“I’m so sorry, no one should have to live through something like that.”
No one should. But I did. I have. So has Zeke.
I pull back away from him, suddenly feeling embarrassed and vulnerable for exposing myself this way.
His arm slips from my back and I hate myself a little bit for feeling disappointed.
I clear my throat. “So, while I avoided the water, Zeke threw himself into it all guns blazing. My dad left us when I was about fifteen years old. By the time I turned sixteen, Zeke had worked his way onto the pro tour and become my legal guardian. He was only twenty-three himself.”
“That’s pretty cool of him. I remember you being around back then, and then you disappeared. Where did you go?”
My stomach flutters at the fact that he noticed I was gone.
“I went and stayed with my aunty and uncle while I finished high school. Kinda seems like a waste of time now given I pose for photos for a living, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to have it completed.”
“Education is never a waste of time, Eden.”
I know he’s right. I won’t be young and pretty forever.
I’d love to go to college one day, but I still have no idea what I want to do with my life in the long run. When I was little, I dreamt of being a surfer like my mum, but that’s not going to happen now, and I’ve never really found myself a new dream to cling onto.
I can tell he has more he wants to say, but Zayne chooses that moment to run up the beach, shaking his wet hair at us – returning the favour to Jake.
“Hey! What did I ever do to you?” I squeal as he covers me in droplets of cool water.
“Sorry, Eden!” He giggles as he throws his wet body at his brother.
The admiration shining in his eyes reminds me of the way I looked at Zeke when we were growing up – the way I still look at him now for that matter – I owe my brother everything, and that’s why I let him get away with so much.
He’s earned the right to be a little overbearing – as much as it drives me insane.
“I better get back.” I glance up the beach.
I don’t know how long we’ve been sitting here, but everyone from the shoot is packed up and gone.
“Yeah, I’ve gotta get this little grommet back to Mum’s place anyway,” Jake tells me.
I get to my feet and brush the sand off me.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asks me, his tone gentle.
“You will indeed.” I smile at him. “It was nice to meet you, Zayne.”
Zayne gives me a wave and a grin.
“Eden,” Jake calls after me as I start to walk away.
I turn back and look at him in question.
“Thanks for talking to me.”
Butterflies flutter in my stomach again.
“Thanks for listening.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jake
“That was great today, you two – seriously, a much better connection than yesterday. I got some nice shots.”
She holds the camera out for me to look, and I can’t help but grin as she flicks through a few images.
Eden’s on my back in some of them, her grin wide and genuine. There’s others of her in my arms, or with her holding my board.
I’ve had her surrounding me for the past two hours and her scent is all over my skin.
Max was right – I’m so totally fucked.
Looking at her was never going to be enough.
I’m not even sure if I like the girl yet, but I want her anyway.
I like her a lot more after getting a glimpse into her past yesterday, that’s for sure – she seems a hell of a lot less like a precious little diva after finding out everything that she’s been through.
Because fuck, she’s been to hell and back – Zeke too. I’m not sure I’ll have it in me to taunt him after this – the dude lost both of his parents, and virtually became one himself all before his twenty-fifth birthday.
I can’t help but admire that.
I don’t want to imagine something happening to my mum, but if it did – there’s no way that Zayne would be going anywhere other than with me – no matter what changes that would mean for my life and career.
“I like that one.” Eden giggles as she points to one of me chasing her down the beach, my board tucked under her arm.
I chuckle. “Smart ass.”
I liked shooting that one too. When I caught her, it gave me the perfect opportunity to wrap my arms around her waist and stop her in her tracks.
I also really enjoyed holding her against my bare chest as she squirmed and giggled.
I think I might have enjoyed that too much if I’m being completely honest.
It was a little bit too easy to imagine having her pressed against me in an entirely different setting.
“Let’s call it a wrap for today, guys, I want to spend a couple of days editing these shots, and I’ll get in touch when I’ve picked a new location.”
She walks off and holds out the camera for her assistant to look at, they both start nodding excitedly as they discuss whatever the hell it is that photographers might discuss.
“C’mon, I’ll walk you up.” I tip my head in the direction of the beachside hotel that I know she’s staying in.
I stayed there too while the comp was on, but I’m checking out today and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so happy to see the back of a fancy hotel.
My place might not be much, but it’s home.
She smiles at me. “You tryna trick me into thinking you’re a gentleman?”
I chuckle and shake my head. “Trust me, precious, I’m no gentleman,” I say as I reach for her, resting my hand on the small of her back.
I probably shouldn’t be touching her, but after having my hands all over her in front of the camera, I’m dying to touch her again when we’re away from it.
“Stop calling me precious.”
“No can do, sorry.”
She mumbles something that sounds a lot like a string of curse words, and I chuckle.
“What are you going to do with your days off?” I ask her, and I’m surprised that I actually care what she’s going to say.
She shrugs. “I haven’t been to the gym in a while, and I’ve got a few books lined up to read.”
I can’t imagine her reading a book; she strikes me as more of a reality-TV kinda girl, but I’m not about to tell her that. I doubt it would go down well.
“What about you?” She looks up at me as she asks, and shit, she’s too pretty for words.
I swallow deeply as I try to remember how to form sentences.
“I ah… probably just surfing… be good to be back home for a bit.”
We’ve reached the hotel now, and she stops.
I reluctantly let my hand fall, brushing her ass as it does.
She raises a brow at me, and I chuckle. “Accidental ass brush, I swear.” I hold my hands up in surrender.
She giggles and wraps her arms around her bare midriff.
“So, you’re not staying here anymore?” she asks.
I’m not sure if I’m delusional or not, but she sounds a little disappointed.
I shake my head. “Nah, I own a place down the coast.”
She nods, and I’m definitely not imagining it this time. “Well… thanks for walking me up. I guess I’ll see you in a few days?”
She turns, smiles at me over her shoulder and walks towards the door.
“Shit,” I mutter to myself.
I don’t want to see her in a couple of days.
I want to see her now. I’m nowhere near done with her.
“Eden,” I call after her, and she stops, turning to look back at me.
“Do you want to see where I live?” I ask as I rub the back of my neck nervously.
I don’t know why I’m so on edge, this is far from the first time I’ve asked a girl to spend time with me, but it’s a first with this girl.
My breath gets lodged in my chest as I wait for her answer
, but when it comes, it’s the sweetest sound.
“Yeah, sure.”
***
“It smells like feet in here,” she says after a few moments.
I chuckle and push the button to make her window roll down so she can get some fresh air.
“I’m not so good with remembering to get wet gear out of the back.” I chuckle.
She picks up an empty McDonald’s cup from the floor next to her feet and screws up her nose at me.
I snag it from her hand and toss it in the back. “So maybe I’m not any good at cleaning, full stop.”
“There’s no maybe about it.”
She should just be grateful that she didn’t get in here when we first arrived. I hadn’t been inside my four-wheel drive in about three months and smelling like feet would have been a vast improvement.
I probably would have cleaned up for her if I’d thought this invitation through before offering it aloud.
I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing.
She’s coming to my house. Her brother would kill me for this simple act alone, and it would have nothing to do with the fact that I can’t do anything other than picture her in my bedroom.
“Is your house as filthy as this car?” she asks, and I can see amusement dancing in her blue eyes.
“I can’t go ruining the surprise now, can I?” I smirk as I flick my indicator on to turn left down the narrow road.
She eyes me curiously, but she’ll just have to wait and see.
Hopefully she’ll be as glad to get away from the hotel as I am.
I feel like I barely slept last night. I had all kinds of crazy dreams, ones involving Eden, Zeke, Zayne and me. My mum was there too, and we were all in the water.
It was bizarre. I don’t know how Eden sleeps at all after what she’s been through.
Zayne liked her – I could tell. He was all ‘Eden this’ and ‘Eden that’ when I drove him home. He told Mum everything about her over dinner and before I left, he patted me on the shoulder and told me that he was glad she finally decided to talk to me.
As far as seals of approval go – she just got the gold star.
Not that I have much of a shot of anything happening between us anyway.
We drive for a few hundred metres more before I turn left again, turning down a gravel driveway that runs parallel with the coast.
She sits up a little straighter and presses the button to put her window down further.
She takes a deep breath of the sea air. For someone who’s terrified of the ocean, she sure seems to enjoy watching it from a distance.
“You live right down here?” she asks.
“Yeah. I bought it about a year ago. It’s not much, but the location sold me before I even set foot in the house.”
We drive up a slight rise, and my place comes into view as we go back down the other side.
“There she is,” I announce.
“Wow,” she replies quietly.
I pull to a stop near the front door and kill the engine.
She smiles at me, and I don’t know who the fuck I think I’m kidding – I need her – no matter how off limits she is.
She climbs out of the SUV and I do the same.
I’ve got her here now, and I don’t have a clue what the fuck to do next.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Eden
I’m nervous and I don’t like it.
I don’t even know what possessed me to get in his big, grey four-wheel drive and come here – but like most of the bad decisions I make, I don’t think about the consequences until later.
He’s spent the past half an hour showing me the repairs and work he’s doing to his house, and what his plans are.
It’s incredible – or it will be when he’s finished.
To be honest, it could be a steaming pile of shit and I’d still be in love. He’s quite literally got the waves on his back-door step. Sand comes right up to the porch.
He lives on the freakin’ beach.
I don’t know why any of this surprises me.
Maybe it’s because he’s surprising me.
He’s still cocky and full of himself with his comments, but there’s a genuineness there that I’m not accustomed to.
He’s touching me all the time too – ever since the shoot this morning, it’s as though he can’t help himself and I don’t know why, but I don’t have any desire to make him stop.
He’s shown me another side to him these past few days, and I hate how much I like it.
“So, you just live here and surf all day?” I run my hand over the rail of the surf board he’s got sitting on a bench in his shed. “What a life.”
He doesn’t answer my question. “Zayne told me you used to surf.”
He moves closer to me, so close that I can feel the warmth radiating from his body onto mine.
“I did,” I say with a nod, without turning to look at him.
“I hate that you felt you had to give it up.” And there it is again… that genuineness that makes me uneasy.
I shake my head, one small, short movement. “Don’t be. I was just a kid. It wasn’t my whole life or anything.”
“Bullshit,” he says, his voice gravelly.
I feel him sweep my long blonde hair over my shoulder so it trails down my back.
I shudder as he runs his fingers down the length of it.
He leans, and I can feel his breath against my ear. “You’ve got the ocean in your soul, Eden.” His shaggy hair is tickling my shoulder and I can feel the goosebumps breaking out on my arms.
I should step away.
I should get far, far away from this dangerous boy.
I should do anything other than tilt my face up over my shoulder to meet his, but instead I do exactly that.
His mouth is right there.
He leans in, teasing me with his closeness, and just when I think he’s going to bring his lips to mine, he pulls back a fraction, running the tip of his nose against mine instead.
“Why can’t I get you out of my mind, Eden?” he growls.
I shake my head. I can’t think of anything but how close he is, and how badly I want him to get even closer.
He turns me around slowly, so my front is pressed against his.
This is dangerous territory, forbidden territory even, and I must be a terrible person, because that only makes it more exciting.
I press my hands against his chest which is, as per usual, bare, and revel in the feeling of his warm skin under my palms.
“You make me crazy,” I whisper.
“You’re so fucking sexy.”
His green eyes meet mine and my insides turn to mush along with whatever was left of my resolve.
I shouldn’t want this man, but the reality is, I do.
I really fucking do.
I close the gap between us, rising up on my toes to meet his waiting lips.
I moan as his mouth moulds to mine.
His hands are on my hips in a flash as he kisses me like he’s never tasted anything as sweet.
He pulls back, sucks in a few deep breaths and then he’s back, his tongue in my mouth and his heart thumping against mine.
I’m on fire, and burning has never felt so good.
His strong arms wrap around me and he lifts me onto the bench, right on top of his board.
He pushes his way between my legs, his mouth never leaving mine.
Something so wrong shouldn’t feel so right.
He drags my bottom lip between his teeth as I swear, my whole body shudders.
“I’ve wanted you for so long,” he murmurs against my lips, and it sparks a memory in my brain of Zeke telling me that Jake has wanted to get into my pants ever since I came back on the tour.
And here I am handing it to him on a silver platter.
I freeze.
He’s kissing my neck and I almost cave, it feels so good.
“Jake,” I try to say, but it comes out like a moan rather than a sign for him to sto
p.
I don’t even know when it happened, but his hands are under my singlet top, his fingers brushing my bare skin.
“Jake,” I say again, and this time it has the desired effect.
“What’s wrong, precious?”
I hate the way he says the name, there’s no arrogance there this time, he’s not taunting me – it’s as though he truly thinks of me as something precious.
I really am deluded.
“We can’t do this,” I whisper as his eyes search mine.
“Why the hell not?”
“My brother for one… the fact that we don’t even like each other is another pretty good reason.”
“I mean this in the nicest way possible, precious, but fuck your brother. I don’t give a shit what he thinks.”
“I do,” I whisper. “I care what he thinks.”
Hurt flashes in his eyes, before they harden. “You’re going to let him stop you from getting something you want?”
“Who said I wanted you?” I raise my chin in defiance.
He chuckles darkly. “You don’t have to say the words aloud to make something fact.”
“You just want to get me into bed,” I say, and I hate the vulnerability that seeps through in my voice.
He takes one hand from my body and runs it through his hair in frustration.
“I’m not going to lie to you, Eden. I’ve been thinking about all the ways I could fuck you for a long time now, but I’ve never acted on it… not until now… but after the other night, I can’t help myself – you intrigue me when I want nothing more than to pretend you don’t exist.”
I don’t know what to say to that. It’s compliments wrapped up in insults, and I can’t figure out if I should push him away or pull him closer.
My head knows what I should do – run – but my body is betraying me, and the butterflies in my stomach are pleading with me to stay.
“I’ve had a taste now, precious, and I don’t want to give you up. You taste too fucking sweet.”
“What about Zeke?”
“He’s not really my type.” He grins wickedly.
I can’t help the laugh that falls from my lips. “You’re terrible.”
“You’re so tempting, Eden.”
Mr. May: A Forbidden Love Romance (Calendar Boys Book 5) Page 7