Intimacy (Rose Series Book 3)

by Eden Fortae

  Eden’s face lit up. Climbing to her feet, she threw her arms around him. As he embraced her, she realized just how much she’d miss him. Besides Kya, he was her only friend and helped her open so many doors that the thought of going it alone now made her want to change her mind about staying. But she had to try. Her friendship with Kya depended on it.

  “Can you stay a few more days? We have destruction to cause, and I could use your company at this shoot tomorrow.”

  He embraced her back, resting his cheek on the top of her head. “I wish. I agreed to fill in for a maternity shoot at noon, and I’m going on tour with a rock band. Why not invite Kya to your shoot? Now that you have the chance, you should hang out as often as you can.”

  “True,” she relented although still saddened by his departure, “you’ll visit me, right?”

  “Hmm, under one condition.”

  “Ok,” she smiled up at him as he rubbed her back.

  “When the best man-slash-bodyguard charms you out of your panties, Facetime me so I can laugh.”

  With a quick swat of her hand, she left him to his jokes. As long as she kept her past at a distance, that day would never come.

  The moment she laid eyes on him, her heart took on that strange beat before falling to her feet. What was it about him that made her so nervous? That made her see him through the blinders that’d kept every other man out of view? More importantly, why was he there?

  Thinking back to Kya’s text, there was nothing by way of a warning She’d shared her jitters associated with reviews she hadn’t bothered to read beforehand. Among the glowing reports of gorgeous photos and flawless editing was a claim of inappropriateness that Eden couldn’t shake. Not wanting to go off of that one star, she decided not to back out. Not wanting to ignore her instincts, she took Chace’s advice.

  Unfortunately, Kya’s plate was full of opportunities that Eden refused to let her squander. Hence, the decision to go it alone.

  Donny’s presence was electrifying. He walked in like he owned the place, crossed his arms, and claimed a spot along the wall. Time stood still as they stared. He was too powerful in his posture. Far too alluring with his gaze to pretend he wasn’t there.

  Randy, the creepy photographer with an oddly impressive portfolio, glanced over his shoulder, cradling his camera tightly. Before Donny’s arrival, the short, stocky, overly complimentary man couldn’t or wouldn’t stop gushing over her looks. He compared her long loose curls, full lips, and curves to food. He often asked her to “make love to the camera,” and that worried her. Those praises ceased drastically and he became virtually silent, having six-plus-feet of intimidation a few steps behind him. For that, Eden was thankful.

  However, she hadn’t missed the expression on his face when she removed her robe. The lingerie was similar to what she wore that fateful night. She was aware of his stare from that moment on. Each time he moved to look at his phone or reposition himself, she found herself looking his way with unwanted interest.

  As soon as the photoshoot ended and she was dressed, she walked as quickly as possible, eager to put some distance between them. Outside of the industrial-style loft, Donny offered her a ride home and nothing more. No explanation for why he was there or how he knew about it. During the ride, he gifted her with more silence; she wasn’t sure how to decipher.

  When they pulled up in front of the building, Eden reached for the door handle but fell back into the seat at the last second.

  “Look, it’s evident that you and Kya have a bond. That means we’re probably going to be around each other often. I think we can agree that what happened between us was the past and, for her sake, should remain the past.”

  He looked up and off into the distance, his frown unrelenting. “You want to pretend to be two people who fucked and don’t want to do it again. Gotcha.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “So, you stare at me constantly because there’s nothing else to look at?”

  “I don’t stare.”

  “You stare.”

  “How would you know that unless you’re staring at me?”

  “I absolutely stare at you.” He retorted with a tone speaking highly of predictability.

  “Ok, but what I said still stands. For Kya’s sake, we need to keep things platonic.”

  Donny nodded without another word, got out to open her door, and waited for her to enter her building. His text later that night came as a surprise. Although there was no name with the number, she knew who it was and didn’t hesitate to respond. Less than thirty minutes later, she was standing at the top of the concrete stairs as Donny approached her cooly.

  “How did you get my number?”

  “I got it from Kya’s phone. That’s how I knew about your photoshoot, too, in case you were wondering.”

  “Ok,” she nodded, “figures you’d be a stalker. You’re too good looking to not be psycho.”

  “I was installing tracking software on her phone. You know what she’s been through. I promised my cousin I’d keep her safe. While I had her phone, you texted about the photographer. She couldn’t make it, but I could, so I did.” He paused, taking a single step forward. “Until I find security for her, I’m it. I won’t deny my attraction to you. I can’t. I’m a strong believer in fate, and for some reason, we’ve crossed paths again. I don’t care for pretending, but for you and for Kya, I’ll try under one condition.”

  Another guy. Another condition. Internally she was already declining, but her mouth had a mind of its own. “Which is?”

  “Friendship.”

  “Friendship with?”

  “Friendship with everything on the table. Despite the unspoken terms of our initial meeting, I’m interested in getting to know you, and I promise you’ll enjoy knowing me, too.”

  She gazed at him, trying to determine if he was being genuine or had one hell of a poker face. Thinking of his banter and care with Kya, she latched onto that. There was nothing to suggest he was untrustworthy. Not yet.

  Telling herself it was for Kya, she nodded, holding out her hand. Donny looked down, chuckled, and pulled her to him by her shoulders. The kiss on her forehead caught her off guard. It was sweet and way too gentle for her liking but the way he smiled when he released her prevented protest.

  “We’ve seen each other naked, love. I believe we’re beyond a handshake. Speaking of naked...”

  Reflexively, Eden swung and Donny dodged the slap, using it as his cue to ease down the stairs.

  “We’re not even two minutes into this friendship, and you’re messing up.”

  Grinning from ear to ear, he took another cautious step backward, “I can think of a way to make it up to you.”

  This time, instead of trying to hit him, Eden turned on her heels. Before she could disappear behind the door, he jogged up the short landing and caught her by the wrist. “I’m joking! What I meant is, I’ll make it up to you with a drink or two.” The narrowing of her eyes had him grinning again.

  “Are you asking for my permission to get me tipsy so you can take advantage of me?”

  Donny hesitated, shaking his head with an unrelenting smile, “Too easy. I’m asking you to sit at a bar with me and talk, like friends.”

  A simple yes or no was all he was asking for, but there was more to it than that. Still, Eden cut her negative thoughts off at the knee.

  “No funny business?”

  “Not unless you ask.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Then, I promise to behave.”

  Narrowing her eyes again, she turned, “I’m going to make sure I locked the door, and then we can go.”

  The whole way up to her apartment, she tried not to overthink. It was a drink. Nothing more. Two friends innocently having a drink. Two friends innocently having a drink after a one night stand.

  He promised to behave but could she? Someone only interested in friendship wouldn’t have noticed how his hoodie hugged his arms and thought about the tattoos underneath. Those tattoos
blended together masterfully, painting a picture that she could envision without trying.

  Twisting the knob, she was met with resistance and instantly headed for the stairs.

  One drink. As friends. She could do it.

  Outside, Donny was leaning against the building, his phone in hand. The smile he cracked upon seeing her induced doubts.

  “There’s a spot on the next block,” he hooked his thumb to the left, “I could drive, or we could walk.”

  She made the first move down the stairs and toward the corner. As they walked, neither said a word. From time to time, Donny would glance behind them and over at her. Eden thought nothing of it until they entered the bar, and once again, he seemed to be checking out everyone and everything.

  “Are you ever off the clock?”

  “No. I’m always cautious. I just started a security firm that incorporates event security, personal security, weapons training, and self-defense. What better way to display its integrity than to lead by example?” He guided her to the corner of the bar and took the seat closest to the wall. He then turned his stool to have a full view of the place, but not before pulling her’s out and taking her coat.

  “So, you never let your guard down?”

  “There are a few exceptions. Even then, I’m still aware of my surroundings. Danger doesn’t always come with warnings. If you’re prepared, you can prevent it.”

  “At your friend’s lounge, I noticed you had your back to the wall, like this. I thought you wanted to keep an eye on Kya.”

  “Just Kya?” Her skin prickled and warmed. Avoiding eye contact was all she could do to regain her composure, but she couldn’t let it go. He took hold of the folded menu, then scanned both sides. “You hungry?”

  “I could eat. What did you mean by that?”

  He handed her the menu, leaning against the back of the stool. “I was watching you, too.”

  The bartender greeted them with a smile that lingered as they went back and forth about who should go first. Eager to return to their conversation, she ordered the first thing her eyes landed on with a white apple sangria. On the other hand, Donny took his time, settling on nachos, a beer, and two shots of tequila. It was as if he knew she was waiting on him because that half-smile was back as soon as the bartender walked away.

  “Why would you be watching me?”

  “Why not?”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “It is if you think about it. I’m at a wedding, dying to know the most beautiful woman there. We have sex so mindblowing that I wanted to hunt her down after she disappeared on me. Suddenly, she’s sitting less than ten feet away, more beautiful than I remembered.”

  The bartender returned with their drinks and both shots. Immediately, Donny slid one to Eden, chuckling as she pushed it back to him.

  “I don’t do tequila.”

  “You agreed to a drink or two.”

  “That’s not a drink. It’s gasoline.”

  “Fine.” Without flinching, he knocked them both back. “Now you have to answer all my questions.”

  Eden scoffed, sipping her drink, “I didn’t agree to that, Donovan.”

  “You did the moment you accepted my friendship. First question: where did you go after you left me that night.”

  Once again, she watched him with narrowed eyes. A lie was at the ready but decided against it. “Atlanta.”

  “What’s in Atlanta?”

  “The question is: what’s not?—my family. I turned eighteen, left, and haven’t looked back until now.”

  He held a thoughtful expression and nodded. “Makes sense why you didn’t come up when I background checked Kya.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “My cousin, Antonio, was falling for her. I had to make sure he wasn’t leading himself to his death.”

  She snorted. The thought of her best friend being anything more than a kitten with sharp claws was unthinkable. To go that far spoke to a protectiveness.

  “The two of you are close?”

  Donny shook his head, taking a swig of his beer, “That’s an understatement. He was my best friend before his aunt and uncle adopted me. We’re more like brothers. All of us. I owe him a lot, though.” As he said that, the playfulness that once dominated their time faded.

  “I’m adopted, too.”

  “Really? Do you know anything about your family? Have you tried to find them?”

  “Honestly, I’ve been so busy trying to avoid the one I have that any thoughts of my birth family were just that.”

  “Would you want to find them?”

  “I don’t know. Things are so messed up with my adopted family,” Eden paused, looking down into her glass, “I’m afraid of what I’ll feel if my birth family is just like them.”

  “Elaborate, if you don’t mind.”

  She sighed, swirling her glass with her straw, thankful for the bartender’s intrusion with hot plates. It provided her a few extra seconds to tamp down on her emotions. Donny positioned his plate of loaded nachos between them, placing one of the small saucers in front of her.

  “Don’t trip, I’m not going to force you to eat this, but you’re welcome to take as much as you like.”

  A gesture so small, a tone so assertive, he made her smile, thus paving the way for her to speak.

  “You probably met my dad at the wedding. Daryl Parks—the pastor and founder of the megachurch, Joyful Mission Baptist, featured on three different cable channels every Sunday morning, and author of several books. My mom’s the snooty big hat wearing church lady with a flashy car and clothes. My oldest sister is a miserable bitch and the one above me—who married your friend—is a brat with an airhead and no backbone.”

  “Well shit,” he chuckled, “where do you fit in there?”

  “I’m the baby and the black sheep. I rebelled, model in next to nothing, promote sex, and I’m sure they douse themselves with holy water after they encounter me.”

  “Why does that turn me on?”

  Eden cracked a smile, pushing her plate of wings and fries his way while digging into the nachos.

  “What doesn’t turn you on?”

  “I’d do much better naming what else turns me on.”

  “Right.” A moment of silence passed, and her next question slipped out before she could stop it. “Why are you single?”

  Obviously caught off guard, he didn’t answer immediately. As soon as Eden prepared to change the subject, he took a swig of his beer.

  “I don’t trust easily. When I fall, I fall hard. It takes deep feelings to make me take that leap. Your turn.”

  He sat back, beer in hand, waiting expectantly as she digested his response. Donny’s appearance screamed bad boy and player. The tattoos, his neatly groomed curls, the way he smiled, and his intense gaze gave him the power to snap his fingers and have his way. Add in his career and loyalty, and he was a dream come true. Who or what sullied his trust?

  “I see where I want to be in life, and my aim is to get there. I don’t have time for anything else.”

  “Not even a quick lunch date or movie?”

  “No dates.”

  “Not even like this?

  “This isn’t a date.”

  “Damn. Maybe some handsome fucker will change your mind one day.” He wiggled his brows. She smiled and shook her head.

  “Don’t get any ideas. I’m here to sweeten my resume and reconnect with my best friend. That’s it.”

  Seeing her finish off her drink and decline a second from the bartender, Donny pulled his wallet and covered the bill. For a while, they remained at the bar, getting to know one another. Donny was more open about his company, goals, and family. Eden mostly deflected when the conversation touched on anything outside of designing and growing up with Kya.

  Once she was ready to leave, he took the liberty of helping her into her coat. Things were peacefully silent as they walked close enough for them to touch. In front of her building, he saw her to the door, facing her with
yet another genuine smile.

  “Thank you for stepping out with me.”

  “Thank you for inviting me.”

  “If you really want to thank me for that, you can let me do it again sometime.”

  Why did he have to be so cute? So charming? It was taking far too long for her heart to become accustomed to his ways and not reaction. She didn’t like the feeling rippling through her at the thought of hanging out with him again. It felt too much like want and stupidity.

  “You know we shouldn’t confuse things.”

  “Yeah,” he sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Perhaps you’re right.” Leaning into her, he kissed her forehead, allowing his lips to linger a little longer than she liked. Flashes of that passionate kiss flooded her mind, and by the time she opened her eyes, he was looking down at her with an expression she couldn’t read. “I won’t leave until you’re inside.”

  Wordlessly, she pulled away and willed herself not to turn back. In her mind, he was smiling, his teeth caught between his lips. All too easily, she imagined herself inviting him in to relive one of her pleasant dreams despite the fact the outcome of such would be a nightmare. She closed her eyes and breathed out the desire, slowly. Stopped as she opened the door, she called over her shoulder, “Goodnight, Donovan.”

  He kept his distance. With the tone he used, he might as well have been holding her from behind as he whispered in her ear, “Duerme bien, hermosa. Hope I see you soon.”

  “Wait,” she dropped her keys, turning too quickly. “What did you say?”

  A brilliant smile shone under the streetlight. It reached his eyes and remained as he crouched. So hung up on his smile and the need to know, Donny had to take her hand to put the keys in them. Rather than allowing the contact to cease, he stood with his hand warmly covering hers.

  “Sleep well, beautiful.” He raised the hand, clutching her keys for dear life, now, gave it a quick kiss and backed away. At a loss for words and realizing he wouldn’t leave until she was safely inside, Eden did just that with her heart racing ahead of her.

  THREE