Page 24

Eden

I don’t know what possessed me to offer Bishop a hot chocolate. I’d been sitting on the bed in my room, thinking about getting undressed and trying to sleep. But I wasn’t tired, my mind was already thinking about spending the day with Magdalena, so I decided to see if there was anything to drink in the kitchen.

The hot chocolate had been hidden at the back of a cabinet; the seal still intact. I checked the date, recalling Bishop saying he hadn’t been home in a while, and found there were still months before it expired.

Before I even considered it, I was outside his study door. I don’t think I really expected him to accept my drink offer, but he did.

I was mixing the second drink when he walked into the kitchen. His steps were silent, and he moved with a grace I hadn’t noticed before. Pulling out a chair, he sank onto it. I placed a mug in front of him.

He peered down at it, a look of almost confusion crossing his features, and then he looked up at me. “I can’t remember the last time I drank hot chocolate.”

I took the chair opposite him. “Well, you must have thought about it at some point, otherwise you wouldn’t have it.”

“Or my mother bought it, which is more likely.” A smile flitted across his lips. “When we all lived at home, her favorite thing to do was gather everyone in the kitchen for a hot chocolate before bed. She claimed it would help us sleep.” He chuckled. “We were a handful as boys. It took a lot to settle us.”

“Considering the line of work two of you took, I’m sure she still thinks you’re a handful now.”

His lips twitched. “All three of us do jobs that wouldn’t be considered normal . But then, so do our parents.” He stopped then, frowning.

I sipped my drink and eyed him over the rim of the mug. “You sound like a very close family.”

“We are.”

“Is there anything I should know, for when we go to your friend’s?”

He shook his head. “I doubt you’ll need to have a conversation that requires such an in-depth knowledge of my childhood.”

“That will make things easier. What about the woman I’m protecting you from?” I purposely kept my voice light.

One corner of his mouth lifted. “Susannah? Her husband is more dangerous than she is, but you should be prepared, just in case she decides to force a confrontation. I don’t think she will. She omitted the fact she was married when we met. I have never had any dealings with her husband.”

“You don’t like the fact she managed to keep it from you.” It wasn’t a question. It was clear from his expression that he was angry with himself for not realizing he was involved with a married woman.

“I shouldn’t have ignored my gut. It told me something was wrong and that I should investigate her before getting involved.”

“Is that what you usually do?”

“In my line of work, you can’t be too careful.”

“I can’t imagine having to investigate everyone I wanted to have any kind of relationship with.”

“And look where that got you.”

I couldn’t hold back a flinch at his words. He wasn’t wrong. Maybe if, instead of expecting a police detective to be a genuine person and taking him at face value, if I had been more cautious, I wouldn’t have had to deal with the consequences.

I shook my head. “You know, even with everything Chester did and what I’m having to do now, I still think it’s a sad way to have to live.”

“Not everyone cares about your best interests, Eden. You, of all people, should know that.”

“I know that. I knew that before Chester. But you can’t run a background check on every person you interact with.”

“You can’t. I can.”

“You know what I mean.”

He lifted the mug to his lips and took a mouthful, eyes on me. His throat moved as he swallowed, and his tongue came out to sweep across his bottom lip. The action had me mimicking it with my own.

“I do know what you mean. It shows the difference in our lifestyles.” He lowered his gaze to the mug between his cupped palms. “But when you deal with the kind of people I meet on a daily basis, lowering your guard and taking people as you find them could get you killed. There’s no justification for me dropping the ball with Susannah. Like you pointed out, I allowed myself to be distracted by a beautiful woman. I guess that makes me human.”

“Is that really why you offered marriage, though?”

“What other reason is there?”

“Magdalena.” I bit my lip, waiting to see how he reacted to her name.

“Magdalena?” He repeated her name. With careful movements he set down the mug, then lifted his head to look at me. “You think I married you to stop Rook thinking I was lusting after his woman?”

“Aren’t you? I saw the way you spoke to her. The way you treated her. You have feelings for her.”

“I don’t want to sleep with my brother’s girlfriend.”

“Maybe that’s why you let yourself get involved with this Susannah.”

“Eden—”

“Are you telling me you don’t have feelings for her?” I pushed on. I’d seen what I’d seen.

“I like her, sure. But I’m not fantasizing about taking her away from Rook. Or trying to distract him by bringing another woman into my life.”

“You treat her differently to anyone else.”

“Not for the reasons you appear to be dreaming up.” His voice was dry.

“Then why? You don’t strike me as the kind of person who worries about other people’s feelings. In fact, you’ve admitted as much already. So why are you so much different with her if you’re not in love with her?”

“In love with—” He threw back his head, his laughter echoing around the kitchen.

I gaped at him. Of all the reactions I’d expected to my accusation, laughter hadn’t been one of them. Denial, anger even, but humor? That I hadn’t expected.

When his laughter faded, he returned his gaze to me. “Eden, I’m not in love with Magdalena. She’s sweet, funny and, yes, she’s very beautiful. But I can assure you, my feelings for her reside firmly in the realm of brotherly. I’m careful with her because she was kidnapped, hurt by those closest to her, and then taken as payment by a mafia son for her brother’s transgressions. She is still getting over the trauma of it, and I don’t want to set her back on her recovery.”

“Oh.” There wasn’t much I could say to that.

Bishop nodded. “Oh, indeed. When I explained my reasons to you for requiring a wife, I was honest. There are no secret nefarious reasons behind it, other than a need to prove to Susannah that I have moved on and have no interest in rekindling anything we had.”

“I’m sorry.” I looked away.

“Don’t be. I can understand why you considered it. But I swear to you, of all the things I’ve done in my life and all the things I will possibly do in the future, coming between my brother and the woman he loves is not one of them.”

He stood. “Thank you for the drink.” He smiled, eyes glinting with suppressed humor. “And the entertaining conversation. You should get some sleep. Magdalena will expect you before ten. I have some work to do. I’ll see you in the morning.” He took his empty mug to the sink and rinsed it before setting it on the drainer. “Leave your mug on the counter and I’ll put it in the dishwasher in the morning.” He walked to the door. “Goodnight, Eden.”