Chapter 7

The next couple of hours were agonizing, my parents would parade me round with them telling everyone how proud they were. I would be reminded again and again that I was a little miracle, coming when they’d long given up trying to conceive. I would be told I must meet so many children and grandchildren who were also living in New York I was glad I didn’t have my address book with me or my mother would have made me take names. All the while I could feel him watching me, when I would dare a glance he would be talking with someone else, but always facing my direction his eyes flicking up to meet mine briefly before I looked away again.

It couldn’t be him, he couldn’t be here, not after last night, not after… that scene we shared, oh God I thought I would die of shame.

After so much attention I needed to be alone, I excused myself and headed to the upstairs bathroom. Almost everyone was out in the garden, it was an unusually warm spring day and the house was all but empty except for the catering staff moving in and out of the kitchen. I reached the top of the stairs and headed down the corridor when a door opened, Rob’s room, I remembered and he reached out from behind the door and pulled me inside closing it behind me.

I should have screamed or squealed or something but I stood there before him completely silent, my face burning with shame and I found myself looking down at his shining Italian shoes.

His hand still held my arm but the grip relaxed and his hand slid gently to my shoulder then up to my neck as his thumb brushed across my cheek and his fingers lifted my head.

“Angel” he spoke softly “I’m sorry I scared you”

I managed to look at him and his expression was full of sincerity. He continued…

“I thought it best to just rip off the band-aid… I … I only figured it out last night. I wasn’t gonna come today but when I realized, it had to be you. I had to come. I had to see the woman you had become, the one who…” he was breathless, “… who has consumed me since that day.”

I should have responded, my lips opened but I didn’t have words. I was overcome with confusion and shame. His thumb stroked my cheek again,

“My God you are beautiful Eve, so much more than I imagined.”

I shook my head “No, no this can’t be real, how could you know it was me? How could it have been you? I… we… I’m just the little kid you used to tease in your eyes, always have been Rob and now somehow you’ve found out my deepest secret? My shame?” I started to cry, “Please tell me this is a dream, a terrible dream.”

Then I found my face cradled in both of his hands, gentle but firm. Again he lifted my head so I had to look at his eyes, filled with the kindness I remembered as a child, but something more burned behind it. “I should have figured it out sooner, but last night when you mentioned the party it all fell into place; your age, from Rye, with older parents then your hair and your eyes. I called my Mom and managed to get her to tell me you had come home from Columbia, it could only be you. I could barely believe it myself, little Eve… you were always special to me.”

I swallowed, OK that made sense, I had revealed all those things, stupid girl. I frowned.

“What do you mean always special Rob, I was a kid!” my mind working overdrive, none of this could be real.

He shook his head and released me as he stepped back a step.

“No! Not like that Eve! Christ no! But … I don’t know why… I felt protective towards you back then. You seemed so lonely, Sarah would tease me that you idolized me, I guess I liked that. Ego is a powerful but fragile thing you know”

The space between us allowed me to breathe and I closed my eyes and counted to ten hoping that when I opened them I’d be waking up in my own bed. No such luck.

“I’m so ashamed.” I admitted my head dropping again “God if any one here found out what….”

He interrupted, cocking his head as he did so.

“Found out what you do in internet chatroom’s?” he asked before chuckling deeply “Oh Angel, we both know that neither of us will be sharing that little secret.”

“Please don’t call me that.” I whimpered

He stepped forward again and once again lift my chin and this time his look was filled with heat “Are you not my Angel?” he asked, his voice low and commanding “I told you, you’re mine now.”

My heart pounded and I took a shallow breath.

“That was fantasy, this is real, you’re married, where is she anyway?” flight was not really an option so I had to fight. I could see the sting my words caused in his eyes.

“I don’t care where she is, she went on a trip with her latest fling, haven’t seen her for days, I told you. Angel.” He frowned, a moment of doubt in his eyes, “Was it really just fantasy? Tell me you didn’t feel something? Tell me you didn’t look forward to our chats? Tell me you didn’t mean it when you said you imagined me holding you?” then he pulled me to him wrapping me tight in his arms, my head buried against his firm chest hearing his heart thump loudly. I wanted to fight him, pull away and ask him how he dared manhandle me like that but instead my arms hung limply at my sides as I breathed him in. He smelt of warm chestnut and mahogany, I was safe here, I knew it, just as I imagined. He was warm, and firm and strong and tender and I was safe.

My hands moved to wrap around him in return and I felt the breath he released when I did. He nuzzled into my hair for a few moments before placing a kiss at the top of my head before relaxing his hold. I lifted my head to look at him then, I was trembling but he was still holding me as I still held my arms at his waist.

“I told you, I’m broken, it’s better to just keep things as they are.” I whispered and he caressed my cheek once more.

“I’m going to fix you Angel, and you’ll see how wonderful you really are.” he took a breath and stepped back.

“I can’t do it here though” he rolled his eyes “have to keep up appearances after all. Especially now Dad has give me the company.”

I felt cold now he wasn’t holding me and I stepped back and crossed my arms in front of me. “Well um, what do you suggest?” I could barely believe the words coming out of my mouth.

He looked uncomfortable for a few moments before taking a breath, “I have to head back to the city tomorrow, when will you be back?”

I blinked as the realization hit me that this was really happening, “Um, well I didn’t have any firm plans but I think they were expecting me here for the whole week.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “OK, one week, in one week I’ll pick you up and take you on a proper date. Just you and me, and no nosy parents.”

I took a deep breath, this was real, oh my god. He smiled as I shakily released the breath, his blue eyes shining. “It’s OK Angel, I just want to spend time with you OK? No expectations.” he reached up and brushed a loose curl behind my ear as he hummed “hmm that’s what that feels like” and I felt myself blushing again.

I knew this was my chance, and I had to take it, for my own sake. I nodded and he beamed at me, God he was gorgeous, the gray flecks in his hair only made him look more masculine and I bit my lip at the thought. His lips turned up at one side “Keep doing that though Angel I can’t promise I’ll be able to control myself.” I released my lip and found myself giggling as I blushed.

“In the meantime, please keep writing to me? Not on that chat thing though, you don’t need to go there anymore.” he gave me his business card and on the back he wrote something. “My personal email, and my cell.”

I nodded and took the card. He sighed heavily as he looked down at me. “I just want to be with you now Angel, but…”

I nodded “… I know, wouldn’t look too good to either of our families. " he smiled sadly at me as he reached to open his door.

“I’m gonna live to see you adored by so many Angel, and they’ll all know you are mine.” his eyes darkened as he opened the door, quickly checked nobody was in sight and left me to watch him walk away.

Eventually I made my way back downstairs to join the party, there were speeches and toasts and I smiled as Rob graciously praised the hard work his dad had put into building the company he was now in charge of. I felt his eyes on me always, but we never spoke again at the event.