Trial by Fire

by Tricia Andersen

  Sloan gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. “I don’t trust anyone. No one. Not Robert. Not Bartholomew. Not Gordon or Liam. And until the Gauntlet, not even you.”

  “Not me? Why—?”

  Sloan placed his fingers on her mouth to stop her. “No. It’s my time to talk. If you continue to interrupt me, I’ll be forced to kiss you until your lips are too swollen to speak.”

  He smiled at her small gasp and then continued. “Not even you, lass. I couldn’t afford the betrayal. Fitzgerald’s actions proved it. But your confession before you entered the Gauntlet changed my heart. No one has ever loved me that much that they would willingly give their life for me. You, luv, are the only one I trust. My life, my heart, and my soul are in your hands.”

  Abbey gently kissed him. “And the Abbey thing?”

  “Abigail was formal, to keep you at a distance. And Abbey is your name, isn’t it? Unless you prefer me calling you Abigail.”

  She grinned. “I prefer Abbey. You’ve just called me Abigail for so long that it’ll take some getting used to.”

  They laughed together as she cuddled close to him. Sloan wrapped his arms tight around her. “I have a surprise.”

  “Really? What?” Abbey quizzed him.

  “We’re taking a vacation to London. The whole family. Next week. I’ve cleared everyone’s calendars in the system.”

  “With the complex there, it won’t be much of a vacation.”

  “We won’t be doing anything with the complex. The most we’ll do is go to see where it’ll be located.”

  “Why London? Why not the house in St. Peter’s?”

  “While I was there, I had dinner with my friends, Steele and Heidi. Steele entered himself into a rugby tournament without bothering to put together a team. Stupid fool. I’m taking Robert and Bartholomew with me to play.”

  Abbey felt her spine straighten. Heidi. She thought she was done with the British beauty for a while. Now she was going to vacation with her. Fantastic. “Oh,” she said, her voice squeaking.

  “You don’t seem excited. I thought we could all use time away to ourselves, especially with the trial and the Gauntlet.”

  “We could. I agree. But—”

  Sloan stared into her eyes. “Is it Heidi?”

  Abbey half-chuckled. “Of course not.”

  “Right. You can’t fool me.”

  “Sloan.”

  “I know the truth, luv. I know Heidi helped you, that she was there after you escaped Cox.”

  “She told you?”

  “Everything.” Sloan pulled her close. He nuzzled his nose against hers before he kissed her. “I love you.”

  Abbey’s voice was weak. “I know. I love you too.”

  Sloan smiled at her as he patted her knee. “I’m exhausted, and I miss my children. Let’s go home.”

  Abbey motioned to her desk. “Sloan, I’m overloaded. I need to catch up.”

  He flashed her a sexy smirk. “I don’t believe your boss will mind. Besides, I think he might appreciate you completing a few other tasks for him first.” He slid his fingers beneath her skirt, slowly inching them up her bare thigh.

  The sensation made her shudder. A dull ache grew in her core. This man knew how to set her on fire. “I suppose I better get to those assignments first, then.”

  “Good girl.” Sloan pulled free and then stood, offering his hand to help her to her feet.

  Abbey didn’t bother to straighten her desk or turn off her computer. She picked up her purse and then took Sloan’s hand, tucking herself against him as they walked out the door.

  »»•««

  Abbey’s stomach flopped uneasily as she stepped off the jet. She glanced around from the top of the steps. It looked like every other private airstrip they had landed on, except for the British flag that waved in the warm breeze. Yep, back in England. Fantastic.

  Ame tugged excitedly on her hand. “Come on, Mommy!”

  Abbey looked down at her bright, blue-eyed daughter and sighed.

  A firm hand pressed encouragingly on her lower back. “Aye, luv. Let’s go.”

  She looked up at Sloan cradling Ethan in his arm. Dressed in a tight-fitting T-shirt, low-slung blue jeans, and his favorite leather boots, he was drop-dead sexy. And about to see Heidi, who admitted she was still in love with him. Double fantastic.

  She descended the staircase behind her daughter and led the girl to where the rest of the family had gathered. Gordon had disappeared to arrange their transportation to the hotel.

  They all turned as a black sedan pulled up to the hangar. A couple stepped out, each dressed in the finest apparel, just as the intimate friends of Sloan O’Riley should. The woman was tall, blonde, and slender, but curved perfectly. Her skin was flawless, and she was dressed in a designer business suit.

  Abbey glanced down at her T-shirt and capris. Yep, fantastic. Can I go home now?

  Heidi strode excitedly to Sloan and pressed an affectionate kiss against his cheek. Abbey growled to herself. Heidi’s face lit up as she turned to Abbey. “Hello again, Abbey.

  Abbey offered her hand to the woman. “Good to see you again, Heidi.”

  Abbey could hear Sloan chuckle as Heidi wrapped her and Ame in an awkward hug. “Here, let me introduce you to my fiancé.” Heidi waved over a tall, blond, well-built man with dazzling green eyes. “This is Steele.”

  Steele took Abbey’s hand in his and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Abbey.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you also,” Abbey greeted. Her cheeks must have been beet red.

  She heard a low snarl from Sloan. “Steele, you may be my friend, but Abbey is mine.”

  “You’ve made that crystal clear, Sloan,” Steele countered.

  “Good.”

  Gordon approached the group, motioning to the two SUVs that had arrived and parked on either side of the sedan. The rest of the family was already climbing in. “We need to get to the hotel and check in.”

  “Sloan,” Steele interjected. “Dinner tonight? Six at our usual place?”

  “Of course. See you then.” Sloan took Abbey’s hand and led her and Ame to the vehicles. He smiled as he offered her his free hand to help her in then handed Ethan to her. He lifted Ame into the SUV and then followed behind her. He tucked her close to him as the SUV pulled from the hangar toward London.

  Abbey looked up at him. She could see why there would be attraction between Sloan and Heidi. There couldn’t be a more ideal couple. Powerful, sexy, dangerous—there couldn’t be a better match. She frowned. After being with Heidi, what could Sloan possibly see in her?

  The vehicles weaved their way through London until they stopped in front of a posh luxury hotel. Sloan stepped out and then took Ame in his arms. Abbey cradled Ethan to her as she followed him inside. It only took moments to check in. The penthouse, of course.

  She sighed. She kind of missed the quaint little hotel room in Paris she had shared with Sloan. Things were so intimate there. Their souls touched in ways they never had before. She doubted she would have that connection in an expensive hotel room.

  As soon as the door was opened, Sloan set Ame down to play. He turned and pulled Abbey and Ethan into his arms. “As soon our things are brought up, I need to set up Ethan’s port-a-crib. I want to hold you close to me without our children between us.”

  Abbey smiled as she kissed him. A knock on the door pulled Sloan from her. He tipped the bellhop handsomely with a huge grin and then quickly assembled the crib. Taking Ethan from her, Sloan gently set the happy baby inside. Then he took Abbey’s hand, led her to the sofa, and tugged her down to his lap. His lips roamed her neck as his hand caressed her thigh.

  “So, now you’ve met Heidi,” he murmured against her skin.

  “Yes, I have,” she replied with a groan as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

  “See? She’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  “A tall, blonde, perfect female version of you? Wh
o incidentally admitted to me that she still loves you? Nah. Nothing.”

  Abbey heard him chuckle before he nipped her flesh with his teeth. It sent an electric jolt of need through her.

  Then she felt a soft tap on her shoulder.

  “Mommy, what are you doing?” Ame questioned, her little face turned up into a questioning scowl.

  Abbey slid off Sloan’s lap and smiled at her daughter. "Just talking to Daddy, sweetheart.”

  Ame looked unconvinced. “There was a lot of kissing.”

  “I like kissing your Mommy, pumpkin,” Sloan informed her.

  Ame huffed exasperatedly at her parents. “Could I watch a movie? The TV has a DVD player, and I brought my favorites.”

  Sloan glanced at the clock. “I’m afraid not, Ame. We have to leave for the restaurant soon. Once we get back and you’re in your pajamas, you and I can snuggle and watch a movie together. Whatever you want. Deal?”

  “Princesses?” Ame asked excitedly.

  Abbey noticed Sloan wince slightly. “Of course.”

  “Yay! Thank you, Daddy!” Ame scampered off to play with the toys she had brought with her.

  “And Heidi doesn’t have little monsters to interrupt amorous activity,” Abbey added under her breath.

  Sloan turned to her. “No, she doesn’t. Your little monsters are perfect examples of our love. They’re beautiful gifts that you have given me. They’re pieces of the normal life I thought I could never have, a life I cherish more than my own soul. Those little monsters are daily reminders of the incredible, precious, beautiful woman that I’m blessed to call mine.”

  Abbey’s heart fluttered at his words. It was hard to see the cold, domineering, former-terrorist-now-billionaire Sloan O’Riley as a loving and devoted husband and father. But he put most family men to shame. She cupped his opposite cheek in her palm and pulled his face toward her so she could kiss him. “I love you, Sloan.”

  “I love you too, Abbey.” He stood and then drew her to her feet. “We should get ready for dinner. Do you wish to change in the bedroom or bathroom?”

  Abbey looked at him, puzzled. “Can’t we change in the same room?”

  “Not if we want to get to dinner on time.”

  She giggled. “I see. I’ll take the bathroom.”

  “All right.” Sloan pressed his hand to her lower back to lead her into the bedroom.

  Abbey dressed as quickly as she could, occasionally glancing into the other room to see what Sloan was doing. His eyes were locked on her, his sin-filled gaze promising a night full of passion. And that man knows how to keep me up.

  Once they were ready, the couple took their children to the lobby to meet the rest of their family. The SUVs that had brought them from the airport were waiting to take them to the restaurant.

  The posh, elegant eatery was packed with patrons waiting for a seat. However, once the hostess laid eyes on Sloan, she waved them through the crowd and led them to a private room where Steele and Heidi were waiting.

  Abbey eyed the blonde warily. Heidi was now dressed in a floor-length cocktail dress that scooped low against her breasts. The Abbey of the past would have been intimidated by Sloan’s ex-lover. Post-Gauntlet Abbey was irritated. She glanced up at Sloan as he nudged her toward the chair he had pulled free for her. She smiled. His eyes were only on her, not Heidi. Good.

  The dinner was a drawn-out affair. The food was delicious, and there was non-stop conversation. Ame spent the evening commanding the attention of her grandparents. Despite the noise, Ethan slept through it all. Abbey was tucked tight against Sloan the entire night. Each time she looked up, she found Heidi’s crystal-blue gaze locked on her, studying her every breath as if she was a suspect. It made Abbey uneasy. She couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel.

  Once Sloan paid the bill, Abbey rushed him and the children to the SUV. She was happy the silent interrogation was over. She wondered why Sloan didn’t protest their quick escape, but the predatory look in his eyes said it all. He had only one thing in mind. Unfortunately for him, he would have to suffer through a princess video before he could have it.

  The next morning came too early. Abbey stretched against the expensive, Egyptian cotton sheets to hug her pillow. As she had predicted, it had been a long night of lovemaking, lasting until the brush of dawn. She watched her boxer-clad husband pick up Ethan and hug him close. Sloan in hardly anything, being an incredible father, was the sexiest thing she had ever seen.

  He sat on the bed next to her, looking thoroughly exhausted. “I forgot children get up early.”

  “You’ve been away for quite a while,” Abbey agreed.

  Sloan set Ethan on the bed between them. “I have to be on the rugby pitch in an hour.”

  Abbey tenderly brushed his thick, black hair from his forehead. “Looks like you’ll be taking a nap this afternoon.”

  Sloan cocked a sly grin. “After last night, the lack of sleep is definitely worth it.” He kissed her on the forehead and then stood to dress. Abbey tucked Ethan close to her as she watched her husband pull on a pair of compression shorts, an additional pair of shorts over those, and an All Blacks rugby shirt.

  A sleepy Ame crawled onto the massive bed and curled next to her mother. Sloan kissed her, Ame, and Ethan once more before slipping out the penthouse door.

  Abbey ordered breakfast from room service for her and Ame and then called her mother to watch the children while she bathed and dressed. Throwing a bathrobe on, she met Mary at the penthouse door to let her in. Then she retreated to the bathroom for a hot, luxurious shower.

  As the hot water rippled over her skin, Abbey thought to herself that things didn’t seem right. She felt fine. Things just seemed off. She shrugged. The Gauntlet had been intense. That had to be it. She picked up the bottle of shower gel, squirted some into her hand, and scrubbed.

  She was still drying her hair as she stepped out of the bathroom. She stopped dead in her tracks. Sitting in the living area with Mary and the children was Heidi, dressed in her business best.

  The words tumbled out of Abbey’s mouth before she could stop them. “What are you doing here?”

  “Abbey,” Mary chastised. “Heidi’s here to take you to breakfast.”

  “I just ordered breakfast.”

  “Yes. Eggs and toast. I’ll eat them. Go get ready.”

  Abbey spun on her toe and stormed into the bedroom. She didn’t turn as her mother followed her.

  “Abbey, what is your problem?” Mary demanded.

  “You want me to go to breakfast with the woman who should have been Mrs. Sloan O’Riley?” Abbey countered.

  Mary stared at her, shocked. “I didn’t realize they were that close.”

  “They were. Maybe they still are.”

  “I doubt that, Abbey. Sloan is devoted to you.”

  Abbey tugged a T-shirt over her head. If she was being forced to have breakfast with her husband’s ex-lover, she was going to be comfortable. She didn’t care what anyone thought, especially Heidi. “I know, Mom. But they have a chemistry Sloan and I don’t.”

  Mary winked at her. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, sweetheart.”

  Abbey huffed as she yanked on a pair of denim capris and fastened them. She quickly tied her long, brown hair up in a ponytail. Grabbing her purse, she strode out to the living area. “I’m ready.”

  “There’s a little café just down the block. They serve great pastries and their coffee is to die for,” Heidi offered.

  “Sounds great.” Abbey forced a smile on her face as she followed the woman from the penthouse to the hotel elevators.

  Both walked in silence the couple of blocks it took to get there. They were shown to a table outside. Abbey immediately picked up her menu to find something to calm her growling stomach.

  “I took a chance you would be free this morning since the boys have gone off to play,” Heidi began.

  “You were right. I had no plans,” Abbey returned. “I thought you would be working.”

 
“I took the morning off. I wanted to get to know the real you.”

  They paused their conversation to give the waiter their orders. Abbey couldn’t wait to get her hands on this supposed “to die for” coffee. She watched the young man stride away before speaking again, “Pardon my bluntness, but why do you want to get to know me any more than you do now? As far as I understand it, I stole the man of your dreams. You told me you still loved him.”

  “You’re right. You did steal him.”

  “Doesn’t that make me enemy number one? Or is this the adage ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer?’ And how does your fiancée feel about this?”

  Heidi laughed. “No, it isn’t. I believe Steele knows. That’s why he was getting fresh with you at the airport yesterday. If Sloan told me he still wanted me, I would dump Steele in a heartbeat. Am I being interrogated?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Abbey, Sloan is desperately in love with you. When we converse, he talks about you and your children. I’ve seen every picture you’ve taken together. When you left him in Miami at that book event after you learned the truth about his sexuality, he came to London.”

  Abbey felt a pit grow in her stomach. “So you two could hook up.”

  “Yes. I greeted him in a silk bathrobe and the sexiest lingerie I owned. It was obvious when he stepped inside my apartment that I needed to put the champagne away and get a couple of beers. Nothing happened. I ended up consoling him. He was devastated to lose you. I knew then that I was never getting him back. He was too far in love with you.”

  Abbey shook her head. “But I was told how close you two were.”

  Heidi paused as she stared at Abbey. “The first time you slept with Sloan, did he leave?”

  Abbey frowned as she thought. “No. But it was his bed.”

  “Sloan never allowed me into his bed. And even though he stayed with me and talked until the wee hours, he never slept in mine, either. Just like with the other women, he always got up and left. It was one of the reasons we broke up. I wanted more.”

  “One?”

  “I was asked to help Scotland Yard look for Tom Morrison internationally. Working at the palace gave me connections. He caught wind and broke things off but not before I figured it out.”