“I know you’re good for me,” he said with a growl. “There’s no question of that. Now at the risk of sounding like an asshole, you’ve got to get up and get moving. I’ll grab a shower in the other bathroom and then we’ll go down and do your workout. If we have enough time, you can show me your moves and then I can analyze what you need further work on and we’ll fit it in around your shoots. I don’t want you to overdo it. I know this shoot is going to be exhausting enough.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine,” she said as she climbed from the bed, taking her warmth and sweetness with her. “Besides, if it means getting to spend more time with you, then I’ll make the time.”
God, but she had him so twisted into knots that he didn’t know up from down. How could someone so utterly perfect be interested in someone like him, who not only had physical scars but stains on his soul and emptiness in his heart that until meeting her he’d thought would never heal?
And yet within the short time they’d been together he could feel those missing parts starting to fill in. Like he was regaining all he’d lost during the horrific time he was held captive and taken apart little by little, his very will to live chipped away until he was ready to give up and end it all.
He hauled himself out of bed without the all-business attitude that was his usual morning routine. After taking a quick shower, he made a call to Joe to let him know he and Eden would be down in the gym until it was time to take her to the shoot. Joe had already made arrangements for the cars that would take Eden and the rest of KGI wherever they needed to go while they were in Paris.
“I’ll send Skylar and Edge down to cover the entrance to the gym,” Joe said. “We can’t be too careful and we definitely can’t afford to let our guard down.”
Swanny bristled at the notion that he wasn’t adequate protection for Eden, but he knew Joe was right. What Swanny couldn’t do was become involved with Eden to the extent that he became distracted from their number one priority: keeping her safe at all times.
Her safety came first, above everything else. Even the attraction between them. Nothing could compromise their goal. This was a mission. A job. Their reputation, not to mention Eden’s life, was riding on this. He damn sure wasn’t going to be the reason they failed, and he definitely wouldn’t be the reason Eden got hurt or killed.
Yanked back by the reality of the situation, he went in search of Eden, some of his earlier lethargy and the warm haze that had surrounded him when he’d wakened in Eden’s arms replaced by a sense of purpose.
He stuck his head inside the bedroom door. “You ready?”
She came out of the bathroom finishing up the ponytail she’d secured in her hair. She was wearing a tight-fitting halter top and a pair of low-rise sweats that bared a few inches of her abdomen. His body reacted instantly and he quickly reined himself in, reminding himself of what was at stake here.
“I’m ready. You ready to get your ass kicked?” she asked mischievously.
It was impossible to adopt a sterner, more businesslike demeanor when she radiated warmth and sweetness.
“Pretty cocky for someone who hasn’t sized up her opponent,” he replied.
“Oh, I’ve sized him up,” she said, letting her gaze wander over his body until he felt as though she’d stripped him of every piece of clothing with nothing more than her eyes.
“You’re incorrigible,” he said in mock exasperation. “Let’s get moving. We’re on a tight schedule.”
She snapped to attention, giving him a soldier’s salute. “Yes, sir. Lead the way.”
Cheeky little wench. But he loved every bit of her sass. There wasn’t a single thing about her he didn’t like. She seemed impossibly perfect, and no one was that perfect. Everyone had flaws. So what were hers?
They took the stairs down to the second floor where the gym was located, and Edge and Skylar were already standing outside the door. Eden looked surprised to see them and maybe even a little chagrined. Swanny would have to have a talk with her later to remind her of everything he himself had discarded momentarily.
“It’s clear,” Edge said, his voice rumbling from his chest. “You and Eden will be the only ones inside unless someone else comes in after you. Sky and I will make sure that anyone who enters is on the level.”
“Thanks,” Swanny said. “We’ll be an hour tops. Eden needs to eat before we head to her shoot.”
“Just a vitamin shake for me,” Eden interjected. “I’ll need to shower again after my workout, so I can drink it on the way. But if y’all need to eat, go ahead and get room service ordered while I get all my stuff together. Hair and makeup will be done there, so I’ll just wear sweats and a T-shirt to the studio. I won’t take long to get ready at all. Just get my bag together and I’ll be done.”
Swanny shook his head but didn’t comment. If it were up to him, Eden would be eating a hell of a lot more, but she knew what was best for her and it wasn’t his place to interfere.
He used the room key to gain entry to the small fitness room and then grabbed towels for him and Eden.
She went straight to the stationary bike and immediately began a rigorous workout. He didn’t join in because quite simply he enjoyed watching her work up a sweat. She was one of those women who didn’t sweat. She glowed. A sheen of perspiration made her perfect skin glisten in the light and it made him want to do crazy things, like run his tongue over her flesh and suck up every drop of perspiration.
After fifteen minutes, she switched to a cardio stepping machine and put in another fifteen minutes there before moving to one of the benches to do abdominal crunches.
He was impressed by her stamina and the fact that she didn’t look in the least winded. She was obviously in excellent shape. Her body certainly didn’t tell a different story. She was toned. Hard in the places she needed to be hard and delectably soft in the places she should be.
Next, she went to the treadmill and threw a smile over her shoulder. “Give me fifteen minutes to cool down and then I’ll throw you on your ass.”
He grinned back and drawled out his response. “Keep dreaming, princess.”
She rolled her eyes and refocused her attention on the treadmill, swinging her arms as she started out with a brisk pace only to back it down gradually until she finally turned it off and stepped down.
She made a show of cracking her knuckles and assuming the stance of a fighter as she circled him warily.
“I propose a wager,” she said in a cocky voice. “I throw you and I get one request you have to fulfill.”
“And if I throw you? Or you don’t throw me?” he asked, lifting one eyebrow.
“Then you get one request of me that I have to fulfill.”
His mind was immediately ablaze with all the possibilities. And judging by the calculating smug expression Eden was wearing, her thoughts likely mirrored his. Hell, in his way of thinking it didn’t matter who won the bet because they very likely wanted the same things. But just in case, he wasn’t about to let her win because it had suddenly become very important that he get what he wanted.
Her. In his bed. Him so deeply inside her that he felt swallowed up by her, heart and soul.
“Deal,” he said in a challenging tone.
She was good. He had to hand it to her. Being up against a man twice her size would normally make it impossible for her to get the upper hand. But she was fast and she’d obviously been trained well.