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“I’ve been thinking…” she murmured between kisses. “Let’s fly down to the Outer Banks after the masquerade and spend the weekend unplugged.”

“Yes,” he agreed with zero hesitation.

“I’ll be over my period by then.”

His laugh was everything she needed to shake off her cloudy mood. “Even better.”

They’d somehow managed to keep their Outer Banks house a secret from the world at large.Howwas something she marveled at every time they were there. Without ever discussing it, they’d both never mentioned it in interviews. And while they’d renewed their vows there with friends and family in attendance, word of their sanctuary had never been leaked. Of course, they left the house infrequently. It was stocked with provisions beforethey arrived, and while they walked Lucky on the beach and surrounding streets, they very much kept to themselves.

Pulling back, she cupped his magnificent face in her hands. She loved him so much, almost beyond bearing. She wanted every single piece of him she could have, even as she acknowledged how greedy she was to want more. “Okay, we can go to the meeting now.”

Gideon gave her hips a soft squeeze. They both knew there would be more to unpack later at home, but they’d learned to connect even when they were apart on an issue. Neither of them was at their best when they weren’t solidly aligned. Reaching the point where they could disagree and not feel like the end was imminent had been a significant turning point for them both.

Taking her hand in his, he straightened. Fingers interlaced, they walked out together, heading to the elevator to reach the next lowest floor where Cross Industries’ advertising and marketing teams were located. In short order, they entered the reserved conference room, where familiar faces greeted them with easy smiles. That was something Eva took pride in, the camaraderie they’d built with their employees over the years. Gideon could still scare the hell out of someone—and did, if warranted—but working with her had revealed his softer side. For many, the first time they’d ever seen him smile was at her.

The man leading the meeting, Mark Garrity, stood when she walked in, and they exchanged affectionate grins because they were friends. She’d started her career in New York as his assistant at an independent advertising agency, and he’d been a great boss, generously sharing his knowledge. Gideon appreciated his work and hired him, and over the years, Mark advanced up the ranks to lead Cross Industries’ advertising team.

But while time had passed, Mark hardly seemed to have aged. There were a few strands of silver in the tight coils ofhis hair and closely cropped goatee, but his dark skin remained smoothly unlined.

Flanking him were Jeanette and Edita, the two female directors in charge of their liquor brands. They’d been with the company for over a dozen years, and Eva took pride in that longevity, too.

They all settled into their seats, with Gideon and her on one side and the team on the other.

“Before we get started,” Mark began, opening his leather portfolio and pulling out a folded piece of construction paper. “I’m supposed to give you this, Eva.”

Taking the makeshift card from him, she opened it to a child’s drawing of three stick figures encircled with unadorned Christmas trees. Her fingers traced the crayon marks, feeling the texture of the wax raised from the thick paper beneath. In her mind’s eye, she saw Janessa Garrity-Ellison bent studiously over the drawing. The little girl would tackle the task with the utmost seriousness.

The inner void Eva felt so keenly was filled to overflowing in Mark. She could see and feel it, which only made her yearning more acute.

“A budding talent!” Gideon said warmly, looking over her shoulder.

Mark beamed with pride. “Janessa drew that for you when I told her we were having a meeting today. You, me, and Gideon. When I asked her about the trees, she said they make people happy, and she wanted that for us.”

“It’s lovely,” she managed, her voice huskier than usual. She refolded the paper and tried to regain her composure. “And a very sweet thought. Thank her for us, please.”

“Of course. Now, down to business.” Mark flipped open the cover of his tablet. “I have to start by saying that rebranding Kingsman Vodka feels like coming full circle. We even have thesame faces around the table, although some of us have changed which side we’re sitting on.”?

The memory of that long-ago first meeting was still fresh in Gideon’s mind, and he smiled. Even then, he’d had a robust advertising and marketing team at Cross Industries but had chosen to hire Mark’s agency—and Mark in particular—to get himself in front of Eva. She’d become his obsession but wanted nothing to do with him. Those early days had been rough, and he appreciated finding the humor in them now. He’d never desired anyone or anything so fiercely—or so provocatively out of reach.

Glancing at Eva, he reached for her hand and linked their fingers.?

“Now see that chemistry right there,” Mark began, jerking his chin toward them, “is why it was necessary to test creative featuring you both.”?

Eva’s grip tightened before she let go to steeple her hands together on the tabletop. “I expressly asked you to exclude us.”?

“I know, and initially we did, but feedback from early round testers was that your absence from the campaign was glaring.” His fingertips tapped the screen of his tablet, which was mirrored on the large wall monitor. “So, we threw something together just to keep respondents focused on the options in front of them. And when I tell you this creative outperformed the rest, I mean it wasn’t even close.”?

The mockup exploded across the wall, taking over the screen entirely. Gideon studied it, silently noting the strain in his wife’s voice. A photo of him and Eva on the red carpet had been altered so that the blindingly white camera flashes of the paparazzi were now glittering stars and diamonds against an inky velvet sky. The precious gems sparkled across the vivid image and piled around a towering Kingsman vodka bottle and a handblown martini glass in the same glorious emerald hue as Eva's dress.?

“Testers loved this,” Mark said, “to put it mildly. The top descriptors were luxurious, top shelf, and sexy. They selected a higher price point for the product and, better still, felt the price was justified. In comparison, the other ads had descriptors like energetic, fun, and colorful.”?

Gideon huffed out a laugh, thinking his wife could advertise tap water and make it sexy.? But when he looked at her, she wasn’t smiling, and there was a furrow between her brows. She withdrew her hand from his.

Mark’s mouth quirked thoughtfully from side to side. “You don’t like it.”

“It’s a striking image,” Eva said flatly. “I just don’t understand why you can’t use models in the same concept.”

“We tested creative with models,” he explained, swapping out the mockup with a rotating slideshow of other options. “And actors and musicians. But consumers know this is a Cross product and expect to see you. Dwayne Johnson is in the ads for Teremana. George Clooney is in the ads for Casamigos. It’s what works.”

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