Page 76 of Redemption

I was still on edge from my conversation with Jackson. Overheated, annoyed, and turned on by his display of possessiveness.

Edward set down his drink and took my hands in his. “I missed you, and I didn’t like how we left things the other night,” he told me in a calm tone.

God, that felt like a lifetime ago. So much had changed for me in such a short span of time. I thought I’d made myself clear, but Edward was acting as if we’d had a disagreement, not broken up.

He leaned in as if to kiss me and then pulled back, his lip curled upward. Whether it was in a smile or out of distaste, I could never be sure. “Have you eaten yet? Why don’t you take a shower while I pour us both a fresh drink, and then we can talk over a nice meal.”

I wanted to laugh at the differences between Edward and Jackson. Jackson had just spent a week with me on a boat, both of us smelling of salt and sweat. And he couldn’t keep his hands off me. He would’ve never let my appearance or anything else keep him away from me.

“Sloan?” Edward said.

I snapped my attention to him. “What was that?”

“I said you look tired.”

I slid a hand through my hair, but it caught. It was tangled from the wind. My body was caked in salt water and sunscreen. I desperately wanted a long soak in a hot bath. A quiet, peaceful evening alone to collect my thoughts after the whirlwind of the past twenty-four hours.

“I am tired,” I admitted. Jackson had been ravenous last night, and I felt well and truly fucked.

“What’s with the guard dog?” Edward gestured toward the kitchen.

Guard dog? How demeaning. My blood boiled.

“I told you my family insisted that I hire a bodyguard. And don’t call him a guard dog. He has a name.” I tried not to think of Jackson in there, possibly listening to what was going on in here. This entire situation felt like a ticking time bomb ready to explode.

“Wait…” Edward paused. “That guy?” He peered toward the kitchen and frowned. “I thought he was Huxley Grand security.”

“No. He’s my executive protection agent.”

“He’s—” Edward spluttered. “The one you’ve been sailing with? Alone?”

I nearly laughed. “Yes. That’s Jackson.”

“Bollocks.” He downed the rest of his drink then poured another. I was supposed to be getting rid of Edward, not encouraging him to stay. Not that I had. But he didn’t seem to be taking the hint.

“What are you doing here?” I asked again, more than ready to get to the point so I could move on with my evening.

Edward stepped closer. “This past week—without you—made me realize just how important you are to me.”

Our time apart had made me realize the opposite.

“I know I haven’t always made our relationship a priority. But that’s going to change—starting now.”

“Edward, I—” I held out my hand as if to stop him or whatever he was going to say.

Edward knelt to the floor, and all the words I was going to say flew from my brain. I rolled my lips between my teeth, resisting the urge to see what Jackson was doing. If he was watching. Listening.

“I promise to spend every day showing you how much you mean to me.” Edward opened a small antique box with a unique latch to reveal an enormous diamond ring that had to be worth a fortune.

I blinked a few times, wishing I could freeze time.

“I-I—” I didn’t even know what to say. This was so completely unexpected. First, the impromptu visit and, now, the proposal. “I…can’t,” I finally said.

He frowned. “I don’t understand.”

I gently tugged on his hand, wishing he would stand the hell up. Wishing I could erase the past twenty minutes of my life. “I’m sorry, but I can’t marry you.”

“But we’re so well suited. Who else would understand the commitments and duties we have—to our families, our companies. I need you, Sloan.”

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