A glimpse of a faceless woman in their home rushed through her mind, and she nearly heaved. Her face pressed into her palms and she groaned. It couldn’t be someone else. There had to be a better explanation for why things felt so strained between her and Lucian. There just had to be.
After about twenty minutes of wandering around the suite as though she were lost, she found herself staring at the messy papers strewn across Lucian’s desk. Illiteracy was something she hated. Although she was learning to read, the sight of so many written words, a language she was blind to, intimidated her and made her feel helpless.
She needed to know why he was renting an apartment. If he was seeing someone else, she needed to know. She needed to be prepared for the worst.
Flashbacks of the first day they met came hurtling to the forefront of her mind, stilling her hand. Lucian’s desk was off limits, but they were not the same people they were then. He trusted her now, right? Then why did the thought of rummaging through his papers feel like such an untrustworthy crime?
Her hand reached to a stack of notes he had scribbled. Cursive. She was lost. The sudden shrill bark of the desk phone in the quiet condo had her jumping back. With a shaky hand she reached for the receiver.
“Hello?”
“I’m sorry.”
Relief flooded her. “I’m sorry too. I don’t know why I acted—”
Lucian sighed. He sounded as though he was in his limo. “This has been a stressful week. Why don’t we get out of the city for a while?”
“And go to your house?”
“Yes. I want . . . I want to escape for a while. I want us to have time together without thinking about anything, but ourselves.”
This was the cleansing they needed. He wanted to clean away the residue still tarnishing their trust. “Lucian, you know I won’t lie to you.” Please just be honest with me.
“I know. I just . . . sometimes I worry about what comes next.”
His cryptic words made her frown. “What do you mean?”
“I have a gift for you, Evelyn, tonight, but . . . but you have to promise me—no matter what—you will go to the country with me immediately afterward.”
Where else would she go? “I promise.”
“Good. Pack a bag and get dressed for dinner. Nothing too sexy. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
She laughed. “Since when are you against sexy?”
“Just . . . for tonight. Please.”
Something was off in his voice. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he sounded scared, but that was impossible. Nothing frightened Lucian Patras. “Okay.”
She packed a suitcase for the week and showered. She didn’t own a lot of clothing that wasn’t sexy and for that she blamed Lucian, so she hoped the outfit she chose was appropriate for wherever they were going.
Black tailored pants hugged her hips and hung loose at the calf. She selected a dainty pair of sling-back heels that matched a black bangle bracelet. She wore a sheer white blouse with large black polka dots and a collar that tied in a big ruffled bow. She resembled one of those stewardesses who direct people on a plane.
As she waited for Lucian to return, she boxed up some of her crafts. No matter how much he said he wanted to get away from it all, he wouldn’t be able to put work aside for an extended period of time. He would bring work with him, so she figured she might as well bring something to keep herself busy.
The door opened and she turned to find Lucian. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he said, his gaze journeying from her shoulders to her feet. He sighed. “You’re too beautiful.”
She frowned and then laughed. “Blame the man who buys my clothes.”
“This has nothing to do with your clothes. We could put you in a burlap sack and you’d still be the sexiest woman in any room.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks and she lowered her gaze. His words were sweet, but there was no hiding the look of sadness in his eyes.
“What’s going on, Lucian? You look like you’re about to walk the gallows.”
He drew in a slow breath. “Did you pack?”
She tilted her chin in the direction of her suitcase.
“Good. I just need to throw some things in a bag. I’ll call Dugan and he’ll come get our luggage then we can go.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the estate, but we have a stop to make downstairs first. Dinner.”
There was that look again. It scared her. “Lucian,” she said walking to him and wrapping her fingers over his. “Whatever you have planned, you don’t seem to be looking forward to it. Let’s just go to the estate and forget about things for a while.”
He kissed her. “That’s a very sweet offer, but no, I need to do this. I’m doing it for you. Just promise me, like I said, that as soon as our dinner’s wrapped up we’ll go to the estate and this tension between us will go away.”