Eden

Poor Eden. She appears overwhelmed, and a little conflicted too.

My heart goes out to her. This must really suck. Me, I’m used to what it feels like to be a commodity to an organization. Her, not so much.

I’m sure the diner she works at, the one listed in the pages of the folder, doesn’t intrude in her life, not like this.

For sports players and their significant others, though, image is everything. And to cultivate the right one, teams need to know all the facts.

That’s okay. I’ll help Eden along as best as I can. She seems like a really sweet person. And fuck, if her beauty hasn’t captivated me.

I was curious before as to why someone would sign up for this gig. But after paging through her background info, I think I understand what her motivation is—she really fucking needs the money.

But it’s not just for her.

She’s the sole guardian of her fifteen-year-old brother, Paul. Their father is dead, and their mother took off years ago. Or so it says here.

Oh, and it looks like Paul just got into an art school that’s kind of expensive. It’s mentioned here that tuition and room and board are covered, but day-to-day living expenses and practice art supplies are not.

Hell, I was a teenage boy once, and I know shit can get expensive real fucking fast. I bet it will; this kid will need to keep up with what looks like a tough curriculum.

I glance over across from me at Eden and see she’s worrying her lip.

Jock is wrapping up, saying, “I think there’s a lot to digest in these packets. Nevertheless, I have no doubt you’ll have a better feel for each other in no time.” He stands, brushing a piece of lint from his expensive navy suit. “I’m afraid I must get going now, though. I suggest you two stick around for a while, spend some time getting to know one another in person. Remember, you need to be officially moved into this house by tomorrow.”

Eden looks a little panicked, surely over what sticking around and “getting to know one another in person” might entail.

To assuage her concern, I ask, “Are you hungry, Eden? We could order a pizza if you’d like. Then maybe afterward, just sit around and shoot the breeze for a bit.”

She lets out a relieved breath. “Yes, sure, okay. That sounds good. I am a little hungry.”

“Perfect.” I smile over at her. “Let me see Jock off, and then we can find a place that delivers.”

Standing, I usher my crafty agent to the door.

The man is smiling like a Cheshire cat, clearly freaking pleased with his own damn self that he made a good match. I bet the team has a bonus lined up for him if this continues so smoothly.

“I told you you’d be happy with whom I chose for you,” he says under his breath once we reach the foyer. “She’s gorgeous, right?”

“She is very pretty,” I say softly.

He pats me on the back. “I’m telling you, Tettersaw. I have a good feeling about this. And after the way you two were gawking at each other when you first met, I sense it could turn into something more.”

Chuckling, I say, “Now you’re a psychic too?”

He just laughs.

And then he leaves.

I return to the living room to find Eden still on the sofa, though now she has her legs up and crisscrossed. Her folder is resting in her lap, and she’s carefully flipping through the pages.

To start our alone-time off on a light note, I joke, “Hey, don’t believe everything you read in that thing. I promise you that I’m not as big of an asshole as they make me out to be.”

She looks up at me curiously. “You don’t seem like an asshole at all, Graham. Not in these pages…or in real life.”

Damn.

Those eyes…that face…that bod…her kind words.

She really is smoking hot.

And so nice too.

Fuck.

“Why, thank you,” I say, smiling. “I just hope you’ll still see it that way once we’re living together.”

She makes a not-so-happy face. “Right, I almost forgot about that part.”

I assure her, “Hey, it won’t be so bad. I only have a few bad habits.”

I’m still trying to keep things light, as I sense this could head south fast since she’s so uneasy.

I guess my attempt works.

She smiles slyly and says, “Uh-oh. Does that mean you leave dirty dishes lying around everywhere and hog all the hot water when you shower?”

I chuckle. I’m glad we can joke around like this with each other already. It bodes well for the days ahead.

We may as well make the most of our situation, right?

Lowering my head sheepishly, I confess, “I actually take pretty quick showers, so I probably won’t tap out the hot water tank. But, as for leaving dirty dishes lying around, I have been known to forget a plate or two after watching TV.”

“I knew it!” She tries not to laugh. “That’s it. There’s just no way this will ever work. We may as well give up now.”

“Wait a second. I may have something to say about that.”

Chuckling, she says, “Yeah, like what?”

I pretend to be thinking hard as I cross my arms over my chest.

Interesting.

Her green eyes flitter to where my tee is pulling tightly across my wide pecs. I must look huge, though that doesn’t seem to intimidate her in the least. To the contrary, I think she likes our size difference.

Shit, I like it too. The things I could do to her in bed.

Wait, what am I thinking?

I have no intention of actually getting involved with this girl.

But then Eden looks up, and our eyes meet.

Maybe…

No!

She sees me shuttering my runaway thoughts, and she does the same.

Clearing her throat and looking away, she murmurs, “Uh, we should probably order that pizza, huh?”

I blow out a breath.

Whoa, it was tense there for a sec.

“Sure.” I take out my phone. “Let’s see what’s close by.”

I sit down near her, but not directly next to her.

Turns out, there are at least a dozen pizzerias in the area. Since Eden’s from Columbus, though not from this neighborhood specifically, she still knows which places are good and which aren’t.

“Papa Petito’s is fantastic,” she says excitedly after I finish reading off the choices. “I really like their calzones.”

“That works for me.” I pause for a beat, then add, “Wait. Does that mean you want calzone instead of pizza?”

She nods, but quickly amends, “Unless you really have your heart set on sharing.”

“Nah, this is better.” I scroll through the Papa Petito’s menu on my phone. “It looks like they have veggie hoagies on whole grain buns. I have to go away to training camp in a couple of days, so that’s better for me.”

Eden nods. “Good.”

Once the order is in, I inform her, “They said they’ll be here in about twenty minutes.”

Crossing her arms, she asks, “What should we do until then?”

“Uh, I guess we could try to get to know each other a little better, like Jock suggested. I mean, we have these info packets, right?” I nod to where both our folders are lying on the coffee table. “I’m sure there’s a lot more ground to cover.”

“Yes, definitely,” she agrees. “Like, so far, I only know that you take quick showers.”

“And…” I hold her gaze and state very seriously, “leave grimy dishes lying around the house.”

She smacks her forehead. “How could I have forgotten that one? Yuck. But wait, that doesn’t mean you expect me to clean up after you, does it?”

I shake my head. “No, of course not.”

“So says you and every other guy on the planet.” She snorts. “You sound just like my brother. And that makes me think that living with you, Graham, may not be all that much of a change for me, after all.”

Whoa, wait, hold the bus.

I may not have plans to start anything “real” with Eden, but I sure as hell don’t want her thinking of me as her brother.