“Did I say I wanted you to leave? Sit down Eden.”

She nodded and pulled the seat back toward the desk. Her eyes glistened as she dropped back down in it. I inhaled sharply and rubbed my fingertips to my temples. This could be the perfect time to tell her that my stupid proposition was a mistake and that we could just see each other when required for the job. I could slip back into simply being the guy who signed her paycheck.

This was completely fucking with my mind, and I was a loose cannon at the best of times, but now I was afraid that I would implode or worse yet explode in front of the wrong person.

Once I opened my eyes, I took a moment to bask in her beauty. After our day at the park and then night at the movies I had left her and went back to my apartment and tried to comprehend what had actually happened. I still felt the heat of her hand in mine, the sound of her laughter in my ears, but I also remembered the look that would float over her face at random times during the night. It was almost like the longer she was out, the more uncomfortable she became. I didn’t like to think it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was pretending the whole time.

It killed me not speak with her yesterday, but I knew I had to approach this with kid gloves. I couldn’t scare her off with my intense motives, and I knew the longer I spent with her the more I was losing my battle to restrain myself.

“Look I’m sorry. I’m not pissed off at you, I am pissed off that Angela would say something like that. Whatever we are doing is no one else’s business. Fuck, I don’t even know what we are doing.” I raked my hand through my hair, frustration was a bitch of a thing and it was penetrating to my very core. Eden sat frozen to the spot, looking back at me with wide shocked eyes. I was failing miserably on the whole intense motives factor so I thought why the hell not, let’s just go full balls to the wall and deal with the consequences later. “Did you actually enjoy the other day and night because I did and I may have said that I wouldn’t fuck you, but Jesus, Eden, it would be a lie if I said I didn’t want to kiss those perfect lips again. That’s what I am fighting with at the moment, so no I do not want you to leave. I want you to stick around so you can continue to torment me.”

The intensity in the room went from zero to a billion after my little display. Our eyes connected as I opened my laptop. Eden didn’t look frightened, if anything she looked intrigued, and the sweetest flush graced her cheeks. I had asked Josh to bring her here to discuss work, but now all I had done was bring our personal life into my professional space.

“We need to discuss where you will be working and sort out a schedule. There is space here if you want to work from here or we can look at somewhere else. You have a lot of work in front of you, and I want to be able to give you what you need.”

Fuck me. If that wasn’t a sexual innuendo I didn’t know what was.

Her sharp inhale of breath wasn’t lost on me; it shot straight through my pants and began massaging my cock. Josh’s warnings rang through my ears, and I knew I was treading in dangerous territory. All I had to do was ask one question—make an asshole move then ask her a question she wouldn’t be able to refuse. She couldn’t refuse. While her bright blue depths stared at me, I got lost under her gaze while scenario after scenario flashed before me.

“You confuse me Eden.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Her gaze didn’t drop, she showed a confidence that I knew was in there but which she had hidden away from the world. Could it be true that slowly she was beginning to find the courage to stand up to me?

“You say yes without considering the consequences, which scares the fuck out of me; you do whatever I ask without question; there are times when I see this sassy confident girl who wants to come to life, but in the next breath she is lost to a girl who is scared at the thought of a guy touching her.”

“I can’t help who I am Ky. It’s just me.”

“Well I have a month Eden, and I am going to find that sassy confident girl and bring her out because she deserves to be seen. I will touch you; that is as guaranteed as the air you breathe.”

“You said you wouldn’t fuck me,” she said, panic roaring within her words as she stood up and gathered her belongings.

“There is a big difference between fucking and touching Eden.”

And then she left.

••••

It had been two days since my immature outburst with Eden. Two days of working obsessively, two days without sleep, two days of annihilating myself at the gym until I fell into a pit of pure exhaustion.

I had finally been convinced to leave the office and I was sitting in the diner with Ashlyn and Josh.

“You look like shit,” my ever so honest brother decided to announce.

“You do realize you are an asshole right?” I shot a laugh and rolled my eyes.

Aunt Carole headed toward us with concern flashing over her face, and she directed it squarely on me. Unease confronted me and I narrowed my eyes awaiting her words.

“Eden is outside getting harassed by Chris.”

My body flew out of the booth, and I felt like my feet didn’t even touch the ground. When the fuck would he get the point? I didn’t want to discern why he was hanging around. I hit the sidewalk and standing near the entrance was a fearful looking Eden being spoken to by Chris fucking Edwards. I rushed at neck breaking speed with one thing in mind—Eden’s safety.

I gripped hold of the back of his shirt, pulling him away from a trembling Eden and slammed him against the brick wall.

“Eden, step away,” I roared. Her eyes shot wide, and she didn’t hesitate. When she was out of sight, I turned back to a smirking Chris and pushed my forearm against his throat.

“How many fucking times do I have to tell you? Stay away from her.” I felt the vein in my neck pulsating under my anger and the thought of my fist connecting with his smug face almost overcame me.

“Always so protective Ky but what happens when you aren’t around?” He shrugged out of my hold and took a step forward, getting right in my face. “I hear her pussy is pretty fucking sweet.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I hissed. “You go anywhere near her and I swear to God I will bring you down motherfucker. Stay the fuck away from her.”

I turned away from him with anger pulsating through my body, desperate to escape, and that was when he spoke again.

“Secrets always come out Crawford, and I’ll be right in the wings ready to swoop.”

I didn’t bother sticking around to hear any more of the fucked-up words he would taunt me with. I needed to find Eden. My head flung back and forth as I tried to find any sign of her. I finally locked onto her retreating figure as she crossed the road.  I started jogging and weaved my way through the traffic with Eden clear in sight.

“Eden, stop!” I pleaded when I got within reach.

She froze on the spot and spun toward me, her face completely unreadable. increased my pace until I stopped just before her. I could see the panic falling around her, and it was obvious that her walls were rising at an alarming rate.

My hands cupped her face, encouraging her to look at me. Even when she looked petrified, she was still the most beautiful girl. “Did he hurt you?”

Her bottom lip trembled and she shook her head slightly before speaking. “I’m okay, I just want to get out of here.”

“Hey, come here.” I whispered and wrapped my arms tightly around her bringing her firmly against my chest. Her arms circled my waist and she pulled me closer to her body. I held her as close as I could until she stopped shaking. “Are you okay?”

She lifted her head from my chest and looked at me through glistening eyes. “I don’t know. He scares me.”

“What can I do?” I asked, desperately wanting to stop the fear taking over her. “Will you come and have dinner with Josh, Ashlyn, and me?”