Mr. Kent nodded, his mouth tipping at the corners and his eyes filling with satisfaction. “My instincts are rarely off and it’s nice to know I was right about you, Mr. Harvey.”
He stood and extended his hand, effectively ending our meeting as it began, with a firm handshake.
It took me the better part of the next day to secure a meeting with Eden at FBI headquarters. They had stonewalled me as best they could, but I had the law and contacts on my side.
Once inside the building and past security, I was met by a young woman with a pinched face, her hair pulled back tight, and wearing a plain gray, boxy pantsuit. The whole look basically screamed, “I’m a woman in a man’s world and you’ll take me seriously.”
“Follow me, Mr. Harvey,” she snipped as she spun around and marched down a hallway to an elevator bank. We rode it to another floor and then she led the way to an interrogation room.
“Seriously?” I snapped. “You put her in an interrogation room?”
The woman glanced at me with surprise, the first emotion I’d seen one her face the whole time I’d been there. “She’s old enough,” she sneered. Technically, she was right. I’d learned that Eden was actually eighteen, but I still disapproved of their tactics in treating her like she was a mature adult.
I shook my head and ignored her, stepping around her and grasping the door handle. The steel barrier opened and I entered the sterile, gray box.
Across from me, facing a two-way mirror, stood a petite, young woman with dark, wavy hair and a spectacular ass. My cock jumped and I sternly told it to calm the fuck down. I shouldn’t be lusting after a client, much less one who was barely legal. She was shifting her weight from foot to foot with a little bounce, as though she was filled with too much energy and had no other way to expend it.
“Ms. Kent,” I called out as I walked over to the lone table in the room and set down my briefcase. Eden slowly turned and it was a good thing I’d already set down my things, or I might have dropped them in shock. I was also extremely grateful that I’d left my case standing up and it was effectively covering the heavy bulge suddenly pressing against my pants.
Clearly, I was mistaken when I’d assumed Eden was practically a child. Despite her small frame, there was no mistaking that she was a woman. Her body was made up of luscious curves in all the right places. Black hair framed a heart-shaped face, with expressive blue eyes, a pert nose, and a full, sensuous mouth. She was fucking gorgeous.
Desire pulsed through me, every throb screaming one word.
Mine.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Harvey?” Victor’s roar practically shook the walls of my office. Eden jumped out of my embrace and started to move towards her father. I hooked my arm around her waist and tucked her securely into my side.
I’d handled her case, brokering a deal with the FBI that gave them some of what they wanted but didn’t tether Eden to them. During the process, I attempted to keep away from her, but eventually, the primitive need inside me to claim her won out. I spent as much time as I could with her between work and her schooling. It was clear that she wanted me as much as I did her and I was determined to have her. But, during a particularly heated make out session one day, she confessed that she was a virgin.
I knew I was punishing myself, but for some reason, I had the urge to keep our relationship platonic until our wedding night. My excuses for not taking her to bed were often flimsy, but I used every other tool at my disposal to keep her satisfied so she wouldn’t think it was because I didn’t want her.
Hiding our relationship was not an option in my mind, but Eden wanted to keep it private for a little while. I knew she was afraid of the backlash from people because of our thirteen-year age difference. I’d agreed to go along with it briefly, but she wasn’t a dirty secret and it was about time I made it clear to everyone that she belonged to me. Considering the ring sitting in my desk drawer, there was no time like the present.
“Isaac,” she hissed. Other than a quick squeeze, I ignored her in favor of locking eyes with Victor.
“Victor,” I said calmly. “I respect you and would hate to lose your business. But, I’m in love with your daughter and I feel it is only right that I inform you I intend to marry her.” Eden gasped, and I looked down into her clear blue eyes. They were dancing with excitement and so full of love, it soothed the shot of nerves I hadn’t realized were there.
“Absolutely not! I forbid it!” he roared. He stalked towards us and made a grab for Eden, but I quickly shoved her behind me. “Eden, let’s go,” he snapped.
I could feel her moving with restless energy, she was always full of it, except when I was making her melt into a boneless puddle. I suppressed my arrogant grin at the thought.
When she stepped to my side but didn’t go any further, I let her stay there, though, I slipped a possessive arm around her again. “Dad, I’m sorry, but I love him too. And, when this jackass gets around to actually asking me to marry him”—this time I couldn’t hold back the grin. Damn, my girl was adorable—“I’m going to say yes.”
Victor glared at me. “I will ruin you.”
“No you won’t,” Eden argued. “Because then you’d be hurting me and I know you wouldn’t ever hurt me, Daddy.”
He deflated slightly, his indignation fading at the truth of her words. After a long glance at Eden, he shook his head, then threw his shoulders back and puffed up again. “I will not give you my blessing”—he glared at me—“or my business. She’s too young for you. Too young to get married at all! But, as long as you make my little girl happy, you have nothing to fear from me.” He took a menacing step forward. “Understand one thing, Isaac, if you break her heart, if you don’t take care of her like she deserves, if you ever put her life in jeopardy, I will destroy you.”
I nodded. “I would expect nothing less.”
Victor faced his daughter and sighed, muttering, “Don’t expect me to tell your mother.”
Eden grinned and rushed forward to throw her arms around her dad. “Don’t worry, I can handle Mom.”
I slammed the hotel room door shut and shoved Eden up against the wall, attacking her mouth. Six months. Somehow, I’d managed to wait six fucking months to make her mine in every way possible.
“Happy birthday, Sunshine,” I whispered against her lips. It was her nineteenth birthday and from that day on, it would also be the day we celebrated her becoming Eden Harvey. My wife. I fucking loved the sound of that.
When we were threatened with oxygen deprivation, I pulled back. “You’re so damn beautiful, Sunshine. My only sunshine,” I panted. Her white dress was strapless with a full skirt, the bottom dipped in layers of orange, red, and yellow because my sweet girl always had to be a bit of a rebel. Something I adored about her, even though it often caused me a great deal of irritation.
Bending at the knees, I gathered up the voluminous fabric, searching for her legs. When I found them, my palms ran up the stocking clad limbs to take hold of her ass and boost her up and wrap them around my hips. I carried her to the bed and gently set her down. Tugging at her corset, I freed her generous tits. The pink nipples were hard and lowering my head, I sucked one into my mouth.
She moaned and drove her hands into my hair, yanking it when I bit down lightly. I’d learned, my woman liked it a little rough and I ached to fuck her. But, it was not only our wedding night, it was her first time and I intended to make slow passionate love to her.
Through many kisses and touches, we managed to end up naked on the bed, wrapped up in each other. I brought her to orgasm with my fingers and my mouth, hoping to stretch and prepare her. I was large and a small part of me worried about fitting in her tight little pussy. At the same time, I knew without a doubt that she was made for me.
She was slick and wet when I finally pushed my cock inside her. As gently as I could, I worked my way in, breaking through her virginity and groaning in ecstasy when every inch of me was completely buried from root to tip.
I was sweating and shaking as I attempted to hold still, letting her adjust and waiting for the pain to fade. “Isaac, I feel—you feel so good.”
“Fuck, baby. I need to move,” I gritted through my clenched teeth. She tentatively circled her hips and at the sound of her sweet moan, I couldn’t wait any longer. Tenderly, I began to thrust, holding back as much as I could until her cries escalated and her pussy was rising up to meet me. With a shout, my control broke and my rhythm turned wild.
“You feel better than I ever imagined, Sunshine,” I groaned. “You’re so fucking tight but damn, you’re drenched. Can you hear it, baby? The sound of my cock sliding inside you?”
I was taking her bare, something I’d never done before, unwilling to ever feel anything between us. The sensations were almost more than I could handle and my orgasm rose swiftly to the surface. Eden was right on the cusp and a small pinch of her clit sent her tumbling over the edge. The clench of her walls had me following right behind. I came so hard I practically saw stars. It was the most amazing experience of my life.
My seed poured into her with hot spurts, filling her so full I could feel it oozing out between us. I wasn’t a religious man, but I found myself saying a little prayer in hopes that we’d made a baby.
As our bodies calmed and our hearts slowed, I gathered her up into my embrace. She was sprawled on top of me and I buried my head in the crook of her neck.
“Best birthday ever.” Her softly spoken words caused me to grin and chuckle. I couldn’t agree more.
Chapter 1
Eden
“This is amazing,” Natalie moaned, before taking another bite of her double cheeseburger. It was almost as big as her head, with slices of bacon peeking out from under the bun and melted cheese oozing out of the sides.
When my best friend, who was married to my husband’s partner, Jax, found out she was pregnant, she’d had a horrible time with morning sickness pretty much around the clock during her first trimester. It had only been in the last couple months that she’d moved past it and had gotten her appetite back. Since she found out she was having a boy during her ultrasound last week, she was taking full advantage of the fact that she was eating for herself plus a growing boy. As wonderful as it was to see how much enjoyment she was getting from her meal, I couldn’t help but worry about whether or not it was healthy for her, or the baby.
“That looks super greasy.” She narrowed her eyes at me, shooting a death glare my way. I was almost afraid to finish my thought, but I trudged ahead anyway. “Are you sure you should be eating it?”
“Don’t even go there,” she grumbled. “I get enough crap from Jax about what I should and should not eat. How much sleep I need a day. What kind of shoes I should wear. How I need to drink more. It’s never-ending. I swear, he’ll be lucky to make it through this pregnancy with his balls intact.”
I couldn’t help but laugh in agreement since I understood where she was coming from. Jax was a lot like Isaac, especially in how he treated his new wife. They were both super protective and possessive. They were also completely focused on our needs and wants. But, ever since Natalie had gotten pregnant, Jax had taken it to a whole new level. Even knowing Isaac would be the same way, I was still a tad envious of Natalie’s situation—especially since Jax had managed to knock her up before he’d even gotten her down the aisle.
There hadn’t been a positive result on any of the pregnancy tests I’d taken. Ever since my first time, on our wedding night a year and a half ago, Isaac had refused to wear a condom with me. Not that I actually tried to talk him into it or anything. Although I was only twenty years old, I was ready for us to start building our family—to have a little boy with his daddy’s dark hair and serious gray eyes who’d steal my heart, or an imp of a girl who’d wrap her daddy around her finger as easily as I’d done.
With the sheer volume of sperm Isaac had shot into me all these months, I was sure I’d be pregnant already. Fate apparently had something else in store for us because it hadn’t happened yet. In some ways it was probably for the best since it gave Isaac and I plenty of ‘us time’ to really get to know each other after our whirlwind courtship. Our relationship was all the more solid because of it. But it left me feeling even more restless than usual, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing—especially when you consider what happened the last time I had too much time on my hands.
My dad had freaked out when the FBI had come knocking on our door, but his reaction was nothing compared to what Isaac would do if it ever happened again now that I was his. If they took me away in cuffs and tossed me into an another interrogation room, I wouldn’t be surprised if he burned the entire world down to get me back. My husband might be a well-respected lawyer, but he would cross any line when it came to me and my safety—and then he’d use that legal eagle brain of his to figure out a way to make sure he didn’t end up in jail because of it.
“You’re probably going to need his balls later, so you might want to aim somewhere else if you decide to hit him.”
“I know,” she sighed. “But I can so easily picture myself nailing him between the legs when he’s being ridiculously over-the-top.”
“Has he let up at all on wanting you to take time off during the pregnancy?” I nabbed one of her fries and nibbled on it to stop myself from giggling at how hard she rolled her eyes at my question. Natalie was an associate at Harvey Croix and even though she reported to Isaac, Jax tended to interfere . . . a lot. And, it drove Natalie crazy.
“Not even the tiniest bit,” she groaned. “It’s not like I even do anything physically taxing at the office. He has all the assistants and paralegals offering me help with the smallest things. If he could figure out how to get someone to go to the bathroom for me, I think he’d actually do it. I would think it’s adorable except that he wants to limit the kind of cases I’m on too.”
“Why on earth would the kind of cases you take make a difference in the pregnancy?”
“Well” —she leaned forward and lowered her voice to the merest whisper—“Isaac took a case today that literally means the difference between life and death for his client.”
I scooted my chair closer to her because I didn’t want to miss anything she shared. If Isaac had taken a dangerous case, I wanted to know exactly what was going on and I wasn’t sure I could trust him not to downplay the situation in an attempt to keep me from worrying. Or interfering. He was so damn protective.
“What’s his client been charged with?”
Natalie looked around the restaurant, presumably to make sure nobody was listening in on our conversation, before continuing. “Murder.”
“Murder?” I repeated, surprised by her answer. It was hard for me to picture my husband defending someone who’d killed a person.
“It’s that guy who’s been accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death. The woman who worked at Sheffield Oil & Gas?”
I was familiar with the story because it had been splashed across all the newspapers and broadcast on every news channel for the last few days. Ever since he’d called 9-1-1 claiming to have discovered her body when he returned home from a late night run. The guy had looked devastated in the pictures I’d seen and the one interview he’d given the day after the murder. It had seemed like he couldn’t imagine what he was going to do without her in his life anymore. Even though the significant other is always the first suspect in cases like that, I was surprised when the police announced his arrest a couple days later.
“Isaac is defending him?”
“Yeah,” she confirmed. “It turns out that he went to college with the guy’s older brother. He called this morning and practically begged him to take the case. Of course, Jax just about blew his lid when Isaac asked me to second chair for him.”
“It’s not like Isaac would ever expose you to danger,” I defended my husband.
“You know how both of them are,” she sighed. “They don’t let a little thing like being best friends, or logic, get in the way of how they
react whenever one of us is involved.”
Considering the way Isaac had reacted once when Jax had raised his voice around me because he was frustrated about not being able to find Natalie, I knew exactly how true her statement was. The guys trusted each other implicitly, but it didn’t stop them from overreacting when it came to their wives. “I hate to admit how sexy it is, the way they lose their minds when it comes to us.”
“Yeah, I admit it’s hot as hell,” she agreed. “But when I’m at work, I could use a little more reasonableness from Jax. I mean, I get that the last place he ever wants me to be is at the jail, let alone when I’m pregnant with his baby.” Her hand slid down to rub her swollen belly.
I tamped down the twinge of envy I felt at how she practically glowed when talking about their baby and returned my focus to the case, grumbling, “As if Isaac would take you to the jail with him.”
“Exactly! I’ll be perfectly safe helping with this case from the office, but it’s still driving Jax crazy because it’s going to be high-profile. The media has grabbed hold and just won’t let go of this one.”
“I’m sure it’s more than that. It has to bother him that you might be near someone who could be guilty of stabbing a woman to death. And one he was supposed to have loved at that.”
“I guess so,” she sighed. “But Isaac seems fairly certain that our client didn’t do it. First thing he did after accepting the case was to head over to the station and sit down with the guy. Jax and I spoke with him before I left to meet you for lunch, and he was adamant about taking the case. He said there was something odd going on, between the way the media has been blasting the story and the fact that his client told him his girlfriend had wanted to talk to him that very same night about something weird that was going on at work. She’d called him on her way home but since he was out for a run, he didn’t answer and she left a vague message. By the time he’d made it back home, she was dead.”
The Passion & Vows Series Page 14