He’ll do anything to protect her. Even if it means letting her go.

Vault of Sin, Book 2

Tate Jackson made a big mistake. No, a monumental one. He picked the wrong place to introduce his wife, Cassie, to the alluring lifestyle they’d fantasized about.

Instinct told him to get her out of the poor excuse for a sex club—but he didn’t. And she was assaulted because of his carelessness. He’ll do anything to protect her from another traumatic experience, even if it means making the agonizing choice to convince his wife he no longer loves her.

Cassie’s not buying it. In fact, Tate is the last person she blames for that horrific night. She’s willing to give him the space he thinks he needs to get his head straight, but when divorce papers arrive, she realizes she’s out of time.

She has twenty-eight days to figure out why Tate is ruining a perfect marriage. Twenty-eight days to figure out what he’s hiding. But when she learns the truth, she has to decide if her heart can take the strain of piecing their love back together.

Warning: Dirty tactics, dirtier sex, ropes, masks, guilty consciences, and love stretched so far, no one escapes unchanged. Not even you, dear reader.

Union of Sin

Eden Summers

Dedication

To Amber Bardan, for helping me tweak the storyline during the writing process. Your feedback is invaluable. To my editor, Heidi Moore, for tweaking it even more and helping to transform the story into something I was proud of.

To my personal assistant, Tracy Arnett, for being efficient and supportive beyond belief. I’m not sure what I’d do without you.

To the readers who continue to support my books. Your emails, tweets and messages mean the world to me.

And to my husband and kids. Yes, I’m always on the computer. Yes, I’m either crazy with excitement or stressed to the eyeballs, but you always support me no matter what my mood. I love you all more than words will ever express. Thank you for letting me live my dream.

Chapter One

T.J. sat in his car, transfixed with a sight so familiar it brought a piercing ache to his sternum—his wife. Cassie’s blonde hair gleamed from the early morning kiss of the sun. Her full-length dress clung to her every curve. With one glimpse, she made everything else cease to exist. It was only him and her. The two of them. No road too long or river too wide to stop him from claiming her.

At least that’s how it had been…before he’d left. Now the few meters separating them, from his car to her position at the neighborhood park swing set, was as vast as the Atlantic.

This morning was his final farewell. His silent thank you to the heavens for giving him the few years of paradise he’d shared with this beautiful woman. Their time together was nothing short of a fairy tale—love at first sight, wedded bliss and the promise of a perfect future.

But they’d never received their happily ever after. He’d fucked up. Not once, many times. He just hadn’t realized the extent until it was too late. Until he was separated from her, away from the mesmerizing spell of her love.

He’d almost destroyed this woman. He still could if he hung around.

Neither of them had seen it coming. They’d been consumed by happiness. The drug of euphoria had blinded them from reality.

Not anymore.

T.J. watched as Cassie guided her niece from the swing set and they began to walk from the playground hand in hand. Essentially, he was stalking her. He knew she took the little girl to the park every second Saturday morning. He also knew as soon as she returned the child to her mother, she would walk the two blocks to T.J.’s home.

Their home.

He followed her, inching the car forward with each of her steps. He made sure to lurk behind the street corners until she was out of sight before he’d move farther. When Cassie reached the road to their house, his stomach hollowed. A car was waiting in their driveway. A car he’d arranged to be there.

Her footsteps faltered as she approached, and when a man dressed in a tailored black suit slid from the car, she stopped abruptly. There was an exchange of words, but T.J. was too far away to read lips. He didn’t need to though. The envelope in the guy’s hand said it all. The resulting anguish on his wife’s stunning face cemented what had just happened.

The divorce papers were now firmly in her grasp. He couldn’t help inching forward, taking her suffering head-on. He deserved her pain. Her spite. He wanted to feel it. To suffer as much as possible.

She wouldn’t realize this was necessary. She probably never would. And that was okay. He could live with the responsibility. He already had for months.

The black Mercedes reversed from his driveway, pulled onto the road and disappeared into the distance. All T.J. could do was stare. And suck in the pain he could see ebbing from his wife in tidal waves. She was shaking, clasping the envelope tightly, her gaze fixed on the green grass at her feet.

He inched the car forward, consoling himself with her proximity. She was so close. He could almost feel the delicate strands of her hair through his fingers. Could almost smell the perfume he’d bought her for their last wedding anniversary.

He’d kill to touch her again. To soothe the sorrow from her eyes with his kiss. With his passion.

But that would never happen. Not once. Not ever.

He focused over her shoulder, needing a distraction, and settled his gaze on the home they’d built with their bare hands. From the foundation to the curtains, the landscaping to the damn mailbox. All of it had been created with hard work, determination and love. Lots of love.

Cheesy, yes, but it had been one of those moments in life where he’d thought he’d actually achieved greatness. He’d had a wife he adored, a brand-new home to shelter the family they planned to create, and their German shepherd, Bear, to complete the package.

It seemed like yesterday they were arguing about the color to paint the internal walls. He’d remained adamant about his choice up until the moment they’d begun the arduous chore. Then, like always, the gorgeous smile Cassie had greeted him with as he’d opened the paint tin had made her crappy selection worthwhile.

That smile undid him. Or it had. It felt like years had passed since she’d dazzled him with her happiness. A day without her resembled an eternity. So the pain of the months spent separated couldn’t be described.

He missed sweeping her off her feet—physically and emotionally. He missed the way she squealed when he tickled her ankles. Most of all, he missed feeling the softness of her curves against his body as he fell asleep.

He’d never get back to that place.

What they had was gone. Dead and buried. He’d killed all hope for a future. He’d wasted her time and ruined her life. He couldn’t do it anymore. It had to stop.

He slammed his palms against the steering wheel and squeezed his eyes shut to fight the burn. Soon it would be over. Their court appearance was in less than a month. The documents in her hand explained all the assets he was giving her—the car, the house, their dog. She would continue to be financially stable if she retained her job. She would be safe and secure. And maybe, one day, happy.

The next twenty-seven days were going to kill him though. Every other day afterward too. But they could both start over after the heartache eased. Cassie could focus on working up the ranks in her hotel administration position. Maybe she’d find a new man. Someone else to love her. To hold her. To see those achingly brilliant smiles and wipe away her tears.

“Shit.” He needed to get out of here before he crumpled completely.

He opened his eyes, blinked to clear his vision and stared at the flawless woman as she squinted directly at his car. Oh, fuck.