“So Lachlan obviously came on the scene after I left?”
“Yep, the year after I finished college. Met him out one night in the city, it was the accent that shot straight into my panties, and it stayed there for two years before he decided to go back to Australia without a word or even a fucking note.”
Ashlyn’s face dropped and the tough exterior she portrayed to the world slightly shattered with the brief quiver of her lip.
“Josh seems to be pretty upset about it,” I probed, trying to encourage her to dish out what was going on.
“So he fucking should,” she spat in response.
Josh was clearly a touchy subject. We fell into silence, and I swirled the glass and the vodka swished in front of me. I was so tempted to throw back the vodka, but I knew that would be a mistake. For far too long alcohol was my best friend, my mind and body numbing sanctuary. Thank fuck my parents didn’t see me then. I drank so much that all I had the ability to do was drink, pass out, and repeat. The first six months with Tori was spent in my bedroom, shielded by an oversized comforter and a bad relationship with vodka. It worked. I forgot about Jeremy; I forgot the feeling of his breath on my neck as he pounded relentlessly inside me without remorse; I forgot about the feeling of being torn and destroyed at the hands of another. I simply forgot. It was easier that way. I continued to focus on the vodka in front of me as I sunk into the depths of my memories; I was becoming that girl again, the girl who I had worked too long to forget. I couldn’t let Ashlyn see that girl. I didn’t want anyone to know that girl.
“Eden!” Ashlyn’s loud voice shattered my haze. I lifted my gaze and found her worried eyes staring back at me. Fuck. I forced a smile and shook my head. “Where did you go?”
“Sorry, got lost for a minute there.” I leaned over placing the glass on the coffee table in front of me. “So, how about it? Let’s get you cleaned up and back to Josh’s. Go in there and show Lachlan the confident, sassy, don’t give a fuck Ashlyn that I know and love. Don’t let any man make you feel like this. They don’t deserve it. This is why I am single.” I winked and stood from the couch, grabbing her empty glass from the table and taking them into the kitchen.
“If Ky has anything to do with it you won’t be single for long,” Ashlyn said softly. My head flew up at the sound of her words.
“We are just friends.” I nervously laughed.
“With benefits?” Ashlyn teased.
“He was very vocal when he said he wouldn’t be touching me.”
“I call bullshit.”
••••
Twenty minutes later Ashlyn and I left her apartment and made our way back to Josh’s. Ashlyn’s confidence was back, roaring like a lioness ready to show Lachlan just who she was now. I knew there was more to their story than she was willing to divulge but I had no right to push. With a steady hand, Ashlyn opened the door and we stepped in. Who the hell were these people? Wasn’t this meant to be a quiet dinner? The first person I saw was Josh and his eyes smiled when he saw me and Ashlyn. He had a stunning blonde attached to his neck, and he looked like he was enjoying every minute. When he saw Ashlyn, he pushed the girl away and strode across the room with Ashlyn set in his gaze. Ashlyn grabbed my hand pulling me beside her.
“I am so fucking sorry Ashlyn, I didn’t know he would turn up. I thought he would be the bigger person and contact you. I had no fucking clue.”
“Where is he?” she asked sternly.
“In the kitchen.”
Ashlyn left without another word, taking off on her heel and strutting through the crowd with confidence in every step she took. My eyes traveled with her, and I watched as she stormed into the kitchen and stood directly in front of a tall, tanned guy with shorn blond hair whose body language eased the moment she gave him a reluctant hug.
“So I thought we were having dinner?” I joked, pulling my attention back to Josh. “A girl needs to eat you know.”
“You know what? I am going to get rid of all these people, order pizza, and then I’m going to get to know the girl who has made my brother weak at his knees.” His smile was so honest, but his words so unimaginable. “Could I be an ass and ask for another favor? Would you go and see Ky? I know he will be in his apartment stewing on this, and I know you’d be the only person who could get through to him.”
“Why me?”
“Oh Eden, you have no idea what you do to him.” He grabbed his key chain from the counter and slid off a silver key and handed it to me, folding my fingers over it to lock it in my palm. “Here is his key. I know he won’t answer if you knock because he will be still pissed off that Lachlan is here. His apartment is on the fourteenth floor. Go and get him.”
Josh leaned in and kissed me lightly on the cheek while my head spun. I flipped over the key in my hand and sighed. Could I just got up to Ky’s apartment and let myself in?
The butterflies battling around in my stomach told me my answer.
Lachlan Johnson; one of my friends from college, my sidekick, my partner in crime, but also the asshole who broke and shattered my best friend’s heart into a million pieces. It had been two years since he pissed off back to Australia, and I’ve been trying to fix Ashlyn ever since. The moment I walked into Josh’s apartment and saw him, I felt every inch of my body scream bloody murder; my fist clenched at my sides and the urge to punch the fuck out of him was almost too much. In an instance, he made me forget all about the excitement I had for seeing Eden after being away for two days.
I was fast becoming aware that I was reliant on seeing Eden smile. If she smiled, I knew I was doing something right, and this crazy idea wasn’t just some fucked-up plan. Even though she hid behind so many walls, and there were so many layers of Eden Rivers, she still completely grabbed my attention. She didn’t care about what she looked like, what people thought of her, or how the simplest of things like playing twenty questions for two hours straight while sitting in my aunt’s diner allowed the prettiest smile to completely take over her face.
For the past two days I had been stuck in Los Angeles meeting with the board members of Anderson Publications and catching up with Simon Davenport. The majority of my time, however, had been spent thinking of a pretty little brunette on the other side of the country, the same pretty little brunette that I swear to fucking God had flirted with me, mentioning the red jacket that I loved in the last text she had sent me. If she was there in that jacket, all bets were off.
I buzzed with anticipation on my way to Josh’s apartment, but then I was dealt with a blow to the balls when I walked in to find Lachlan and Ashlyn embroiled in a screaming match in the middle of his living room.
It more often than not shitted me to tears just how well Josh could read me, but tonight I was thanking my lucky stars that he could. The moment he saw my reaction to Ashlyn and Lachlan he pulled me away before I had the chance to do or say anything that I was sure I would have regretted. I fled Josh’s apartment and sought solace in my apartment. The thought of what Lachlan had done still ate at me. He up and left without a fucking word. Just left and went back to Australia, pissed off to kangaroo land and didn’t give two shits about the girl he left in his wake. How could someone do that—especially to someone like Ashlyn?
As I stood by the window, it felt like the weight of the world had landed forcefully on my shoulders. Knowing that Ashlyn was hurting, that Lachlan was back, and the confusion of my feelings for Eden took over all my thoughts.
“I thought you’d have the penthouse apartment.”
I stiffened at the sound of her voice, tension quickly invading my body. The soft, angelic voice of Eden Rivers filled every inch of me. I slowly turned around until a nervous looking Eden standing by the front door came into view. Fuck me, she was wearing the red jacket. As if she read my mind, she raised her hand and waved the key toward me showing how she got access to my apartment. She placed the key on the bench and then moved effortlessly as she made her way across the living room toward me, her eyes never leaving mine. I
stood completely silent, still trying to comprehend having her in my apartment.
“I’m not that big of an asshole. I gave the penthouse apartment to the maintenance guy and his family. He’s the one who runs this place,” I admitted when I found my voice, my gaze following her until she stood beside me.
I shifted my gaze and took in the city before me. I was in a shit mood, and she didn’t deserve to see me like this. Hell, no one deserved to see me like this. What could I possibly say when all I was thinking about doing was punching my friend in the face? We stood in silence, which I knew I wouldn’t break.
“I thought we were having dinner tonight?” her soft voice asked.
I turned to face her. Her wide blue eyes searched my face for an answer; a worrying frown framed her beautiful face. She barely wore a trace of makeup, her natural beauty refreshing and way too enticing. If true perfection existed, its form now stood right in front of me.
“I can’t be there,” I finally answered.
“Why not? Why don’t you come to dinner for me, for Ashlyn, for Josh?” Her tiny hand fell to my arm shooting a searing spike of lust and need through my body. My eyes shot up to meet hers. Did she just feel that? An intense stare off began between us, and the tension that swirled in the air ignited even the darkest of hearts. I tried with every muster of my strength to tear my gaze from her, but I was completely locked in. My breathing stilled as her eyes dropped to my lips and then back. It was the first time she had looked at me like this. “I want you to be there.” Her voice was thick with what I hoped was anticipation.
That was all it took, one simple look, one flutter of her eyelashes and my reserves slammed down in a burning heap and everything I had promised her faded into ashes. I could no longer resist the urge to touch her. I craved the contact of her bare skin against mine. I needed to taste every inch of her tempting body that I had secretly craved from the first moment I laid eyes on her. It was like a wild animal had taken residence over my body, and I needed to feast. I needed to own. I needed to prey.
“Eden I need to touch you. I know I said I wouldn’t but I’ve never needed anything as much as I need this. My mouth needs to fuck your body, my tongue needs to taste every inch of what I’ve dreamed of.” I stepped toward her so I was almost touching her. “You have about five seconds to tell me to fuck off.”
The sound of her sharp inhale and the glimmer of hesitation flashing before me were swallowed as pure lust took over her. My hands gripped her hips pulling her body hastily against mine. I knew she felt my excitement the moment a deep gasp escaped her throat. My face fell to the confines of her neck, my lips touching her skin, and I breathed her in. My memories went into overdrive, and I basked in everything that was Eden Rivers. Soon enough I was drunk on the scent of the sweet perfume mixed with the coconut shampoo that had become my most favorite scent in the world. Her arms wrapped tightly around my waist holding me in perfect sync with her body.
As if music was flooding the room around us, we began to sway in the silence, my face never leaving her neck. With a soft touch, my greedy mouth began its mission. My lips left a trail of kisses along her collarbone; my tongue darting out to take pleasure in the taste of her sweet skin. This was completely surreal. Her head fell to the side as her hands gripped my shirt begging for closeness. What I thought would be frightfully intense once I had my first taste was nothing compared to what was happening now. This was different. This was comfort. This was intrigue. This was patience.
My fingers dipped below the fabric of her tank top and shots of electricity bolted through my body as my fingertips met the warmth of her skin. She turned her face, and I felt her eyes on me. I pulled my lips away from her neck to face her and watched as her eyes narrowed in on my lips.
“Why aren’t you scared of me Eden?” I whispered as the ability to find my voice was almost non-existent.
“I don’t know,” she breathed out, “and that’s what scares me, not you.”
“Do you really want this?” Why the fuck would I ask something like that?
“There is so much about me you don’t know Ky.” Her eyes fell to the floor, and it was at that moment I knew I wouldn’t have her tonight—that I had crossed the line—but it was what she said next that shocked me. “But what I know is that I am glad you came up with this crazy idea. Even if it’s just for a month I’ll take it. I don’t want you to keep being so considerate with me. I want you to tell me what you want; I want to have a month where I forget everything, where I can just be Eden of today and forget about the Eden of yesterday. If you can give me that, I can give you all of me.”
“I want Eden of today.” I grabbed her chin and made sure she was looking at me. “Do you realize how sexy you are? How much presence you have? I don’t think you give yourself the credit you deserve.”
“I don’t want to believe that. I don’t think of myself as that girl.”
“Well I’ll make sure I make you believe it.”
I released her body from my arms and sighed. My cock strained against my pants, but I knew he wouldn’t be unleashed tonight.
“So are you going to come to Josh’s or am I going by myself? I am starving and there was the promise of pizza,” Eden asked quietly as she nervously began twisting her hands.
“I need to shower first and I’ll think about it. I don’t want to see Lachlan,” I admitted.
“But you’ve already showered.”
“Oh Eden, you might be sexy as fuck but you are so damn naive. I need to shower because I need to take care of this.” I patted my straining pants, not caring about my honesty. I was pretty sure that after tonight, she could handle my newfound brutal honesty.
“Oh.” Her lips twisted into a slight smile. “So then you’ll come?”
Holy fuck! I completely lost it. My deep laughter engulfed my apartment. I hadn’t felt this carefree in fuck knows how long and here Eden was not even realizing what she was saying. Eden stood there watching me wide eye completely oblivious to what she had done or the effect she was having on me.
It was official; this girl was going to destroy me.
I stood in the hall, leaning against the closed door of Ky’s apartment completely buzzing. What just happened? The skin on my neck tingled from the feeling of Ky’s lips devouring me. This was too fast, this wasn’t me at all, and as I said to Ky, that was what frightened me but I wanted it. I pushed off from the door and practically ran to the elevator and went back to the thirteenth floor.
Ahh, there was peaceful silence when I stepped into the hall once the elevator had arrived. There was no loud music, no fleeing girl from Josh’s apartment, just pure untainted silence. I stood at Josh’s door and knocked softly and waited. The door swung open quickly and an amused Josh greeted me.
“Please never knock on my front door again. My door is always unlocked for you, pretty girl.” His eyes moved and looked over my shoulder. “Ky isn’t with you?”
“He is taking a shower, and he said he might come down later.”
“What the fuck did you do for him to need a shower?” Josh’s booming laugh caused my embarrassment to soar. “Come in pretty girl. Ashlyn and Lachlan are talking.”
I followed Josh through the apartment. It was similar to Ky’s but so much more like I would expect a bachelor to live. Blacks and red throughout, the biggest television I had ever seen graced the far wall, and a fully stocked bar took up one corner. Black and white artwork hung from the walls, my eyes instantly drinking the portraits in.
“I ordered dinner. I wasn’t sure what you liked so I ordered a few different pizzas from downstairs. I think it’s just going to be you, Ky, and me if that’s okay? I’m not sure what Ashlyn and Lachlan are doing.”
“Well it might just be me and you seeing your brother probably won’t come.”
Josh’s smirk filled the room. “Oh he would come if you let him.”
“Joshua, did you really just make a come joke?” My question shocked me.
“I did and I am sup
er turned on that you got it.”
I shook my head at his honesty and followed him toward the bar where I propped myself up on one of the bar stools. He had a damn good collection of alcohol on display. Seriously, could he be any more of a bachelor? He turned suddenly and stared at me like I had said the most shocking thing in the world when I actually hadn’t said a word. He remained there, staring at me, and immediately I thought I had something on my face or my mascara had run. The way he was looking at me didn’t scare me; it didn’t make butterflies appear in my stomach like his brother seemed to do; it didn’t make feel anything besides safety. What the hell was it with these Crawford brothers? First Ky and now Josh.
“Drink?” He finally broke and turned his back to me.
“Sure,” I choked out. “Um, can I just have a coke to start with?”
“Of course pretty girl. Anything you want.”
“Stop trying to chat up Eden.”
I jumped at the sound of seduction behind me. I didn’t even hear the front door open, but the feeling of Ky standing behind me sent shivers down my spine and I was caressed by the smell of his soap and aftershave. He moved so his chest was pressed against my back and dropped a kiss to the back of my head tenderly. Josh looked between the both of us wide-eyed and in shock before looking back at Ky.
“I don’t need to chat up anyone. They flock to me, to us, remember.”
“They flock? Really?” I scoffed and swung around on the bar stool so I was facing Ky. Josh moved from behind the bar and handed me my Coke before standing beside Ky. I sighed into my drink as I took in their attractiveness. “Are you telling me that you two have some crazy brother technique you use?”
Near identical smirks greeted me, and I swear I heard a snort from one of them. Josh spoke with such egotistical delight. “It’s called tag team, Eden.”
“Oh! My! God!” I shrieked loudly. Yes I might not be experienced with sex, but I had heard enough stories from Tori to know exactly what tag team meant. My eyes bounced between Ky and Josh who looked at me amusingly. “You two tag teamed girls?”
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