Shaking my head, I tried to get my hilarity under control. “You’ve done it, Hadrian. You’ve actually impressed me.”
He let out his own booming laugh as we ripped around a curve. “Finally.”
Chapter Nineteen
We drove in companionable silence, the humor lingering between us as the sounds of the car’s engine filled our ears.
Hadrian was so fantastically wealthy. His money transformed desires into existence. Desires most people would never experience, and because of chance and sheer circumstance, I was with a man who tied me into knots of lust, a man who was possessive and caring, a man who had swept me away from my former life.
But I couldn’t forget what I was—a Rex girl.
His wealth reminded me that there was a clear divide between us. No matter how much I enjoyed his company and banter, no matter how much I longed to stay in bed with him and watch the sun set from the embrace of his arms, I knew the truth.
Every time I forgot that I was a courtesan, something happened to remind me that I was.
Cool raindrops began to fall around me. Hadrian stopped the car quickly and raised the top of the convertible and locked it into place. We rolled up our windows and then continued on through the light rain. After a few minutes of driving, the wall of mountains broke away to reveal the other side of the island. I pressed my nose to the glass when I finally saw Hadrian’s home on the top of a craggy cliff with waves crashing against the rocks below.
A memory from my childhood pierced my heart so quickly I was helpless to stop it. I hastily wiped my cheeks. The tears had come unbidden.
“Eden?” he asked as he eased off the throttle.
“I’m fine,” I muttered.
The car came to a stop, and he stuck the gear shift in neutral and put on the parking brake. Hadrian reached over and brushed away the tears coating my cheeks.
I was suddenly embarrassed at the show of emotion. But knowing Hadrian, he wouldn’t continue driving until I told him what I was feeling. Yet he wasn’t pushing me to talk.
The rain began to pour, beating against the glass. The sound of it resonated in my chest.
I wanted to tell him. To share it with him.
“It was the waves,” I said softly. “Below your home.” I peeked a glance at him.
His expression didn’t change as he let me go on.
“When I was a kid, my mother used to read me a story about the last unicorn in the world. The unicorn didn’t know where all the other unicorns had gone, so she went on a journey to find them. They’d been pushed into the sea. Captured by one lonely, unhappy king who thought if he owned all the unicorns in the world, his heart would be happy.” I shook my head wishing I hadn’t said anything at all.
I hoped he would put the car into gear so we could continue on our way. I hoped he’d forget that the tears spilling down my cheeks were temporary, and that we could return to normal if we just ignored the moment.
But Hadrian was no ordinary man.
“King Haggard,” he said finally.
My gaze flew to his.
He nodded. “I know the story.”
“Did someone read it to you, too?” I asked.
Hadrian paused and then said, “A girl I used to know.”
His expression was shuttered, like he wanted to lock down every feeling that threatened to bubble to the surface.
We stared at each other and something like understanding, mingled with compassion, bloomed between us. Neither of us pressed the other to say more, and I was glad for it.
He finally put the car into gear again, and we headed straight toward the mountain. There was no road in front of us and it looked like we were about to crash. I was about to scream when a door slid up, Bat Cave style. Suddenly we were in a tunnel that opened into a well-lit garage with stark white walls. Six other luxury cars were parked next to each other, all spotless and ready to roll at a moment’s notice.
I glanced at him and he shrugged like it was nothing.
He cut the engine but left the key in the ignition. Hadrian unlatched his racing harness and got out of the car. I was slower to move, and Hadrian came around to help me. Once I was standing outside the vehicle, he closed the door. He lifted me up and