Page 68 of Lured By Shadows

So England just casually mass-produced attractive men, apparently.

“Carter,” Sienna greeted, tossing the ball back to him as though she hadn’t been seconds away from snapping. “What you up to?”

He nodded at her, but his attention never fully left me. Unfortunately, my taste in men had never prioritized emotional safety.

“I’m sound, mate. How’s you been keepin’?” he asked, his accent thick enough that I had to focus to keep up.

“Just knocking about with Oliver,” Sienna said easily, motioning back toward the blanket. “And this is our new friend, Ira.”

He turned fully toward me then, his mouth curling into a half-smile that set something off in my head.

“Ira,” he repeated, dragging my name out low and slow in a way that felt unfairly intense. “Good to meet ya, innit.”

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, trying not to look as affected as I felt, even though the grin I gave him probably ruined that effort instantly.

“Hi, Carter,” I said, my Southern drawl suddenly way more noticeable in my own ears. My gaze flicked over him again, taking in the sharp jawline, thick lashes, and that rugged, worn-in look some guys just seemed born with.

“Yeah,” he nodded once. “That’s me. Sorry about that ball flying at ya.”

“It’s alright,” I said softly, biting my bottom lip without thinking. “How do you and Sienna know each other?”

By then, Sienna had already wandered back toward Oliver, leaving Carter and me standing there alone… and honestly, I wasn’t exactly upset about it.

“Oh, Carter and I went to school together,” Sienna chimed in from behind us. “He and my brother were thick as thieves for ages, until my brother moved off across the country for uni.”

My brow shot up in surprise. She’d never mentioned having a brother before, and it reminded me how little I actually knew about their lives beyond what I’d seen so far.

“Yeah,” Carter added with a grin. “How’s the bloke been?”

Sienna shrugged. “He’s been tied up, I think. Haven’t seen him in ages, but I’ll mention you asked after him.”

“Defo,” Carter said, nodding once. “Right then, the boys are waitin’, but—” His eyes snapped back to me as though magnetized there. “—Ira, ya fancy comin’ to a do tomorrow?”

“A what?” I blinked, completely lost.

Sienna laughed. “A party, Ira. He’s asking you to a party.”

A party. New country, new people, no expectations. My head spun for a second, but saying no didn’t even feel like an option. It sounded easy. A distraction from the mess Culver Scarbrough had quietly made of my brain.

I gave Carter a small smirk, leaning in slightly. “Sure. What’s your number?”

His grin widened as he pulled out his phone and handed it to me. “Just pop your number in there. I’ll ring ya tomorrow, yeah?”

I typed my number in, awareness buzzing low beneath my skin from the attention before handing the phone back. “Don’t forget to call.”

Subtle, Ira. Truly masterful work.

“I wouldn’t dare,” he said, looking at me as though he fully intended to prove it.

As he jogged back toward his friends, I dropped onto the blanket again, a strange flutter settling into my chest. It was definitely attraction, but there was relief mixed into it too. Carter felt straightforward in a way Culver never did. Loud, confident, easy to read. No layers of mystery wrapped around every sentence. No hidden meanings lurking beneath every glance.

Maybe that was exactly what I needed.

I watched him disappear into the crowd, his broad frame blending into the movement of the park while I let myself linger on the thought of him a little longer. He looked like the fun sort of trouble. The kind that probably ruined your sleep schedule instead of your entire emotional stability.

That train of thought came to a hard stop when Oliver’s voice rang out.

“How do you suppose Scarbrough is going to feel about this?”