He needed to leave.
You can’t. How are you going to explain that to Eve? The butler will tell her you got here and bolted.
He would... make up an emergency.
And then Livvy will get stressed out, thinking some other bad omen is befalling her wedding.
Fuck.
He could control himself. He could definitely be around a woman he desired and not jump on her. He’d play it cool. Keep his mask in rigid place. Smile. Look pretty. Charm people. He wouldn’t let her know who he truly was.
“Sir?”
He looked at the butler and deliberately relaxed his shoulders and smiled. “I’m fine, thank you.”
He barely paid attention during the tour of the massive estate, though he made a mental note to inspect the priceless art that decorated the walls later.
He was shaken out of his preoccupation with Eve when he stepped out onto the deck at the back of the house. “This is where the wedding will take place at the end of the week,” Alistair said.
Gabe walked to the railing. Now he understood why Livvy and Nicholas had picked this place. The deck was large enough to easily accommodate their wedding party and guests. Perched high above the lake, the water was spread out below in bejeweled beauty, a mix of cerulean and emerald, small boats riding the placid surface. A small forest stretched out around the house, dots of forest green and budding wildflowers. He absorbed the colors and breathed deep, some of the tension unraveling inside of him. “This is beautiful.”
“The view is exquisite. We have a fire pit below, should you and your companions wish to spend the evenings there.”
His brain conjured up the image of him and Eve, bundled in a blanket next to a fire pit, and he turned away from the breathtaking view. One thing to have lustful thoughts about her. Quite another to have domestic thoughts about her. Domesticity, like wedding cakes, was far out of his wheelhouse.
“We have a stable filled with horses, should you wish to ride.” Alistair droned on about the trails in the surrounding area as Gabe followed him up the stairs. The butler stopped in front of a door upstairs and opened it. “This is your room. Your possessions are in the closet.”
Gabe took in the all-white decor and delicate furnishings. It was a distinctly feminine-looking room, but his manhood could handle a little antique furniture. “Thanks.”
“Would you like dinner downstairs in the dining room or up here?”
“I’m not really hungry, thanks. I’ll, uh, explore the house a little.”
The older man inclined his head. “Very well, sir. Mr. Chandler asked us to provide some refreshments in your room, and the kitchen is available for your use at any time. Please use the intercoms if you require anything. Mr. Chandler and Ms. Kane requested a small, discreet staff this week, so your privacy is assured. However, I am always at hand, should you require something.”
Once Gabe was alone, he prowled around the room. There was a small gleaming silver tray on the table, with fruit and cookies under the lid. Nice of Nicholas. Gabe had lied to the butler; he was always hungry.
He grabbed an apple and bit into it, walking to the window to look out. There was a view of the lake from here as well, which was good. The sight of the water calmed him.
He should be happy. This place was swanky, he had a full week off of work, and he was about to spend it in the midst of his beloved nature.
He was supposed to be happy.
He realized he was caressing the bracelet in his pocket, and he stopped himself. He had to... go do something. Silence had never been his friend.
There’s a difference between being alone and not being surrounded by people.
His lips tightened and he polished off the apple and tossed it into the trash, then strode to the closet. He’d get changed and go for a run, and then maybe he’d go swimming.
He’d keep himself busy until someone else showed up, even if that person was Eve. It was harder to lose himself in his role around her, but he could do it. That man—the laughing, fun, cheerful guy—was who he wanted to be. The guy without a worry in the world.
The guy who was never lonely. By the time Eve showed up, that mask would be firmly in place, and he’d be more than ready to face her without a single inexplicable vulnerability on display.
Chapter 6
Eve quietly made her way up the dark staircase of the mansion. Traffic had been horrendous, and she’d texted the butler on staff earlier to tell him she didn’t require anyone to wait up for her. She’d visited this place with Nicholas and Livvy last week to make sure everything was set up properly for the week and the wedding, so she had a key and knew which room was hers.
She came to the top of the stairs and paused. The place was massive, more than large enough to accommodate a dozen people. Nicholas and Livvy were all the way at one end of the hall, with Jackson and Sadia at the other. Kareem had a little room adjoining theirs. When the older generation and Gabe’s family arrived, they’d be housed in the first-floor suites, to accommodate her grandfather’s power chair and Tani’s lack of mobility after her broken hip last year.
