Free Secrets (Passion Shields) by Kiru Taye Page B

He opened and held it up.
    "Oh." She frowned , hesitating. "I need you, Benjamin."
    "I know. Food first. I also need to talk to you. Something came up."
    The tone of his voice indicated it was something serious. She stood from the bed and walked to him, her earlier unease returning.
    "What is it?" she asked as she slipped her arms into the sleeves of the robes.
    "We'll talk at the table," Ben said, his breath warm and tickling her neck as he wrapped the robe around her front and tied the sash for her.
    His arms squeezed her body in a hug that was both comforting and tender. When he released her he took her hand.
    "Come on." He tugged her , and she followed him out.
    She went into the dining room to set the table while he went to the kitchen. He came back with the boxes of food still in the warmer. He placed them on the table. She transferred the food into the dishes.
    He sat at the end of the table, and she sat in the first chair on the right side. Silently they ate for a while. She enjoyed this part of their Saturday ritual as much as she enjoyed the rest. This quiet companionship, watching each other attentively, listening to the sound of their heartbeats and crockery, it was soothing. He'd said he wanted to talk to her, so she waited until he was ready to say what was on his mind.
    "I got an email today."
    "An email?" She snorted. "Welcome to the twenty-first century, caveman."
    His warm laughter echoed in the room. "Hey, trouble. Be quiet before I go all caveman on you."
    She covered her mouth, stifling her giggles. "Okay. Sorry. Who was the email from , and what was it about?"
    He eyed her for a minute and continued. "Uncle Leonard sent me an email. Well, his secretary did. I'm being summoned to Johannesburg."
    "Summoned?" She resisted the urge to laugh. "Does anybody in your family know how to ask anything nicely?"
    He raised one curved brow in a mix of surprise and warning.
    "Anyway, that aside," she continued. "Why is he summoning you?"
    "The email didn't say much , but Beatrice seems to think he is unwell."
    "Oh … then you have to go and see him."
    He stayed silent, just watching her.
    "What is it about your uncle that sets your teeth on edge, Ben? Talk to me."
    "He is a mean and vile man . Sometimes I wish he wasn't my uncle."
    He took a sip from his tall glass of water before continuing.
    "My father died when I was a little child, and Beatrice was no more than a baby. As a boy I looked up to Uncle Leonard as a father figure until I saw him for who he truly was—a bully who preyed on the weak. He's a man you don't want to cross. He crushed those who opposed him with his army of mercenaries. When we weren't busy fighting for those he wanted in power, we were fighting his personal wars. Walking away from him and my family legacy was one of the hardest things I did."
    His voice roughened with emotions. She'd never heard Benjamin this agitated before. Reaching across, she covered his right hand with left one, offering comfort.
    "I told you my uncle and I haven't been getting along for a few years."
    "Yes, but you didn’t say why."
    His Adam's apple bopped as he swallowed.
    "Years ago when I lived in South Africa, I had a thing for this girl whose mum used to work for us."
    Her disquiet rose. She withdrew her hand from Ben's.
    "Was it serious?" She feigned nonchalance , but her chest constricted at the idea that Ben had loved someone else.
    "I was a young man , and Siba was a really nice girl. In those days, I had these wicked urges, and she was the only one who could handle them, who understood them."
    Selina gripped the seat of her chair tightly. It was one thing to find out that Benjamin liked another girl but quite another to know that they'd had the kind of relationship she now shared with him.
    Jealousy roiled in her belly, rising to her throat and leaving a bitter taste on her tongue.
    "So what's it got to do with your uncle?" she asked, wanting to move the story along so she didn’t have to hear anymore about