never seen him like this, Eden. He’s…different with you than he is with us.”
“Different how?”
“He jokes and talks with us, but he still holds himself back. But with you…it’s like he wants to be open but doesn’t know how.”
Her words made the shield around my heart shudder. Seeing him play with kids had already softened me toward him.
“Do you know how Hadrian and I met?” I asked her, pinning her with a stare. “Did Hadrian tell you?”
She paused for a moment and then replied, “He said Ramsey Buchanan introduced you when he was in the States. They’re good friends, but I’m sure you know that already.”
I clamped my lips shut. Ramsey had said he knew Hadrian personally, but I hadn’t realized they were friends.
“Yes. Ramsey introduced us.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t my place to be honest with her about the rest of it.
A rumble sounded in the distance and Ingrid looked at the sky. “Storm is going to blow in soon. We should pack up.”
“Too bad. I was having a perfect afternoon,” I protested. “It was really nice…” I shook my head, unsure of what I was trying to say. “It was nice to be around a family.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
The game broke up, and Hadrian jogged over to me and Ingrid. “Storm is coming,” he said to me.
“I’ve been told.” I took his offered hand.
“I’ll come in the boat with you,” Ingrid said. “I have to prepare dinner.”
“Not necessary,” Hadrian said. “I’ll cook for Eden.”
I raised my eyes in surprise. “Oh, really? You’re going to cook for me?”
He winked.
Bran and the other kids ran to say goodbye to us. “Next time you come over, you have to wear better shoes so you can play,” Bran said, bouncing his ball from one knee to the other.
“Only if you’re on my team,” I said with a grin. “Because you totally thrashed Hadrian.”
Hadrian wrapped an arm around my shoulder and hauled me to his side. He bent down and whispered in my ear, “You sure you don’t want to be on my team? I can make it worth your while.”
With one final wave, we headed down to the beach. We got back to Hadrian’s home just in time—the sky opened up and unleashed one hell of a storm.
“You looked like you were having fun,” Hadrian said as we walked into the den. He flipped on the gas fireplace and then turned to stare at me.
I plopped down on the couch and covered myself with the blanket. “Not as much fun as you.”
He grinned. “I let Bran win.”
“Uh huh.”
Hadrian laughed and then took a seat on the couch. He placed his arm on the cushion above me and draped his fingers so they grazed my shoulder.
“They really love you,” I said softly, gazing up at him.
He studied me for a long moment. “Why do you say that?”
“Just the way Ingrid talks about you. And how the kids hang on your every word.”
“She told you,” he stated. “About how she and her family came here.”
I nodded.
Something in my expression made his jaw clench and his eyes turn flinty. “Don’t look at me that way.”
“What way?”
“Like I’m some kind of savior. I’m not, Eden.”
I placed my hand on his muscular thigh and felt the coiled tension just waiting to be unleashed. “Who are you trying to convince? You know what I noticed when you were with Ingrid and her family?” I met his gaze. “You were relaxed in a way I’ve never seen.”
“What else did she tell you?” he demanded, his expression dark. “Aside from how she came here. I know she said more to you.”
I hesitated. I doubted he’d appreciate Ingrid’s honesty about what Hadrian needed. So I settled for a partial truth. “She mentioned Ramsey Buchanan. I had no idea you were actually friends.”
“Aye, we’re friends. Why does that matter?”
“Because he watched my interview with Genevieve,” I explained, my heart hammering in my temples. “Did he—tell you about me?”
“No. Ramsey wouldn’t do that. You’re a Rex girl, remember? They don’t bend the rules for anyone, not even me. Didn’t Ramsey tell you that?”
“He did, but I—”
“Don’t trust him?”
I nodded confirmation.
His smile was savage. “You don’t trust anyone, do you? You fall into the trap every time, Eden. The more you attempt to keep me at bay, the more I want to know everything. Every secret, every desire. And Eden?” He leaned forward, his lips a mere whisper from mine, “I always get what I want.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
It felt like I’d