by Maya Banks
pounds.”
He snorted as he took in her flawless figure. “You look fucking perfect the way you are.”
Her cheeks bloomed with color and she smiled again and that squeezing sensation in his chest grew, threatening to close off his throat. Jesus, but this woman was death on men. The entire male species, no doubt. She likely had them all throwing themselves at her feet, humbling themselves for just a crumb from her. A smile. Or just a few words. He should know because he was precariously close to being one of those men.
“But order whatever you want,” she added quickly. “It’s not going to bother me for you to eat something more hearty. You’re a big guy. I’m sure you need the calories. Besides, I’ll live vicariously through you and at least get to smell whatever you eat.”
He frowned. “Do you ever get to eat like a normal person?”
She looked puzzled. “Of course. I mean it’s normal for me. I just have to watch what I eat. The camera is unforgiving and adds pounds, so I have to compensate for that. I do splurge from time to time, but this shoot is too important to risk even one extra pound. When it’s over I’ll celebrate with a nice big steak.”
“I’ll take you out for one,” he blurted out before realizing he was in essence asking her out on a date.
Her smile grew bigger, a dimple forming in her cheek and fascinating him. He wanted to run his tongue over it. And a whole lot of other places on her body.
“I’d like that.”
“I’ll, uh, just grab the room service menu,” he mumbled.
“Why do I make you so nervous, Swanny?” she asked softly.
Their gazes connected and he forced himself not to look away, not to avert the scarred side of his face as he was so accustomed to doing.
Betraying heat crept up his neck and into his face. She’d been nothing but honest with him, so he could be no less with her. “You scare me to death,” he admitted.
Her eyes widened. “I do?”
She sounded shocked, and he supposed it did sound absurd. He protected people for a living. Carried out missions that required courage and strength. He was tested on a daily basis and yet he’d just admitted that he was scared shitless by a woman half his weight. A woman whose bones he could break if he wasn’t careful. His hands were big like the rest of his body. Not meant for a woman as delicate as Eden. They were a true study in Beauty and the Beast. And he wasn’t a believer in fairy tales. He saw too much reality in his line of work. Knew there were too many unhappy endings to believe in too much goodness.
And yet he worked for an organization that prevailed in goodness and justice. For KGI—and him—failure simply wasn’t an option. But here he was throwing in the towel before the very start. What a fucking pussy that made him.
“If I promise to behave, will you at least have dinner with me?” she asked, her eyes sparkling again.
He grinned crookedly. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
She arched an eyebrow. “You’d like me to behave myself or you’d like to have dinner with me?”
He laughed this time. “Has anyone ever told you how incorrigible you are?”
“And how neatly you avoid the question. You’re very good at that, you know.”
“I’d like to have dinner with you. Whether you behave or not,” he added.
“I wouldn’t turn down a teeny bite of your steak, that is, if you’re having one,” she said, a look of longing in her eyes.
“A filet sounds really good,” he admitted.
She pulled a face. “Now you’re just being mean. That’s my favorite steak.”
“Then I’ll make sure I order one and save you two bites. I can’t think one extra will hurt.”
She donned a thoughtful expression. “On second thought, order me a salad, no dressing. Then I can have those two bites.”
“You got it.”
He went to where the room service menu was laid on one of the tables and then called down their orders while Eden disappeared back into her room.
He felt her absence immediately. It was as though she took the sunshine with her, as corny as that sounded. But she just brightened any room she was in. He could honestly just stand in the same room with her and watch her. Could spend hours doing it. She was . . . genuine.
He felt guilty for the assumptions and accusations he’d levied at her. He’d acted like a first-rate dick and she hadn’t deserved that from him. For whatever reason she seemed to genuinely like him—was attracted to him. And he was a dickless twit who didn’t comprehend the magnitude of what this beautiful woman was offering him. Herself.
She’d asked for nothing in return. No hidden agenda. What could he offer her anyway? He couldn’t think of a single ulterior motive she could possibly have for pursuing him, nor could he imagine why she wanted him. But as the saying went, he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Nor would he spend time questioning it.
If she wanted him, then he was damn well going to give her what she wanted. Just as soon as he figured out when and how.
CHAPTER 13
SWANNY felt horribly guilty for eating the succulent steak right in front of Eden. He didn’t miss the longing in her eyes or the fact that her mouth was practically watering as he savored the perfectly cooked meat.
He’d never considered the sacrifices models had to make. He supposed he’d always assumed they were just naturally perfect and blessed with great genes and could eat whatever and never have to worry about weight gain.
But as they’d waited on dinner, Eden had explained her workout regimen, her diet restrictions and the arduous-sounding skin and hair care routine. It had to be exhausting. Add on to that the sometimes sixteen-hour days shooting and it sounded like hell to him. And yet she’d cheerfully listed her routine as if it were perfectly normal to work herself into the ground and carefully measure her caloric intake.
It was obvious that she made a lot of sacrifices for her career, and his respect for her grew the more they conversed. He was well aware of the stereotypes associated with supermodels. But so far Eden didn’t fit any of the negative assumptions so often assigned to women in her career.
He was as guilty of those assumptions as other people. He’d never considered the work involved in modeling and just assumed that it was a cakewalk and that all models were spoiled divas who were catered to and had their every whim granted. That beyond the practiced, polished exterior presented to the camera was a bitchy, completely fake personality.
Eden was quickly dissuading him of those notions, and he felt ashamed that he’d ever given any credence to those thoughts.
He cut off two large slices of the steak and laid them on Eden’s plate next to the bowl that contained her salad. Her eyes widened but her mouth was watering as she stared down at them.
“That’s too much,” she said with a groan. “But man, I want them.”
“Eat up,” Swanny encouraged. “I’ll get you up early and go down to the fitness center with you so you can work off those two bites before your shoot.”
She smiled warmly at him, and his chest did that weird seize that seemed to occur with more frequency the longer he was around her. “I’d like that,” she said, her eyes glowing softly. “Micah and David usually worked out with me, and believe me, they were grueling taskmasters! But I have to admit, they whipped me into better shape and they also taught me self-defense moves.”
Swanny had to work to keep the scowl from forming on his face at the mention of the other two men. Hell, he’d take over any self-defense training. Him and only him, for that matter.
“You can show me your moves,” he said, pushing away the jealousy that threatened to choke him. “I can always work with you when we have the time.”
Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Why, Swanny, if you keep this up I’m going to think you actually want to spend time with me.”
“I think we’ve established the fact that I like spending time with you,” he said in a quiet tone. “I worried about getting in way over my head, but if
I’m going to be honest, I think I’m already there.”
Pleasure spread over her pretty features, her cheeks dusty pink. “I’m glad I’m not the only one then,” she said huskily. “I’m not some vamp on the make here, Swanny. I need you to know that. If you weren’t . . . special . . . then I wouldn’t be in this room with you. I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to put myself out there the way I did and risk rejection. It wasn’t easy. I don’t want to make a fool of myself.”
Swanny’s heart softened as he saw the honesty and sincerity shining in her eyes. The idea that he had the power to hurt this woman utterly baffled him. He was going to have to pull his head out of his ass and do everything in his power to assure her that her attraction was not one-sided and that he had no intention of rejecting her or rejecting anything she offered him.
“I’ve handled all of this badly,” Swanny said, allowing his remorse to bleed over into his words. “And I’m sorry for that, Eden. You have to understand, this is new to me. And just as you said it wasn’t easy for you, it’s definitely not easy for me either. The idea that a woman like you has any interest in me . . .” He broke off and shook his head, still bewildered by it all.
She slid over on the couch so her left knee touched his right knee where he sat in the armchair diagonal to the sofa, their dinner spread out on the coffee table. She slid her hand up his leg, gently giving him a squeeze.
It wasn’t a sexual move and yet his entire body went on alert the moment her heat seeped through his jeans. He felt every part of her touch. It burned a trail up his leg, ending where her hand came to rest and where she left it as she looked up at him.
“Any woman who doesn’t see you as I do is a fool,” she said in a determined voice. “I don’t say things I don’t mean, Swanny. Not even to make someone feel better. I think you’re beautiful and I’m very attracted to you. I don’t go around blurting out stuff like that to men I don’t know. Or men I do know, for that matter,” she amended. “So this is definitely new territory for me, and it’s a little scary because you could so easily hurt me. And I’m not saying that to make you feel any obligation to give me something you don’t want. I just need you to understand that to me you’re something special. Maybe I don’t know everything about you. Yet. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to learn. I’d like to think I at least have a chance with you.”
This was a dream. An elaborate fantasy that he’d wake up from any moment now. He stared at Eden, knowing it was his turn to lay it out. That it had taken a lot of courage for her to be so forthright. He owed that back to her. But his tongue felt heavy and he couldn’t form the words. His throat felt like it was closing in on itself.
Her eyes flickered, that same brief hurt he’d witnessed before, and she started to withdraw, pulling her hand away. Goddamn it, he wasn’t going to do this to her again. He had to get with the program and start talking now.
He caught her hand, holding it tightly in his much larger one. It was a fascinating contrast, her tiny bone structure compared to his much larger frame. She had a delicateness to her that fired his protective instincts. Like if he didn’t handle her with infinite care, he could break her—hurt her—and he’d die before ever causing her a moment’s pain.
And yet that was precisely what he was doing by his boneheadedness. He was hurting her. Just not physically. A woman would only put herself out there so much before she gave up, and damn it, he didn’t want her to give up on him. He had to get his shit together and man up and quit acting like a moron who’d never been with a woman.
“I don’t pretend to understand what you could possibly see in me,” he said hoarsely. “I can’t even wrap my head around it. God only knows I have nothing to offer you.”
“I only want one thing, Swanny,” she said gently. “You. Just you.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
She shrugged. “It is. I mean, it can be as simple or as difficult as we make it. I don’t know how to make you understand that my feelings are sincere. I know you don’t trust me yet. But I do trust you.”
“I’ve done nothing to deserve it or you,” he said bluntly. “I’ve been a complete asshole and I’m sorry, Eden. You have no idea how sorry I am to have hurt you twice now. You deserve so much more than me.”
Her lips quivered into a faint smile. “You’re repeating yourself, Swanny. You keep saying the same things. Stop analyzing why and figure out if you want me as much as I want you. That’s the only real issue here. Everything else can be worked around.”
“Hell yes, I want you,” he bit out. “I can’t think for wanting you. You’ve consumed my thoughts since the very first time I saw you walk into that hotel room where we met.”
Her smile broadened and delight formed in her eyes. “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Finally!”
He sighed. “I’m not normally such an idiot. I’m not stupid. Except when it comes to you, apparently. But you have this effect on me that I can’t even explain. I keep asking myself, why me? What does a woman like you possibly see in me?”
She leaned forward and cupped a hand to his scarred cheek, lightly caressing the ridges and the puckered skin. “You keep saying ‘a woman like me,’ but turn that around for a minute. Don’t you think I’m asking myself what a man like you could possibly see in me? You’re a hero. You’re a survivor. You help people for a living. You put your life on the line for others, and that takes a very special person to be that selfless. What could you possibly want with a woman who makes her living selling her looks and her body? You’re paid to save lives, and I’m paid to look pretty and sell a product. So who’s the better person here?”
The way she very matter-of-factly levied her opinion of him blew his mind. Whether he agreed with her assessment or not, it was evident that she was absolutely sincere in her thoughts and her analysis of him and his character. He felt like a complete fraud. Because he felt that what she was seeing or what she thought she saw was not the real Swanny.
Whatever lens she viewed him through was faulty. Was she merely temporarily infatuated with him? Perhaps intrigued by him? And what would happen when she realized that he wasn’t all she seemed to think he was?
He’d prefer never to become involved with her rather than to become emotionally and physically involved with her only to see the way she viewed him change and to see the light dim in her gaze when she looked at him and really saw him for what he was. Flawed. Far from perfect. Still dealing with the demons of his past and the shame over his weakness during his captivity and how very close he came to giving up. The physical scars were certainly no cakewalk, but worse were the scars no one could see. The ones he could feel, ones that would always be there inside him, a stain on his soul.
And yet she sat there, mere inches away, looking earnestly at him as she asked what a man like him would see in her. Her. He couldn’t even wrap his brain around that kind of question. She deserved so much more than what he could give her. She deserved a man who didn’t come with the baggage he carried.
When he still hadn’t answered her question—how could he?—she straightened slightly and gazed steadily at him, her lips firming with . . . resolve? And yet her voice was silky soft, as sweet as the rest of her and so fucking beautiful that it hurt to look at her, to listen to the musical tones of her voice.
“I’m not asking for anything you can’t or don’t want to give me, Swanny. And if you don’t want this, if I’m completely off base here, then just tell me and I swear to you I’ll never mention it again. I’ll back off and all I’ll be is a job to you and I’ll room with Skylar from now on. All I want is for you to give me—us—a chance. To just go with the flow and see where this—whatever this is between us—takes us. But the ball is in your court now. I can’t make you want me. I wouldn’t want to make you feel anything you didn’t on your own. That’s not ever the reason I want a man to be with me, because I pressured him for something he didn’t willingly give me on his own.”
Left unsaid but perfec
tly understood by him was that this was his last and only chance. If he didn’t make the next move, then she was done reaching out to him. It was a hell of a spot to be in. Scared to death to make a move and at the same time knowing that if he turned her away he’d regret it for the rest of his life. That he could very well be missing out on the best thing to ever happen to him. Even if his time with her was short lived and in the end they walked away and never saw each other again.
His courage had been tested countless times and he’d never felt as though he’d failed. But courage came in many variations and situations. He realized that to reach out and take what Eden was offering would be the toughest test of his courage he’d ever face. To allow someone inside him, where he allowed no one else. To let her see inside his heart and soul and trust that she wouldn’t run as far away and as fast as possible once he did let her see what he hid so effectively from everyone else.
The easy way out would be to simply tell her no. That he didn’t want to become involved and that they shouldn’t. His job was to protect her, not to be fucking her, though he knew the minute he took her to bed, she would become his number one priority and that anyone trying to get to her would have to go through him in order to do so.
But nothing good was ever easy. Only a coward would take the path of least resistance and shut Eden out before he ever let her in. He wasn’t a coward, had never been a coward, and he damn sure wasn’t going to start being one now.
She was right in that he didn’t trust her yet. Or perhaps he didn’t trust what she said she wanted. But she trusted him and it seemed the height of disrespect not to give her his trust in return.
“I don’t want you to go,” Swanny said in a soft voice. He hated how vulnerable he sounded even to his own ears.
“Then what do you want?” she asked, just as softly.
He leveled his gaze at her, determined to be as sincere as she had been. And as honest. He sucked in a deep breath and put it out there. The same thing she’d done for him. Made himself vulnerable, as vulnerable as she’d made herself by putting it all on the line. Her pride. Her courage. Her heart. Because damn it, he’d sworn to her that she was safe with him. That he’d protect her at all costs. And now he realized that his protection had to extend further because he had to protect her heart and soul as well as protect her from any physical threat.
With his next words he’d be committing himself wholly to keeping her safe. Even from himself and any hurt he might open her up to.
“You,” he said bluntly. “I want you.”
CHAPTER 14
EDEN sucked in her breath, almost dizzy with relief. But the practical side of her insisted that she make sure that he did want her and wasn’t just caving under pressure. She’d come on to him with all the finesse of a bull in rut, and he might have seen no other recourse than to wave a white flag of surrender.
And that wasn’t what she wanted. Yes, she wanted Swanny. Was attracted to him in a way she’d never been attracted to another man. But she wanted him to want her in that same way without pressure.
“And why do you want me?” she asked softly, bracing herself for possible disappointment. “Because I don’t want someone who feels pressured. I know I’ve put you on the spot and have been . . . brazen . . . for lack of a better word. I want you, yes. I’ve certainly made that clear. But I want you to want me for the right reasons. I hope I’m making sense.”
His response was a low growl and then suddenly she found herself hauled from the couch and into his lap. She landed with a soft thud and he tilted her chin upward just before his mouth crashed down over hers.
He vibrated with want—need. It was impossible to fake. She could feel the erection straining at his jeans against her thigh.
He slid his tongue into her mouth, stroking and caressing, tasting her, allowing her to taste him. She let out a breathy sigh as she relaxed into his hold, his arms around her, anchoring her tightly to his body.
Such a muscled, strong body.
The kiss went on and on, their breaths mingling, until they were both panting between kisses as they sucked air into their starved lungs. She moaned from the exquisite sensations bombarding her. If she’d in any way imagined her attraction to Swanny, it was now confirmed. Her body leapt to life, every nerve ending painfully aware of the overwhelming desire singing through her veins.
Never had a man made her feel the way Swanny did. Never had she had the desire to go all the way. Something had always held her back. Now she knew why. Because she’d been waiting for Swanny. For a man to make her feel that she was safe, that he would take care of her completely.
Finally Swanny dragged his mouth away from hers. His eyes were half-lidded and heavy with desire.
“Now you tell me if it feels to you like I don’t want you. Or that you’re somehow forcing my attraction, because honey, it doesn’t work that way. I can’t fake my reaction to you. I can’t even look at you without wanting you. The only thing I’m struggling with is my belief that a woman in your class could possibly want me.”
She smiled, warmed by the sincerity she saw shining in his beautiful eyes. She lifted her hand to caress his scarred cheek, running her fingers lightly along the ridges. He didn’t flinch or try to turn away, a huge victory because it meant he was becoming more comfortable with her.
She touched him often, wanting to tell him without words that she wasn’t bothered by his appearance. She knew it would take time, but she wanted him to know without question that she wasn’t put off by his scars. Not in the least.
“To turn your words back on you, I can’t fake a reaction this strong. If you want an explanation I simply don’t have one. Some things just are, and for me that’s you. I struggle over the fact that we’ve known each other such a short time. I mean, it never seemed possible to me to have an instant connection with another person like I do with you. But it’s there. It was there from the start. There was something about you that just . . . drew me in. You’ll find this hard to believe based on the way I’ve come on to you, but this isn’t normal for me. I’m actually pretty reserved. I’m having my own share of bewilderment over my boldness because it’s not who I am, or rather who I was,” she said ruefully.
He nuzzled into her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. “I like your honesty. It’s refreshing. There’s no guessing with you. I like that a lot. You don’t play games. I don’t find your forthrightness to be bold or brazen at all. I like knowing where I stand. And let’s face it. If you’d waited for me to make a move, you’d probably have waited forever because I would have never imagined for a single moment that you’d want someone like me. It would have felt to me like reaching for the stars or wishing for the moon. I guess I needed a kick in the ass and you provided that nicely.”
She laughed, relaxing into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. There was nothing overtly sexual about their position, but she felt comfortable and intimacy surrounded them, pulling them into their own little cloud. The rest of