Page 27 of Eternally Bound

He loves me. He loves me not.God, the voice in my head was singing.

“We’ll go to your place tomorrow as you were scheduled,” he said calmly. “And we’ll bring your son and mother here. They’ll be safe here.”

I believed him.

“Where is here?”

“We are on my estate, in Longniddry.”

I must have not heard that right.

“In Scotland?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you lived in London,” I murmured stupidly. I must have been out for a while when he took me. I missed the entire journey back to Scotland. How in the hell did he explain someone carrying me into an airplane?

I could almost hear it.She’s drunk.I scoffed at the images playing in my mind.She is scared of flying so took too many sleeping pills.The most likely scenario was that nobody dared to ask any questions of Daniel Carrington. He was a formidable man and could be intimidating when he wanted to.

“Seton Castle is close to your home,” he interrupted my thinking. My eyes widened at his comment. “I know how close you are with your family.”

I collapsed back against my chair, staring at this man that resumed eating like he didn’t just drop a bomb in my lap. He has been so close all this time, and I never even knew.

“How long have you lived this close to-” I was about to sayso close to me,but I changed my mind. “So close to Edinburgh?”

“I bought it while being deployed, but I rarely come here. Only a handful of people know about this place. I usually stay in my penthouse in London.” I nodded, although not sure why. It bothered me that he never reached out and he was so close. “Eat something. It will make you feel better.”

“You were so close,” I muttered absentmindedly. It hurt to know that he was so close.

“Ainslee,” his voice had me lifting my eyes and our gazes met. “I wanted to be close to you. I followed you sometimes, just to see you.” My mouth shaped into a silent O at his admission. “Scotland is not my territory. I bought this place with you in mind. It has always been you, Nightingale.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat that threatened to have me tear up at his admission. My chest constricted with the overwhelming emotions. I wanted to tell him it was always him. There was nobody else for me, but the words stayed stuck inside me.

This man somehow managed to have me shove his crimes aside, as if it was something trivial. I’d forgive this man anything because I was so lost in him; it was hard for me to see straight. On the same token, I was furious with Callen and had barely spoken to him, besides to share information on Bram. He hadn’t even replied to those messages, so I wasn’t sure why I bothered. He was actively avoiding me.

It spoke volumes about my misconceptions and biased opinion. Right? However, unlike Callen that left us to our own devices, Daniel took matters into his own hands and was protecting us.

Okay, this was a nice pep talk. Bottom line was, I trusted Daniel to protect us.

The silence in the room stretched, making my thoughts even louder. I picked up my spoon and started eating. At least the soup wouldn’t be heavy on the stomach, although it seemed everything else was. There were so many thoughts in my head that I wasn’t even sure where to start. My priority was Bram and my mother. After that, I’d worry about the rest.

I picked up my head and found Daniel’s eyes on me again. The magnetic pull I felt twelve years ago was still here, and the admissions that we had over our midnight dinner enhanced everything. The attraction sizzling in the air could power this entire house.

* * *

The sexual tensionbetween us lingered. Every look, every breath led us a step closer to the outcome we both knew was coming. Somehow it made me nervous and excited at the same time. Twelve years was a very long time.

After we were done with our dinner, he led me out of the vast dining room.

“I’ll give you a tour of the house tomorrow,” he told me, his hand on the small of my back. “I hope you’ll like it.”

My head tilted sideways, studying his profile. “The little I saw was beautiful,” I told him and meant it.

“Think of it as your home. If there is something you want to change, please feel free.”

An uncomfortable laugh escaped me. “Daniel, I can’t change stuff in your home.”

“I just told you, it is your home too.”

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