As I walk by the white rose bushes toward a white bench, someone clears their throat behind me.
My heart stills.
“I see you found the gardens.”
I whip my head around to see River leaning against a statue of a gargoyle nestled between two bushes. “You scared me.”
He smiles. “The gardens off the East Wing are my favorite. I designed them for my mother.”
“Were you close to her?”
“I was.” His eyes focus on the sun setting over the horizon.
I want him to open up, but I don’t know how to ask, so I decide to accept whatever he’s willing to give. “I met your Aunt Mae this evening.”
“I heard.”
I chuckle, thinking of her comments and how kind she was to help me get the clothes settled into the bedroom. “I didn’t mind.”
He pushes off the stone statue and walks toward me. “She can be bossy, but I don’t think Seb and I could do anything if it wasn’t for her. “
“I can tell.”
River takes a few steps closer until his body is flush with mine. The heat radiating off him causes my pulse to pick up. “How did you sleep?”
“Better than I have in a while.”
He gives me one of his rare smiles and it sends a zip up my spine. He brings the back of his knuckles to my cheek and gently caresses my skin. His smile is subtle, but with an underlying confidence.
“I thought you’d be at peace here.”
A dense silence fills the serene space as I angle my face upward, our lips are only a few inches apart. The sun setting off in the distance casts a shadow across his features. My heart pounds inside my chest. I’ve dreamed about kissing him since the night we broke into Rich’s house. With the urge to taste him growing more powerful with each small piece of information he shares with me. He’s letting me in on his terms—and it seems so am I.
“Me too.” I lean closer, closing my eyes while his breath feathers across my lips.
I can almost taste him when all of a sudden, he draws his head back. “I have a call with my FBI contact later. Meet me back here at midnight.”
Stunned by what happened and how his demeanor changed again, all I can do is nod my head in agreement. I’m frustrated with how our interactions play out, but then he simply closes off and leaves.
There are two sides to him. One side shows kindness, while the other is controlled and cold-hearted—and I’m not sure which one has captivated me more.
Chapter 19
River
Islam the door to my office in frustration.
Lux Levinson has my heart in a vise and my self-control is becoming harder to contain.
I became infatuated with Lux the moment I met her, and I’ve craved to know everything about her since then. And with how familiar she seems with my world, it’s making things more confusing. I wasn’t expecting her to handle herself so well during Rich’s killing only caused to send my feelings into a deeper plunge.
I sit on the leather couch, facing the wall of screens, my focus fixating on the screen that shows the bedroom she’s staying in. She’s made it back to the room and is now pacing. Lux’s energy reaches into me in ways I haven’t experienced before, and I want to open up more to her, but there’s something holding me back. Maybe it’s because I’ve never had a woman I’ve wanted to share my darkness with. Or it could be because I lost my parents when I was young and have difficulty trusting people outside my controlled circle of confidants.
Suddenly, she throws the blankets off the bed and crawls in. Lying on her back, she leaves the comforter off and slides her pants down, exposing her panties before they’re completely off. I lean in to get a better look when I see her drag something over her stomach.
What is she doing?
Unable to peel my focus away, I stare into the screen as she slips a hand over her stomach and a toy into the heat between her legs.
