I roamed through my apartment before sunrise. Today was meeting day. Simon Davenport was flying over from Los Angeles to discuss the editorial that Eden would be shooting. The band was expected to be arriving in two weeks. I stumbled to the kitchen in my sleepy state and turned on my coffeemaker, desperate for some strong caffeine to run through my veins and bring me to life. My night hadn’t panned out as expected, and I sure as hell hadn’t expected to texting Eden at midnight; I felt like a fucking teenager.
She was getting to me at a fast fucking rate, and it was bringing me close to insanity. I had spent the past two days thinking about her reaction in the car. It had shocked me, confused me, and worried me. The most shocking part was that the need to protect her that I felt at Delights had come back at a rapid rate. When I saw her freeze in the car I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around her until the fear that was evident on her face had disbanded.
I walked back to my room as the coffee simmered away and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. Immediately I scrolled through until I got to my messages. I reread the last message I had received from her.
Eden: Crap.
I hadn’t replied. The message had arrived just after I had finally passed out. The clock on my nightstand showed that it was five thirty in the morning when I finally tapped in a quick text which I knew she’d get when she woke.
Ky: Sorry I passed out. You have no need to be nervous. You will be fine.
I locked my phone and made my way back through my apartment and poured myself a mug of coffee. The chime of an incoming message shocked me. Who the hell was awake at this time?
Eden: Thanks :)
What the hell was she doing awake?
Ky: Why are you awake so early? I thought I was the only crazy one awake at this hour.
Eden: I haven’t slept. I couldn’t shut off my head.
I read her message over again and sighed loudly. For most of the night I also had the same problem, but it was for completely different reasons. I tapped the counter as I tried to think of what I could possibly say to her message. A minute passed, then five, and then fuck it!
Ky: I’ll buy you a Red Bull and bring it to the office.
Nice one Ky, that was a fucking great comeback. I groaned and mentally punched myself in the gut and busied myself by cooking breakfast.
••••
“Eden has arrived.”
Lauren’s head poked around my office door, and she smiled knowingly at me as she announced Eden’s arrival. I nodded and looked back at my laptop and looked at the time.
She was early.
The sound of her voice resonating as she was thanking Lauren grabbed my attention. I sucked in a deep breath as the sound ceased. She was at my door. Why the fuck was I nervous? The door slowly opened and Eden’s head poked around the door. Once again, she didn’t bother knocking. I liked that.
“Am I okay to come in?” she asked softly. I simply nodded.
I watched as Eden took a timid step through my office door. I seized the moment to drown in the sight of her. She wore a simple black dress that hugged her curves so tightly yet so perfectly, showing just enough cleavage to make me focus for a second too long. My eyes skimmed down her body and landed on her heels. Purple, high, and sinfully sexy.
Fuck me.
Her cheeks flushed under the intensity of my dark gaze and my ego soared. I got this reaction out of her, by simply looking at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked softly, her eyes dropping for a moment to the floor below. “Is something wrong with what I’m wearing?”
She could not be serious. “You have absolutely no clue, do you?”
“About?” The blueness of her eyes captivated me into realization. She was serious. She really did have no clue.
“What you…”
The soft knock on the door put a halt to our conversation. It was probably for the best, it stopped me from spilling my thoughts out all over the place. Eden shifted on her heel and turned toward the window and gazed out into the city. I slammed my eyes shut and sucked in two deep breaths, praying that calm would take over my highly unpredictable body and mind.
“Come in.”
Lauren pushed open my office door slowly and the moment she stepped in her eyes shifted between me and Eden in what I could only describe as expectation. What did she really expect to be happening? She coughed quietly to gain Eden’s attention, who then turned around sharply.
“Simon Davenport has arrived.” Her cheeks instantly flushed. “He also has someone else with him.” Lauren turned her attention to Eden, and I did not miss the sparkle in her eye or the small smirk that flittered over her lips. I swear they started communicating without saying a work to each other. I looked between both of them as they did some weird girl only code. I was confused as fuck.
“Thanks Lauren. Send him in.”
Lauren slipped through the door leaving Eden and me alone. I began tidying up my desk, and I couldn’t help but notice Eden fiddling with her hands as she stood awkwardly in the middle of my office, her eyes downcast to the marble floor below. I crossed the room until I was standing just before her. Her blue eyes rose and looked at me so innocently, so nervous, so intrigued. Grabbing her hands in mine, I felt her stiffen slightly yet she didn’t pull away. If anything, I swore she moved closer to me.
“You need to calm down. You are brilliant at what you do. Would I have hired you otherwise?” The smallest of smiles swam over her lips and her hands squeezed mine ever so slightly. I’d take it. “You are going to blitz this meeting, okay?”
She nodded.
I led her toward the vacant seat on the opposite side of my desk. She dropped my hand and took a seat, crossing her legs at the knees. Yep, the edge of her dress rose in the process. I reluctantly and painstakingly tore my eyes away from her upper thigh and looked toward the door as it crept open.
Simon Davenport stepped through the door with a presence that deserved respect. He was a crazy Australian who didn’t take shit from anyone. He was famous for being brutal in the boardroom, and he scared the fuck out of me at the best of times, but he was also someone who I definitely enjoyed working alongside. He was a man of few words but recently every correspondence we had involved him telling me about his grandson Max, Savannah, the beautiful Australian girl with a mouthful of sass that was as close to his daughter as anyone and his son-in-law Tate who owned the Red Velvet bars.
Simon greeted me with a firm handshake and a pat on the back. Standing beside him was a guy who looked similar to my age and instantly I recognized him as the front man of the band that was being featured on the upcoming issue.
“You must be Eden Rivers,” Simon’s accent was still thick even after living in the states for a few years.
Eden rose from her seat and moved until she was standing beside me. She was exuding confidence, and I fucking loved it. The smile on her face, the way her shoulders were back, and the glint in her eye showed me that she knew exactly what she was doing. This was the Eden Rivers I wanted to see.
“What the fuck?” The tattooed man questioned in astonishment and the next thing I knew Eden was in his arms and there was absolutely no fear on her face. She was ecstatic. “Baby doll what are you doing here?” He continued.
Baby doll.
He cupped her face and dropped his lips to her forehead, immediately the sweetest of smiles appeared on her face. I was lost. Completely and utterly lost.
“I’m assuming you two know each other.”
My statement came out harsher than I intended and suddenly I was under scrutiny of everyone in the room. Simon shot me a smirk while the guy who still had his arms around Eden finally took a step back and his eyes darted between Eden and me suspiciously.