Page 52 of Elevating Eve

Eve dug through her purse until she found her keys, buried all the way at the bottom. They jangled together as she pulled them out, and she wrapped her fist around them to stop the noise.

For the first time in over an hour, Jonathan looked in her direction. Gaze zeroing in on her clenched hand, he frowned. “You won’t be needing those tonight.” He had his eyes back on the road before he even finished speaking.

The matter-of-fact way he said it surprised her so much, it took her several seconds to respond. “I’d like you to drop me off at my car, please.” She kept her voice even and inflectionless, not wanting him to think she was upset. Even though she kind of was...but the last thing she wanted right now was for him to get defensive. That never helped any situation.

He let out a loud breath—something between a sigh and an annoyed huff. “I’d appreciate your cooperation on this.” Despite that weird sound he made, his voice held no hint of frustration. In fact, he sounded far too infuriatingly reasonable considering he was disregarding her preferences entirely. “I’m tired and I don’t want to drive out of my way. And to be honest, I just don’t think I can be alone right now.”

The vulnerability in that last sentence made her heart ache, and she fucking hated it. Of course he’d feel vulnerable right now. Of course he’d want her there. It was the most reasonable thing in the world.

Thus making her a giant fucking asshole if she dared object again. It was as if, in this moment, her own needs didn’t matter at all. Which was a shitty fucking feeling. Especially after she’d put his needs above hers every moment of the last week.

“I understand,” she forced herself to say. At least none of her frustration came through into her voice. “Of course I’ll stay with you. I onlywanted to go to my hotel because I’m really tired too. I planned to go straight to bed.”

“Don’t worry,” Jonathan said, his grip on the steering wheel finally loosening. He had to have some horrific hand cramps by now. “We can go right to bed. Your body needs a long rest after that last scene anyway.”

Holding in a sigh, Eve stared out the window as they drove past the exit that would lead to Fairford without even slowing down.

CHAPTER 17

Jonathan

He may have fucked up a little bit.

Guilt sat heavy in his chest, weighing him down all day. It wasn’t a feeling he cared for, and usually he’d seek out the injured party, apologize or make amends as necessary, and get on with his life.

Only problem was, he had no idea what he did.

All he knew was that he’d come to rely on Eve this last week. Whenever his grief started overwhelming him, he let her warmth seep into him, enveloping his heart like a protective shell.

When he woke up this morning and found Eve sitting cross-legged on his bed, leaning back against his headboard, he could tell instantly that the temperature had dropped several degrees. The sudden change confused him so much, he couldn’t build up the nerve to ask about it.

Even now, almost twelve hours later, he balked at the idea of bringing it up. What was he supposed to say?Hey, you seem to be mad, but I have no idea why. Can we please talk about it so I can understand?

Jonathan was halfway through that last thought before he realized it didn’t sound as absurd as he expected. In fact, it seemed a hell of a lot more mature than hiding in his office all day, hoping she didn’t need him to sign anything until he figured it out on his own.

None of his past relationships with women had prepared him for this. Perhaps because none of them had ever been real relationships.

With a sigh, he went over to the antique, glass-fronted bookcase he used as his private liquor cabinet and turned the old skeleton key. Opening one of the doors, he grabbed the most expensive bottle he had in there. He pulled out the fleur-de-lis shaped glass stopper, poured a single mouthful into a small tulip glass, and tipped it into his mouth.

The Louis XIII cognac was far too precious to knock back like a standard drink. He let the liquid linger on his tongue, closing his eyes and focusing on the subtle flavors. First honey and figs. Then plum, leather, smoke, and more he couldn’t name.

Only when his mind had completely calmed did he finally swallow. The liquor went down smooth, leaving behind the most exquisite burn.

“Okay,” he said out loud, returning the hand-blown glass decanter to the cabinet and locking it. “Time to act like a fucking adult.”

Jonathan took his time descending to the first floor and out through the back of the house. That single swallow had calmed his racing thoughts, dulling the urgency of his confusion and unease. He would find her, calmly ask for a private talk, and get to the bottom of this before anything got out of hand. Simple as that.

Eve’s scream pierced through the quiet evening, so loud that even the forest noises halted for a moment.

Heartbeat kicking back up into high gear, he sprinted toward the new building, dirt and gravel kicking up behind him as he crossed the unpaved courtyard. “Eve?” he shouted as soon as he burst through the front doors. “Where are you?”

She didn’t answer, but she didn’t really need to. Not with the cacophony of noise coming from upstairs.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he followed the commotion into one of the new almost-finished suites. Just as he passed through the doorless frame, part of a floor tile flew through the bathroom doorway, skidding to a stop near the windows.

What in thefuck.

“Eve?” he called again, crossing over to the bathroom in four long strides. “What are you—” The question trailed off as his mouth dropped open.

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