“And have me sign annulment papers?”
“I’m sorry,” he said, soft, low with a hint of tenderness.
Corina glanced up at him, catching the whites of his eyes. “What are you not telling me?”
“I’m telling you we’re still married and I have the annulment papers.” He jerked his thumb toward Thomas and the dark car parked by the front of the building.
“Just like that?” Corina snapped her fingers in the dewy, warm air. “Hey, Corina, I’ve not seen you in forever, sign this paper.”
He stepped away from the car. “I didn’t want to tell you in the car park, but you didn’t want to leave.”
She felt sick and weak. “Stephen, this is not about the parking lot. This is about you showing up and ramming that annulment at me. When I’m still not sure why our marriage ended in the first place.” Corina got behind the wheel and gunned the gas, shifting into reverse. But she could not hit the gas. With a fast glance up at him, grounding down the whisper of regret, she said, “You know where I live?”
“I do.”
“Then I’ll see you there.” She fired out of the parking lot, powering down the convertible top, gunning down U.S 1 toward home, the GTO, her entire world, rumbling beneath her.
FOUR
His ankle was killing Stephen as he hobbled across the parking lot with Thomas to the front entrance of Harbor’s Edge, a luxury condominium on the bank of a river.
The doorman greeted them with a dubious once-over. “Here to see Ms. Del Rey?”
“She’s expecting us, yes.”
The man stepped back with a nod. “Top floor. Penthouse on the right.”
In the elevator, Stephen rode in silence, grappling with his thoughts, sorting his feelings. She awakened something in him he thought he no longer possessed.
“She’s very beautiful,” Thomas said, staring straight ahead.
“She is.”
“Rather decisive too.”
“Yes, rather.”
“I like her.”
Stephen faced his protection officer as the elevator slowed, delivering them on the top floor. “We’re not here to like her.” While Thomas was an employee of the Royal Guard, he’d also become Stephen’s friend over the years. He’d been a near constant companion when Stephen traveled with Brighton Eagles for every international match.
“I’m merely saying—”
“Well, don’t say it.” Stephen patted the messenger bag slung over his shoulder. “I came here to ask her to sign the annulment papers. End of story.”
“All business?”
“Yes, all business.”
But he lied, making himself feel better by wrapping it with some thin ribbon of the truth. He did come for the annulment, but more lurked beneath the surface. The moment he spoke her name and she turned toward him, his feelings for her awakened and butterflied in his chest.
He liked her. Still. Very much. But his feelings did not change why he came. Nor the secret about Afghanistan he harbored.
He could not tell her the real truth as to why he ended their marriage. For the sake of national security, his personal safety and that of the family, and for the welfare of his country, the Crown, and the four-hundred-and-sixty-year-old House of Stratton, the details of that day in Torkham were sealed under “Top Secret.”
The elevator eased to a stop and the doors opened. Stephen walked with Thomas through the corridor to Corina’s door. He paused, inhaling deep, before knocking, then glanced at Thomas. “Listen, mate, can you give us a moment? An audience seems a bit inappropriate.”
Thomas backed away with a single pat on Stephen’s shoulder. “I’ll be right out here.” He pointed to a plush settee against the wall, holding up his phone. “I can catch up on e-mail.”
