I shook my head at his honesty and followed him toward the bar where I propped myself up on one of the bar stools. He had a damn good collection of alcohol on display. Seriously, could he be any more of a bachelor? He turned suddenly and stared at me like I had said the most shocking thing in the world when I actually hadn’t said a word. He remained there, staring at me, and immediately I thought I had something on my face or my mascara had run. The way he was looking at me didn’t scare me; it didn’t make butterflies appear in my stomach like his brother seemed to do; it didn’t make feel anything besides safety. What the hell was it with these Crawford brothers? First Ky and now Josh.
“Drink?” He finally broke and turned his back to me.
“Sure,” I choked out. “Um, can I just have a coke to start with?”
“Of course pretty girl. Anything you want.”
“Stop trying to chat up Eden.”
I jumped at the sound of seduction behind me. I didn’t even hear the front door open, but the feeling of Ky standing behind me sent shivers down my spine and I was caressed by the smell of his soap and aftershave. He moved so his chest was pressed against my back and dropped a kiss to the back of my head tenderly. Josh looked between the both of us wide-eyed and in shock before looking back at Ky.
“I don’t need to chat up anyone. They flock to me, to us, remember.”
“They flock? Really?” I scoffed and swung around on the bar stool so I was facing Ky. Josh moved from behind the bar and handed me my Coke before standing beside Ky. I sighed into my drink as I took in their attractiveness. “Are you telling me that you two have some crazy brother technique you use?”
Near identical smirks greeted me, and I swear I heard a snort from one of them. Josh spoke with such egotistical delight. “It’s called tag team, Eden.”
“Oh! My! God!” I shrieked loudly. Yes I might not be experienced with sex, but I had heard enough stories from Tori to know exactly what tag team meant. My eyes bounced between Ky and Josh who looked at me amusingly. “You two tag teamed girls?”
“It was once, and I sure as hell didn’t touch him,” Ky scoffed, shooting a stern look of warning at Josh. I watched on amusingly as a silent conversation started between them. I will admit that the thought of Ky and Josh doing that was definitely a good image to keep locked in my head.
“The things you find out,” I teased with a raised brow. “That’s kind of hot though.”
“Not happening,” Ky growled and moved closer toward me, putting his body between Josh and me.
Josh deep laughter filled my ears. “Rightio Tarzan I’m not touching your girl. There is no fucking way I’d let you share her anyway.”
Hearing Josh call me Ky’s girl sent a searing heat through me. So much had changed in such a short amount of time. I wasn’t hiding behind a mask anymore and I wasn’t pretending. I didn’t know whether it was because I was seeing Ky every day and talking to him just about every hour or whether it was because he was so damn confident and told me how it was without regard or fear of my reaction.
“When is dinner arriving? A girl is famished.” Ashlyn’s husky voice rang from the hall and the sound of two sets of footsteps bounced off the tiled floor. She wasn’t alone. I felt Ky’s body tense against me and immediately I grabbed his hand, interlocking his fingers with mine. Ashlyn and who I now assumed was Lachlan appeared from around the corner and stopped dead in their tracks as both of their eyes landed on a highly unpredictable Ky.
“Stay with me,” I whispered, leaning protectively into the side of his rigid body. Ky’s grip on my hand burned with strength. Without a second of hesitation, he twisted his body and stood before me with a face of thunder. My legs parted instinctively and his body was soon flush against mine. My hands fell to his waist and gripped the cotton fabric of his t-shirt anxious to keep him from running. I didn’t care who was in the room, who was watching us with wide eyes, who was confused by my actions. My only focus was Ky and the torment flashing within his darkened eyes.
“We need to leave. We can’t be here.” Ky’s breath caressed my ear as he whispered so pointedly. “Please,” he continued to beg.
“No.”
He pulled away so quickly tearing the soothing warmth of his body from mine. I felt the air leave my lungs the moment his brows pinched together, and his eyes began to scrutinize me. Panic engulfed me, swallowing me whole, leaving my body completely frozen in fear. I did it again. One simple word spoken. No. What the hell was I thinking? With complete desperation to flee I pushed back on the stool, but his strong body was like an impenetrable brick wall and I was cornered. I lost all ability to hear, to feel, to breathe—the comfort I had just felt with him disappeared into thin air. All I saw were those eyes and the unreadable look on his face. Like the world was taunting me, time faltered and then stopped completely.
Before my eyes, his face transformed and softness flashed before me. With a delicate caress his fingertip traced my jawline, and then lingered on my bottom lip while his eyes never left mine. The tension in my body floated away as he took a step back toward me and this time his arms fell around my waist. “You said no,” he breathed effortlessly.
“I’m sorry,” I stuttered, the fear that was strangling me slowly easing. “We can go.”
“Never apologize for saying no. Never.” Ky’s voice was so strong yet pleading with me to believe.
“Eden?” a strong Australian accent questioned. Ky swung around toward Lachlan and by the tension in Ky’s shoulders I knew something silent was spoken between them. “Ashlyn was just telling me about her new friend. I am Lachlan, but my friends call me Lachie.”
“Hi Lachie, it’s nice to meet you.” I held out my hand and was greeted by a strong handshake. Ky remained still, silent, and on guard beside me. The tension in the room was palpable. You could slice it with a knife. “Can you teach me Australian?”
The silence was swallowed by riotous laughter. Was what I asked really that amusing?
“Eden, Australian isn’t a language! Pretty girl, you crack me up. Ky please keep her around, purely for my amusement,” Josh said through roars of laughter.
“Australian slang you idiot,” I retorted and rolled my eyes
Once they stopped laughing at my request we all settled in the living room around the coffee table. Josh had outdone himself with ordering dinner, and we gorged ourselves with pizza. Conversation flowed but I noticed that Ky was sticking close to my side and barely saying a word.
“Are you going to talk to him or at least speak with Ash and see what’s going on?” I asked softly. “I think that’s what you need to do.”
I tried to read the expression crossing his face, but I was at a loss. His eyes beamed of sweet honey, wide and alert, taking everything around him in. I sucked in a deep breath as his hand softly brushed my thigh under the table, and I froze awaiting his next move.
“You’ve got an amazing ability to make me see things I never thought I would.”
He rose from the space beside me, and everyone’s attention fell to him, awaiting his next move.
“Lachlan, kitchen?” His voice showed no hint of emotion. “Josh, you should come too.”
“Uh, sure.” Lachlan seemed unsure, and I knew he had every reason to be. Ky was highly on edge so anything was possible.
I watched the three of them leave the living room and head toward the kitchen, and I sighed in relief. I felt eyes on me, and I removed my gaze from the three men talking softly in the kitchen to turn and find Ashlyn looking at me with wide inquisitive eyes.
“What?” I laughed nervously.
“I wish you could see what you are doing.”
Okay.
What was I meant to say to something like that? A million scenarios ran through my head. I wasn’t trying to do anything. I was simply trying to bide my time while I was in New York until I went back to my comfortable life, with my comfortable home and my comfortable façade. This city uncovered memories I wished I never had and it put me in places I never wanted to revisit; it made me look over my shoulder and question everyone who gave me a second look. And now those stupid text messages were become more regular.