Ezekiel's POV
The bonfire crowd was starting to scatter. People wandered back to their cars or clustered around the music setup, leaving the main fire area quieter than before. The shouting and laughter seemed muffled now, the orange glow growing dimmer as I walked toward the darker part of the field.
That's where I spotted her.
Ximena stood by herself, just beyond the reach of the firelight. The flames behind her created a silhouette that made my breath catch, highlighting every curve while her hair seemed to shimmer like liquid copper. She had her arms wrapped around herself, but not from the cold. It looked more like she was trying to hold the pieces of herself together.
I stopped and stared like some kind of fool who'd never laid eyes on a woman before. My heart hammered against my chest the way it always did when I got within ten feet of her. I forced myself to clear my throat and take a step forward.
"Hey there."
