Suddenly, faint sounds of heavy breathing echoed from a small grove nearby. It was followed by the rustling of clothes and hushed whispers between a man and a woman.
“You tore my stockings, Mr. Hughes. I don’t have a spare pair with me.”
“I’ll buy you a hundred pairs to make up for it.”
“Then I’ll pick a hundred different styles and let you tear one every day. Feel my legs, Mr. Hughes—they’re just as smooth without stockings.”
“You little seductress.”
Their conversation dissolved into more breathless gasps and moans.
At first, Skylar didn’t quite process what she was hearing. But as the voices continued, the flirtatious tones and suggestive words made it unmistakably clear.
Her face flushed instantly.
She wasn’t the type to get embarrassed easily, but this… this was something else. In broad daylight? Right out in the open?
People are really bold these days. The woods were certainly living up to their reputation.
She snuck a glance at Joe, curious about his reaction.
But his expression remained calm—unfazed. His eyes, dark and unreadable, gave away nothing. It was as if the couple’s risqué exchange didn’t affect him at all.
Skylar let out a quiet breath, feeling a bit less awkward.
Leaning toward him, she whispered, “Do you think if I yelled, ‘Hey Bob! Let’s go mushroom picking in the woods!’ it’d scare them off?”
Joe almost laughed. “It’s just the two of us now. But if someone with a curious streak came by later… the couple might not even have time to pull their pants up.”
He could already picture the scene—the passionate tangle turning into a frantic scramble. A mad dash for clothes. A dilemma between covering their faces or their more… vulnerable parts.
Skylar’s cheeky description made Joe’s thoughts go somewhere he hadn’t intended. He glanced down at her slender legs—unintentionally vivid images flashing through his mind.
His voice dropped a little, now rougher, more hoarse. “It’s a workday. There won’t be many people around.”
No wonder that couple had been so bold. They probably thought the resort was empty.
Skylar, still blushing, said quickly, “Let’s just go.”
Joe nodded, and the two of them walked away from the grove. But he couldn’t help noticing the deep red still burning across her cheeks.
He pressed his tongue to the back of his molars, trying to cool the thoughts she’d inadvertently stirred. A man’s desire for a woman could be unpredictable—and right now, she had no idea what she’d triggered.
They had walked quite a distance when Skylar suddenly stopped.
Her expression changed.
“Something wrong?” Joe asked.
Skylar didn’t answer right away. Her thoughts were spinning.
The man’s voice from the grove… It had sounded oddly familiar. Just a few short sentences, but there was something about the tone, the way he spoke…
And the name. Mr. Hughes.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Could it be… Jeremy?
Natalie’s husband?
No. That couldn’t be. Jeremy adored Natalie. He wasn’t like Christopher. Jeremy and Natalie had been together since they were kids—childhood sweethearts who truly knew and cared for one another.
Besides, Natalie had just mentioned on the phone that Jeremy was swamped with work. It was a weekday. What would he be doing here with another woman?
Skylar frowned deeply.
She remembered how loving and protective Jeremy had seemed at the bar. It had been nothing like the cold, transactional relationship she’d had with Christopher.
Still… Natalie had also said Jeremy would be heading out on a business trip tomorrow and wouldn’t be home tonight.
Could he be taking advantage of that?
“Are you tired?” Joe asked, breaking her thoughts gently.
Skylar turned to look at him, still lost in her confusion.
“Hmm?” she blinked.
“You suddenly stopped. Is everything okay?”
Skylar hesitated. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Not yet. But something about that voice, that moment in the grove… it had unsettled her deeply.
“I’m fine,” she finally said with a faint smile. “Just thinking about something.”
Joe didn’t press further. Instead, he reached out and gently took her hand again.
“Let’s keep going. The golf course isn’t far.”
Skylar nodded, but her mind remained tangled in the possibility of what she had just overheard—and the fear that maybe, just maybe, Natalie’s perfect marriage wasn’t as perfect as it seemed.
Skip to content