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Eden

I blinked, trying to stop the tears from falling. I didn’t even know why I wanted to cry. I hadn’t cried for so long.

“Eden, feeling relieved is understandable. Thinking you were to blame is something he instilled in you. But it was never the truth. The blame has always been his.”

I found myself wrapped in warmth and lowered my head to the solid chest in front of me. Sucking in a deep breath, I inhaled the woodsy scent of his cologne and let the thud of his heart slow my racing thoughts. When I was certain I had myself under control, I lifted my head.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” His voice was grave.

“I think we should eat.” I sniffed and stepped away. “Before it burns.”

“We can do that.” I was thankful for the way he accepted my need to stop talking about Chester and do something practical. He didn’t question me, just opened the cabinet containing plates and put them on the counter beside the stove. “I’ll set the table.”

I nodded. “Okay, good. Thank you.”

I portioned the food out onto the plates, then carried them across to the table. Bishop topped up our wine glasses and we sat down to eat.

“Who else will be at your friend’s tomorrow?” I ate a mouthful of pasta.

“I’m not sure who’s arriving tomorrow. Us, obviously. Crosby and Dana. Rook and Magdalena are arriving on Saturday.”

“Will everyone be staying with them?”

“I doubt it. A lot of their friends live close by and will go home after the party.”

“What about Susannah?”

He chewed and swallowed, then took a sip of wine. “Susannah and her husband will be staying at the house.”

“Does Crosby know about … well, you know.”

“No. I’d like to keep it that way if I can. David is a client of Crosby’s, and I don’t want my error in judgment to cause problems for him.”

“Is she likely to say anything?”

He shook his head. “Not if she has any sense. Her husband is not known for forgiving people who betray him. And his wife sleeping in a bed other than his would be the ultimate betrayal.”

“What would he do to you?”

“Kill me.”

I choked on my wine. “Even though you had no idea she was married?”

“It’s how it looks. Another man touched his wife. He won’t be able to let that go.”

I twirled my fork through the pasta. “So, we really need to convince both of them that there’s no way you’d stray from me.”

His lips twitched. “Something like that.”

“We need a cover story for how we met.”

“And for the bruises on your face.”

My smile faded. “And those.”

“Don’t let it spoil the fun you can have this weekend.” Something sparkled in his eyes, and the difference in the man opposite me from the one who had threatened to shoot me was immense. He was more relaxed, more willing to smile, to laugh.

Had it only been a few short days? It felt like I’d already known him a lifetime.

“How did we meet, Mr. Chambers?” I summoned back my smile and pointed my fork at him.

“Well …” He leaned back on his chair. “It was a dark and stormy night in Dallas.”

“I’m pretty sure it was neither dark nor stormy.”

“We could go with the truth instead if you like. I found you in the trunk of the car, hogtied and desperate. Nothing like a good kidnapping to heat the blood … and here we are.”

I laughed. “We can’t tell people that!”

“Why not? I’m fairly confident that Stockholm Syndrome is why so many people stay locked in unhappy marriages. They convince themselves they’re in love, but really, they’ve just been conditioned to think what they’re feeling is love.”

“That’s quite a cynical outlook on marriage. Are your parents divorced?”

“No, they’re very happily married. Keyword being happily there. What about yours?”

“I grew up in the system. I don’t know anything about my parents.”

“Which would have made it even easier for Chester to separate you from people. The more I hear about him, the more obvious it becomes that he’s a predator and uses his position of authority to make hunting his prey easier.”