“I have told her who I really am.I am Matthew Reeves.I took my uncle’s name for a reason.I haven’t been Matthew Perrin for almost twenty years.They didn’t want me, and I don’t want anything to do with them.”
Rhys nodded, but his eyes slid to look past Matthew, his expression pensive.Damn, how could a man who said so little convey his worry so starkly?Rhys was pondering the possibilities and working out what things would become trouble.Matthew knew his friend too well.“Fine, I will think on what to do about Jonas.My father should have fucking had him committed years ago.”He stood, too restless to sit still anymore.He would go back downstairs.Go see what Val had needed earlier.
“And Elizabeth Harper?”
“I’m going to keep her.”The possessive thought slipped out unbidden.Seaton’s eyebrows rose.Matthew felt a flush creep up his neck.Shit, what was wrong with him?“I mean, that’s up to her.But I will surely fight like hell to stay in her bed.”He jerked his head toward the door.And Rhys stood and followed him out of the room.“I’ve invited her to come see the show tomorrow evening.I know she’ll want to talk about what to do about Jonas.She’ll want him punished.Perhaps she will have an idea of how to corner him.”
Chapter Eighteen
Elizabeth let herselfthrough the back door of 151 Charlotte Street, her friend’s dress shop.“Lorelei?”she called out.It was early, not yet eight in the morning, but she knew Lorelei would have a pot brewing as she got her shop ready to open for the day.And this morning, Elizabeth dearly needed a friend and a hot cup of tea.
“Elizabeth?”Lorelei came through the curtained doorway from the front of the shop.“What a lovely surprise!”Her friend’s black hair was uncovered and wound down over one shoulder in a long braid.Lorelei was one of the most beautiful women Elizabeth knew in real life.Her petite, curvy figure was modestly shown off in a perfectly tailored dress of sumptuous green silk.Lorelei always wore her own creations.She said it was the best advertisement of her skills.
“I’ve brought back the red dress you lent me.”Elizabeth held up a bag she had slung over her shoulder.
“Thank you.Come in, come in.Do you want a cuppa?”
“Most definitely.”She set the bag down on a nearby table and followed Lorelei to a pair of stuffed chairs in the corner.She sank onto one and accepted the mug of tea her friend passed to her.The steam that rose was fragrant with notes of bergamot and lemon.“Thank you.”
Lorelei sat and stared at her over the top of her mug.She straightened.“You had sex.”
Elizabeth boggled her tea and almost spilled the whole thing.“What?Why would you say that?”
Her friend narrowed her eyes.“Are you denying it?You can’t fool me.You know I have the sight.”
“No, I’m not denying it.”She took a sip.“Damn you and your intuition.”
“It’s not my fault I can read people so well.And it’s been so long for you.Your whole aura is different today.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes.“I don’t appreciate that being pointed out, but yes, it has been a long time.By choice.You know I don’t need men complicating my life.”
Lorelei waved her hand around dismissively.“Who is it you have allowed into your bed?”
“Matthew Reeves, the owner of the Blue Angel.”
“It was the dress!I knew it would look gorgeous on you.”Lorelei set her mug down and clapped her hands together.She leaned forward.“But what is this frown all about?Wasn’t it enjoyable?”
“All too enjoyable.Amazing, in fact.”She sighed.“What am I doing?This feels so risky.I don’t like to take risks.But he is so…” What was it about Matthew?Certainly, he was darkly handsome, and his self-possession was attractive.Was it the way his eyes twinkled with mischief?Or the way he had challenged her with his teasing that made her want to kiss him just to see what he tasted like?
Lorelei raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to finish her thought.
“He is so intriguing.I have been drawn to him from the first moment I saw him.”
Her friend sat back with her tea mug in hand.“I think you should take the risk and see him again.We both know that life can be unpredictable at best and heartbreaking at worst.Even more reason to hold on to good things when they present themselves.”
She and Lorelei had first bonded over a shared understanding of grief.Lorelei had lost her husband in a terrible carriage accident after only two years of marriage.Then her father died from heart failure a year later.Luckily, her mother’s family supported her after the tragedies and helped fund her dream of turning her father’s tailoring shop into a dress shop featuring her own elegant designs.
“You are right.Last night was enjoyable, and there is nothing wrong with having a liaison.I am a grown woman.”But with a son to care for, which made taking risks less appealing.She had to think about Robert first and foremost.
But last night, when she had walked in and saw Robert and Matthew playing with the soldiers on the rug, the simple scene had made her well-guarded heart yearn.Is that what she wanted?Did they need someone to complete their little family?No, she and Robert were doing just fine.And Matthew Reeves was hardly a family man.He ran a gaming hell, for goodness’ sake.She met her friend’s searching gaze.“I will just keep it simple.Enjoy my affair with a handsome man and try not to think too hard and make it more complicated than it needs to be.”
Lorelei nodded her approval.
“He has invited me to come see the show at his club tonight.Do you, by any chance, have something in my size that I could wear?”
“I have just the thing!”Lorelei rose to her feet.“How do you feel about warm apricot?”
*
