We ride home in silence, Shane watching me out of the corner of his eye. When our taxi driver drops us off at the front doors of our building, we cross the lobby and take the private elevator up to our floor.

As soon as we step into our apartment, I turn down the hallway that leads to our suite. “I need to change,” I tell him, leaving him in the great room. I know I’m a coward for running off like this, but I just need some time alone to process.

He follows me partway down the hall, but then he stops and lets me go alone into our private space.

I head straight for the bathroom, where I stand at the sink and wash my face with a cool, wet cloth, trying to collect myself. “Don’t be a naive fool,” I tell my pale reflection in the mirror. “Of course he’s had relationships. It doesn’t change what we have, what we are together. Grow up. Put on your big-girl panties and deal with it.”

Angry now, at both myself and at Luciana, I pull my phone out of my purse and reply to the unknown sender of the images. I’m not going to let her get to me anymore.

Nice try. But that’s all in the past.

A moment later, my phone pings with an incoming text.

You think it’s in the past? Think again. That last set – the ones of him naked in my bed – were taken last week. Where do you think he goes on his lunch breaks? The joke’s on you. You’re so damned gullible.

No. She’s lying. She has to be. He would never cheat on me.

I text her back:

You’re lying.

Immediately, another text comes in:

Do you want me to prove it? I can.

My stomach roils and I feel sick. I barely make it to the toilet before my stomach empties itself into the commode.

Do you want me to prove it?

She’s lying. I know she is.

There’s a quiet knock on the bathroom door, and I race to the sink to rinse out my mouth. “Come in.”

Shane opens the door and comes in. He’s removed his suit jacket and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his white dress shirt, and I can see some chest hair peeking through the opening. My heart squeezes painfully at the sight of him.

He comes to stand beside me as I brush my teeth at the sink.

Looking very solemn, he puts his hands on my shoulders and meets my gaze in the mirror. “Are you okay?”

I nod my head, then lean down to spit and rinse my mouth and toothbrush. My stomach is still iffy, and I can only pray I don’t throw up in front of him.

“What sounds good for dinner?” he says, uncharacteristically quiet. “Cooper’s gone out for the evening, so it’s just the two of us tonight. Do you want me to order something in? Or I could put some steaks or burgers on the grill. Or salmon? I think we have fresh salmon filets. And a salad? Does any of that sound good?”

Honestly, I can’t even contemplate food right now. If I eat anything, it will come right back up. “Um... actually, I’m not really hungry.”

He follows me as I head for our walk-in closet to remove my skirt and blouse and deposit them in the hamper. “You go ahead and eat,” I say as I grab a pair of lounge pants from my dresser. “I might eat something a little later.”

He frowns, practically hovering as over me as I pull on my favorite pair of comfy pants and a T-shirt.

“You need to eat something, honey,” he says. “How about a salad at least?”

I shake my head. “Honestly, I’m not hungry. I just want to relax and read for a while.”

He presses his hand to my forehead, checking for a fever.

“I’m fine,” I say, gently swatting his hand away.

Shane stands there looking like he’s at a loss, which is so unlike him. I can tell there’s something he wants to say, but he’s holding back. Finally, he heaves a sigh. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, absolutely. Don’t worry about me.”

He’s looking at me like I’m some kind of riddle he can’t decipher. “If you change your mind, just let me know. I’ll get you whatever you want.”

The uncertainty in his tone makes my heart ache. I know I’m distancing myself from him at the moment, and I can tell he doesn’t like it, but I just need some downtime for a little while. Those images – especially the ones of him in a bed I don’t recognize – keep flashing through my mind like a slideshow from hell, stirring up all kinds of insecurities and fears. 

His phone chimes with an incoming call, and he frowns as he checks the screen. “Excuse me. I need to get this.”

And then he walks out of our bedroom, leaving me alone, which is exactly what I wanted. I have to keep reminding myself of that because there’s suddenly a big, gaping hole in my heart, and it hurts.

* * *

I grab my phone, a pillow, and a soft gray throw and curl up on the comfy leather sofa in our suite to read. I can just barely make out Shane’s voice coming down the hallway as he talks to someone on his phone, but I can’t understand out what he’s saying. He’s agitated, though, I can tell that much from the sharp rise and fall of his voice.

Eventually, curiosity gets the better of me. I set my phone down and head toward the kitchen under the pretense of needing something to drink.

“What else did she say?” Shane says.

I stop dead in my tracks before I even reach the kitchen, surprised by the sharp edge in his voice. He’s really pissed about something.

“No, I haven’t seen them!” he continues. “She didn’t say a word about receiving any images this evening.” He pauses, then says, “They must have come from Luciana. I swear to God, I could kill that woman.”

There’s another pause as Shane listens to the caller.

“All right. Thanks, Sam. Let me know if you find out anything more.”

I hear Shane set his phone down on the kitchen counter, and a moment later the fridge door opens. Steeling myself to face his anger, I walk into the kitchen.

Shane turns to me and smiles, all traces of his temper gone. “Change your mind about dinner?” he says, eyeing me hopefully.

“No. I’m thirsty. I came to get some water.”

He pulls a bottle of chilled water from the fridge and hands it to me.

I twist off the cap and take a drink. “Thank you.”

Shane leans against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest. “Did anything else happen today – besides Luciana trying to force her way into the bookstore?”

“Nope.” I hate lying to him, but I’m just not ready to discuss those images on my phone. I can tell, though, by his expression that he doesn’t believe me.

He frowns. “Look, Beth, I’m just going to come right out with it. I know something happened earlier this afternoon. I asked Sam to talk to Erin, to find out why you were so upset earlier, and she told him about the images on your phone. Now, don’t blame Erin – you know how persuasive Sam can be.”

I shrug, not wanting to deal with this right now. “It’s not a big deal.”

“That’s not the impression Sam got from talking to Erin.” His eyes narrow. “Why didn’t you tell me about the images?”

I do my best to play it cool. “Because, what you did before we met is none of my business.”

His brow furrows, and I can tell he doesn’t like my answer. “We can debate that later. But right now, I’d like to see those images for myself.” He holds his hand out to me. “Can I see your phone, please?”

The blood drains from my face at the thought of him seeing those images… knowing that I’ve seen those images. I point toward our room. “My phone is on the coffee table in our suite. Help yourself.”

He pushes away from the counter and heads for our room. As soon as he’s out of sight, like the chicken I am, I bolt. I head for the elevator and take it down two floors, to Lia and Jonah’s apartment. I don’t even know if they’re home.

I knock on their door, and Lia opens it. “Hey, princess,” she says, smiling as she opens the door wide for me. “Come on in. Are you hungry? You’re welcome to join us. We’ve got plenty to share.”

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

Lia waves me inside.

“Hey, Beth,” Jonah says, waving a pair of chopsticks at me. He’s sitting on the sofa in front of a veritable feast of Chinese food cartons spread out on the coffee table.

“Come on,” Lia says, dropping down onto the sofa beside Jonah. “Grab a bowl and some chopsticks and dig in. We have more than enough to share. We even have your favorite – General Tso.”

I sit next to Lia, and I have to admit the food smells really good. Suddenly my appetite returns with a vengeance.

“Is Shane coming down?” Jonah says as he picks up a carton of steamed rice and dishes some into a bowl.

Lia hands me an empty bowl and a spare package of chopsticks. “Here. Dig in.”

“Um, I doubt it,” I say to Jonah. Right now he’s rifling through my phone, looking at images of himself sleeping naked in someone else’s bed.

Lia gives me a sidelong glance. “No offense, Beth – because you are always welcome here, you know that – but why are you down here anyway? And without Shane?”

Lia’s phone chimes with an incoming call, and she checks the screen before picking up. “Yo, what’s up, bro?” She pauses to listen. “Yeah, she’s here. What, did you lose her already? Maybe you should put a bell on her.” Another pause. “Sure, but come hungry. Jonah and I ordered enough Chinese food to feed a small army.”

Lia ends the call. “Shane’s on his way down,” she says, eyeing me pointedly. “You want to explain what’s going on?”

I shake my head, then take a bite of rice and General Tso and moan. My appetite is definitely back.

Not surprisingly, there’s a brisk knock on the apartment door a few minutes later.

Lia hops up and lets Shane in. As he enters the apartment, his gaze zeroes in on me with laser intensity and my pulse speeds up. All of a sudden, I feel nervous around him. Luciana said she took those images a week ago. I know that can’t be true – I know she’s lying. But still, those images are making me question everything I thought I knew. Maybe I don’t know Shane as well as I think I do. I do know that Luciana’s trying to come between us. She’s trying to undermine my faith in him, and right now I’m afraid she might be succeeding. 

“Have some food,” Lia tells her brother, gesturing at the spread on the coffee table. “As you can see, we have plenty.”

“Hey, Shane,” Jonah says, rising from the sofa. He meets Shane halfway, and the two men shake hands. “Can I get you a beer?”

“Sure, I’d love one,” Shane says, his gaze still on me. “Thanks, Jonah.”

Shane takes a seat beside me on the sofa, close enough that our elbows are touching. He lays his hand on my knee and gives it a gentle squeeze, but he still hasn’t said a word to me.

Jonah brings him a chilled bottle of beer, a bowl, and chopsticks. “Help yourself, man.”

We eat, and soon there’s lively conversation flowing easily between Shane and Jonah. The guys get caught up talking about Jonah’s planned renovations of the recording studio where he works. He bought the facility and is upgrading everything from the floor up. They chat about everything from the new sound equipment to the new vending machines to building security.

I sit back on the sofa and eat my food in silence. Every once in a while, Shane asks me if I need more to eat, or if I want something to drink. I can’t help noticing Lia’s inquisitive gaze on me. She’s not stupid.

After finishing our impromptu supper, we thank Lia and Jonah and help them clean up the dirty dishes. When we take our leave, Shane reaches for my hand, and we walk in silence to the elevator. He uses his passcode to direct the elevator to our floor.

Once we’re in the elevator and the doors close, he turns to face me. “I saw the images on your phone. And yes, they came from Luciana. I blocked her number on your phone, so she won’t be sending you anything else.”

I look up at him, and before I can reply, the elevator car doors open into our foyer. I cross the foyer and walk into the great room.

“I know I have no right to be bothered by your past relationships,” I tell him. “I’m trying to process it, that’s all. It’s just getting to be a little too much.”

He runs his long fingers through his hair and exhales. “Why didn’t you tell me about the photos? And why did you run out like that? You didn’t even have your phone. You shouldn’t go anywhere without your phone.”

“You were using it, remember?”

“You shouldn’t have left. I don’t want you wandering around out there by yourself. Especially not right now.”

“I wasn’t wandering around. I just went to Lia’s apartment. I didn’t even leave the building.”

Shane takes my hand and leads me to the sofa in front of the hearth, taking a seat and pulling me onto his lap. I fidget – far too restless to sit still – but he rubs my back and I eventually give in and relax in his arms.

“I’ll handle Luciana,” he says, massaging the stiff muscles in the back of my neck. “She won’t bother you anymore, I promise.”

I nod. “All right.”

“No more hiding problems from me,” he says. “And no more running off without telling me where you’re going.”

“Fine.”

He chuckles at my somewhat petulant response, and so do I. I know I sound like a recalcitrant teenager.

“Look, I don’t know why Luciana is doing this. I don’t know why she’s trying to interfere in our relationship, but I’ll put a stop to it. If Luciana contacts you again, I want you to tell me right away, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now, what do you want to do this evening? Read? Watch TV? Watch a movie?”

His warm hand on the back of my neck feels good, and it’s sending tingling signals down my spine. I shiver. We’re not fighting, not really, but I still feel a great deal of distance between us, and I don’t like it. I need to be close to him.

I lean in and kiss him gently, a tender meeting of our lips. “Let’s watch a movie,” I say. “Something romantic, with a happy ending.”

He smiles as he grabs the remote off the coffee table and hands it to me. “It’s your turn to pick.”

* * *

As our movie comes to an end, it’s late, and my eyelids are heavy. We had stretched out on the sofa to get comfortable, and I’m pressed against Shane. His arm is around my waist, and he’s holding me close as I start to drift off. I feel warm and safe in his arms, and I close my eyes and try to forget all the craziness today.

He brushes the hair back from my face. “Time for bed,” he says, and then he rises from the sofa, carefully climbing over me.

I sit up, drowsy and a bit dizzy. “Where’s Cooper tonight?”

“I think he’s out on a date.”

“With someone we know?”

“He didn’t tell me.” Shane scoops me up into his arms. “Lights off. TV off.”  The household appliances obey his every command, and we’re suddenly plunged into semi-darkness as he carries me through the empty apartment to the master suite.

Once in our bedroom, he carries me straight to bathroom and deposits me on the floor in front of the sink. “You get ready for bed, and I’ll bring you a nightgown.”

As I take care of business, I hear him in the bedroom opening and closing drawers. A moment later, he returns dressed in a pair of black boxer briefs, carrying a nightgown for me to slip on. We finish getting ready for bed, including brushing our teeth side by side, sharing the same sink even though there are two, his and hers. When we’re done, he sweeps me up into his arms and carries me to bed.

“I can walk, you know,” I say, practically giggling.

“I know, but it’s more fun if I carry you.”

It’s late, and we’re both exhausted. Shane spoons behind me, and I fall asleep to the feel of him stroking my hair.