Her brow furrowed. “Is that what you think I’ll do? Break your heart? Here I was contemplating that you’d be the one to break my heart. But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves here. I just want your promise that you won’t try to avoid me over the next several days.”

He sighed. “Okay, I promise. But I still think you’re crazy and when you come to your senses, you’re going to think you lost your mind.”

She rolled her eyes. “You can’t blame this on the situation or that I have some kind of savior complex about you. There are three other guys on your team and I feel nothing for any of them.”

“Well, thank fuck for that,” Swanny muttered.

“Will you at least come sit with me?” she asked. “We still have a long flight and I’d like your company.”

He seemed to battle with himself over the simple request, and then he gave in and slid onto the couch beside her.

“You should get some rest,” he said gruffly. “I looked over your itinerary and it’s booked solid for the next several days. I don’t know how you manage to work those kind of hours.”

Without asking permission, she snuggled into his side and looped her arm across his midsection. He went still, his entire body vibrating with tension, but he didn’t pull away.

Finally he carefully curled his arm around her waist, anchoring her to his side. She let out a blissful sigh and laid her cheek on his chest, tucking her head right below his chin.

“I’ll rest better with you here,” she said.

He toyed with a strand of her hair with his fingers before dropping them and resting his hand back on her hip.

His body heat soaked into her, making her feel warm and contented. She yawned broadly and closed her eyes, snuggling a little deeper into his embrace.

“You make me feel safe,” she murmured.

“You are safe with me, Eden.”

It was a vow, one spoken in solemn tones.

“I know,” she whispered as her eyelids fluttered closed.

CHAPTER 10

WHEN they landed in Paris, Eden was hustled off the plane and into an armored Mercedes sedan. She barely had time to blink over the image before she was inside the backseat, flanked by Swanny and Skylar. Edge rode up front with the driver, and Nathan and Joe rode in another car that led the two-car procession to the hotel where Eden would stay.

She had only today to get her bearings and rest up because the following morning the shoot would kick off and her schedule was packed full, culminating in a formal launch party held by Aria at the end of the shoot.

They drove to the back entrance of the upscale hotel and Swanny issued a soft order for her to stay until he and the others were in position. When she finally ducked out, the five KGI members formed a tight boundary around her and hurried her inside.

Joe went up to the desk to handle the registration, and it occurred to Eden that she wasn’t sure of the sleeping arrangements. She was used to having her own suite and her own space. She didn’t even share quarters with Micah or David.

Having to share space with anyone would interfere in her plans to get Swanny into her bed. She mentally rolled her eyes and shook her head. She should be more concerned with her safety, but instead her thoughts were consumed with how to seduce Swanny and whether they would have the privacy she wanted.

When Joe returned, they began the trek up the stairs and when they reached her floor, she hesitated and turned to look at Joe, since he was holding the key cards.

“What are the arrangements?” she asked. “I mean, who’s sleeping where?”

“Skylar will share a two-bedroom suite with you. The rest of us will take the other two bedrooms on either side of your suite.”

Eden hesitated, unsure of how to put this without sounding either bitchy or just plain obvious.

“I’d rather not share a room with anyone,” she said quietly. “It’s just that I have so much stuff and I don’t want to inconvenience anyone . . .”

She trailed off, knowing she sounded lame.

Joe’s eyebrows furrowed and he exchanged quick glances with his teammates. Obviously they hadn’t anticipated her resistance to someone sharing quarters with her.

“It’s a two-bedroom suite, right?” she asked quickly, gathering her courage. Her face was flaming, she knew, but she just had to be more assertive and blunt.

Joe nodded.

“Then I want Swanny to stay in the other room with me,” she blurted.

Skylar suppressed a quick smile, but she sent Eden a knowing look, and oddly enough Eden could swear she saw encouragement and camaraderie in Skylar’s eyes.

“Edge and I can bunk together,” Skylar spoke up. “Not like we aren’t used to living together. That way you and Nathan can share the other room,” she said to Joe.

Swanny looked a little poleaxed, and she supposed she couldn’t blame him since no one had exactly consulted him in the decision making.

“I’d feel more comfortable with him,” Eden said, refusing to give in to the embarrassment crowding her chest.

“Swanny?” Joe asked, looking in his teammate’s direction.

Eden refused to look at the others, not wanting to see their expressions. She stared at Swanny, pleading with her eyes for him not to refuse her. She hadn’t lied. She really did feel more comfortable with him.

“That’s fine,” Swanny finally said. “Her being alone isn’t an option.”

Eden sagged in relief.

Joe handed her a key card and then another to Swanny. “We’ll be on either side of you, Eden, and it needs to be clear that you aren’t to leave this room without one of us. For any reason. Where you go, we go. Period.”

“Got it,” she said, taking the key from him.

She pushed into her suite, Swanny following behind. Her luggage had been sent ahead and was waiting in the living room. Swanny’s eyebrows went up.

“That’s a hell of a lot of stuff for just a few days.”

She grimaced. “Part and parcel of the business. One whole suitcase is nothing but hair and skin care stuff.”

He glanced ruefully down at his large duffel bag. “Guess I pack lighter.”

Her eyes widened as something occurred to her. “Oh my God. The Aria launch. If you all are going with me, and I assume you are since Joe said I wasn’t going anywhere without you, then you’re all going to need tuxes. Or at the very least a formal suit. It’s a really big deal. Glitzy and glamorous. You’ll need to blend in.”

The deer-in-the-headlights look he gave her was hilarious.

“A tux?” he croaked.

She nodded solemnly, keeping a straight face. “I’ll have to take you shopping and get you all outfitted. It’ll be fun.”

“Fun,” he muttered as if it were the very last word he’d use to describe it.

“So, um, was I too obvious about you staying with me?” she asked hesitantly.

The corner of his mouth lifted into that half grin and his eyes gleamed with amusement. At least he didn’t look pissed.

“Let’s just say that Joe and Edge are probably jealous sons of bitches right now. Nathan is happily married, so he’s out.”

“So in other words, I was obvious,” she muttered.

“I don’t mind,” he said mildly. “I like a straight shooter. It’s nice to always know where I stand with someone.”

“And do you know where you stand with me?” she whispered, staring into those mesmerizing eyes.

He cleared his throat. “I think so.”

“So where do I stand with you, then?” she said quietly.

“Can’t say I’ve ever had a conversation like this with a woman,” he said ruefully. “You have to cut me some slack. You—this whole thing—is way out of my league.”

“But you didn’t answer the question,” she said pointedly. “Look, Swanny, if you aren’t interested in me, just tell me. I’m a big girl. I can take it. I’m not good at the coy meet-cute stuff in relationships. My father always said that I was a take-the-bull-by-the-horns kind of girl, and I guess he’s right. I’d rather know now whether my attraction is reciprocated so I don’t continue to make an ass of myself.”