nothing,” he said, his tone hard. “I knew that money would make everything easier. But this isn’t about me. It’s about you.”
“Has it filled the void?” I deflected.
“Void?”
I inhaled a shaky breath. “The void that comes with being an orphan…”
Hadrian released me and I almost went under, splashing in an attempt to catch my balance. While I got my bearings, Hadrian was wading toward the pool steps to leave.
“I have some work I have to do,” he stated as he climbed out of the pool and walked to a shelf with folded white towels. He wrapped one around his waist, hiding his stunning body from me. “Feel free to use the home gym or the theater room. If you get hungry, make yourself something to eat.”
I stood in the water a moment contemplating what to say, but he left before I could ask him when I’d see him again. I blinked in confusion and spread out onto my back to float while thoughts swirled in my head.
When he’d gone, he’d taken his dynamic, robust energy with him. His mercurial mood left me bereft. I swam to the edge of the pool and hoisted myself up over the ledge and trod naked to the shelf. I grabbed a towel and quickly covered myself.
Hadrian hadn’t bothered taking his clothes, instead leaving them in a makeshift pile. I scooped them up, along with mine, and carted them out of the pool area. I walked through the covered glass walkway, shocked to find that the sky had darkened and droplets of water were already beating against the glass.
A flash of lightning in the distance over the ocean made me stop and stare for a moment. I’d never seen an ocean storm because I had never been to the ocean. Mama had moved us through small towns in the middle of the country. I’d been to lakes and rivers but never the ocean.
What other firsts would I experience with Hadrian?
I made my way through the quiet house. I had no idea where Hadrian had gone and peeked into his bedroom, but he wasn’t there. I threw our clothes into a hamper in the closet and then went to shower. I didn’t take long and when I got out, part of me hoped he would be sitting on the bed and we could make amends.
I’d asked him a pointed question, sure, but it wasn’t fair for him to leave me. Whenever he wanted to know about me, he would battle his way into my brain with relentless queries. Why couldn’t I do that to him?
Hypocrite.
Righteous anger coursed through my veins. It was a good thing that Hadrian had disappeared. He wasn’t going to like what I had to say when he saw me again.
Chapter Twenty
I woke up alone. My hand went to Hadrian’s side of the bed, but the covers were undisturbed, and it didn’t look like he’d slept next to me.
For a moment, I stared at the ceiling, letting the fog in my brain clear. Weak morning light peered through the half-drawn curtains of the balcony doors.
Stifling a yawn, I sat up, perching on the side of the bed for a moment.
I needed caffeine. And then I’d find Hadrian and have it out with him. I felt like I was being punished and we needed to clear the air.
After using the bathroom and quickly brushing my teeth, I went to the walk-in closet. I opened the drawer on one of the dressers that had been relegated for my use. I pulled out a pair of gray cashmere leggings and a black wool sweater that fell to the middle of my thighs.
I padded my way to the kitchen, peeking my head into the rooms as I passed. No sign of Hadrian.
A woman with graying blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and dimpled cheeks smiled at me when I walked in.
“Good morning,” she said in Norwegian-accented English.
“Hi,” I said. “You must be Ingrid.”
Ingrid continued rolling the dough in front of her with a rolling pin as she nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m Eden,” I introduced.
“I know.” She winked and then brushed a stray lock of blonde hair that had fallen across her forehead with the back of her hand. “Coffee is on, and the biscuits are going into the oven in a few minutes.”
“Biscuits?” My mouth watered at the thought of buttery, flaky biscuits. Perfect to eat on a cool morning.
“Biscuits and gravy. They’re worth the wait, I promise.”
“They sound delicious. I’ll definitely wait.” I moved around the kitchen