the edges and pulled it closer to him. I was just about to leave him to his thoughts, when he reached out and dragged me onto his lap. As I settled in his embrace, he nestled us under the blanket and I shivered from the coolness of his skin, even though we were cocooned in tartan.
“Stay with me,” he said. “I don’t want to be alone right now.” There was a long pause as his skin began to warm beneath the blanket and then he said, “I dream about her. About finding her in the alley…”
I placed my forehead against the side of his head and closed my eyes. I couldn’t imagine the type of nightmares that plagued him. But I understood wanting to change the past.
Lightning flashed over the ocean. The storm wasn’t over after all.
“Come back to bed, Hadrian,” I said quietly.
“I’ll be there in a bit.”
Ingrid served us breakfast on the balcony, but before she left, Hadrian told her to prepare for the visitors coming in a few days. She inclined her head and told him she’d see to it before leaving us alone.
I picked at the eggs in front of me, but Hadrian ate with verve and quickly cleared his plate. He dabbed his mouth with the linen napkin and then set it aside. He grabbed his steaming hot coffee and lifted the mug in his hand before looking at me.
“Is there something wrong with your food?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Then why aren’t you eating?” he demanded.
I picked up my fork and cut off a bite of egg before placing it in my mouth. I chewed for a few moments and then swallowed, and as much as I wanted to force another piece into my mouth, my stomach rolled at the thought.
“Are you all right? You look pale,” he said, his hand reaching out to touch my face.
“I’m fine,” I said and then forced a smile. “Didn’t sleep well.”
He nodded, his brow furrowed. “You’re not having regrets about telling me who you are, are you?”
I adamantly shook my head.
“Then what is it? Tell me so I can alleviate your concerns.”
“If only it were that easy.” I’d had Ingrid bring me tea instead of coffee, and I took a sip of the soothing chamomile. “It’s overwhelming, Hadrian. I’ve been on the run since I was a child, even though I didn’t realize it. Then my mother killed herself. I spent months living in motels trying to figure out how to get a job under the table without providing any information and blew all the cash she left me. When I finally found work, it only paid for a shitty basement apartment and Ramen noodles. There were some days I ate one meal… It was so hard, you don’t understand—”
“I don’t understand? I lived on the streets of Edinburgh and fought for my money.”
“You’re right, I didn’t mean—”
“You’re not alone in this, Sterling. The nightmare is over now.”
“Is it?” My brow wrinkled as I turned pensive. “I didn’t expect to care about you, Hadrian. Now that I do, I’m afraid I made a mistake by staying. What if you’re in danger because of me? I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you because of who I am. I never should’ve taken this contract. I never should’ve let it get this far.”
He leaned back in his chair and studied me. “Do you really think you had a choice?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t have done to seduce you into coming to my island.”
“I should’ve done more to resist you.”
“It’s impossible to resist me.”
I smiled absently as I sipped my tea. If only I was a normal girl, and I’d come here without any baggage. My situation had complicated our lives together.
“We need to discuss how things are going to go when your family is here,” Hadrian said. “I’ve invited them to discuss what happened to me, but I haven’t mentioned you yet.”
I let out a slow exhale. “So they don’t know about me?”
“No. I’ll call you Eden in their presence up until it’s time to discuss your situation. You will stand by my side and act as my hostess.”
“Do we have to tell them?” I exclaimed. “I mean, they don’t know about me. Maybe they’ll never find out about me.”
Hadrian leaned over and placed his large hand on my arm. “I told you: You can’t live your life on the run. What would that look like for us? Hmm? You, stuck here