“I just can’t believe it, that’s all,” Faith said. “It was you all alo
ng. I’ve been wondering ever since that night. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Eve smoothed down her barely tousled dress. “What was I supposed to say?”
“But I asked you about it. That morning, in the kitchen.”
“And I told you the truth. I said I didn’t get up to anything unusual.”
“You mean, you do that a lot?” Faith said. “Put on a corset and go to Lilith’s Den?”
“Every now and then. Not so much lately. I’ve been busy. It’s probably why I’ve never seen you there before.”
“I’d never been there before. I only went there that night because I wanted to catch up with Lindsey.”
Eve raised an eyebrow. “You went to Lilith’s just to catch up with a friend?”
“Yes. I’m not interested in that stuff.”
“You could have fooled me.”
“I mean, I wasn’t interested,” Faith said. “Not at first. But going to that club made me realize how much it all appealed to me. And then I saw you, and I realized how much I wanted you. And god, how I’ve wanted you.”
Faith looked into Eve’s eyes. Eve turned away. The playfulness in her gaze had disappeared.
“We should get back,” Eve said. “Before anyone notices we’re gone.”
Faith’s stomach sank. “Shouldn’t we talk about this?”
As Eve opened her mouth to speak, the door to the library swung open. In strolled Camilla, a glass of wine in her hand .
“Hello.” Camilla walked over to a bookshelf, barely paying them any attention. “Don’t mind me, I just need to grab something.”
“Camilla,” Eve said. “We were just talking.”
Camilla’s eyes fell on the two of them. A smirk crossed her lips. “No need to explain yourselves to me. This is a party, after all. You’re supposed to be enjoying yourself.” She looked from one woman to the other. “And it looks like the two of you are having fun.”
Blood raced to Faith’s cheeks. Eve was a terrible liar. Or maybe it was the fact that Eve’s hair was in disarray and Faith’s dress was askew. She straightened it up.
“Here it is.” Camilla plucked a book from the shelf. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
Camilla sauntered out of the room. Faith turned to Eve. Gone was the passionate woman in the corset. The Eve that Faith knew was back.
“I’m going back to the party.” Without a further word, Eve strode out the door, leaving Faith alone in the room.
When Faith returned to the party, Eve was nowhere to be found.
Chapter Eight
W hen Faith returned to work a few days later, her heart was in her throat. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Eve since she’d walked out of the library that night at Lindsey’s party. She had no idea how Eve was going to react.
Faith herself didn’t know how to react. That night with Eve had turned her world upside down. Everything the woman in the corset had awakened in her that night at Lilith’s Den had gone from a half-formed fantasy to an insatiable craving.
She unlocked the front door and entered the house. “Hello,” she called. “It’s Faith.”
She was met with an eerie silence. At this time of the morning, the kids were still asleep, but Eve was usually up and about, getting ready for the day. Faith wandered through the house, peeking into rooms as she passed. Eve wasn’t in any of the lounge rooms, or the kitchen, or the dining room.
Giving up, Faith went upstairs to wake up the twins. Once they were out of bed, she headed back downstairs to prepare their breakfast. At the base of the stairs, she almost ran into Eve.