And Then We Sever Read online

  Copyright © 2022 by A.V. Asher

  All rights reserved. Published by Winter Zephyr Press.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-7365439-8-6

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7365439-9-3

  Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-578-28561-0

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  Cover design: Cat at TRC Designs

  Editing: Gail Delaney

  Proofreading: My Brother’s Editor

  Note from the Author

  This book is an interconnected stand alone. Declan and Cressida appear in the Truth & Lies Duet, but this is their story. They are two of my favorite characters, and I’m so pleased to share who they are and what they mean to each other. Please enjoy.

  Content warning:

  I always want you to enjoy organically, but some topics can be quite triggering. My goal is to always protect readers first. Please find an extensive list of triggers on my website. www.avasher.com

  This book is intended for a mature audience and contains strong language, explicit sex and graphic descriptions of violence which some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.

  Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;

  Ae fareweel, and then forever!

  Robert Burns, Ae Fond Kiss

  Contents

  Part I

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Part II

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Part III

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Epilogue

  Thanks for Reading

  Books By A.V. Asher

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Where to find me!

  Part One

  One

  Cressida Bennett chewed on her lip as she paced another maddening lap between the living room and the kitchen of her cramped flat. It was an endless trek, and one she’d repeated often, especially over the last few months. How she hadn’t worn a hole clean through the shaggy rug was a mystery.

  Crossing to the balcony door, she swung it open and stepped out into the morning air. A touch of daylight seeped into the blanket of night over the London rooftops. The dawn was fresh and cold, filling her senses with a mixture of earthiness and rain. She closed her eyes, counted her breaths, and silently sent a few affirmations out into the atmosphere.

  All will go as planned. Nerves are normal. This is the best work you’ve ever done.

  The restlessness in her blood finally settled, reviving her energy. Securing the balcony door behind her, she returned to the sitting room and checked the time on her mobile.

  “Shake!” she called down the short hallway. “Are you nearly finished?”

  “Oy, just a tick,” Shake tossed back, his voice muffled by the door. He’d been in the loo for well over thirty minutes, styling his already perfect hair. Normally, she wouldn’t care about his morning beauty routines, but today wasn’t a normal day.

  Cressida let out a deep sigh she hoped he could hear. “If you make me late, I swear I’ll throttle you.”

  “We aren’t going to be late.” Finally, the door opened and her twin brother, Lysander ‘Shake’ Bennett, graced her with his presence. He framed his face with his ringed fingers and flashed a brilliant smile. They had such similar features. The same deep-caramel hair and wide, dark eyes that complemented their smooth olive skin.

  “What do you think?” He fluttered his long lashes at her.

  “Aww. So handsome,” Cressida teased, reaching up as if she were going to muss his perfectly styled hair.

  “Hey! Sod off.” Shake dodged her fingers with a scowl.

  She laughed. “The goal of today is to blend in, not stand out.”

  Shake dragged his gaze down her body, an impish grin tugging on the corner of his mouth. “I see you’re well on your way.”

  Cressida clicked her tongue in annoyance. Today’s selection was purposeful. A simple button-up shirt and grey wool skirt paired with sensible shoes, exactly what a young corporate computer tech might wear to an industry conference.

  “Do you have everything you need? Our Uber should be here any time.”

  Shake checked his watch. “We don’t need an Uber. If we leave for the Tube now, we’ll still be early.”

  “Not early enough.”

  “What?” Shake’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why?”

  “Because.” Cressida winced. “I need to get there before Declan does.”

  Suspicion dropped to exasperation. “Are you serious?”

  “Very.” Her mobile chimed, letting her know their driver waited outside. Cressida picked up Shake’s jacket and shoved it into his arms. “I swear to god if I have to owe that man one more drink at the pub, I’ll lose my mind.”

  “Well, maybe stop making wagers with him, then?”

  “What’s the fun in that?” Cressida scoffed at the ridiculous suggestion. “You ready?”

  “Yeah, let’s go.” Shake sighed, pulling his keys to lock the door as they left.

  Competitiveness aside, the harmless bet she’d made with Declan McKinley was a much-needed distraction from the weight of today’s events. Given enough downtime, she could overthink herself into madness.

  The early morning traffic had yet to take to the streets, and they had a smooth journey to the conference center. A blast of icy wind coming off the Thames made her tighten her scarf around her neck as they walked into the building. Overhead, the glass pyramid entrance welcomed the visitors to the Digital Transformation Summit in London, an international collaboration of some of the hottest and most innovative tech designs from across the globe.

  And she was the lead security liaison for it all.

  Just the thought of it kicked the butterflies in her gut back to life.

  That Declan and Alec McKinley had taken a chance on her to run the whole bloody thing was huge. Although she and Shake had worked for the McKinley cousins for years,
this promotion was a proper first step in becoming a cyber security expert.

  If only she could get her fluttering nerves under control.

  Still subdued by the early hour, their steps echoed on the tile floor and a murmur of voices carried around the expansive outer hall. Over the past six months, she’d memorized every room, every exit, and the placement of every camera.

  “Well, I guess hurrying here was all for nothing. He still beat you in,” Shake grumped.

  “What?” Cressida scanned the room until her eyes landed on Declan McKinley.

  The man was hard to miss. Tall and broad shouldered, with dark hair that complemented his fair skin and vivid blue eyes. The black shirts she’d ordered for this week were a tight fit across his chest and a hint of a blue-and-green tartan tattoo inked on his bicep peeked out from under his short sleeve.

  Declan caught her gaze and his mouth turned up in amusement.

  “Well, shit,” she murmured.

  “You know he’s probably been here for hours, right?” Shake snarked.

  “Yeah, I know.” Cressida sighed and strode toward where Declan was waiting.

  Declan nodded his goodbye to the coworker he was chatting with and turned his attention to her, that shit-eating smirk playing on his lips. “You’re late.”

  “Bloody hell, Dec,” she snapped without heat. “I’m forty minutes early. Did you get here at three a.m. to beat me in?”

  He shrugged. “Eh, I might’ve.”

  Cressida bit back the urge to smile, doing her best to be annoyed at his stupid, handsome face. That was until he picked up a paper takeaway cup and held it out to her as an olive branch.

  “Oh, brilliant. Thank you.” Cressida took the steaming cup gratefully. “I didn’t have time to make my own.”

  Shake let out his breath in a huff. Cressida wrinkled her nose in a silent apology to her brother. Clearly, there’d been plenty of time to make tea.

  “I’m going up to the security room for setup.” Shake accepted a second cup of tea, which Declan offered him, with a salute of thanks. He shot her one more grouchy look before striding away.

  “Mmmm.” Cressida took a sip and hummed a sigh of pleasure as the flavor of the sweetened Earl Grey hit her tongue. “I thought I was the one buying drinks today?”

  “Och, aye.” Declan leaned toward her and murmured. His beautiful Scottish accent sent a shiver down her spine. “And I look forward to collecting that whisky at The Carriage this evening, sunshine.”

  Using the little nickname he’d bestowed on her more than a year ago was enough to earn him a scoff. He’d only given it to her to needle her when they were alone. She’d never admit it, but she rather liked when he called her that, even when he was being an arse.

  Declan stepped back and the comforting scent of bergamot and cinnamon swirled the air. She had no clue what he wore, but whatever it was should be made into a candle and burned at the holidays.

  The teasing expression cleared, and he tilted his head. “Are you ready for today?”

  There it was again, the uneasy energy driving her insane. “As ready as I can be, I suppose. What about you? Prepared to be the muscle, are you?” Cressida couldn’t help but run her gaze over the tight shirt again.

  Damn, sometimes it was hard to be around all the man candy she worked with.

  “Aye, I’m always ready for that.” Declan grinned, not seeming to notice her roving eyes. “Need help to set up?”

  “Yup. I’m going to put you to work, boss man.”

  “Aye, let’s get to it.” He laughed, falling in step with her across the exhibit floor to one of the hall exits. The corridor was slowly filling with exhibitors, adding a hushed echo throughout the room.

  A rambling swirl of protocols and potential missteps took over her thoughts.

  “Do you think I should have one more man outside the food court?” she asked Declan.

  “Nah.”

  “You sure?” At his nod, Cressida pressed. “How are you so sure?”

  “Because you told me so.” At her look of confusion, he supplied, “You cleared the cameras in the food court last week and decided the manpower was better suited inside the hall.”

  “Right.” Her brain was definitely in overthinking mode.

  At the meeting room, he unlocked and held the door for her. Cressida flipped on the lights and walked to the media podium at the front, dropping her bag on a chair. Silently, they began setting out equipment the operatives would need on the tables organized by their team assignments. Then Cressida hooked up her computer to project a large map of the floor plan on the wide board at the front of the classroom.

  Leaning against the table, she scanned the enormous facility. Declan sidled up beside her, studying the map as well. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking relaxed as hell. She wished she could borrow a touch of his confidence right now, but the warmth of his presence was enough to calm some of the jitters.

  “You’re nervous,” he said as a statement rather than a question.

  Sometimes it sucked to have a friend who was so good at reading what you were trying to hide. “What makes you say that?”

  “You haven’t stopped chewing on your lip since you got here.”

  “Oh.” She made a mental note to put some lip gloss on before the meeting to keep her from gnawing on it. “I didn’t think anyone would notice.”

  “I noticed,” he murmured. “But I didn’t think you ever got nervous.”

  Cressida scoffed. “Oh, I do. My impostor syndrome is having quite a go at me right now.”

  “Impostor syndrome?”

  Cressida brushed her hair behind her ear. “Yeah. You know . . . ”

  A dark brow rose, waiting for her to explain.

  Of course, he didn’t know what that was. He had traveled the world as a secret intelligence service officer for years before leaving to start the security firm with his cousin Alec. This event was a walk in the park for a man like Declan.

  “It’s a little voice in my head that tells me I’m a fraud, and any day now you and Alec are going to realize it.”

  The confusion slipped from Declan’s face, and his jaw tightened. He shifted to stand in front of her, the sincerity of his expression pressing her to listen.

  “I want you to hear me. There’s no fraud here. Just a brilliant woman who knows her shit. You understand?”

  Cressida nodded, her heart skittering unexpectedly. She forced herself to inhale deeply to slow its pace.

  Good lord, it’s a compliment. No need to get excited.

  But the longer he held his gaze on hers, the harder it was to catch her breath.

  Her mobile chimed like a siren, making both of them jump. “I should get that.”

  Declan nodded, his attention returning to the map. Cressida dug through her bag until she located her mobile. When she saw who’d sent the message, she bit back a groan.

  Griff: Just thinking about you. Come stay the night tonight.

  She pursed her lips and texted the same message she’d sent last night and early this morning.

  Can’t. It’ll be too late. Have to be back early.

  Griff: I don’t mind.

  Griff: I’ll make it worth it.

  Griff’s idea of “worth it” and hers were vastly different. If he’d guarantee the sex would be mind blowing, she might consider it. But anything less than toe curling would be work, and she already had plenty of work on her plate this week. She’d have a quicker and more satisfying experience with her little silicon friend in her drawer. And since Griff wasn’t the type to cuddle, she’d rather sleep alone.

  Her dating life had been a mixed bag over the past year. Either the men were charming to start and then blocking her number before she’d even gotten her knickers up, or needy as hell, wanting her to meet their mums and pick out the perfect neighborhoods to raise children.

  Blayne Griffin had seemed like the former but was quickly pivoting into the latter. He hadn’t brought up having the holidays with hi
s family yet, but he was heading there. She wanted nothing to do with that, from any man. Casual was all she needed.

  Leaving his messages unanswered, she tucked her mobile into her bag in time to see Declan’s eyes flicker away from it. He said nothing, which was good. She didn’t need his grumpy disapproval today.

  Not that he ever said anything. They had an unspoken rule, no remarking on each other’s dating lives. They’d tried it once, and it had only led to the two of them bickering. Besides, it didn’t matter if Declan ever met Griff. He would hate him.

  She didn’t particularly like any of the women Declan brought around, either. Most of them were shallow, seeing him only for his looks. None of them were interested in the man he really was.

  And every single one of them tried to unravel Cressida from his life.

  She dreaded the day Declan got serious with anyone.

  Like a deep, stomach-churning kind of dread. The kind she could never tell him about, or he’d think her mad.

  “You alright, lass?” He tilted his head, concern filling his expression.

  Her heart performed another unruly somersault. Declan had a way of drawing her in, making her think about things she shouldn’t. She couldn’t very well tell him she’d been foreseeing the day someone stole him away from her.