Chapter 79

Maybe it was because he was home alone, but the towel he had wrapped around his waist looked like it was barely hanging on, lopsided and loose. His damp black hair stuck to his forehead in messy strands, making him look a little less like the usual put-together guy in a suit and more like someone real—broad shoulders, a lean but toned build, all muscle in the right places. Their eyes met out of nowhere. Both froze. William stared at her face, and in that moment, all the calm he’d forced on himself rippled away like water disturbed by a breeze. Under the soft lighting of the bedroom, he gazed at her and said, “Didn’t expect you at this hour. So… should I ask you to close your eyes, give me a few seconds to vanish?” Elsie hadn’t expected that to be the first thing out of his mouth. He actually remembered what she had said to him back then. “I’ll wait downstairs,” she said, turning quickly and heading out. She hugged a throw pillow to her chest while sitting on the couch. Some time later,