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Bishop

The look of confusion on her face mirrored the one I was feeling.

Why did I kiss her?

There was no one here to see us pretend. There was no reason to behave like I had any right to kiss her.

So why?

The answer wasn’t as straightforward as it should have been.

I’d been relieved when she arrived in the kitchen. Susannah had been building toward a tantrum. No matter how many times I told her I hadn’t changed my mind, we weren’t going to get back together, and my marriage to Eden wasn’t a lie, she wouldn’t listen. All she kept repeating was that it was a clever idea to keep David from discovering our affair, and how she was glad I’d thought of it.

When Eden stepped through the door, Susannah had just caught my arm to stop me from leaving, pleading with me to stay and listen to her. I’d seen the flash of anger in her eyes when Eden didn’t react to her touching me. She wanted to make a scene, cause a confrontation. Instead, Eden had behaved as though she had no reason at all for jealousy—which she didn’t. I had absolutely no interest in reigniting anything with Susannah. That was the whole point of marrying Eden in the first place.

Something I’d forgotten when she curled around me, pressed her lips to my cheek and settled onto my lap like she had every right to be there.

From that moment, the only thing in my head was the desire to kiss her. And not the chaste, brief touch of lips I’d given her. No, I wanted more than that. But the logical voice in my head had stopped me, cautioned me against it, forced me to curb the desire to part her lips and possess her mouth.

But now the thought was there, it had taken root, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I let myself fall into temptation.

And that was a problem.

I didn’t let emotion lead me. I didn’t get involved with my clients. I certainly didn’t kiss them. It led to too many problems, too many complications. That wasn’t me. I wasn’t that person.

So why the fuck did I kiss her?

I could almost hear Rook laughing at me … the same way I’d laughed at him over agreeing to a pretend date with Magdalena.

“Bishop?” Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

Her features came into focus. I was still leaning forward, still stroking along her jaw with my thumb. Her skin was so fucking soft, so warm.

Fuck it.

I slid my hand down her throat, wrapped my fingers around the back of her neck, pulled her closer and kissed her again.

Her soft gasp parted her lips, and I’m not ashamed to admit I took advantage. My fingers moved up, tangled into her hair and I tugged her head back, and thrust my tongue into her mouth to slide along hers.

She tensed and, for half a second I wondered if she’d bite it off, but then her hands came up to cup my face, palms pressing against my cheeks as her lips moved beneath mine.

When we parted seconds, minutes, hours later, her eyes were wide, green irises almost swallowed by her pupils as she stared at me. I ran my thumb over her bottom lip and licked mine.

“You still taste like trouble.” I pressed another kiss to her lips and stood. “Finish your coffee. Rook and Magdalena should be here soon.”

I walked out, leaving her sitting at the kitchen table staring after me.

***

Standing under the shower, I replayed the kiss in my head.

What happened to not getting involved?

I’m not involved.

How many other clients have you kissed lately?

This is different. I didn’t spend that much time with any of my clients, especially not in an intimate situation like this one. It wouldn’t be a problem. It just made our lie look more realistic.

Who are you trying to convince?

I shook my head. Three more weeks. By then, I’d have everything in place for her to move on, and my life would return to normal.

Eden was in the bedroom when I finally exited the shower. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed brushing her hair. She didn’t say anything as I moved past her to dump my worn clothes into the suitcase. I straightened and turned to face her.

“While the spa Dana has hired is on private ground and has been block-booked for her and her guests for the day, the same rules apply as when you went shopping with Magdalena. Keep your wits about you. If something feels off, treat it like it is. Anything suspicious, contact me.”

She paused mid brush stroke and lifted her head to look at me. “Maybe it would be better if I didn’t go.”

“Absolutely not. Go, enjoy yourself. You’ll be surrounded by people. I have no doubt it’ll be safe.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’m going to try and get some work done.”