My breath leaves my lungs in a big swoosh. “Thank you, Mike. I appreciate your discretion. May I request you to keep the file to yourself for some more time? I’m just about back in his life and I need a while to tell him everything.”

He dips his head in agreement and thanks me for the coffee before heading to his room.

I grab a cookie from the jar on the counter and my eyes are drawn to the sunlight on the terraced garden. I venture outside and wrap my arms around myself against the wind. I lean against the railing to admire the sweeping views of Westminster Abbey, London Eye and the Thames.

A noise behind me makes me turn and I see Damien standing at the door to the terrace, his arms folded, watching me. He’s wearing a soft grey t-shirt with black cotton pants, his hair wet from the shower.

“It’s a beautiful view,” I tell him.

“It sure looks beautiful from where I’m standing,” he says, his eyes locked on me.

He holds out a hand to me and I go to him. I grasp his hand and we return to the living room and back into the warmth.

I wave my hand around the apartment. “I like this. You do have beautiful homes indeed.”

“Wait till you see Heaven’s Gate. You’ll love it. It has acres of forest land, surrounded by hills and a lake so blue it makes your eyes hurt.”

I’m curious to see his country home, Heaven’s Gate. He speaks of it with so much pride and fondness and now it all belongs to him in every sense of the word. What does he make of it—to know he owns it all?

“You just returned from there, right?” I ask after a few moments have passed.

“Yes. You see it’s the only place I thought I could go to escape from a trouble-causing minx. Even that didn’t help my cause, did it? She managed to ensnare me after all.”

I make a face at him.

He smiles. “I thought I heard some voices. Was Mike here already?”

“Yeah, he was. I didn’t know he lived upstairs. I told him you’d call him once you were up. Mike seems to be under the impression that you may go to work today.”

“I do work many Sundays, not today though.” He holds my waist and pulls me to him. His face dips by the side of my neck and he inhales, breathing my scent. He takes a reluctant step back. “Come on, it’s the housekeeper’s weekend off, so let’s go out and get something to eat.”

“Wearing what, your shirt? While this certainly looks fine to lounge around at home, I can’t go out wearing this. And my clothes from last night have disappeared.”