Page 43

Bishop

After giving her my word, I retreated and closed the door, leaving her in privacy to finish getting ready for bed. When she finally came out, hair loose around her shoulders and dressed in pajamas, I took her place in the bathroom, stripping out of my clothes and pulling on a pair of black pajama bottoms, so that Eden didn’t freak out any more than necessary over sharing a bed.

She was under the sheets when I came out. I left my clothes in a neat, folded pile on a chair, flicked off the light and climbed into the opposite side of the bed. I settled onto my back, one hand tucked beneath my head and stared up into the darkness. The mattress bounced as Eden shifted beside me, bounced again, then a third time. I turned my head, squinting until I could make out her shape and watched as she twisted to face me, then away from me.

When she showed no signs of settling after five minutes, I took matters into my own hands. Rolling onto my side, I stretched out an arm, wrapped it around her waist and pulled her back against my chest.

She froze.

“Stop fidgeting and go to sleep.”

“What are you doing?” Her voice was a croaky whisper.

“Ensuring I don’t get tossed onto the floor due to your desire to use the bed as a trampoline.”

“I’m not—”

“Yes, you are. Relax and go to sleep.”

She lay stiff and silent, and I could feel her heart hammering a rapid beat beneath my palm. I propped my head up on my hand and looked down at her.

“Eden—”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you.” The words were a soft whisper in the darkness. “I just … it bothered me more than I realized.”

“I noticed that.” My voice was dry.

Her body shook with a quiet laugh, and she relaxed against me. “I overreacted.”

“No. Given the circumstances, I don’t think you did.” My thumb stroked a small circle on her stomach. “How about this? I give you blanket permission to call me out any time you think I might be lying to you.”

She twisted to face me. “You promised you wouldn’t lie.”

“And I won’t, but if you think I might be, then I want you to say so.” I tweaked a lock of her hair. “Just so I can tell you you’re wrong.”

She laughed again. “You’re funnier than I thought you’d be.”

I pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell anyone. If you let that slip, then people might want to spend time with me. And we can’t have that.”

She turned away again and burrowed down beneath the sheets. “Goodnight, Bishop.”

“Goodnight, Eden.”

***

I woke up to a warm weight pressed against me. Eden had changed positions during the night, and closer investigation told me she had one leg thrown across mine and an arm wrapped around my waist. Her head was resting on my shoulder, and I could feel her steady breaths against my throat.

It was early. My alarm was set for seven and it hadn’t gone off yet. I carefully reached out with one hand and groped around for my cell. Lifting it, I checked the time.

Four fifty-six.

I was wide awake. There was absolutely no chance of me going back to sleep, so I eased out from beneath the sleeping woman, and rose to my feet. I’d take a walk down to the kitchen and grab a drink. Maybe check my emails. That way I wouldn’t disturb her.

I grabbed a t-shirt on my way past and pulled it over my head as I walked out of the door. The house was silent as I made my way down the stairs, along the hallway and into the kitchen. I’d spent enough time here over the years to know where everything was kept, and I had the coffee machine working within a few minutes.

While that brewed, I sat at the table and flicked through emails on my cell. There was nothing of note and it felt strange not to be working on something . When was the last time I took a vacation? I couldn’t remember. I enjoyed working and keeping busy.

The coffee machine beeped to say it had reached temperature and I stood and made a drink.

I liked this time of day, especially if I was somewhere surrounded by people. I enjoyed my own company, the silence of early morning. It gave me a chance to prepare for the day ahead and think about things that might come up.

I laughed quietly to myself.

Not that I could have predicted Eden crashing into my orbit.

I built up a picture of her in my head—of the way she’d looked last night, eyes spitting fire at me—and compared it with the woman I’d met in Dallas.

Just a few short days together and she was already showing an inner strength that she must have been hiding for a long time. I liked that she felt safe enough to show who she really was, but a part of me questioned whether it would last once I set up her new identity or would she go back to constantly looking over her shoulder and waiting for someone to find her.

The scrape of shoe against tile distracted me from my thoughts, and I turned my head.

“Hello, Bishop.” Susannah entered the room and took the seat opposite me. “I knew you’d be up early. Can we talk?”