CHAPTER TEN
Tabitha and I piled into James’s SUV. I’d never felt happier to see my driver than at that moment. We sat quietly in the backseat, holding onto to each other for the whole ten-minute journey.
When we finally arrived, I stepped out of the car. “Thanks, James. I’m sorry I didn’t get you to drive me around.”
His smiling dark, gentle eyes reflected understanding. “Hey, it’s cool. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Tabitha and I walked along the cobbled path. Normally, I’d amble along and enjoy the aesthetics of the garden at night with the lamps lighting up the trees and casting sculptural shadows everywhere. But at that moment, all I wanted was a stiff drink and a bath.
Grant was in the middle of a show and on his break when he’d called. He promised to come straight over afterward to be with Tabitha.
I left her at the cottage. “Are you going to be okay until Grant gets here?”
“Yeah.” We hugged each other again. “I’m going to soak in a bath with a crisp white.” She smiled gently. This was not my bombastic friend. This was an earnest version that pretty much reflected my state— a mixture of relief, fear and exhaustion.
“Hey, do you think he’s still alive?” I asked.
Tabitha’s mouth turned down. “Don’t know. Whatever happened, the fucker deserved it. He wanted to kill us, Clary.”
My face pinched. “But why?”
“Has Aidan got many enemies?”
“A few, I think,” I answered, sighing. Bryce’s greasy, desperate face entered my mind. I grabbed my arms and shivered. “I need to go up, Tabs. Are you sure you’ll be okay here?”
“I’ll lock the door. Grant should be here in about an hour.”
When I entered the dining area, I was relieved to find it empty of Susana. She was the last person I wanted to lay eyes on. I didn’t want her to see a broken version of me, for some reason.
My heavy body barely made it up the stairs. I opened the door to the large room and turned the lamps on before heading for the bathroom.
I stood in the Moroccan-tiled bathroom, big enough to house a small family, and went over to the large sunken bath to turn on the taps. As the water gushed out I stripped off my clothes.
I lowered my shaky frame onto the smooth floor of the tub and exhaled deeply as the warm water cascaded over my shivering skin. Leaning my neck back into the indented padding, I finally released the tightness in my body.
Twisted faces and dark clouds left my thoughts. I had finally managed to unwind, when Aidan entered.
I looked up. He was unshaven, his hair tousled, and his face wore a haunted, lost expression. Aidan’s eyes were so darkly serious, my body tightened again. I read self-blame in that gorgeous, but broken face.
Not one word was uttered. He just stripped out of his clothes and jumped into the bath with me. He sat behind me and wrapped his arms around me. Tears pooled in my eyes. The anguish I’d been carrying suddenly melted away in his strong arms.
We remained like that for a long while, holding each other. It was as if we were waiting for the warm water to wash away the tension that had swallowed our blissful lives.
It wasn’t until I seated myself down on the sofa, dressed in a thick bathrobe, with a whisky in hand, that I was able to speak.
“Clarissa, why didn’t you use James?”
I resented his annoyed tone. “Aren’t you just pleased I got out of it alive?”
He combed his hair back with his fingers, pacing about like a tiger looking for a victim. “I am, princess. But you’ve got to follow orders. They’re there for a good reason.”
“And what’s that?” My voice had a touch of ice. “That you have a ton of enemies that want to harm us?”
An uneven breath left his parted lips. “I’m sorry, Clarissa, for dragging you into my fucked-up world. It’s the last thing I want for us.” He poured himself some bourbon and gulped it down.
“I just wanted to have a day out with Tabitha. You know? A normal day. Have lunch, then off to the auction.” I thought about the dress in the backseat of the car that the police had taken away. My brow puckered in despair.
He shook his head. “What?”
“I found an exquisite dress to wear for our…” I burst out crying. This was the first time we’d been heated with each other. It wasn’t my thing, this defensive stance. But Aidan’s authoritative attitude had stiffened my back.
“For our wedding?” he asked. Aidan’s eyes softened, and he came to me and took me into his arms. “Baby, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you. It’s just that if anything had happened to you…”
My body liquefied in his strong arms. “Do you think I’ll get my dress back?”
Aidan’s tightened expression softened. He brushed my cheek. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Promise me you won’t look at it.”
Aidan’s lips curled for the first time since arriving. He held his finger up. “Scout’s honor.”
We exchanged a gentle smile and held each other tight.
The following morning, Aidan took a call from the police while I ate my breakfast out on the balcony.
I knew that I’d have to go in and make more statements. I was obsessing over my dress so much that I’d forgotten to think about anything else. It was probably a distraction from the obvious— someone was trying to kill me.
I watched Aidan’s face for clues. His mouth tightened. I put my fork down. My appetite had disappeared. The cup trembled in my hands as I took a sip of coffee. The heat stung my lips, which were sensitive from my teeth having bitten into them once too often.
After Aidan ended the call, he came and joined me at the table. He lowered himself onto the seat. His eyelids lifted, and I fell into his blue and troubled gaze.
“What’s happening, Aidan? Is he dead?”
He shook his head. “Apparently, he escaped from the wreckage.”
“So he’s alive?”
He shrugged. “He must be.”
“That’s a relief,” I murmured into my coffee.
“I would have preferred the asshole caught, myself.”
“Me too. But at least my actions didn’t cause a death,” I said.
“Of course, baby. I’m sorry. This has been so hard for you. And it’s all because of me.”
“Stop blaming yourself, Aidan. I don’t see it that way. It’s a small price to pay to be with you. If I had to choose, then I’d prefer to be in danger and be with you instead of being safe and not with you.”
“Oh, my angel. I will do everything to keep you safe.” Aidan held me. “There is something you must promise me. You must promise me not to drive. James must drive from now on, okay?”
I nodded with a tight, contrite smile.
“Would that have made a difference? We still would’ve been pursued, I imagine,” I asked.
Aidan sighed. “Yeah, probably. Only James has got a gun.”
A sudden lump made it difficult to swallow. “This is really getting dark, Aidan.”
“That it is. I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Don’t you worry, my love.” He rose. “We have to go in now. Are you okay with that?”
“You bet. I want my dress back.”
Aidan cast me one of those smiles that made all the drama playing out in my head evaporate.
I leaned in and kissed him feverishly, tongue and all.
He pulled back his head to look at me. His eyes had a lusty glow. “Hmm… That’s better.”