I shifted my gaze and took in the city before me. I was in a shit mood, and she didn’t deserve to see me like this. Hell, no one deserved to see me like this. What could I possibly say when all I was thinking about doing was punching my friend in the face? We stood in silence, which I knew I wouldn’t break.
“I thought we were having dinner tonight?” her soft voice asked.
I turned to face her. Her wide blue eyes searched my face for an answer; a worrying frown framed her beautiful face. She barely wore a trace of makeup, her natural beauty refreshing and way too enticing. If true perfection existed, its form now stood right in front of me.
“I can’t be there,” I finally answered.
“Why not? Why don’t you come to dinner for me, for Ashlyn, for Josh?” Her tiny hand fell to my arm shooting a searing spike of lust and need through my body. My eyes shot up to meet hers. Did she just feel that? An intense stare off began between us, and the tension that swirled in the air ignited even the darkest of hearts. I tried with every muster of my strength to tear my gaze from her, but I was completely locked in. My breathing stilled as her eyes dropped to my lips and then back. It was the first time she had looked at me like this. “I want you to be there.” Her voice was thick with what I hoped was anticipation.
That was all it took, one simple look, one flutter of her eyelashes and my reserves slammed down in a burning heap and everything I had promised her faded into ashes. I could no longer resist the urge to touch her. I craved the contact of her bare skin against mine. I needed to taste every inch of her tempting body that I had secretly craved from the first moment I laid eyes on her. It was like a wild animal had taken residence over my body, and I needed to feast. I needed to own. I needed to prey.
“Eden I need to touch you. I know I said I wouldn’t but I’ve never needed anything as much as I need this. My mouth needs to fuck your body, my tongue needs to taste every inch of what I’ve dreamed of.” I stepped toward her so I was almost touching her. “You have about five seconds to tell me to fuck off.”
The sound of her sharp inhale and the glimmer of hesitation flashing before me were swallowed as pure lust took over her. My hands gripped her hips pulling her body hastily against mine. I knew she felt my excitement the moment a deep gasp escaped her throat. My face fell to the confines of her neck, my lips touching her skin, and I breathed her in. My memories went into overdrive, and I basked in everything that was Eden Rivers. Soon enough I was drunk on the scent of the sweet perfume mixed with the coconut shampoo that had become my most favorite scent in the world. Her arms wrapped tightly around my waist holding me in perfect sync with her body.
As if music was flooding the room around us, we began to sway in the silence, my face never leaving her neck. With a soft touch, my greedy mouth began its mission. My lips left a trail of kisses along her collarbone; my tongue darting out to take pleasure in the taste of her sweet skin. This was completely surreal. Her head fell to the side as her hands gripped my shirt begging for closeness. What I thought would be frightfully intense once I had my first taste was nothing compared to what was happening now. This was different. This was comfort. This was intrigue. This was patience.
My fingers dipped below the fabric of her tank top and shots of electricity bolted through my body as my fingertips met the warmth of her skin. She turned her face, and I felt her eyes on me. I pulled my lips away from her neck to face her and watched as her eyes narrowed in on my lips.
“Why aren’t you scared of me Eden?” I whispered as the ability to find my voice was almost non-existent.
“I don’t know,” she breathed out, “and that’s what scares me, not you.”
“Do you really want this?” Why the fuck would I ask something like that?
“There is so much about me you don’t know Ky.” Her eyes fell to the floor, and it was at that moment I knew I wouldn’t have her tonight—that I had crossed the line—but it was what she said next that shocked me. “But what I know is that I am glad you came up with this crazy idea. Even if it’s just for a month I’ll take it. I don’t want you to keep being so considerate with me. I want you to tell me what you want; I want to have a month where I forget everything, where I can just be Eden of today and forget about the Eden of yesterday. If you can give me that, I can give you all of me.”
“I want Eden of today.” I grabbed her chin and made sure she was looking at me. “Do you realize how sexy you are? How much presence you have? I don’t think you give yourself the credit you deserve.”
“I don’t want to believe that. I don’t think of myself as that girl.”
“Well I’ll make sure I make you believe it.”
I released her body from my arms and sighed. My cock strained against my pants, but I knew he wouldn’t be unleashed tonight.
“So are you going to come to Josh’s or am I going by myself? I am starving and there was the promise of pizza,” Eden asked quietly as she nervously began twisting her hands.
“I need to shower first and I’ll think about it. I don’t want to see Lachlan,” I admitted.
“But you’ve already showered.”
“Oh Eden, you might be sexy as fuck but you are so damn naive. I need to shower because I need to take care of this.” I patted my straining pants, not caring about my honesty. I was pretty sure that after tonight, she could handle my newfound brutal honesty.
“Oh.” Her lips twisted into a slight smile. “So then you’ll come?”
Holy fuck! I completely lost it. My deep laughter engulfed my apartment. I hadn’t felt this carefree in fuck knows how long and here Eden was not even realizing what she was saying. Eden stood there watching me wide eye completely oblivious to what she had done or the effect she was having on me.
It was official; this girl was going to destroy me.
I stood in the hall, leaning against the closed door of Ky’s apartment completely buzzing. What just happened? The skin on my neck tingled from the feeling of Ky’s lips devouring me. This was too fast, this wasn’t me at all, and as I said to Ky, that was what frightened me but I wanted it. I pushed off from the door and practically ran to the elevator and went back to the thirteenth floor.
Ahh, there was peaceful silence when I stepped into the hall once the elevator had arrived. There was no loud music, no fleeing girl from Josh’s apartment, just pure untainted silence. I stood at Josh’s door and knocked softly and waited. The door swung open quickly and an amused Josh greeted me.
“Please never knock on my front door again. My door is always unlocked for you, pretty girl.” His eyes moved and looked over my shoulder. “Ky isn’t with you?”
“He is taking a shower, and he said he might come down later.”
“What the fuck did you do for him to need a shower?” Josh’s booming laugh caused my embarrassment to soar. “Come in pretty girl. Ashlyn and Lachlan are talking.”
I followed Josh through the apartment. It was similar to Ky’s but so much more like I would expect a bachelor to live. Blacks and red throughout, the biggest television I had ever seen graced the far wall, and a fully stocked bar took up one corner. Black and white artwork hung from the walls, my eyes instantly drinking the portraits in.
“I ordered dinner. I wasn’t sure what you liked so I ordered a few different pizzas from downstairs. I think it’s just going to be you, Ky, and me if that’s okay? I’m not sure what Ashlyn and Lachlan are doing.”
“Well it might just be me and you seeing your brother probably won’t come.”
Josh’s smirk filled the room. “Oh he would come if you let him.”
“Joshua, did you really just make a come joke?” My question shocked me.
“I did and I am super turned on that you got it.”