Chapter 18
Robin
The sound of rustling fabric pulls me from sleep. My heart lurches as I crack open one eye to see a maid folding clothes into a suitcase.Mysuitcase.
Fear clutches at my heart. Not again. Please, not again.
I bolt upright, my pulse hammering. “What the hell?—”
The bedroom door swings open, and Eva glides in wearing that cat-that-got-the-cream smile. She’s already dressed in a sleek black blazer and dark jeans, her hair twisted into an elegant knot.
She looks like she’s planning something.
“Good morning, little bird,” she purrs, settling on the edge of the bed.
I eye her warily. “What’s going on?”
Eva’s brows lift at my sharp tone. “I have a surprise for you.”
Suspicious doesn’t begin to cover what I’m feeling. My last “surprise” from Eva that began this way involved a private jetback to Vegas nursing a broken heart. “What the hell is going on?” I repeat, this time with more bite.
Eva actually looks taken aback. “We’re going to Rome.”
Relief floods through me so fast I feel dizzy. Not getting kicked out. Not being sent away like damaged goods. Just…Rome.
I grab a pillow and hurl it at her. “Stop scaring me to death, woman!”
Eva catches it easily, looking genuinely confused. “Scaring you?”
“The last time I woke up to a maid packing my suitcase, you shipped me back home like I was being returned to sender,” I snap, my heart still racing.
Understanding dawns in her eyes, followed by something that looksalmostlike guilt. She sets the pillow aside and reaches for my hand. “Robin?—”
“And the time before that,” I continue, rolling my eyes, “we went to Paris!”
“Exactly!” Eva’s smile returns, brilliant and devastating. “See? Good precedent. You enjoyed Paris!”
“Yeah, up until you almost got shot.”
Her smile falters. “I promise that won’t happen this time.” Her voice turns serious, almost tender. “We’re going incognito. Complete secrecy. And Robin…I need to…apologize.”
She sounds like she’s forcing the words out, though I think it’s more from lack of familiarity with the words than because she doesn’t mean them.
“Apologize?” I prompt after a moment. “For…?”
“I lashed out at you after my father died. I shouldn’t have done that. I regret it…so much more than I can say.”
“You called me a whore,” I point out. I’m not going to let her get away with anything. If she wants to apologize, she needs to own it first.
She flushes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her flush. “I did,” she says. “And it was an appalling thing to say. I was—I wastryingto hurt you. But I should never have spoken to you in that manner.”
I study her face, looking for lies or hidden motives. Finding none, I cock my head. “Apology accepted.”
Her face brightens. “You forgive me?”
“I understand you were acting out of pain,” I say slowly. “But I need you to understand, I won’t be your punching bag, Eva. Not even for ten million dollars.” She nods rapidly, and I can’t help smiling at her eagerness. “So we’re sneaking off to Rome, huh? What about filing a flight plan? Won’t the pilot need to?—”
Eva’s grin turns wicked. “I’ll be flying us myself.”
