Trusting Stone (22 page)

“Is that why you hate Joachim?”

“I don’t hate Joachim. I dislike him. I think he is his father’s son. Remember he’s older than you, Eden. He was much more aware of what happened. We were friends and then one day, he just started ignoring me at school. Before I left, I showed up at his house to give him our new address. I still thought there was a chance we could be friends. I never heard from him… And I have no doubt that he’s known about your parents’ intentions. He hasn’t given me a reason yet to hate him. Yet.” Sebastian let the last word hang between them.

“I know you don’t want to me have lunch with him, Seb, but I have my own questions about what he’s been up to. He’s my oldest friend. My only friend, really, from that part of my life.”

“You’re right, I don’t want you to have lunch with him.”

Eden felt trapped. Sebastian clearly wasn’t going to capitulate so easily. And she knew that
keeping
Joachim in her life was a betrayal to Sebastian. The last time she had forced his hand about the town car, she had proven him right by needing him to come pick her up. “It’s less than half an hour. I’ll text you as soon as we’re done. We’re just going to be sitting in Starbucks or someplace like that. It’s nothing.”

Sebastian didn’t respond. Instead, he lay back on the bed, pulling her toward him so she lay in his arms.

“He’s not a good man, Eden. I wish you could see that.”

“Let me just see him to hear his side and then we’ll just see.”

“Sleep, Eden.”

She closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than to stay in his arms forever.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The next day, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between Eden and Sebastian not to bring up the question at hand. Eden tried to ignore the fact that, as a couple, they were becoming very good at their unspoken agreements. Sebastian had breakfast delivered and fed her warm buttered croissants in bed, teasing her by letting the butter drip onto her chest and down onto the rise of her breasts before licking it off. But when she had tried to move the tray away so she could kiss him, he shook his head.

“No, today is all about
delayed gratification
. And anyway, as much as I would like to, and trust me I would, we have to get ready. We have things to do.” Eden knew he wouldn’t tell her what they were. “Shower, dress, and get ready. The car’s coming to pick us up in forty-five minutes.”

With no dress code to give a clue as to where they were going, Eden opted for a plain linen wrap dress—the dark red
color
made her feel sexy—with high-heeled sandals, giving her outfit some
glamour
. Eden decided it was better to be overdressed than underdressed, especially considering the types of places Sebastian had taken her in the past few weeks. The contrast between her skin and the burgundy of the dress was just the perfect balance and she knew Sebastian would like it. She knew she was right by the endless glances he kept giving her from across the backseat of the car on their way to the surprise destination.  

And what a surprise it was. Sebastian had arranged for them to sit in during the full dress rehearsal of Mozart’s “Mitridate” at the Metropolitan
Opera
House. She had bought a copy of the obscure
opera
when she was living in Edinburgh and had fallen in love with it. Eden had never mentioned it to Sebastian, but she guessed he must have seen the CD in her new
apartment
.

“You hum it sometimes. I don’t even think you’re aware of it when you’re doing it,” Sebastian said, knowing she was trying to figure out how he knew.

Eden squeezed his hand as she peered over the railing from their box seats. She felt like it was Christmas in July as the stage filled and the rehearsal started. The music moved over her and she closed her eyes, wishing she could explain to Sebastian what this meant to her. Although the story was tragic, listening to it
somehow
filled her with hope that everything would be okay. She had listened to it on repeat in her Edinburgh
apartment
, driving her roommates crazy.

She looked at Sebastian and he was smiling at her. “Thank you,” she mouthed at him, bringing his hand to her mouth and kissing the back of it. She would thank him properly later. He wasn’t the only one who could plan surprises.

“I’ll be right back,” he whispered as he
suddenly
stood up and left the box.

Eden glanced at her watch. 12 p.m.—the phone call he was expecting. As much as she wanted to stay and lose herself in the music, she also wanted to know what was so urgent. Sebastian rarely dealt with business when he was with her.

He had walked a few yards down the hall and was talking on the phone. She could barely
make out
what he was saying, but she caught enough.

“How much exactly? And the Benedicts? What was their interest?” He tensed when he heard whatever the response was. “No, just get the paperwork ready for the rest and bring it over on Monday. That’s all for now. I’ll call you when I arrive.” She debated slipping back into their seats without him knowing what she had heard, but decided she wanted him to know. The look on his face when he turned and saw her made her wish she hadn’t. “Eden. Haven’t you ever been told that eavesdropping is rude?”

She ignored his comment. “What’s going with the Benedicts?”

“Nothing.” That was it. He wasn’t even going to try and give her an excuse. She pushed anyway.

“Seriously, Seb. That didn’t sound like business.”

“You’re wrong, actually. As I told you before, I sometimes have work with Benedict, Turner, and Smith.”

“You said the Benedicts.”

“You misheard me.” Sebastian had walked to join her and took her hand. “We’re missing it, Eden, come.” He led her back into the box by her elbow.

She tried to focus on the rest of the
opera,
but she couldn’t get over the fact that Sebastian had lied to her. She had heard him say “the Benedicts,” and knew he had not been referring to the law firm. The rehearsal
finally
ended and they both silently rose from their seats. Back in the town car, their distance grew. Sebastian
finally
spoke when, to Eden’s surprise, they pulled up in front of her
apartment
building. She had assumed she would be spending the night again at his
apartment
, and he would drop her off at her office on Monday morning, as he had done the past few weekends.

“I have a last minute trip I have to take. I only found out during that phone call.”

“Where are you going?” Eden didn’t particularly care, but she was sick of the secrets. He knew her every move, her schedule, even when she was seeing Mara, and she knew nothing.

“Boston, then Florida. I’ll be back on Tuesday.” That was the same day she was supposed to meet Joachim for lunch. “I’ll pick you up after work.”

Eden stared at her hands. He hadn’t brought up the lunch or made any effort to close the distance that had developed between them since the
opera
.

“Eden, I can’t stop you from seeing someone, even if I beg you not to. All I ask is that you reschedule your lunch with Joachim until after I get back.”

She looked up at him, biting her bottom lip in frustration. “But you’re not going to tell me why, right?” She didn’t expect any response.

“No, I’m not. But I’m asking you to do this for me, to trust that I would only ask if it was in your best interest.”

“Fine,” she agreed reluctantly.

“Come here.” Sebastian
finally
broached the wide divide and pulled her to him by her wrist. “Don’t pull away, Eden. Trust me.” He held her against him tightly and Eden felt herself letting go of the anger. She didn’t want to make it worse, especially if she wasn’t going to see him for three days.

“I do, Seb. I promise.” She kissed his neck, wishing the day had gone better. “And as for the
delayed gratification
, Mr. Stone, you are going to have to make it up to me.” She wanted to leave on a playful note. She wiggled her behind on his lap, feeling him growing hard under her. “Just to give you something to think about while you’re away.”

Sebastian growled into her neck, running his hands inside her wrap dress to find her breast. “I have to go. Goddamn it.” He rubbed her nipples through her lace bra, and she sighed into his neck, moving her mouth up to nibble his earlobe, gently sucking it as he softly twisted her nipple.

Eden launched herself off him, adjusting her dress and grabbing her purse. “Text me.” She winked as she opened the car door and leapt out. She half hoped he would come out of the car and follow her, but the town car pulled away and she entered her
apartment
building.

In the elevator, she took out her phone and texted Mara. There was no way she was going to sit around the next few days. She had to keep busy or she would go crazy missing Sebastian and wondering what he was up to.
Dinner, my place, bring Enzo—would love to get to know him more. xxx

She knew that Mara’s fiancé was a workaholic and probably wouldn’t be free, but she wanted him to feel welcome. She knew what it felt like to be living in a foreign country, although from what she had seen at the
club
, Enzo wasn’t short of friends or family.

Finally, she texted Joachim. She felt guilty
cancelling
on him after their phone call, but she also wanted to get things back on an even keel with Sebastian.
Sorry, have to reschedule, how about next week?

While she knew Sebastian had told her to reschedule for after he returned from his trip, she wanted to have a few days without the Joachim/engagement issue coming up. Joachim’s response was simple—
I’ll text you x
. She had no idea if that meant he was mad at her, but she didn’t really care. She was still upset about him talking to her parents about Sebastian and would deal with it later. For now, she wanted to get ready for dinner with Mara, sort out her clothes for Monday, and try not to think about how much she already missed Sebastian.

Eden managed to make Monday fly by, throwing herself into her archival work. Her manager was impressed when she offered to stay late and work on a batch of prints that were on loan from Tate Modern and needed to be returned by the end of the week. Sebastian had only texted her twice and, even then, they were short and curt, not teasing or yearning the way he usually was. He
finally
called her on her cell when she was just getting home at 9 p.m.

“Why aren’t you home yet?” he asked as soon as she picked up.

“What? Hello to you too!” Eden resisted hanging up on him. “What the hell, Sebastian? How did you even know I wasn’t home?”

“I tried the land line.”

“I haven’t even given you that number. Are you checking up on me?” she demanded.

“Yes, I am.” She was stunned into silence. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Eden, it’s other people I don’t trust. The past few days have been trying on both of us and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I was working late, Sebastian. Trying to keep my mind busy, if you must know. But this is borderline creepy, Seb. You can’t keep tabs on me.”

“Says who?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m asking you who says I’m not allowed to
check
up on you? Are you telling me that?”

She was so confused about the tone of the conversation. What was he getting at? “I don’t…um…no, I’m not saying that.”

“What was it I told you in the elevator before the first time we fucked?”

Eden would never get over how blunt he was sometimes. But she knew exactly what he was talking about. She would never forget those words. “You said I was yours, that there was no turning back.”

“Right. So we both seem to be aware of what I think of you and yet you still seem to be confused by the fact that I check up on you.”

“I’m not a doll, Seb. I…” Eden was too rattled to express herself. She hated that they were fighting again.

Sebastian abruptly changed the subject. “I assume you’ve already
cancelled
with Joachim, as we discussed.” He was now using the voice she’d only ever heard him use with his employees.

“Yes, Mr. Stone. Don’t worry, your every wish is my command.” She made no effort to hide the sarcasm in her voice. There was silence on his end and Eden wondered if she had perhaps pushed him too far this time. For once, she didn’t care. He deserved it.

“Finally, you understand, that’s exactly how it is. I miss you. I’ll see you tomorrow. Be safe.” His words were warm
suddenly
and she shook her head in dismay as he hung up. Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Yes, she’d figured out that Sebastian was slightly controlling about her safety, but she had always assumed it was because of what had happened to his mother. He, more than anyone she knew, had an understanding about the random acts of violence that occurred in a
city
. But his tone, his irritation, it was a whole other level.

Eden woke up feeling miserable. She had hardly slept at all, still feeling unsettled from her conversation with Sebastian. He’d made it clear enough to her that he needed to be in control, and part of her liked it, especially in bed, or on the couch in his office, or wherever he wanted her. That part she loved even. And she knew she was falling in love with Sebastian. But the rest of it, how she knew virtually nothing about his business besides the few articles she’d managed to drag up from
Forbes
and
The
Wall
Street
Journal
. She still didn’t have a complete picture of what had happened to him after he graduated high school, whether his father was still around. And the women—he knew everything about her sexual history and she’d pieced together that he used to date, obviously, but wasn’t a complete lothario. However, she suspected that was simply wishful thinking on her part and Sebastian had no reason to change her mind. But for all she knew, he could have an ex-wife hanging around. The way he knew how to touch her in bed gave her little doubt that he’d had plenty of experience before her.