ethan has his own motives to contend with. As the boundaries blur, will they be able to uphold their own convictions without everything unraveling?

Author Note: This is a gray romance, the first in a series that ends in a cliffhanger. Please check out my website for possible spoilers/trigger warnings.

Tropes: Artist/Client, Billionaire MMC, Traumatized FMC, No Strings Attached, Organized Crime, Tragic Past, Ready to Run

2nd Edition, Originally Published in 2015