18. Eden

EIGHTEEN

eden

"So, what are we watching?"

"I don't know. Have anything in mind?"

Chase looks over at me and bobs his brows lecherously. "I've always got you in my bed on the brain."

I shove at him with a laugh. "Oh my God, you're as bad as you were in college."

"No way. I'm worse now, making up for lost time with you."

Chase grips my wrist as I try to pull it away and drops a kiss on the inside of it.

I bite back a gasp, but the rush of heat that lands between my legs can't be stopped.

"Where you're concerned, Eden? You're always on my mind."

He says it casually, but the intense look he gives me rocks my world, and my heart slams against my ribs.

"You really mean that?"

"Yeah, I really do."

We stare at each other until I feel the sting of tears behind my eyes. I roll my lips inward to try and hold them back .

When I know I'm not going to cry, I say, "I tried not to think of you, but I always did."

He brushes a lock of hair away from my face, a smile spreading on his lips. "You know what we should watch?"

I exhale quietly, half of me relieved he's changing the subject, the other half of me wishing we would talk about things.

"What's that?"

" The Shawshank Redemption. It brings back some unforgettable memories."

"Yeah, it does." I smile and pull a blanket off the back of the sofa, drawing it around me.

My heart beats a little faster looking at him in nothing but a pair of jeans. That sculpted chest and tousled hair drive me wild.

"Lots of studying everything but the books."

"Do you remember where we were when we watched Shawshank together the first time?" I ask.

He smiles. "Hell, yeah, I do. In my dorm room. My roommates were gone that night, and we had the whole place to ourselves."

My smile matches his. "It was our first time."

He chuckles, and his eyes take on a hazy quality as though he's plucking the memories from his brain. "There were a lot of firsts that night. First time I'd had sex in my dorm room."

I sit up straighter. "What? Now I know you're lying."

He shakes his head. "No, I'm serious. Before you, any girl I met, I went back to her place."

"Why?" I can't hide the bewilderment in my voice.

He shrugs. "It was easier to leave in the morning. Besides, for a guy, the walk of shame in the morning is more like the walk of fame, depending on the girl. And I didn't like the thought of kicking the girl out in the morning. "

It dawns on me what he was saying. "Then why did… Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

My throat grows thick. Holy shit. How did I miss that back then?

I look away and clear my throat. "So, uh. What were the other firsts?"

"Well, let's see. First in my dorm, first time I'd cooked breakfast for a girl." He looks back over at me. "First time I'd ever wanted to please the girl more than I wanted to please myself."

I bite my lip, my heartbeat quickening, unsure of what to say. "I didn't know all that."

He laughs. "Well, you weren't supposed to. We'd known each other all of what, a week? We'd had two dates."

"That wasn't even a date that night."

"No, we were studying lit, right?"

"It is why we were watching Shawshank after all."

"Well, we didn't watch much, did we? I had to watch the movie again later to know what was going on."

"If it makes you feel better, so did I."

We laugh, but when our eyes meet, the air thickens with that electric tension always between us.

It's an intimate feeling that makes me feel safe and desired.

Lifting a hand, he cups the side of my face, his palm warm against my cheek. I close my eyes and lean into it, my own emotions rioting through my body.

Desire, hope, regret, and that one feeling I refuse to name when it comes to this man.

No matter how much I want it.

My heart says, go for it .

My head says, girl, you better run .

And all the things he says to me don't help the chaos in my head .

I'm totally screwed.

"Eden, I?—"

The doorbell rings, and Chase narrows his eyes. "Who the hell would be out now?"

"Maybe the sheriff? I can't imagine who else would be out in this."

He goes to the front door, and through the back windows, I watch the dissipating storm with a sense of dread.

Unable to sit still, I follow the voices to the front door and stop when I come around the corner.

Nate, Charley, and a man I recognize as another baseball player, Lucas Raines, are standing in the foyer, dripping wet.

Everyone stops talking when they see me.

They look back and forth between me and Chase, who stands at the front door in only jeans.

Jeans I just now realize have the top button undone.

Chase's gaze darts down my body. His eyes meet mine again, brows high.

Cover up , he mouths to me.

I look down.

Oh, shit.

My nipples decide to make an appearance under the thin T-shirt, and it's not even cold.

"Whoops." I tighten the blanket around me to stop giving the neighbors a show.

"Going to introduce me, Hanover?" Lucas asks.

Chase narrows his eyes at him. "If you stop leering, asshole."

Lucas just laughs and steps forward, hand outstretched. "Hey there, Lucas Raines."

I shake his hand, keeping the blanket tight around me. "Legendary Bull Sharks pitcher, I know. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Eden Mitchell. "

Chase sighs. "Come on in and tell me why you're bothering me."

Given my job, I go into hostess mode.

Though I usually do it fully clothed, in my business suits that are my armor.

Without those clothes, I'm nothing more than a clumsy girl not sure of what to do next.

"How about I get you some towels and make some coffee?"

I rush down the hallway to Chase's room to put on some actual clothes and grab some towels.

A few moments later, our visitors are drying off and coffee is brewing.

With some time alone in the kitchen, I check my phone to see what I've missed.

It's a wonder it isn't in pieces after seeing all the texts and emails that have blown it up.

As the scent of coffee fills the air, I scroll through my phone looking for the most important messages first.

I have a million messages from Katie about things at the office and her headway on finding a speaker for the event.

Her texts start out a bit panicky and grow more worried until she finally threatens to come down here and find me to make sure I am not dead.

Then they become resigned to the fact that she can't get here anyway and I'm either dead, have no cell service, or am tied up with Chase.

She has no clue how she nailed her last comment.

I laugh and decide to put her out of her misery.

Eden: Hey, Katie. I'm alive and fine. The storm is dying down here but the bridge is still closed.

Katie: Oh thank God! So you're alive and have cell service. Which means one thing.

Eden: Stop

Katie: You were tied up with Chase, weren't you? And I don't mean you were having a conversation.

Eden: When you say tied up, what do you mean?

Katie: Girl. Details. Pronto.

Katie: *Gif of woman with grabby hands*

Eden: She looks like you. Pink coat and all!

I laugh, but I'm not ready to give Katie details just yet.

Eden: Okay, let's get back on track here.

Katie: Party pooper.

She texts me some updates on a few of the other contracts we have going, and I give her direction on how to proceed on a few things.

Katie: One last thing. Did you check your email in between sex sessions? Probably not, but anyway, Marketing sent something to you.

I roll my eyes but can't stop the grin. I also have to keep this conversation on track.

Eden: I'm checking now.

I switch over to my email, and when I see the number of messages in my inbox, my shoulders slump.

It'll take me two days to get through all of these.

Scrolling, I look for an email from the head of marketing. When I find it and read it, I rub my forehead hard, trying to ward off the impending headache.

Hi Eden,

The deadline to get the brochures and other marketing materials out for the Pediatric Ball is quickly approaching. The drop dead date is in three days, unless we pay extra to do the express run with the printer. Can you send me the lineup of speakers ASAP? I'd like to save the department some money.

I look up from the phone when Charley walks into the kitchen and leans against the counter by the coffee station.

Shutting down the screen, I lay the phone on the bar. I can't deal with any of that right now.

I paste on my best hostess smile. "So, what brings you guys over here in the storm?"

She rolls her eyes. "Stewie got his car stuck in the sand. Nate wants to see if Chase can help."

"Stewie?"

"Local reporter. Always getting himself in jams."

"Well, that sounds like a problem."

She gestures to my head. "Headache?"

"Sort of. Headache-inducing email."

Charley nods and takes two cups from the mug tree. "Yeah, I recognize the look." She pours and slides one over to me. "I see it in the mirror every morning."

"Marketing is looking for an answer on some brochures for my big event so we can get them printed in time." I sigh. " And I keep hoping Chase will decide he can be my speaker."

A tendril of steam rises and dissipates into the air as she sips her coffee. "Dragging his feet?"

"I don't know if it's that. He's got his reasons for not wanting to go back."

A hollow feeling hits my stomach thinking about Chase's story and yet what it means for me if he continues to say no.

"Hmmm…maybe Chase just needs the right incentive to go back to New York and help you."

"Be that as it may, I've got a business to save. And I need his help, but after what he's been through, I can't push him to say yes when he's not ready."

God, this is so complicated.

But what isn't complicated is the fact that I still have an event to manage, and I'm on the verge of losing not only the project, but my reputation and business.

"So, y'all were a thing once, right?"

I nod. "We dated in college. And then he was drafted to the majors and we broke up."

"So you haven't seen him in ten years?"

"No, the last time I saw him was four years ago. After his wife's funeral."

She makes a noncommittal noise as she sips her coffee.

"What?" I ask.

"I was just thinking how much fun we can have once you move here."

My eyes widen. "Move here? I'm not moving here."

She rolls her eyes and sets down her cup. "In the two times I've seen you two together, I've seen the way he looks at you."

Folding her arms over her chest, she smiles smugly. "Fifty bucks says you two realize how much you still love each other and you're living here inside a year. "

I make the error of sipping my coffee just as she speaks.

I slap a hand over my mouth to keep from spitting coffee into her beautiful, but obviously crazy, face.

"I'm sorry," I say, wiping at my lip. "I'm not in love with Chase."

When she raises a brow, I bob my head side to side. "Okay, yes. Once upon a time in a land far, far away"— though not that far now that I think about it—"I was in love with Chase. Desperately. But that was years ago, and we were just kids in college."

She narrows her eyes. "Unless I miss my guess, you've rekindled those feelings since you've been here."

"How could you tell? I'm sure it wasn't my outfit that gave it away." My face heats. "Sorry about the eyeful."

Charley laughs and waves her hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure the guys enjoyed it."

"I wish I had your confidence when it comes to men."

"Nate's married but he isn't dead or blind. And Lucas is Lucas. Biggest playboy in the league."

I sigh. "I know, but still…"

"Here's the thing. It isn't confidence with men. It's being secure in the knowledge that Nate loves me. He shows me every day. Never lets me forget it. Because of that, I don't worry when he gets an eyeful of a beautiful woman's body. Especially one that doesn't notice any other man in the room." She nudges my arm. "And my husband wasn't the only one looking."

I set my cup down on the counter and drop my forehead to my hand. "I can't think, and this is what happens to me when I get around Chase and I don't know what he's thinking."

"So you're saying you become a twit when he's around and forget all about who you really are?"

I sigh and cover my face. "Something like that."

She pulls my hands away from my face. "Eden, you can handle this. You love that man in there and he loves you. I know because when he sees you, he can't take his eyes off you. And you're the same way."

"But, I can't get involved with him, Charley. I have a career to think of—a business. And it's in New York. A city Chase swears he'll never step foot back in after what happened with his late wife."

"Listen, I don't know the whole story on…well, any of it. You, him, the late wife. I know what I read in the papers, but I also know that what the papers write can be a lot of bullshit. So I don't put a lot of stock in that."

She leans on the counter. "But what I do put stock in is what I see. And I see two people who deserve another chance with each other."

"I don't know. I just don't think that's the case here. For either of us."

She glances up but lowers her voice. "Incoming. If you want to talk some more, I'll give you my number."

We're trading numbers when Nate and the man monopolizing my brain walk into the room—Chase now wearing a T-shirt—his gaze locking with mine.

"What are you two ladies chatting about in here?"

Charley smiles. "Just girl talk. What about you guys?"

"Well, I convinced Chase to help Stewie get his box car out of the sand," Nate says.

I look back and forth between them. "Box car?"

"Yeah, you know," Lucas says, "one of those little smart cars. Anyway, he got it stuck in the sand, and before the Atlantic comes and carries it away, I told him I'd see if Chase could use his truck to help him out."

Chase narrows his eyes at his friend. "Thanks for that, buddy."

"I'll go with you. "

Wait, who said that? Had I said that?

All eyes turn to me.

Shit, I did say that out loud.

"No." Chase's tone brooks no argument.

I narrow my eyes at him. "What do you mean, no? Last I checked you weren't my keeper."

Chase crosses his arms over his chest, and we have a stare down.

"Um, we're going to get going," Charley says, pushing Nate and Lucas out of the room.

But she's petite and the two men built like brick houses barely budge.

"But Firefly, there's going to be fireworks here," Nate says.

Charley sighs. "We're going to have more than fireworks if you don't get your ass in gear. Come on."

The two men grumble but walk out as she waves. "We'll just let ourselves out."

Neither of us say a word, the front door closing the only sound in the house.

Chase breaks the silence first. "I'm not letting you go out in this. It's still dangerous."

I mimic his stance, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'm not some simpering little woman, Chase. Haven't I proven that enough by now? And are you saying you're the only one that should go out in the dangerous weather? It's not safe for me, but magically safe for you?"

His jaw bunches, and a tic in his cheek tells me he's reining in his temper as best he can.

Join the club, buddy .

"No," he says, deceptive calm in his voice. "But I've been through a couple of these since I've been on the island. I think we've already established that you underestimate the weather. "

My hands curl into fists, and I blow out a breath. "Yes, but I'll be with you. Just tell me where you need my help."

When he doesn't budge, I put a hand on my hip. "Fine, I'll just go sit in the truck and wait for you. Short of manhandling me, you can't make me get out."

I start toward the front door, when he catches my wrist and brings me up against his chest.

In his green eyes, it isn't so much anger I see as it is frustration and a healthy dose of fear.

"You drive me crazy, you know that?"

I give him a feline smile. "Same goes, Hanover."

He glances at my lips before meeting my eyes again. "Fine. But you have to do as I say, okay? It's easy to miscalculate the flooding here." He pauses. "Do you promise you'll listen?"

I hold up three fingers. "Scout's honor."

Before I can take my next breath, he has my face in his hands and kisses the hell out of me.

I slump against him, gathering a fistful of fabric with my hands.

Just when I think I'll pass out from lack of oxygen, he releases me.

"Let's go help this idiot and get back. We've got a few more rooms in this house to christen before the night's over."