“You should have just told me to leave.”  I whispered and watched as his face dropped.

I didn’t await a response.

••••

The bed dipped beside me at some crazy hour of the morning. I had been staring at the ceiling of the guest room for the past three hours and to say I was surprised that Ky was in here would be an understatement.  I had heard the front door open and the sound of keys crashing against the glass table then heavy footsteps that disappeared into the bathroom.

I held my breath and lay as still as a statue, faking the sleep that had evaded me. The pillow beside me shuddered as weight landed on it. He was getting into the bed. The coolness of the air as he lifted the comforter shimmered against my skin and instinctively my body curled inwards to provide itself with the warmth that had been lost.

“This was never meant to happen; I wasn’t meant to fall for you,” his thick voice whispered into the silence. I remained still and tried to desperately swallow his admission. Shock, panic, and confusion circled within me. He swept my body into his strong arms and pulled me against his naked chest. My head rested against the thundering of his heart and his hand rested so soft on the bareness of my hip.

“I’m sorry for falling for the perfect girl. You’ve always been the perfect girl.”

I refused Eden.

She had begged me to fuck her, and I refused her. What the hell was wrong with me? After what had been a perfect day and a huge success to her, I had to go and wreck it because of my fears. The look on her face as I dismissed her wouldn’t leave my thoughts. She had told me everything that was running through her head yet I still didn’t grow a set of balls and give in to what both she and I wanted; it was the only thing I wanted.

I had fallen head first for this girl and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t stop.  I didn’t want to stop.

••••

Anderson Publications was abuzz with talk of the photo shoot that Eden had done for the next issue of Bangs and Beats. Everyone had an opinion on their favorite, and I had heard numerous women discussing which member of the band they wanted to fuck. Seriously, grown women have very filthy mouths when it came to musicians.

I was standing by the copier talking to Derrick when the sound of heels connecting with the tiled floor grabbed my attention.

“Fuck she is hot. I’d fuck her till Sunday if I had a chance,” Derrick growled beside me.

I followed Derrick’s line of sight and my eyes fell on Eden as she walked toward us wearing skinny jeans, a black turtleneck, and the red fucking jacket. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I swallowed hard at the sight of her.

“Crawford!”

“What? Sorry.” Derrick's smirk said all that he needed to say, and I simply shrugged him off. “Got a meeting, Talk to you later.”

I didn’t listen to his smartass comment. I needed to speak with her. I followed the sound of her heels then walked into the boardroom and shut the door behind me. She spun on her heels.

“What are you doing Ky?” she breathed in defeat, her eyes dropping to the floor.

I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I pulled out the seat across from where she was sitting and simply looked at her. She looked tired, and I knew I was the cause of her restless night. Her blue eyes had lost the spark and her will to communicate had diminished.

The door flew open and Josh, Roger, and the rest of the team moved in and sat around the boardroom table, but my eyes were locked firmly on the girl being engulfed by nerves opposite me.

Roger Anderson ran the weekly meeting with a shit-eating grin on his face, and I knew it was all because of Eden Rivers. She said all the right things and presented the photos that she thought would work best for the cover; she informed the team of what would be next then dropped the bombshell that she would be finished by December 28^th. My head had flung up when she announced it, and just as I was about to state exactly how I felt about it, Josh’s foot kicked mine. The sharp shake of his head ceased my brief moment of insanity.

Once the meeting wrapped up, Roger guided Eden out of the room without another look at me, and I knew I had royally fucked up.

"Where did Eden disappear to last night?" Josh asked as he closed his laptop and turned to face me.

"She went home.”

“Okay, let me rephrase the question. Why did she go home?”

“She told me she wanted to be with me?"

"Be with you?" His brow shot up in question. Honestly sometimes I wondered if my brother had any clue.

"She wanted me to fuck her," I groaned, rubbing my face with my hands. Even saying it out loud caused my cock to ache and tell me what a fucked-up move I’d made.

"And you didn't because?"

"Because I'm an asshole."

He walked toward the door laughing. “You are going to get a major case of blue balls before this month is over.”

“I’ve had blue balls since I first saw her in Delights.”

I slipped into my office and collapsed into my chair, my frustrated sigh hitting the air. My mind was everywhere but work, yet I knew I had a shitload waiting. My usual work hours had ceased to exist since Eden had arrived. I was halfway through organizing my next trip to Los Angeles when I heard heels getting louder as they moved down the hall in front of my office. They slowed as they got closer to my door, and they all but stopped. I held my breath and waited for my door to open but it didn’t. The heels took off faster and disappeared; I knew she had disappeared into the elevator and out of the office without a word.

••••

I arrived home just after six pm to a pitch-black apartment and emptiness lingered in the air. A storm pounded outside and the lightning strikes caused flashes of light to jab through the space. I threw my keys, wallet, and phone on the dining table and turned on lights. There was absolutely no sign of Eden. Her boots weren’t by the door, her Kindle wasn’t left on the couch, and her favorite coffee mug wasn’t on the table. It was like she had never been here.

Panic raced through me as I walked through the empty apartment finding no signs of her. She hadn’t answered my calls or my texts after she left the office, and the longer she was away, the more I worried. Jeremy fucking Davis was out there and the thought alone sent me spiraling into a world of fear and unease.

On the way home, I did my daily check-in with Douglas. I swear he must have been getting sick of my constant bombardment of text, emails, and calls but his response today was no different from any other day. Jeremy had been attending his parole appointments, and he wasn’t doing anything to warrant worry. Like fuck I wouldn’t worry. The guy who had raped Eden was loitering in the shadows, and I knew he wouldn’t stay hidden for long. The messages she had been receiving seemed to have stopped which concerned me. None of it sat well with me, and it caused my stomach to twist when I thought about it. Jeremy wouldn’t be happy with this new development and wouldn’t be happy with my involvement. He was a dangerous fucker at the best of times and serving four years for something he didn’t believe was wrong would only mean one thing.

Retaliation.

Eden had her demons that I wished I could destroy in an instance, but that would be my ultimate redemption.

For years my nightmares had been consuming me one day at a time, twisting and tormenting me with the belief that I didn’t deserve an ounce of happiness; it was a nightmare I chose to believe. All it took was the appearance of the girl in the red jacket to barrel into my life like a second beginning and now I seemed to be living for the first time with the consideration that maybe there was hope in my future.