Stealing Gold (The Logan Series Book 4) by Sally Clements

around the side of the building. Warm sunlight spilled across the small
circular metal table. Wide beams formed a pergola overhead, and the entire was
swathed in golden-leaved vines.
    “Wine?
Gin and tonic?”
    “Rum
and Coke.”
    “I’ll
be back in a minute.”
    She
appreciated his back view as he walked inside. His broad shoulders and cute
butt drew the attention of a couple of women at nearby tables, and she wanted
to stalk over and tell them he was hers. To stop them lusting.
    The
emotion shook her. She’d never been like that. Never felt proprietorial when it
came to any man before. Not even Adam when they were married.
    She
closed her eyes and tilted her face to the sun. Telling him the truth would
change everything. No one wants to learn they’ve been lied to by someone they
loved and trusted. But the alternative—keeping the toxic secret inside—was
unthinkable.
    A
shadow darkened the glow behind her closed lids.
    She
snapped back to the present. Adam handed her a glass, and sat down. She’d never
been much of a drinker, but she gulped a couple of mouthfuls of liquid courage,
then placed the glass on the table.
    Moisture
beaded the glass’s surface. One bead cut a meandering trail downward—like a
tear on a cheek.
    Adam’s
hand covered hers. “What is it?.”
    “I
lied to you.” Her voice was no louder than a whisper. “My parents are alive.”
    He
probably wasn’t even aware that he’d pulled away, and clasped his hands in his
lap. His brow creased. His look of confusion made her ache.. “They’re dead. You
told me…”
    “I
recited the bible, the book of Stacy.” Her mouth twisted with the bitter words.
“Lester called the script he wrote about my background that—the book of Stacy.”
She swallowed another mouthful of the rum and Coke, feeling the ice clink
against her teeth. “It’s all fiction, every single word.”
    Anger
flashed in Adam’s eyes. His teeth clenched so tight, a muscle jumped in the
corner of his jaw. “You didn’t trust me enough to tell me this?”
    “I
never told anyone.” She forced emphasis into the last word. “Anyone. It was a
secret between me, Lester, and them. He paid them for me. He bought me when I
was fourteen, and kept paying to ensure my parents’ silence ever since.”
    “So
what about now? I’m presuming Lester is no longer paying.” He crossed his arms.
His expression shuttered. There was no trace of compassion, no understanding,
in his tone or on his face.
    Shocked
fear thundered through Stacy like a lightning bolt. She hadn’t even considered
what they might do now the money had stopped coming. She didn’t even know the
arrangement, how to pay, Lester’d dealt with all that. She sank her head into
her hands and groaned. “I don’t know.”
    She
hadn’t seen them in ten years. Where to even start?
    “Oh,
Christ, Stacy.” He shifted his chair closer, and pulled her into his arms. “Let’s
go home.”
    In
the car, she sat in a trancelike state. There was no feeling of relief at
revealing the secret, only bone-deep exhaustion. She wanted to crawl into bed, hide
under the covers, and sleep until she couldn’t sleep any longer.
    Reading
her mood perfectly, Adam drove in silence, staring at the road. When they
reached the cottage, he walked ahead to unlock the front door, leaving her
trailing in his wake.
    At
the threshold, he reached for her hand. “Come and talk.”
    She
shook her head. Stumbled on the step, and almost fell into his arms. “I can’t.”
    “Bed,
then.” He snaked an arm around her waist. “Come to bed.”
    She
glanced at him. He couldn’t want sex?
    “You
should have told me sooner, but you’ve told me now,” he whispered. “I want to
lie next to you.”
    Relief
weakened her legs. She swayed to rest against his chest, then gasped when he
bent to sweep her into his arms.
    He
kicked the door closed, then carried her into his bedroom.

Chapter Eight
     
    She
was whiter than he’d ever seen her. Lethargic and