“I think he felt like Cameron had been holding back on him. Keeping a secret—keeping you secret—only there weren’t supposed to be any secrets between them.”
Such a twisted pair. “When I saw Julian kill Evette—”
“Cameron set that up. He told Julian when to kill that woman. Told him your float number, told him what side you’d be on. The fucking bastard wanted you to see it happen, but I don’t think he realized just what chain of events that would set in motion.”
A chain of events that led to murder.
“He didn’t know you’d jump off that float to save her. Cameron didn’t know that Julian would get a good look at you, that he’d start stalking you because he’d realized how much you meant to his cousin…and to their game.” Bennett’s gaze slipped to the graves. The funeral home had put one spray of flowers on each grave. No other flowers were at the scene. “But their game is over, and they can’t hurt anyone now.”
No, they couldn’t.
“I didn’t want that on you.” His forehead sagged forward and pressed to hers. “I didn’t want you killing Cameron. You should have let me do it.”
She’d known he planned that. She’d also known… “Bennett, I carry my own darkness.” She put her hand on his chest. “Cameron stabbed you. He wanted you dead.” She’d shot that bullet not just for herself, but for Bennett. For Hugh. “You’re not the only one who knows how to protect the people you love.”
His hand covered hers. “I do love you. I never stopped.”
Neither had she.
His head lifted. He stared down at her with a tender gaze. He’d been patched up, she’d been patched up, and her brother—Hugh was slowly healing. Julian had tried to kill him. He’d stabbed her brother five times, but Hugh had survived.
We’re all survivors.
They’d survived the madness. They’d beat the monsters.
This time.
“You have to admit,” Ivy murmured, “I’m not the worst partner in the world, am I?” She had rather saved the day. At least, she thought so.
Bennett’s gaze dropped to her lips. “Not the worst. The damn best…the only one I ever want.”
She smiled at him. “Good answer.”
Bennett pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I want to do everything right with you this time.” He tucked her hand under his elbow and they walked away from that cemetery. From the monsters that would never hurt anyone again. “Every damn thing. I want you to know what you mean to me.”
Ivy just shook her head. They didn’t speak again until they were out of that cemetery. Until they were away from the ghosts.
The sun streamed down on them. Bright and warm.
She tilted her head back, just enjoying the moment. Happy to be alive.
“You don’t have to prove anything to me,” Ivy finally said. “All you have to do…just keep loving me, Bennett. Love me.”
Always.
And she would love him.
Through the good times. The bad. Through whatever hell came their way.
No more fear. No more secrets.
Partners.
THE END
A Note From the Author
I was thrilled to be included in this anthology—it is for such a worthwhile cause, and I have long been a supporter of the great work that Brenda Novak does in order to raise money for diabetes research.
Thank you for reading the anthology. Thank you for your donation! I hope that you enjoyed all of the tales in this set.
My contribution to SWEET DREAMS was the romantic suspense tale, UNTIL DEATH. I grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and Mardi Gras was always a city-wide event that swept everyone away in a wave of excitement. I’ve always loved Mardi Gras (only without serial killers!), and it was great to have the opportunity to write about a city so near to my heart.
If you’d like to stay updated on my releases and sales, please join my newsletter list at www.cynthiaeden.com/newsletter/. You can also check out my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cynthiaedenfanpage. I love to post giveaways over at Facebook!
Again, thank you for reading SWEET DREAMS.
Best,
Cynthia Eden
http://www.cynthiaeden.com/
About Cynthia Eden
Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Cynthia is also a three-time finalist for the RITA? award. Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over fifty novels and novellas.
Cynthia is a southern girl who loves horror movies, chocolate, and happy endings. More information about Cynthia and her books may be found at: http://www.cynthiaeden.com or on her Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/cynthiaedenfanpage. Cynthia is also on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cynthiaeden.
Crossed
A Taylor Jackson Novel
by J.T. Ellison
For Joan Huston,
who championed this book way back when,
and assured me it stood the test of time.
And, as always, for Randy.
Prologue