Trusting Stone by Alexa Sinclaire

gestured toward the table and pulled out a chair for her.
    “Well, I suppose one confession deserves another,” Eden remarked, her good mood slowly returning. She could still feel where his hand had touched her back and found Sebastian’s self-deprecating attitude toward the meal charming. It made a stark contrast to his usual confident demeanor . “I’m not a foodie either . Frankly, I’d be happy with cheap take-out . So, my questions,” she began as they started in on their meal, both of them putting aside any polite smalltalk about the quality of the food, which was actually exquisite. “What are you doing in New York?” What she really wanted to know was whether he had come here to find her.
    “As I said before, I work in security . I have offices in London, Edinburgh, and New York. I have a number of international clients and it makes sense to have multiple sites I can work from. I split my time between the three. Next.”
    “What happened to you? I mean, after your parents got divorced, you just disappeared. And there’s hardly anything about you online.”
    “You looked me up? My mother couldn’t afford to live in Elmbridge after the divorce. She had distant family in New York, so we moved up here.”
    “It’s my turn for the questions.” She ignored his comment about looking him up online, deeply embarrassed she had let that slip. “But your accent is English. Why’s that?”
    “I spent the rest of my childhood in boarding school in England. I only lived in New York until I was thirteen. Furthermore, my father made sure I had elocution lessons to lose my American accent.”
    “Right.” Eden had one final question, but she was reluctant to ask. He sensed her hesitation.
    “You have one more, am I correct?” Again, he seemed to be able to read her mind.
    “Okay, whatever. How did you know I was meeting with Joachim for lunch? Did you have me followed or something?” She tried to ask nonchalantly with a trace of humor , removing any hint of the fear or anger she had felt when she assumed he must have followed her.
    “Ah. No, I did not. That was rather a coincidence. I was actually having a meeting at Benedict, Turner, and Smith. They are one of the most prominent real estate lawyers in the city and we’re putting in a bid to work with one of their clients. I was meeting with them to work out some confidentiality issues that often occur when working security . I just happened to see your goodbye to him.” His tone remained warm, but his eyes had turned ice cold again.
    Eden quickly tried to think of another question. She realized that Joachim was a subject best to be avoided.
    “Okay, so then, next question…”
    “No, you’ve asked enough questions. I have some now.” His tone was demanding and she didn’t dare contradict him. “Yesterday at your apartment , you said no, but the rest of you clearly was turned on. Something was holding you back. Why do I feel like that has something to do with Joachim?”
    Eden forced herself to look away. She could feel herself blushing, remembering his mouth on her breast, his hands touching her in a way she had never yearned from Joachim. Just his mention of it made her squeeze her thighs together, and she could feel her nipples harden against her silk dress. She hoped Sebastian couldn’t see how aroused she was.
    “You’re right, but not in the way you’re thinking,” she finally said.
    “Then correct me.”
    Eden sighed, finally bringing her gaze back to his. She had predicted this moment various times after he had come to her apartment, and it saddened her to know that she would mostly likely find herself back in the town car, alone, sooner than she had hoped. Dr. Shepherd had spent so many sessions helping Eden fight the shame and worthlessness that filled every pore in her body. She owed it to herself to be honest with Sebastian. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t hide who she was anymore with men.
    “Fine. But you asked.