“Uh, sorry to interrupt,” she mumbled.

She hastily slammed the door back and Swanny swore viciously. “I can’t do anything right with her, it would seem. Now she’s going to think you and I are involved. Jesus, but when I fuck up, I fuck up big.”

“Let me go in and talk to her,” Skylar said. “It’s a woman thing. I’ll explain better than you. Men aren’t so good when it comes to words. Give me half an hour. Go wait in the room with Edge. I’ll be back in a bit.”

CHAPTER 11

EDEN was mentally kicking herself in the head when a soft knock sounded at her door.

“Eden? It’s me, Skylar. Can I come in?”

Eden let out a silent groan. The very last thing she wanted was a confrontation with the woman who was apparently involved with the man she’d just thrown herself at.

With a resigned sigh, she opened the door and gestured for Skylar to come in. Before Skylar could say anything, Eden took a deep breath.

“Look, I’m really sorry. I had no idea about you and Swanny. I know I way overstepped my boundaries. It won’t happen again. I promise.”

Skylar smiled, her eyes warming as she took in Eden’s dismay. Then they softened in sympathy, which made Eden cringe all the more.

“Maybe we should go into the living room to talk,” Skylar suggested. “I kicked Swanny out and he’s hanging with Edge until we’re done here.”

Eden trudged into the living room on Skylar’s heels, her embarrassment growing with every step. Of course Swanny would be attracted to someone like Skylar. She was confident and capable of holding her own in a sea of testosterone. She was kick-ass and beautiful. What man could resist that combination?

“You completely misunderstood what you saw between Swanny and me,” Skylar said gently. “He was kicking himself in the ass for hurting you, and I was attempting to offer encouragement. Swanny isn’t the most confident when it comes to his appearance. Now, in every other aspect, he’s like whoa. He’s damn good at his job and he is not to be fucked with. But the scars bother him more than he lets on. The memories of how he got those scars are even harder for him to deal with.”

“So you aren’t involved?” Eden asked hopefully.

Skylar shook her head. “Nope. We’re friends. Good friends and teammates. We have a bond, but it isn’t romantic.”

“Does it make me a total slut that I’m relieved?” Eden muttered.

Skylar’s eyes sparkled. “I think you would be very good for Swanny. But he’s also worried about you breaking his heart. Swanny isn’t most guys. He doesn’t fuck around for the sake of fucking around. And you wouldn’t be a notch on his bedpost. I mean, it wouldn’t go on his scorecard that he made it with the world’s most beautiful woman like it likely would be for some guys.”

“Ouch,” Eden winced. “Talk about a shot to my ego.”

Skylar smiled. “Just saying it like it is. I’m sure you have your fill of guys who’d love to get into your pants for no other reason than to say they’ve done it. But Swanny isn’t like that. I don’t want him hurt, Eden.”

Her expression became more serious as she studied Eden.

“But somehow I don’t think I need to worry about you breaking his heart. You don’t seem like the type to fuck around.”

“Thanks for that, at least,” Eden muttered.

“Look, just cut him some slack. I think he’s still in shock that you’re remotely attracted to him. And he’s probably arguing with himself because you’re a job and our job is to protect you, and if he gets emotionally involved, that will fuck with the mission. But hey, most everyone in our outfit met their significant other while on a mission, so it’s not like it hasn’t happened.”

“Do I have a shot with him?” Eden asked in a low voice. “He told me a little about what happened. But I’m not at all sure what I’m dealing with here.”

Skylar’s expression softened. “If he told you anything at all, then that’s a good sign because he doesn’t talk about it to anyone. He still has nightmares. We’ve all witnessed them but we don’t mention it because it makes him self-conscious. And yeah, I’d say you have a shot with him. You’re just going to have to be patient as he wars with himself over whether he can juggle the job and a relationship with you too.”

“I can be patient when it comes to something I want,” Eden said softly.

Skylar’s mouth quirked. “I like you, Eden. You’re not at all what I was expecting.”

“I’m not even going to ask,” Eden said dryly. “But I’m glad that whatever you thought I was didn’t turn out to be that way.”

“I’m going to go kick Swanny back out of my room. He’s stewed long enough. He’s probably kicked himself in the ass enough that it’s sore by now. Go easy on him. He’s a man, after all, and they’re incredibly thick when it comes to women. Believe me, I’ve seen it all,” she added with a roll of her eyes.

“I like you too, Skylar,” Eden said with a grin. “Anyone who can handle all that testosterone and hold their own certainly has earned respect.”

“Swanny likes you,” Skylar said bluntly. “Don’t let him fuck it up, Eden. He’s not used to contending with women wanting to be near him, and I’m guessing it freaks him out.”

“Now that I know, you can be sure I’m not going to give up so easily,” Eden said in a determined tone.

Skylar smiled again. “Awesome. Can’t wait to see him fall hard. This will have to be documented for posterity.”

Eden joined in her laughter, feeling at ease for the first time since this whole clusterfuck had begun. A few days in Paris, with Swanny basically her captive audience? It was plenty of time to work her magic, provided she had any.

CHAPTER 12

SWANNY let himself in the door as quietly as possible, though it was stupid of him to tiptoe around. But after making a total horse’s ass of himself with Eden, and then Skylar having to smooth things over, he was feeling like a first-class moron.

Skylar hadn’t said much, just that she’d explained “things” to Eden, whatever “things” was supposed to mean. Sky had worn a mischievous expression, though, and her eyes had sparkled with amusement when she’d told him to get his ass back over to his room and quit acting like an idiot.

Then her expression had gotten more serious as she’d told him not to fuck up his chance with Eden. What chance? And how had things progressed to this point so damn quickly? He’d only met the woman a little over twenty-four hours ago and it boggled his mind that he supposedly had a chance to mess up. Or get right.

He wasn’t sure whether he was relieved or disappointed when he found the living room empty and the door to Eden’s bedroom closed. He realized that he was a total chickenshit, which didn’t sit well with him. When it came to his profession he had confidence in spades. But on a personal level? Relationships? Confidence wasn’t a word that was exactly in his vocabulary. And definitely not with a woman like Eden.

What the hell did she see in him? It was a question that had haunted him for hours. Why was she even bothering with him, and why had she looked so hurt when he’d pushed her away?

He couldn’t get that quick flash of hurt he’d seen in her eyes out of his mind. That he had that kind of power to hurt a woman of her caliber baffled him. Women like her likely left a trail of broken hearts in their wake. And yet she’d said rather bluntly that it was he who would likely break her heart.

He knew that shit like love at first sight wasn’t some hokey crap only in fiction. He’d witnessed it firsthand. Well, maybe it wasn’t at first sight, but pretty damn close. His teammates had certainly fallen hard for their wives, and it sure as hell hadn’t taken very long to accomplish. But it wasn’t something he ever envisioned happening to him.