“You make him happy,” Josh whispered beside me. “Four years has been too long to watch my brother slowly destroy himself.”
His words hit me hard.
“Why has he been destroying himself?” I asked, lifting my head from his shoulder and moving to face him.
“It’s not my place to say, but what I can say is that you are giving him a second chance without even knowing it and no matter what the future brings, I will always be grateful to you for that, for however long it is.”
Josh was such a mystery. He went through women like I went through underwear, but beneath it all, he was the most loving and fragile man I’d ever met. His protection of Ky was paramount, like something I’d never witnessed before. They had the relationship that I would have loved to have if I had siblings; it was the type of relationship I would want for my children if I were to ever have them. He was the little brother but more often than not he stood up for Ky like the big brother.
“I’m meant to leave soon,” I admitted through a thick voice.
“Do you want to leave?”
“I can’t stay here Josh; I am scared every time I leave the house and now that Jeremy is somewhere out there, it just makes it worse.”
“What about Ky? It’s going to kill him when you leave. Fuck I’ve said too much.”
“Your brother has made me feel alive again Josh.”
“And you have made him live again.”
••••
“Thank you so much for a perfect day,” I said later in the night as I stood in the kitchen with Sue cleaning up the last of the dishes. “And thank you for my lovely gift. You really shouldn’t have.”
“Oh sweetie, it has been mine and James’ pleasure to have you here today. You make my boy happy; he has changed so much and it’s all thanks to you.” The smile looking back at me was so honest and identical to the one I often saw on Ky. “He is a good boy. He just has a lot of demons locked up in that pretty head of his, and he won’t let anyone get close enough to get rid of them, not even Joshy, but I can see it in the way he looks at you, the way he always needs to be near you, how he is smiling and laughing more than he has in four years. You are the one for him. He will let you in, but please just give him a chance to explain everything.”
“Mom, are you telling Eden embarrassing stories about me?” Ky voice echoed as he came waltzing into the kitchen. His mom’s words hit me square in the heart, and I had a billion questions to ask. Ky came up behind me and pulled me firmly into his chest. I molded perfectly against his protectiveness.
“No stories tonight, but the photos come out next time. How about you kids head upstairs and get some rest. It’s been a big day. I’ve put extra towels on your bed sweetie. I will see you both in the morning.” Her eyes bounced between Ky and me and the sweetest of smiles filled her face.
Sue Crawford left the kitchen and the moment she was out of sight Ky spun me around to face him and pushed me against the kitchen island.
“Bed?” Ky muttered against my lips before they gave me a quick sweet kiss. “I need some alone time with you. You’ve been very popular with my family today, and I’m a little jealous at the lack of Eden time I’ve had.”
“I’ve had a really good day. I’m glad your bossy ass made me come.” My arms squeezed around his middle and my chin rested on his chest as I looked up at him.
Like a thundercloud, his eyes darkened with mischief. “I haven’t made you come yet Eden.”
“Ky! We are in your parents’ home.”
His laughter bounced around the empty kitchen and soon I was dragged out of the kitchen, my hand in his, and we headed up the grand staircase. I hadn’t been up there yet and I was intrigued to see where Ky had spent his childhood. Ky squeezed my hand as we walked down the hall until we stood before a door that had a bright blue plaque that had Ky displayed proudly.
“Welcome to my childhood abode,” he said with a soft laugh and pushed open the door. With a flick of a switch, light illuminated the room, and I stood in the center taking it all in. Pale blue walls were graced with posters of sport stars and bands, a double bed sat in the middle of the room and a chest of drawers lined with trophies sat against the far wall.
It was almost like his parents had made no changes since he left home.
“You did so well today,” he whispered as he pulled me into his chest for a tight hug. “You’ve got to give yourself more credit.”
“You are a big reason for the new Eden you are seeing,” I admitted unashamedly.
The content expression on his face dropped suddenly as did his arms from my waist. It was a move I was becoming very well accustomed to. It seemed that anytime I said anything positive about him, he would shut down and feign indifference.
“I’ll grab you one of my shirts if you want to shower. I am pretty beat.” He stepped away from me, pulled open the drawers, and grabbed a t-shirt to hand it to me. I didn’t even bother talking, I simply heading toward the bathroom and locked the door behind me.
After showering I tiptoed back into the dark room highlighted only by the television. Ky was motionless in bed; his chest rose like it did when he was in a deep sleep and I sighed in defeat.
I climbed into bed and my earlier exhaustion I felt quickly left my body as I rolled to my side and looked out the window at the falling snow.
“You’re the first girl I’ve had in this bed,” Ky whispered into the darkness, and I jumped at his admission and felt my stomach drop.
I flipped over to face him and propped my head up with my hand. “You never had girlfriends?”
“I did but my mom and dad never let me have a girl in my room and definitely not in my bed. I told you that they would like you. They are letting you corrupt their son.”
My laughter was muffled as I dropped my mouth to his bare chest at the absurdness of his statement. His arm wrapped around my shoulders and his laughter fell against my hair.
“And I’ve never had a girl in here who I’ve liked as much as you.”
My heart stammered in my chest.
“I really fucking like you Eden Rivers.”
Through the light drifting in from the street lamp outside I saw a wicked look sweep over his face, a look I had witnessed so many times before.
“Remember when you were at the photo shoot and I asked you to be quiet. Can you do that again?”
My heart rate increased and instantly my core awoke. “Ky! Really? In your childhood bedroom with your parents down the hall?”
“I’m not going to have sex with you Eden.” He shifted his body down over my chest and my hips; his hot breath danced on my lower stomach as he pushed up my shirt. With strong hands he lifted my hips from the bed and slid my panties down my thighs until they sat beside me on the bed. “I am going to finally give you the Christmas gift I’ve wanted to give you all day.”
Oh.
Oh!
I reluctantly left Eden in bed after the most exhilarating morning sex of my life. Her body responded to my touch like I was the air in her lungs, like she needed it to survive. To say it didn’t stroke my ego would be a lie. A huge day was ahead of me, a day that would involve back to back meetings, lunch with Josh, and then organizing everything for the night I had planned with Eden.
Eden had officially gotten to me, and there was no way I could deny it any longer. She had squeezed her way so far into my heart that now I would be ruined for anyone else but I couldn’t be happier. What I was quickly learning was that there were no rules when it came to Eden and me, and that was what I cherished the most. We seemed to give each other what we needed, when we needed it.
And what I needed now was for her to stay.
Tonight I would ask her just that.
I needed her in my life—it was as simple as that. I had waited too many years for this moment and now that it was in my grasp I wasn’t letting it go. Tonight I would tell her everything. I would admit my fears, my insecurities, my reasons, and who I really was. Over the past week I had l
et myself completely fall for her, something I had tried desperately to stop. How was I going to be able to watch her leave? There was no way in hell that I would let her walk away from me. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend that.
My day progressed like a freight train. Back to back meetings took up every minute of my morning and it wasn’t until Josh walked through my door that I finally looked up from my laptop.
“Lunch!” he announced with certainty. “We are going out of the office, get your ass up.”
“Fuck me. Your panties in a knot baby brother?” I laughed and logged out then closed my laptop. I looked down at my phone and immediately opened my inbox.
Ky: My asshole of a brother is taking me for lunch. Are you in the city? We are heading to Sami’s for burgers if you are.
Eden: I am desperate for a burger but I’m on the island. Scouting some places for the final shoot before I finish the project. Enjoy lunch and I’ll see you tonight.
Ky: I have big plans for tonight.
Eden: Like what?
Ky: It’s a surprise but I am sure I’ll end the night between your thighs
Eden: You have a wicked tongue.
Ky: That’s what you said the other night.
“Are you finished having phone sex?” Josh mused from the door. I shot him a ‘fuck off’ look and slammed my phone into my pocket as we finally left the office.
I needed to talk to Josh about my plans. I knew he was the one person who would give me brutal honesty, and that was what I craved. We caught a cab across town toward our favorite burger joint. Sami’s had been our go to place for years.
The moment we walked in we were hit.
“The Crawford boys! Where have you been? Sami has missed you!” Sami was a boisterous Greek man who loved nothing more than kissing our cheeks every time we came to his diner and today was no different. He fussed over us both, ruffling our hair like we were kids, and the fact that we were twenty-four and twenty-six seemed to have been lost. “Go sit down, I’ll bring you your usual orders!”
We took our regular table toward the back and the usual chatter of the packed diner intensified. Sami’s was right on the river and one of those hidden jewels that only regulars and locals knew about. Black and white photos of icons from the fifties and sixties graced the off-white walls which complemented the red, white, and black trim and a jukebox that hadn’t worked for years sat in the far corner. When Josh and I needed downtime from the office, this was where we would have lunch.
Two Cokes were placed in front of us by Angelica, Sami’s even more boisterous and touchy feely wife. She moved beside the table, hands on hips and looked between Josh and me. Oh fuck, here it comes.
“When are you two marrying my girls?”
“Ky’s got a girlfriend, and you know me, I can’t settle down yet.”
Her shriek pierced my ears. “Baby, you’ve got a girlfriend?”
Oh yes, I should have mentioned my nickname is Baby and Josh’s is Toots.
Girlfriend.
Was she my girlfriend? We had everything in our lives that would suggest we were in a relationship. She was living at my apartment; she was in my bed every night; she was the first person I saw in the morning and the last person I saw at night, and I was having the best sex of my life. She took up my every thought and when I thought of the future I saw her face.
Girlfriend.
“I think I do Angie.”
Josh whipped around to look at me with surprised eyes as he tried to come to terms with my admission. Fuck, I was still trying to come to terms with it.
“Well she better know who she’s got Baby. I’ll go put in your regular orders. Double bacon and cheese for you Toots and Sami’s Special for you Baby, with extra cheese. I’ve missed you two.” Before she turned on her heel and rushed off in a tizzy, Angelica fell into a zone as she gazed over both of us.
“Well I was going to ask how things were with you and Eden but fuck me it seems like you are officially pussy-whipped. Ky ‘I’ll always be single’ Crawford has a girlfriend.”
“Things are as confusing as fuck yet like nothing I could imagine. I’ve fallen hard for Eden, and its scaring the fuck out of me.”
“Mom is going to be planning your wedding, I hope you know that.”
“Jesus, let me ask her to stay first.”
After an amazing burger, Josh and I headed back to the office. My mind was filled with thoughts of the upcoming night. After my chat with Josh, I was more determined than ever to make it perfect. I needed her to see that she was protected, that she was adored, and that she was wanted.
Opening up my laptop, I groaned as I saw the email icon flashing that I had fifty-four emails awaiting my attention. Scrolling through the spam, the stationary requests, and the proofs that needed approving, my eyes fell onto a name and subject that made me stiffen in anger.
Chris Edwards.
My hands shook with rage as I moved the mouse and hovered over the email. When would he fuck off? His constant presence reminded me of everything and everyone I wanted to forget, a period of my life when I was at my worst, a time when the world seemed to stop.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Secrets
Do you know where your sweet ass girlfriend is? Fuck I’d love to pound into her sweet pussy. She is sitting opposite me wearing this sexy pink top and her tits are just begging to be sucked on. Maybe after we have a little chat, I might take her back to my apartment, comfort her, and see what Jeremy saw in her all those years ago. You know, keep it in the family.
Secrets don’t stay hidden forever and in about two minutes all of your secrets will be unleashed upon the one person you didn’t want to know.
Fuck you Crawford.
No.
NO!
Everything was spinning so far out of control, and I didn’t have any ability to stop it. I had left it too late. My fear of the truth had got me into this mess and brought this to her. I knew as I stood in my empty office that the truth was being unraveled without me being there to explain. I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t be away from the one person who had captured my thoughts the first time I saw her, four years ago. I had to try. I had to do whatever I could to get to her.
I bolted out of my office and collided chest to chest with Josh. His panic face showed that he knew what was happening.
“I need to find her Josh,” I pleaded as we bolted out of the office giving no explanation to anyone who asked. “She can’t be near him.”
“Come on, give me your keys. Aunt Carole just called, she is at the diner,” Josh's calm voice demanded as we stepped into the elevator and headed to the underground car park.
I shoved my keys toward him, thankful that he was with me. I was quickly crashing over the edge and heading into the pits of my mistakes. It felt like the trip to the parking lot took forever and every second that passed felt like a lifetime. I was becoming agitated and anxious. I needed to get to her. My thoughts concentrated on Eden, how this would be frightening the hell out of her and how I wasn’t there to protect her.
I was failing.
Yet again.
I had loved this place. The diner was my safe place while I had been here, it had been my unconventional office, but now it was fast becoming the scene of my worst nightmare.
My back was pressed against the wall of the booth as I tried to get as far away as possible. I knew I was locked in and at any time he could move and I would be caged in like an animal.
When I turned to face him, a cold, vindictive smirk etched over his face while beady eyes narrowed in on me. If hatred had a human form, it was sitting across from me in the form of Chris Edwards. I had absolutely no idea why he hated me so much, why he continued to appear out of nowhere, but when he slid in across from me, I realized he knew everything about me.
“It’s about time we had some one on one time.” Even his voice sounded like pure evil. “Your boyfriend j
ust wouldn’t piss off.”
“He isn’t my boyfriend,” I choked out.
“Answer me this. Do you fuck him? Does he eat your pussy? Do you sleep in his bed?” he hissed while his eyes flashed with hatred. “He is your fucking boyfriend.”
Ky.
Beautiful, dependable, life-changing Ky.
“What do you want from me Chris?” I questioned hesitantly. I watched the flicker of consideration flash in his eyes before they rose and looked over my shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Someone wants to come and say hi.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the intense fear that had disappeared since I’d been with Ky rushed back like flooding water. I didn’t need to turn around to know. I felt it in the way my body froze, the way the terror ran down my spine at being so close to him. My dread was soon replaced with anger. Douglas had promised me that I would be safe, that Jeremy wouldn’t get to me, that there was no way that I would come face to face with evil but here I was. Jeremy Davis.
“Eden Rivers.” My name curled on his tongue. “You are looking fucking delightful. Love seems to be treating you well.” He leaned over the table, inching close enough that his breath smacked me in the face. The darkness of his eyes threatened me. “You and Ky are in love right? Like a modern day fucking Romeo and Juliet.”
“What do you want Jeremy?” I asked, finally finding my voice.
“How bout I get straight to the point. Tell me Eden, do you really know who Ky Crawford is?” His voice was laced with the intent to shock and cause unmeasurable damage. I didn’t understand why he was talking about Ky? How he even knew of Ky? My eyes darted away from his as I looked around for an escape. I didn’t want Jeremy Davis tainting something that was developing so beautifully with Ky. I couldn’t allow that. Ky was quickly becoming my sanctuary, my beginning and existence and hearing his name spat from the lips of the creature that almost destroyed me stabbed me a million times in my already fragile heart.
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