because that’s what she wanted, even when it makes him see red, is a man insanely in love.”
“But—”
“No buts. Trust in it. Trust in him. Be happy, dollface. You deserve it.” He kissed her forehead. Like a friend would. “Now scram. I need my beauty sleep.”
Eden hopped off the bed and dressed, noticing Billy’s clothes were already gone.
Chapter Fourteen
Billy heard her footsteps coming down the hall and wondered how he should play this. Knowing Eden, ignoring it was his best option.
He faced her. “Hey, beautiful. You okay?”
“Yeah. Worn out. I should go.”
No. Stay. He smiled tightly. “I’ll walk you out.” It surprised him when she reached for his hand as they left the condo and walked to her car.
Cicadas sang in the trees, filling the silence.
Finally she spoke. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Are you done with the Feather Light project?”
“Almost.”
“What happens now?”
“I’ll have a final decision by tomorrow.” Feeling helpless, he let go of her and shoved his hands in his jeans. “You know I have to give the city my recommendation first?”
She nodded and glanced away.
But not before he caught her hopeless look. Were her eyes tearing up? Or was that a trick of the moonlight? His stomach muscles knotted. “Come over for dinner tomorrow night.”
Her suspicious gaze whipped back to him. “You cook?”
“No. But I do a mean take-out order. It’ll give us some time alone before—”
“—you go back to Chicago.”
“Does it bother you? The thought of me leaving?”
“It doesn’t surprise me.” After opening the SUV door, she stopped. “Good luck with your reports. Call me tomorrow and let me know what time I should come over.”
“Eden—”
“Goodnight, Billy.” The door clicked shut. She started the engine, the radio blared Stone Temple Pilots and she sped off.
“That went well,” he said to her taillights.
Several hours later Billy rubbed the grit from his eyes. Decision made, he signed off on the report, printed two copies and hastily shoved the sheaf of papers on top of the desk in the living room.
He’d drop off the original tomorrow. Maybe put it off until the next day if it’d give him more time with Eden. He crawled in bed, unsure for the first time in his career whether he’d made the best choice.
The white ceiling wasn’t particularly interesting, but he stared at it for an eternity before he drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Chapter Fifteen
Billy made one last visual sweep of the setting. Timer set so the food didn’t dry out. Candles lit. Music playing. Wine uncorked. He expelled a nervous sigh. How would Eden react to his confession? Especially after he told her he had to leave first thing in the morning? Hey, I love you, but I gotta go.
The doorbell dinged.
Eden slunk in wearing a skin-tight black cat suit and a cat-like grin. “Hope I’m not too early.”
Billy wrapped his hand around her neck and took her mouth. The taste of her burst on his tongue. “Might be a little early for dessert.”
“Mmm.” Her dainty fingertips traced a straight line from his throat to his stomach, lingering on the waistband of his jeans. “I was thinking more along the lines of an appetizer.” On tiptoes, she brushed a fleeting kiss on his chin. “But I guess I can wait for dessert, if you can.” She sauntered to the breakfast bar separating the small kitchen and the living area.
Damn. He drooled at the curve of her ass and followed her like a dog on a leash. He’d need every ounce of patience to survive the night. While he poured the wine, she silently assessed the condo’s sparse furnishings.
“What’s your apartment like in Chicago?”
“A lot like this.” Boring. Bland. Lonely. “Although it does have a better view.”
Eden murmured her thanks when he passed her a glass of red wine. “You’ve made your decision?”
“Yes. But you know I can’t tell you—”
“I know.” A beat passed, then two. “I am anxious, but mostly because I’m not sure what I want anymore.”
“Professionally?”
“And personally.”
If he said the wrong thing she’d clam up. He kept his tone offhand. “Well, you already own a charming bungalow with the picket fence. Looking for a husband and the 2.5 kids to go along with it?”
“I have three hundred kids right now who count on me,” she said dryly. “It’s a pretty hefty responsibility. Besides, I can’t imagine with my upbringing that I’d have any parenting skills.” She poured merlot in her empty glass. “I’ve focused all my energies at the center. I don’t have time for much else. Didn’t you say your social life was pathetic? Mine is worse. My friends are more forgiving than the men who’ve tried to have a relationship with me.”
“Which is why hooking up with Jon works out?”
“Yeah. We’ve been buddies since college. No chance either of us wants more.” She smiled. “Last night was unbelievably hot.”
“No regrets?”
“No. But it’s not an experience I ever have to repeat. Guess I’m more of a one-woman man.”
He’d be that man if he had anything to say about it. “So, if you’ve been hooking up with Jon whenever the mood strikes you, when was your last actual relationship?”
“Three years ago.”
“How long did it last?”
Eden’s eyes narrowed. “How long did your most recent relationship last, Billy?”
“The longest relationship I’ve ever had lasted a month.”
She truly looked shocked. “So what is wrong with us?”
“Maybe we’re not willing to settle for second best when we’ve had the real thing.”
“Real? Lord. We were so young neither of us knew what that meant.”
Billy angled across the counter and briefly placed his mouth over hers. “I know you don’t want to talk about this. But what we had ten years ago was real.”
The timer on the stove dinged. Saved by the bell. Billy dropped the discussion. “Come on. Let’s eat.”
During dinner Eden was as animated, slyly sarcastic and charming as ever. After they’d devoured the meal, she washed the dishes while he dried. Peace settled over him. What would it be like to come home to her every night? While her hands were occupied, he snugged his body behind hers, holding aside her silky hair so he could trail warm kisses down her neck.
She angled her head letting him take what he wanted.
“Coffee?” he murmured.
“No. I’m too wired the way it is.”
“Why?”
“Partially because you’ve made the decision regarding the center and you’re so damn good at hiding it. Partially because I’m anxious to be with you all sweaty and naked in the dark.”
He chuckled. “Soon. But I have a surprise for you first, so why don’t you make yourself comfortable in the living room?”
She spun around and placed a soapy hand over his heart. “Billy, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“I know. I wanted to.” He’d meant to say something witty, but the seriousness in those tawny depths changed his mind. “I can’t think for wanting you. Just you.” His mouth met hers in a sweet, slow, bone-melting kiss. “Go sit down before I forget my own damn name.”
She turned on her high heel and left him gawking after her like a tongue-tied boy.
Once Billy regained control, he removed the box from the fridge and dimmed the lights in the living room.
Eden was tucked in the corner of the white leather couch. She looked so small, so wary. So damn perfect his heart nearly stopped.
He handed her the clear plastic box. “This is for you.”
A beat passed. “That’s exactly like the corsage you gave me for prom.”
“I
know. Remember you threw it at my head when I took off?”
“Pretty childish, huh?”
“No. It was childish I left without explaining why.”
Eden’s lower lip trembled before she firmed it. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
“I can’t believe you’d think I’d forget.” Billy helped her to her feet and slipped the corsage from the package. The heavy scent of gardenia filled the room. Eden held out her wrist, he slid the stretchy silver band over her small hand.
An eternity passed as she fingered the white roses surrounding the creamy gardenia. She lifted the corsage and inhaled. “Why?”
“To show you I’ve never forgotten you. Leaving you is the only thing in my life I regret. Can we go back in time, just for tonight and be those two people who were so crazy for each other?”
Eden fought a wave of tears. Dammit. She should tell Billy the truth. She wanted him the way he was now—the gentle, thrilling, demanding man he’d become and not the confused young man he’d been.
Before the end of the night she’d tell Billy how she felt about him. Before she found out his decision on the community center. Before she lost her nerve and let him walk out of her life again. “I’m still crazy about you, Billy.”
“Show me.”
His gentle caresses turned energetic. Mouths, which had teased with slow, deep, wet kisses, became frantic. When Billy pulled his lips away, Eden whimpered and tried to reconnect their hunger.
“No. I want to do this right. We have all the time in the world.” He opened his hot mouth on the tender skin beneath her jaw line and sucked.
She allowed him this fantasy and repeated the words she’d said that night at the Motel 6. “Make love to me.”
Billy studied her face, his blue eyes filled with longing. Slowly, too slowly, his deft fingers peeled the silky material off her shoulders and down her arms. Breathing unevenly, his hands clenched on her hips, he merely stared at her.
Her skin tightened, spreading the aching, needy feeling throughout her body. “You gonna gawk at me all night?”
“Maybe.” He tugged until her one-piece outfit slithered to the carpet. Clad in black bikini panties and a black demi-bra, she shifted on the knee-high spike-heeled black leather boots and kicked her clothes away.
“Should I call you ‘Mistress Eden’ in that get-up?” One blunt finger traveled from the hollow of her throat to the dip in her navel, sending waves of heat rippling across her skin. “Or should I ask if you have a cat-o’-nine tails hidden in your purse?”
“Seems you’re well-acquainted with pleasure tools. Got some bondage fantasies, Mr. Buchanan?” she murmured silkily.
“Only with you. Next time, leave the boots on, but for now, take them off. I want to feel nothing except your skin on mine.”
Eden sensed Billy’s control had stretched to a thin line. She sought to shatter it.
She swiveled her hips, bracing her hands on the back of the couch. With her back flattened, her ass curved up in blatant enticement. Exposing the dampness between her thighs was like waving a red flag in front of a bull, but she did it anyway. Glancing over her shoulder, she wet her lips. “A little help removing the boots? I’m having a hard time catching my balance.”
“I’m having a hard time catching my breath.” Next thing she knew, Billy slung her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold and was striding to the bedroom like his feet were on fire.
She squealed, “Billy!” when he sharply smacked her ass.
“You definitely need to learn submission.” He tossed her on the bed and yanked her boots off. Darkness disappeared as he lit the candles lined up on the nightstand.
She melted as easily as candle wax when faced with his romantic side. “Maybe I’m dominant. I like being on top.”
“You’ll get your chance later. For now,” he started to unbutton his dress shirt, “you get to be on the bottom.”
Soon as he was naked, Billy swept the bedding to the floor. Eased her panties off, unhooked her bra. In one graceful move he tumbled them both to the mattress, her underneath him.
The coolness of the cotton sheets on her back exaggerated the feverish feeling of his heated skin on hers. She couldn’t help the small shudder of anticipation.
“Cold?” he asked, smoothing tangles of hair away from her face.
She shook her head.
His hand looked enormous drifting down her body, so capable of exacting pleasure as it skimmed over her beaded nipples, past the indent of her navel to disappear between her legs.
Her breath caught.
Billy didn’t stop his indolent caresses as he pressed his lips to the delicate skin below her ear. His middle finger slid inside her sheath. He made circles inside her, lazily licking down her throat. “I want you nice and wet. Open and ready for me.”
Eden wriggled her hips higher to meet his rhythmic strokes when he added another finger. With a hint of steel in her voice she clamped down on her internal muscles, trying to pull his fingers deeper and said, “I am ready.”
“Not yet.”
With his continual attention to her clit, an orgasm rocketed through her. She moaned his name as every region of her pelvis contracted in pulsing billows that didn’t end until he gently withdrew his hand.
A condom package rustled. Billy spread her thighs wide.
“Eden. Look at me.”
She focused on those serious blue eyes as his body covered hers.
The scent of Billy, vanilla candles and sweet flowers surrounded her, making her dizzy. “You’re smashing my corsage.”
“Forget it.” Billy’s hips pressed forward and he slipped just the head into her opening. “The only thing I want you thinking about is me.” He kissed her. “About us.” He kissed her again, longer, sweeter. “How if we’d done this years ago I wouldn’t have had the guts to leave you.” He thrust inside her completely.
Their joining was as tangled as Eden’s emotions, fierce one minute, tender the next. And when neither could hold back any longer, he whispered, “With me, Eden, always with me.”
They came together in a molten rush.
As she lay crushed beneath Billy’s spent body and the weight of his words, she knew losing her job paled in comparison to losing this man.
Chapter Sixteen
Billy snored like a damn freight train.
At first, Eden was amused by the escalating snuffles. With his arm firmly wrapped around her waist and her body tucked against his, she couldn’t move and she couldn’t get back to sleep. She lifted his arm and rolled away, hastily jamming the pillow in her empty spot.
Billy didn’t notice.
She snagged his shirt off the floor and buttoned up while creeping from the room.
Moonlight beamed through the skylight in the hallway. The ceiling fan above the dining room table whirred softly and the