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.”

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.