Page 82 of Peasants and Kings
“I have a few ideas,” he quipped. “I’ll drive us to my home so you can enjoy the view.”
“But you will let me drive this car, right?”
“I’ll let you drive it, yes,” he promised.
I squealed in excitement, which made Hadrian raise his brows. He walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for me.
Hadrian then went to his side and tucked his large body into the muscle car.
“The car was just sitting, waiting for you,” I said. “Isn’t that a bit…”
“Bit what?”
“You left it out for anyone to steal.”
“No one would’ve stolen it,” he assured me.
“How do you know?” I pressed.
He turned the key, and as the engine roared to life he said, “Because I own the island, Eden. Now buckle up.”
I did as he said, clipping into a four-point harness in the racing seat. As soon as he saw that I was buckled in, he depressed the clutch, put the car into first gear, and then stepped on the gas.
“You own the whole island?” I yelled over the thunder of the straight pipes as the wind began to pick up and kick my hair around.
“Actually, I own this island, and the four neighboring ones.”
I started to laugh uncontrollably.
He glanced at me in confusion and then focused back on the road. “What’s so funny?”
Shaking my head, I tried to get my hilarity under control. “You’ve done it, Hadrian. You’ve actually impressed me.”
He let out his own booming laugh as we ripped around a curve. “Finally.”
Chapter Nineteen
We drove in companionable silence, the humor lingering between us as the sounds of the car’s engine filled our ears.
Hadrian was so fantastically wealthy. His money transformed desires into existence. Desires most people would never experience, and because of chance and sheer circumstance, I was with a man who tied me into knots of lust, a man who was possessive and caring, a man who had swept me away from my former life.
But I couldn’t forget what I was—a Rex girl.
His wealth reminded me that there was a clear divide between us. No matter how much I enjoyed his company and banter, no matter how much I longed to stay in bed with him and watch the sun set from the embrace of his arms, I knew the truth.
Every time I forgot that I was a courtesan, something happened to remind me that I was.
Cool raindrops began to fall around me. Hadrian stopped the car quickly and raised the top of the convertible and locked it into place. We rolled up our windows and then continued on through the light rain. After a few minutes of driving, the wall of mountains broke away to reveal the other side of the island. I pressed my nose to the glass when I finally saw Hadrian’s home on the top of a craggy cliff with waves crashing against the rocks below.
A memory from my childhood pierced my heart so quickly I was helpless to stop it. I hastily wiped my cheeks. The tears had come unbidden.
“Eden?” he asked as he eased off the throttle.
“I’m fine,” I muttered.
The car came to a stop, and he stuck the gear shift in neutral and put on the parking brake. Hadrian reached over and brushed away the tears coating my cheeks.
I was suddenly embarrassed at the show of emotion. But knowing Hadrian, he wouldn’t continue driving until I told him what I was feeling. Yet he wasn’t pushing me to talk.
