"Tell me no and I'll stop. Tell me no and I won't come."
"Don't stop," I breathe.
His smile is beautiful and predatory, and the second he's inside me, a wave of pleasure crashes into me.
But it's short-lived.
Footsteps sound outside, getting louder as someone approaches the garden shed.
We break apart so fast I nearly knock over a shelf of cracked pots. I duck behind it, heart slamming, while Tristan grabs the nearest tool and turns just as the door swings open.
"Just grabbing supplies," he tells the confused gardener in Henri's accent. "Mrs. Calder mentioned the roses need trimming."
I wait until they're both gone before I slip out the back door.
My legs are shaking, and I can't seem to catch my breath, but I've never felt more alive.
That Night
He doesn't come.
I lie awake until nearly three, waiting for a knock that never arrives. Something must have happened to spook him. He wouldn't miss this, especially not after how we left things in the shed earlier.
I tell myself it doesn't matter. We leave in two days. I can go a few more nights without him.
My body disagrees.
I press my thighs together in the dark and think about his hands. His mouth. The way he saysgood girllike it's a command and a reward wrapped into one.
My hand drifts beneath the covers, finding the wetness already there. All for him, even when he's not here.
I bite my lip to stay silent and let my fingers mimic what his would. I close my eyes, imaging his rough voice in my head, telling me all the filthy things he wants to do to my body.
It's not enough.
It's nowhere close.
FORTY-SEVEN
KEIRA
It's the day before we leave for New York City, and there's a heavy tension that follows me everywhere.
Everyone seems on alert. New guards patrol the grounds, staff are preparing for the trip. And Ewan is on edge, which is unusual. He's normally neutral, even careless. But today he's been snapping at staff, checking his phone constantly, like he's waiting for bad news.
It's unnerving. But thankfully, he's too distracted to bother with me.
Which gives me the confidence to visit Hale.
He's not in his room, but his suitcase sits in the corner, still unpacked. I open it and start filling it with care, not forgetting his favorite blanket, the stuffed elephant he can't sleep without, the books he likes me to read before bed.
Everything else we can replace later.
I head to the nursery next. The nanny tells me he's in morning classes and cannot be interrupted. I ask if I can just peek through the door.
She shuts me down.
I want to slam my fist into her smug face. But I give her a smileand turn to leave, not wanting to cause any issues this close to the trip.
