Reflected in You: A Crossfire Novel

everything I’ve ever wanted or needed, everything I’ve ever dreamed of. You’re everything . I live and breathe you. For you.”
    I placed my other hand over our joined ones. “There’s so much out there for you. You just don’t know it yet.”
    “I don’t need anything else. I get out of bed every morning and face the world because you’re in it.” He turned the corner and pulled up in front of the Crossfire behind the Bentley. He killed the engine, released his seat belt, and took a deep breath. “Because of you, the world makes sense to me in a way it didn’t before. I have a place now, with you.”
    Suddenly I understood why he’d worked so hard, why he was so insanely successful at such a young age. He’d been driven to find his place in the world, to be more than an outsider.
    His fingertips brushed across my cheek. I’d missed that touch so much, my heart bled at feeling it again.
    “When are you coming back to me?” I asked softly.
    “As soon as I can.” Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to mine. “Wait.”

Chapter 19
     
    When I got to my desk, I found a voice mail from Christopher. I debated for a moment whether I should continue to pursue the truth. Christopher wasn’t a man I wanted to invite any deeper into my life.
    But I was haunted by the look that had been on Gideon’s face when he told me about his past, and the sound of his voice, so hoarse with remembered shame and agony.
    I felt his pain like my own.
    In the end, there was no other choice. I returned Christopher’s call and asked him out to lunch.
    “Lunch with a beautiful woman?” There was a smile in his voice. “Absolutely.”
    “Any time you have free this week would be great.”
    “How about today?” he suggested. “I occasionally get a craving for that deli you took me to.”
    “Works for me. Noon?”
    We set the time and I hung up just as Will stopped by my cubicle. He gave me puppy-dog eyes and said, “Help.”
    I managed a smile. “Sure.”
    The two hours flew by. When noon rolled around, I went downstairs and found Christopher waiting in the lobby. His auburn hair was a wild mess of short, loose waves and his grayish-green eyes sparkled. Wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves, he looked confident and attractive. He greeted me with his boyish grin, and it struck me then—I couldn’t ask him about what he’d said to his mother long ago. He’d been a child himself, living in a dysfunctional home.
    “I’m stoked you called me,” he said. “But I have to admit, I’m curious about why. I’m wondering if it has anything to do with Gideon getting back together with Corinne.”
    That hurt. Terribly. I had to suck in a deep breath, then release my tension with it. I knew better. I had no doubts. But I was honest enough to admit that I wanted ownership of Gideon. I wanted to claim him, possess him, have everyone know that he was mine .
    “Why do you hate him so much?” I asked, preceding him through the revolving doors. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but the hot, driving rain had ceased, leaving the streets awash in dirty water.
    He joined me on the sidewalk and set his hand at the small of my back. It sent a shiver of revulsion through me. “Why? You want to exchange notes?”
    “Sure. Why not?”
    By the time lunch was over, I’d gotten a pretty good idea of what fueled Christopher’s hatred. All he cared about was the man he saw in the mirror. Gideon was more handsome, richer, more powerful, more confident . . . just more . And Christopher was obviously being eaten alive by jealousy. His memories of Gideon were colored by the belief that Gideon had received all the attention as a child. Which might have been true, considering how troubled he was. Worse, the sibling rivalry had crossed over into their professional lives when Cross Industries acquired majority shares in Vidal Records. I made a mental note to ask Gideon why he’d done that.
    We stopped outside the Crossfire to part ways. A taxi racing through a huge puddle sent a plume of foaming water right at me. Swearing under my breath, I dodged the spray and almost stumbled into Christopher.
    “I’d like to take you out sometime, Eva. Dinner, perhaps?”
    “I’ll get in touch,” I hedged. “My roommate’s really sick right now and I need to be around for him as much as possible.”
    “You’ve got my number.” He smiled and kissed the back of my hand, a gesture I’m sure he thought was