They needed to talk, and she had to tell Greggory what happened, or it would keep corroding their relationship, at least from her side.
What Greggory didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.
Before turning immortal, Eleanor had had no problem lying to get what she wanted. But she was no longer that person—a loner who cared for no one and had no one to care for her.
She was part of a community of goody-two-shoes now, and they were holding her to higher standards, which kind of forced her to hold herself to higher standards as well.
Besides, if what she and Greggory had was real, then he would understand and accept what had happened to her, and they could put this hiccup behind them.
Except, it was more than just a hiccup. It was a sign that Greggory wasn’t the one for her.
With a groan, Eleanor draped her forearm over her eyes.
Things would have been much simpler if she didn’t overthink everything. The bottom line was that she wanted to be with Greggory, not Emmett, and not any of the other immortal males.
Greggory’s inner peace was an antidote to her inner turmoil, and his simplicity made him predictable, reliable, and comfortable to be with. He was her perfect counterpart.
Or was he just safe?
And what if he was?
Being safe in a relationship was top priority for her, and what Emmett had to offer didn’t even make the list.
Hell, he didn’t offer anything. He had taken her without permission.
“You’re awake,” Greggory murmured and pulled her into his arms.
“And now you are too.” As she nuzzled his neck, her stomach growled.
“Are you hungry?” He nibbled on her earlobe.
“It would seem so.”
“Do you want to get up and grab something to eat?” His large hand traveled down her back to cup her ass. “Or are you up for another round?”
“After we eat. I didn’t have lunch yet.”
They needed to talk, but if his roommate was home, they would have to do it somewhere else. She wasn’t going to have a heart-to-heart with Greggory while Boleck was around. The guy couldn’t stand her, and the feeling was mutual.
“Is your roommate home?”
“He won’t be back until six. We have the place to ourselves.”
“How come Kalugal is having you work on Saturdays?”
“He wants to expedite a project he’s been working on for a while.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t really talk about it.”
The old Eleanor would have been intrigued and pushed for details, but the new Eleanor couldn’t care less. The personal crap she was dealing with didn’t leave room for much else.
“Fine.” She pushed out of his arms. “I’m going to grab a quick shower first. Can you start the coffeemaker?”
“Uh-huh.” He didn’t move.
“Are you getting up, or what?” She tossed him a look over her shoulder.
“I’m enjoying the view.” She could see his hand moving under the blanket to fist his erection.
“You’d better have coffee ready when I get out.”
“Yes, dear.”
Feeling his eyes on her as she walked naked to the bathroom, Eleanor smiled.
The man thought that she was beautiful, and he wasn’t shy about telling and showing her that at every opportunity.
But even more importantly, she knew that he meant it.
Definitely a keeper.
Perhaps she shouldn’t tell him about Emmett after all.
10
Margaret
When Bowen pulled in front of the terminal, a guy rolled a wheelchair up to Margaret’s side of the car and opened the door.
“Good afternoon, Margaret. I’m Charlie. Your pilot.”
She looked at Bowen, expecting a smile at the guy’s joke, but apparently, Bowen didn’t find it funny.
Well, she thought it was. “I hope you have experience piloting a wheelchair. I heard that it takes years of training to avoid crashing into innocent bystanders.”
Charlie laughed. “Good one.” He looked at Bowen who came around to her side. “You didn’t tell her?”
“Tell me what?” She wrapped her arms around Bowen’s neck and pulled herself up.
It was difficult to be so close to him and act unaffected, but she forced her eyes open and plastered an indifferent expression on her face.
Thankfully she wasn’t prone to blushing, or her efforts would have been futile.
Bowen put her down on the wheelchair. “I wanted it to be a surprise. Charlie is piloting our family’s jet. He’s going to fly us to an airstrip near the cabin.”
She must have misunderstood. “Did you mean that the organization you work for has a private jet?”
“Yeah. That’s what I meant. Since it’s a family-owned business, I think of our corporate jet as belonging to the family.”
It occurred to Margaret that Bowen hadn’t told her anything about himself or the people he worked for, and she’d been too loopy from pain and then drugs to ask.
“It must be a lucrative business.”
That would explain why he’d been so incredibly generous, buying her an entire wardrobe and refusing to let her pay for anything. She didn’t have any money, but she had a credit card that Safe Haven provided community members for emergencies like medical treatments.
“It is.” Bowen handed Charlie a couple of the shopping bags. “I’ll drop the car off at the rental and bring the rest with me.” He pulled out the crutches from the backseat and handed them to Margaret to hold over her lap. “Are you going to be okay with Charlie until I come back?”
Margaret nodded, but she wasn’t happy about Bowen leaving her with the guy.
She’d been okay when he’d left her in the mall’s parking lot and went shopping for the stuff she needed, but for some reason, it didn’t feel the same to be left alone with the pilot.
There was something about him that she didn’t like. A smugness that might or might not be deserved, and a mischievous gleam in his eyes that spelled trouble. She was wary of his type, the charming ones who could turn on a dime and become cruel.
“Don’t worry.” Charlie pushed her chair toward the terminal. “We are not going anywhere without him.”
She affected a tight smile, but she could do nothing about the stiffness in her shoulders. They weren’t going to relax until Bowen was back.
Surprisingly, no one stopped them as the pilot wheeled her through the terminal and out to the area where the private jets were parked. Apparently, airport security worked differently in the private area.
He parked her chair next to the sleek jet. “I’ll take the crutches and the bags inside, and then I’ll come back for you.”
Looking at the steps going up into the jet, she wondered how he was going to do that. Would he carry her up?
That would be awkward. Regrettably, there was no way Bowen would arrive in time to prevent that and carry her up himself.
Damn, she had become ridiculously dependent on him. She shouldn’t allow herself to fall into that trap again.
The pilot came down the stairs. “I’m going to lift you together with the chair.”
“What? You can’t do that.”