He was called away a few days later on business in Greece, and the trip couldn’t have come at a better time for Eden, who had once again avoided him after the passion filled night they’d shared. They had been closer than the word. Their shadowed movements a synchronized ballet they’d mastered long ago. Even now, nearly a week later, she could still feel his thickness and the smooth, controlled cadences of his thrusts that had only grown frenzied in their last gasping moments, and it had her feminine walls clenching reflexively. The slutty part of her that she rarely allowed to see the light of day wanted more of that fullness, wanted more of the delicious soreness that hurt so good. But it was a demand Eden could not satisfy, the two main reasons being that: one, thankfully, Dominic was out of the country; and two, she couldn’t allow sex to cloud her judgment, not now when the direness of the situation called for a level head. Eden knew it was a moot point, castigating herself on her ultimate failure in resisting his advances, knowing in the end she’d ended up exactly where she’d vowed she wouldn’t. Making that vow had been the beginning of the end. A jinx that had come to perfect fruition all because of the unimaginable hunger that had proved impossible to deny, an unquenchable hunger that ebbed when he stroked her only the way he could.

Now she stood in a quagmire of her own making, faced with the aftermath with nothing to save her from sinking but willpower. She had to make a decision, a decisive one that needed to ultimately benefit her. Because that’s what this was all about. She’d gone through far too much to be impeded now by something that wasn’t even real. There were no feelings in fucking. There was no love in this poisoned garden of a marriage. Forget that for an infinitesimal breath of time when he’d been buried deep inside her and the dark passion that filled his green eyes had captured hers, she’d seen her husband for the first time. Forget the heart wrenching intimacy he’d roused soon after when they’d been entangled like twine, with their hearts drumming as one to the same longing rhythm. That intimacy that they’d fallen into so easily, so unlike them, was admittedly what frightened Eden more than she dared confess.

Gathering her hair up in its customary ponytail, she wrapped it into a messy bun on her head, and tossed a cursory glance at her rearview mirror before opening the driver’s side door. This was her first time back on the night shift, and if Lena had had her way, it wouldn’t have happened any time soon. But Carver had intervened on her behalf after Mickey had demanded his liquor slinging girl back at the bar. So now she was working the night shift again, both a blessing and a curse. But it wouldn’t be for much longer, Eden thought, tonight she was giving her two weeks. Waiting tables and working for tips wasn’t a future she wanted for herself. It had only been a pit stop, getting too comfortable there hadn’t been part of the deal.

Not that there was a chance of getting comfortable at Carver’s, what with the customers being so charming and everything. She had a little bit saved up now, not anywhere near what she’d had before, but it was enough to put first and last month’s rent and a security deposit on a small apartment. Jenna had offered to pay rent with the money she’d earned watching Liam for however long it took for Eden to find a job in real estate. They’d both formulated a tentative plan on their futures, nothing set in stone, but they were going to be there for each other regardless. That was exactly what Eden needed. Distance, time alone, time to think, time to recuperate and a start fresh. She would only be setting herself up for more heartbreak if she did otherwise.

It was packed. No surprise there. The game playing on the flat screens mounted high on the four walls had everyone riveted, erupting every now and then in a chorus of cheers or disgruntled jeers. It made for an interesting evening but no less demanding. Eden was kept on her toes as the crowd clamored for more salty food which led to their need for more liquor. Mickey had her mixing drinks, but halfway through the night, she was pulled away to help with Brenda’s tables. It was while she was coming back from getting a drink order that she saw him, and Eden frowned, not actually recognizing him until she saw the skulls and crossbones tattoo inked into his arm. Her frown deepened as she approached the table he was occupying. There was someone else seated across from him.

Rail thin, stringy ash blond hair, and enough makeup to make any clown jealous, the woman—and Eden used the word rather loosely—appeared to have seen better days. She was scarfing down a basket of fries, a napkin splattered with ketchup just to the right of her. Pulling her eyes away from the professional eating contestant, Eden looked at Jenna’s ex and couldn’t help her disgust from morphing her face into a scowl. It was a slight consolation that he looked worse for wear but not by much. Eden would rather he be buried in a hole somewhere very far from here. The last time she’d seen him, he hadn’t looked this bad. He was wirier, and his gaunt features would look better placed on a corpse, making him look like the grim reaper. There was a stench oozing from him and the clothes that hung off his diminished frame. Cracked lips drew up into a smug grin as his glassy blue eyes raked over her with a look that made her skin crawl. She pulled back from the dirt caked hand that reached out to touch her.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Tsk, tsk, that’s no way of talking to a customer.” He spread his legs and fisted himself through his jeans. “Come have a seat, we need to talk.”

“You need to get the fuck out.” Trying to keep her anger under control was no small feat.

“What the fuck you doing working in this place? Your sugar daddy leave you high and dry?”

Eden turned to leave, resolved to flag down either Carver or one of the guys he hired to handle the crowd when they got out of hand. But Alex was faster, shackling a hand around her wrist in a surprisingly tight grip that hurt far more than she let on. With one forceful tug, he jerked her to him, setting her hand, palm side down on the table. He grabbed the steak knife and held it over her hand. “Make a fucking scene, and I’ll drive this into your hand. Got it?” In the absence of his lascivious look, his cold eyes stared back at her with dark intent.

She nodded jerkily, holding onto the retort that burned her tongue.

“Now smile like the good cock sucking waitress that you are and answer my fucking questions. Why the fuck isn’t Jenna answering my phone calls?”

“I don’t know,” she said icily.

“Don’t fucking bullshit me. I know you’re telling her not to talk to me. You’ve been pulling this shit since she’s met you. You’re going to—”

“Dude, what the fuck?”

Thank God for April! The redhead jumped into action, tossing her plate of hot food at the table causing the much needed commotion she’d anticipated. Alex’s grip on Eden’s wrist slackened, along with the grip he had on the knife, and too soon he was out of his chair, looking for an exit. The woman who’d been sitting with him was screaming bloody murder as she batted away at remnants of mashed potatoes and mushrooms from her hair and body.

“Carver!” April’s cry of help to their boss was loud enough that more than a few heads turned in their particular direction. “He pulled a knife out on Eden!” she explained frantically once the tattooed man jumped into the fray. It all it took was the word “knife” to have him lunging for the other man, but Alex was already making a run for it, his lady friend scurrying behind him.

“Are you alright?” It took Eden a moment to answer, her nerves shot to hell, her heart thumping furiously in her chest, speaking proved a little difficult.

“Yeah,” she nodded, more for everyone’s assurance than her own, “yeah, I’m fine.”

The odd, quiet hush that fell over the bar was disturbing on so many levels as hushed murmurs made Eden feel like she was under a microscope highlighted by stadium lights. Carver instantly rectified the situation. “This round’s on the house! Cheers to our girl, April!”

“April!” everyone chorused, and just like that everything returned to normal, the patrons returning to their heated game and equally stimulating conversations.

“Thank you for saving my ass, April.”

“Jesus, who the fuck was that guy? Did you know him?”

“He’s my best friend’s ex. I didn’t know he was going to show up here.” God she didn’t even think he knew where she worked! “I’m so sorry, Carver.”

“You sure do keep interesting company, Eden,” he remarked teasingly, a lopsided grin putting on display a dimple in his left cheek.

She flushed red. “Not willingly,” she murmured.

“Well, whatever that was, Carver is buying us a drink, so come take a shot with me. It’ll calm your nerves.”

It didn’t. She was still very much rattled by closing time, the one thought crawling through her mind was that if he knew where she worked then it more than likely meant he knew where they lived. Suddenly the conversation she had with Jenna a month ago about telling Dominic about Alex didn’t seem like such a bad idea now. In fact, it was imperative that she do so now before things spiraled out of her control. Yes, she resolved silently, cleaning out her locker and brusquely shoving her items in her bag. She was going to tell him tonight; as soon as she returned to the mansion she would call him.

“You can head out, girls!” Carver called from the back office.

“Sweet! I’ll see you later, guys. Got a hot date with Spence tonight.” Brenda waved goodbye, her bag in hand, and raced for the car waiting for her outside.

“You coming, Eden?” April asked from the doorway, Maria a few feet from the front entrance.

“Yeah, you guys go ahead. I’ll be right behind you,” she said with a small smile, tugging her hair down from the messy bun and running soothing fingers against her sore scalp.

“Alright, girl. Great work tonight.”

“You too. And thanks again for—”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing you wouldn’t have done for me. We all look out for each other. I’ll see tomorrow.”

“Yeah, tomorrow.”

God, she needed a shower. But first she needed to find the keys to her car, otherwise that shower was going to be only wishful thinking. After some vigorous searching, her bottomless bag finally yielded her set of keys. Checking the clock on the wall, Eden saw how late it was and sighed.

“Hey, Carver, I’m heading out!”

“Alright, almost done. I’ll close up.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure thing.”

One o’clock in the morning brought with it a cool, yet warm breeze attributed with a summer night. The breeze felt good against her sticky, fevered skin, but with that shower sounding more and more appealing, she bounded for her car, too preoccupied that she didn’t notice him until he shoved her against her car.

“Didn’t think you’d see me again, huh, you stupid bitch?” He was strong despite his frail appearance, strong enough to subdue her attempts to free herself. “Scream and I’m going smash your head against this car,” he said, his rancid breath blowing hot against her ear. The hold he had on her arms prevented her from twisting around. Her mind was in chaos, but Eden kept control of her nerves while hastily trying to formulate a plan of escape. “First, you’re going to call your sugar daddy and tell him I need more money. The amount he paid me the first time wasn’t enough. And then you’re going to kick Jenna out of that nice little mansion she thinks she belongs in. Once she’s out on her own, she’ll come running back to me, and I’ll have enough money to take care of her.”

“You mean beat her to a bloody pulp until she does everything you say?” She needed to keep him talking. The good thing in all of this was that he wasn’t armed, so she wasn’t in any immediate danger. She’d dropped her keys when he’d apprehended her so there was no way setting off the panic alarm to alert anyone in the vicinity. “Even if I could convince Jenna to leave, she’s not going to go back to you. She’s done being your punching bag.”

“Shut the fuck up!” That struck a nerve and had him tugging painfully on her locked arms with such brute force that she heard a pop in her left shoulder. “Open the fucking door!”

The pain brought on tears, which she furiously blinked away. “The keys are on the…” she trailed off as the weight of his body was lifted off of her, and she spun around to find Carver wrestling Alex to the ground.

“Call the cops,” he growled in her direction, and though her arms and shoulders screamed for mercy, Eden did as she was told and dialed nine-one-one with trembling fingers.

They took statements, hers and Carver’s, and before they hauled Alex away, they asked if she wanted to press charges to which she replied, “Yes, I do.” For Jenna’s sake and her own, Eden wanted to put his ass away for good, at least then he would be someone else’s problem.

When the red and blue lights disappeared, Eden sagged against her car with a long, wearied sigh. She brought a hand up to nurse her left shoulder, wincing when she touched at the pulled muscle.

“There’s never a dull moment with you,” he joked in that dark smoky growl of his. “You sure you don’t want to go to the hospital or something?”

“Honestly, I just want to go home at this point and maybe ice my shoulder.”

“Let me take a look?” Obliging his request was the least she could do right now, after all he’d done for her in this one night alone. She nodded and gave him her back. He handled her with gentle yet skillful hands, careful not to further aggravate the main area.

“Is it dislocated?”

“Doesn’t look like it. Try rotating it for me?”

It hurt like the dickens, but she was able to rotate it without too much complication. “That’s good. It’s probably a strain, but I would have someone check it out for you, just to be sure.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” she conceded, turning around to face him again. “How do you know this stuff?”

He shrugged. “High school and college football. You tear, strain, and dislocate a lot. After a while you start to learn the symptoms. Plus I studied sport’s medicine before opening the bar.” Yeah, she definitely pegged him for an athlete, as big as he was. That thought incited a blush that made her grateful it was dark enough in the parking lot that he didn’t see.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come out when you did. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. But like I said, you keep interesting company. First the ‘suit and tie’ and now this rat faced bastard.”

“The suit and tie?”

“Yeah, the broody guy in the suit that dragged you out like you were his own personal Raggedy Ann doll.”

“Dominic,” she quietly supplied.

“What’s his deal? Is he someone we have to worry about?”

“No, that was the first and last time, I promise. We’re…we’re actually getting a divorce soon.” It was the first time she’d actually said it out loud to anyone other than Jenna. And the fact that that other person happened to be her very sexy, very gallant boss with a killer smile made it that much more awkward. She needed to go, like yesterday.

“Which means you’ll no longer be sporting this boulder?” he took hold of her hand left hand and grinned down at her wedding ring. “This things huge, it’s a wonder you don’t have a hand injury too.”

Eden gently pulled back her hand with a sheepish smile. “I’m returning it after the divorce. It’s way too flashy anyways.”

“Yeah, I didn’t peg you for the flashy sort of girl.” If she didn’t know him so well, she would’ve sworn he was flirting with her. But flirt was part of Carver’s charm. It came to him as natural as breathing.

“I’m not, I mean not anymore. It’s a long story.” She sighed. “I’m going to head out. Thank you again.”

Having retrieved her keys from the ground when the cops came, Eden unlocked the door and stepped inside the driver’s side. Carver waited until she was settled, with her seatbelt in place, before closing the door for her. “You’re welcome.” He flashed a smile and she was again taken aback by how gorgeous he was, handsome in the way that he needed to have his own calendar, in her opinion. That smile drew attention to the devastating blue of his eyes that gleamed like sapphires. If she wasn’t already so embroiled in this very complicated thing with Dominic, Eden was sure she would’ve fallen hard for Carver. She was already attracted to him. Honestly the man oozed sex appeal so potent that any woman within the vicinity would’ve felt it. But she was emotionally and currently physically, unavailable. She had way too many issues that needed to be resolved before she even contemplated getting into relationship with someone. “Take care of yourself, Eden.”

That’s exactly what she intended to do. With a parting smile, she turned the engine over and headed home.

* * *

It was while settling Liam in his crib and dropping a kiss on his soft, puffy cheek that Eden decided to forgo the shower and bathe instead. On silent, naked feet Eden entered the master bath, and though it had been home to her years before, it felt strange entering this place now that it was his domain. Even as she stepped inside the all-white bathroom with its reflective milk white walls and glass mosaic tiled floor, she tossed a few nervous glances behind her just to make sure he wasn’t there. Eden silently chastised herself for being silly. He was halfway around the world. There was no way he was going to come out of the shadows like some boogeyman and catch her in the act.

Her soaps and bath salts were exactly as she’d left them, nothing out of place, situated right next to his toiletries. She didn’t know how to feel about that. But that was nothing new at this point. Surrounded by sumptuous bubbles and nearly scorching hot water, Eden sank deeper into the tub that was big enough to accommodate two more people comfortably. With the painkillers she’d taken doing their job, the pain in her shoulder wasn’t as excruciating, but the dull ache was a clear reminder of what she’d faced earlier in the evening. With any luck, Alex was rotting away in a cell right now. Eden hadn’t said anything to Jenna when she’d taken Liam, but she would tomorrow. It was Eden’s hope to have Jenna press battery charges on him, something concrete that would stick and keep him in prison for years to come. She was willing to testify and would encourage her best friend to do the same. Alex had a record a mile long, the majority were domestic abuse charges he’d accrued since he’d been with Jenna. Jenna needed a fresh start, she needed some peace of mind, and Eden was sure it would start by putting Alex away.

Closing her eyes, shutting off her brain, Eden lounged back and luxuriated. Nearly a half hour later, she emerged from the ceramic tub, clean and relaxed, taking with her the distinct scent of sandalwood and citrus. She slipped back into her robe before exiting the bathroom.

She knew instinctively that he was in the room even before she saw him. The tiny hairs on her skin stood on end as slivers of both pleasure and fear licked down her spine. Her heart forgot its rhythm at the sight of him, beating erratically against her breastbone. He looked as though he’d just arrived and his first stop had been to Liam’s room where he emerged now, silently closing the connecting doors behind him. He was still in his suit, business as usual. Eden felt her body instantly responding to the sight of that suit, and she was startled to find that she’d developed a fetish over the last few months. Dominic in a suit was an aphrodisiac all on its own. It was fitted, tailored as all his suits tended to be; black slacks hugging his strong masculine thighs, while his shirt, a deep burgundy that looked amazing against his complexion, was fitted perfectly to his upper physique.

He’d discarded the jacket somewhere along the way, and Eden knew there’d been a tie at some point, but that too was gone in the way of the missing suit jacket. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and he’d unbuttoned the first three buttons so that the column of his neck and a bit of his chest was left exposed. The allure of that exposed golden skin dropped in her the need to press her lips at the point where neck met chest. When her gaze finally met his, it was to find him assessing her with the same deliberate thoroughness that she’d exercised. Heat suffused every inch of her skin, and though she knew there was the barrier of the robe to protect her, Eden couldn’t have felt more naked beneath the unerring scope of his predatory gaze.

“Hello,” he greeted in his husky timbre.

“Hi.” She licked her lips nervously, looking past his shoulder to the exit behind him. Eden knew she needed to make her escape now before things spiraled completely out of control. “I know you must be tired. I’m just going to leave.” She didn’t take two steps past him before he grabbed her arm and dragged her backwards to the wall by the bathroom door. He backed her against that wall and held her there, dominant to the very core, every inch of his hard angled body surged against her yielding femininity, rendering her immobile. He swooped down, and with a kiss that instantly set her ablaze, his tongue licked at the seam of her mouth, demanding access. His groan rumbled at the taste of her liquid sweetness, strained and muted in the depth of the mouth he took without permission, but knew was freely given.

Wetness instantly pooled between her thighs as his roving hand frantically moved down the length of her body, cupping her breast through the thin layer of cotton, tweaking a distended nipple until she cried out in pleasure and pain. Her body involuntarily arched towards him, wanting more. But that hand scrambled lower still, down her thighs until fingers found her hot slickness, running satisfyingly down the center. “So wet for me,” he growled, and she whimpered at his mercy. He manhandled her; his large hands firmly gripped her thighs and hoisted her up against the wall until she stared down into his rapacious green eyes, eyes that held hers as he lowered her onto his cock, sliding simultaneously in molten flesh that greedily engulfed him.

Powerful legs maintained her weight as he began to move, long, smooth drives that filled a void in her that she hadn’t known was empty until now.

“Eden…” Dominic rasped. He pinned her arms above her head and nuzzled into her neck, taking into his lungs the sandalwood and citrus that smelled so much better on her skin than it ever did on his. The insane need to feel her heart pushed him to drive deeper into her pliant body, a need he would never satisfy but never tired of trying. “This is Eden,” he murmured in silent wonder almost too quietly to himself, but she heard and her heart took it like oxygen. She dipped her head to steal a kiss that he instantly took charge of, and their tongues tangled. He caught her lower lip between his teeth and nibbled before plunging his tongue back into the sweetness of her mouth, depriving her of air, but it was breath Eden was all too willing to do without if it meant prolonging this euphoria. His hips drove in hard, slamming into her and she held on, squeezing her legs around his waist while she rode his every thrust, surrendering to the cavalcade of emotions he made her feel.

“Dom…Dom…” she panted, chanting his name like a pagan prayer, her beautiful sounds hailing him her deity as he felt her walls growing tight, her orgasm bearing down on him like a force of nature. “Come for me, Eden,” he demanded, his voice threaded with raw emotion. And her body, the all too willing supplicant, came undone at his command. The force of her orgasm consumed her, engulfed her in a blaze of white hot pleasure that blinded her to anything else. She felt him, heard an almost tortured groan choke him as he came deep inside her.

He took her two more times before dawn broke over the horizon, and Eden readily spread her legs for him, forgetting everything else that should’ve mattered for another dizzying ride on his roller coaster. When it was over and the world righted itself, she silently marveled how she’d gone nearly a year and a half without sex to having it a handful of times in the span of a few short days. But then that spoke more to Dominic’s potent sexual appeal than her lack of available partners. He had a sway over her that she could not shake, no matter how hard she tried. And she was trying. But as exhibited, her attempts at putting distance between them always led her exactly where she was not supposed to be—in his arms, in his bed—a cycle that was so hard to break.

She needed to leave. Find her robe and steal away before her hypocrisy made itself known. He wouldn’t know she was gone until much later, and by then, Eden would’ve had time to shower and process things before she had to face him again. At least then she would be better prepared to face the awkwardness she knew would come. A little dignity would do her well considering she’d exhibited very little of it so far. Easing out of his restrictive hold took some maneuvering, but once she sat up, a cursory glance in his direction gave her pause. His breathing was controlled, his chest rising and falling steadily in sleep. He looked exhausted, and Eden figured it had more to do with the jetlag than the explosive sex they’d had. It took far more to satiate Dominic’s unquenchable carnal hunger, Eden remembered all too clearly. She crawled off the bed. Her bathrobe lay strewn on the floor in the empty space between the bathroom and bed, stripped from her body, and tossed haphazardly in the heat of passion. She slid into it, wincing when her shoulder gave a protesting twinge. More painkillers, she thought silently, tying to sash before disappearing inside Liam’s nursery.

* * *

He watched her avidly. Transfixed like a man sentenced to a lifetime of blindness, and her brilliance, her breathtaking beauty, was the last thing he was permitted to see. She smiled so ravishingly that he envied his son for putting that smile on her face. She was dressed simply in dark rinsed jeans and a sleeveless chiffon blouse. Hair that he’d threaded his fingers through in the heat of passion, tumbled around her shoulders in loose waves. Her feet were bare as she toddled along in the green grass with Liam between her legs teaching him how to walk, her words of encouragement soothing the happy boy as his legs buckled and he stumbled. It was nothing at all like the childhood he’d had. He’d once believed in his undying cynicism that she would abandon Liam in the same way that Dominic himself had been abandoned. He’d set her up to fail long before giving her the chance to prove herself. But he’d seen in so many ways that she was nothing like his mother; there was no comparison between the two. The love and peace that he’d never received, she gave to their son in abundance, without reservation and Dominic treasured her for that alone.

There was so much that he could learn from her, so much that he wanted to learn, to know, but those wants were inconsequential, paling in light of the damage he’d caused her. It pained him to remember her anguished confession when she’d said that he had created her demons and Dominic had known. How could he not when he had been the architect of her torment? But to hear those words from that beautiful mouth, to know that he’d instilled fear in her heart gutted him. Somewhere in hell he knew his mother was cackling, knowing the cycle of her abuse was still very much alive in the son that she’d hated more than life itself. But it was a cycle Dominic was determined to break.

He understood a little more now the reason why he had never been able to cure himself of his obsession with her. Why he’d gone to such lengths to have her. That moment five years ago when he’d seen her on that stage, untouched by his sadism, ignorant to the predator that he’d been, there had been meaning in that moment. Meaning that he was only now beginning to understand. His darkness had been drawn to her light, enticed by that very thing he hadn’t known he’d been searching for until he found it in her. His Eden. In her, laid the garden of his peace. In her year long absence from his life, while she had thrived and lived to become this woman who challenged him in all things, Dominic had been aimless, prowling around restlessly like a beast without his trainer. And when she’d returned, he’d done the only thing he knew how to keep her at his side. His recent trip to Greece had been enlightening, his longing for her had been physically and mentally unbearable, so much so that he’d cut the two week long trip short; the private jet couldn’t have brought him back fast enough. Sliding back the French doors, he moved towards them. She had her dark head down, so absorbed in Liam’s antics, that she didn’t see him approaching until he stood only a few short feet away.

Eden’s skin prickled in that peculiar way it always did when he was near. She looked up and found him standing there clad in a pristine white shirt, sleeves appropriately rolled up, in a pair of tailored steel grey chinos and black loafers. Casual and sexy. His intrinsic magnetism instantly drawing her in. She focused her attention on Liam, scooping down to pick him up, she noticeably winced, her face crinkling in pain as her shoulder protested.

“What’s wrong?” He was there in an instant. Taking Liam in his arms, he trained his gaze back on her. “Are you hurt?” he urged impatiently, needing her to give him an immediate answer.

“It’s my shoulder,” she murmured, raising her hand to the site of her pain. “There was an incident at work last night.” Leveling him with stare, Eden asked, “Did you pay Jenna’s ex-boyfriend to do something for you?”

“Yes.”

“What was it?”

“To find you,” he said concisely. “I was desperate enough to employ his help.”

She appreciated his honesty. “He came by my job last night, making threats and demanding more money from you. He caught me by surprise when I was leaving work, and I guess he sprained my shoulder when he had me against my car.”

A dark cloud of emotion shadowed his hard features for a moment, while his jaw clenched in an obvious bout to control whatever it was he was feeling. He managed the feat, but green eyes were unable to conceal the depth of his rage. A rage Eden was unsure was directed at her.

“Can I see?” The calm of his voice said otherwise.

So completely different than when Carver had asked, Eden silently remarked. For one thing, her heart hadn’t hammered this maddeningly in nervousness as she swept her hair to one side of her shoulder and allowed Dominic his perusal. She chewed anxiously on her lower lip as she quite literally felt the touch of his gaze on her skin. “I thought the pain would ease by now, but it hurts...a lot,” she admitted softly, “I think I need to go to the hospital. Jenna went out for a little while so I was going to wait until she came back so I could go. But if you could just watch Liam, I can go by myself and—”

“I’ll take you,” he said decisively, putting an immediate halt to her nervous rambling. “Jacqueline will watch Liam.”

“You don’t have to. Take me, I mean. I can go by myself.”

“I want to go with you. If you will allow me, that is.”

Eden did allow it. In fact she found it harder and harder to find reason why she should mind that Dominic was escorting her to the hospital. He declined the chauffeured services and instead they took a different car that got them to the hospital in less time than it would’ve normally taken. Of course that was also with Dominic driving like he was on a race track. Three hours later, they emerged from the emergency room. There was nothing broken, according to the doctor on duty, but it was a pulled muscle for which he prescribed a higher dose of painkillers and advised her to ice it to keep the swelling down. Nothing she hadn’t already been doing.

“Why are you so quiet?” she gently prodded in the silence of the car, knowing he’d taken to the caverns of his mind again.

“I’ll take care of him.”

Eden frowned. “That’s not what I want, Dominic,” she said carefully, needing him to understand. “I didn’t tell you so you could come to my rescue. I can handle this.”

“Handle it by further getting hurt?” he countered derisively, the condescending undertone she hated so much scraping against her skin like thorns. “He will not come near you again.” The finality of that statement was punctuated by him killing the ignition and stepping out of the car.

Eden ran after him, catching his arm before he could walk too far away “So that’s it? Whatever you say goes? I don’t get a say?”

“I will not compromise when it comes to your safety,” he grated, his lips compressing into a thin line of disapproval.

“I’m a big girl, Dominic, I can take care of myself. I spent an entire year away from you, and I was fine. Alex is in jail. He assaulted me and I’m pressing charges. He already has a rap sheet for what he did to Jenna. Getting him convicted shouldn’t be that difficult. It’s not your job to take care of me. At least it won’t be…” she trailed off, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she met his gaze.

“Right. The divorce.”

The inescapable death of this marriage hung over Dominic’s head like the blade of a guillotine. If he asked for more time, she would cry foul. Then there was the very real prospect of her suing him for breaching that damnable contract. The money wasn’t the problem. He had it in abundance and had always shared it with her regardless of the glaring fact that he’d used it to control her in the past. He drew in a deep breath still frustrated by what had happened to her. She had his hands tied in demanding that he not intervene on her behalf when he had the means to do exactly that. He now regretted the agreement they’d made in telling James not to tail her. If his security guard had been there, she certainly would not have gotten hurt.

“Yes, the divorce,” she reiterated. “Four more months.”

“You count the days so diligently.” There was hardly any bite to the soft delivery, nevertheless the statement spoke of his frustrations on the subject.

Eden’s brows drew together. “Aren’t you? I mean it’s what we both want.”

His lips curled up into a halfhearted smile as he stepped closer to her reaching out to gently brush a lock of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek. “What I want is… not important.” He leaned in to brush a heart wrenchingly sweet kiss at the center of her forehead. “I’ve always cared about you, Eden,” he confided truthfully, pulling back, “I’ve just been horrible at showing it.”

She took a step back with a shuddering breath “Well, it doesn’t matter now.” The lies she told could fill a gorge. She lowered her gaze knowing his perceptiveness would glean the truth from that lie. And the truth was that a very large part of her reveled in his softly spoken words, the ill placed delight reaching down to stroke at her foolish heart.

“No,” he murmured, “I guess it doesn’t.” His long legs carried him away, leaving Eden standing in the wake of his uncharacteristic tenderness, her mind an utter mess of thoughts that did not make the slightest sense, all the while wishing he would return and explain himself.

* * *

“I think this one might be a little stronger,” Jenna warned, her voice slightly hoarse from scream-singing half the evening. They were in their swimsuits. Eden’s a little black number with red polka dots and Jenna’s a dark blue one that displayed her cute little tanned ass. Strawberries and tequila perfumed the warm summer breeze while the intermittent sound of the blender whirred over the Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” playing through the speakers that they knew by heart. It was nineties night, at least that’s what they’d dubbed it four margaritas ago as they sang rather horribly with every song they recognized, which was all of them. Drunk wasn’t exactly what one would call Eden’s current state, but she was bordering on happy, a.k.a tipsy, two levels beneath absolute inebriation. Jenna on the other hand... Eden chortled as she watched the blond haired woman stumble back from the little bar area they’d set up by the lounge chairs, the frothy, iced drinks she had in her hand spilling all over the ground.

“Here, try.” She handed Eden what was left of the coral red, strawberry scented drink before lowering herself down the pool’s ledge, plunking her feet back into the warm water.

It was icy tequila with very little strawberry. Eden sipped it. This one was going to take her a minute to finish. “You didn’t even try on this one,” Eden joked, nudging Jenna’s shoulder. “So, are you okay?” It was only right to ask considering Alex had been sentenced to three years in prison today. It wasn’t only the assault on Eden that had prompted the judge to convict him. It had been a culmination of petty thefts to drug charges and outstanding warrants for his arrest that had ultimately sealed his fate. They’d gone to court earlier this afternoon and when they’d come out, Jenna had been pale and withdrawn, barely saying a word to Eden until they’d retuned to the mansion.

Jenna shrugged. “I didn’t want to see him that way. He looked old, worn. Like the world chewed him up and spit him back out. He wasn’t the Alex I remembered, the Alex who…who looked out for me, you know?” She turned to look at her best friend with glassy eyes, hoping she would understand what she wasn’t able to say.

Eden didn’t know, because to her, Alex had always been the asshole that beat up her best friend. She hadn’t known any other side to him than the piece of shit he’d been. So no, she didn’t know exactly what Jenna was talking about. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t empathize. Nineties, margarita night was made for reasons like this. “Maybe he had good intentions when you guys first met, but he’s not that guy anymore. He’s changed and so have you, Jen. For the better. You deserve so much better than the brand of love Alex gave you.”

“And how about you?” Jenna nudged her back.

A small knit materialized between Eden’s brows. “What about me?” she asked, kicking and splashing the water with her legs and feet.

“What are you going to do about your baby daddy?”

Eden tossed her head back and laughed. “What I planned on doing from the beginning.”

“The divorce?”

Why everyone suddenly seemed surprised that she was still intent on separating from Dominic was news to Eden. Nothing had changed. This was the only end result that would benefit her in the long run. Dominic couldn’t hurt her or control her or lord over her life like he’d done so many times before in the past. Old hurts, the humiliation she’d born as his wife, along with the mental abuse had left a stain on her soul, one that could not easily be washed off. She wasn’t heartless, and on some level she knew his brutality towards her stemmed greatly from the atrocities he’d endured as a child. Even now thinking on it, knowing the constant struggle he faced made her hurt for him. Like the pain was so intense that it struck her chest like a shot put.

“Eden.”

Eden raised a hand to the site of her pain, center left side of her chest and found the muffled battering of her heart against her damp hand. “We had a deal,” she said quietly, distractedly soothing at the dull ache. “It’ll be good for both of us.” Abuse only produced more abuse, in some form or another. This was why Eden needed to leave him. She didn’t want to be the victim who later became the abuser. She would cut off both arms before she ever laid a hand on Liam, but words damaged just as deeply.

“God, fucking listen to us. Ruining our girls’ night talking about fucking men who don’t deserve us! Well fuck that and fuck them.” Jenna wobbled to her feet, gripping Eden’s shoulder when she teetered. She thrust her glass up in the air, the contents spilling on Eden, who deciding to come to her feet lest she end up covered in margarita followed in best friend’s antics. “Let’s fucking drink to us and the awesome dildos that can rightfully take their places.”

Hell yeah fucking right. “Power to the Dildos.” Yes, she very damn well clinked to that. Tossing the too strong margarita down the hatch like it was a shot, she laughed as Jenna grabbed her hand and they jumped around like silly school girls to Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping”. It was fun being this uninhibited. Jenna ended up using the empty bottle of tequila as her microphone while Eden gyrated drunkenly in front of her to The Divinyls “I Touch Myself”. Eyes closed, mouth moving sensually over those provocative lyrics, Dominic was inclined to scoop her over his shoulder and play out the fantasy for them both. He exercised restraint, however, when he stepped out onto the pool deck. Though he had eyes only for Eden, Dominic’s cock noticeably stirred at the sight of the two women, and the very lurid picture they presented rubbing up against each other. It was a very strong, very male reaction that he instantly stamped down.

Her eyes fluttered open and from beneath dark lashes that curved beautifully in half-moons, she met his gaze levelly, the sultriness of the stare she pinned him with had blood rushing down the cock that instantly stood to salute her. “Look, Jen,” she called, there was an added smokiness to her voice that Dominic found sexy as hell, “it’s my baby daddy.”

“Hello,” he said in greeting, noting that his own voice seemed a bit off as he approached their private party. “I didn’t realize you were having a party.”

“Oh yeah…private party,” she looped her arm back to wrap around Jenna’s neck, her full mouth drawing up. The smile of a temptress. “But there’s room for one more. Wanna join?”

“You’re drunk.”

She caught her full lower lip between her teeth, fluttering those lashes before reaching forward for his tie, wrapping it around her hand to tug him forward. They towered over her as she stood sandwiched between them, and for a brief moment, Dominic’s gaze looked over her shoulder at an equally drunk Jenna, who looked back at him with interest, waiting to see exactly what he would do. “Come on, Dom, I know you want to…” He stood close enough to her that she could feel the prominent length of his arousal. “Should I get on my knees?” she breathed and Dominic’s imagination sparked at those words as his gaze trained on her luscious mouth, tinged pink, like forbidden fruit calling him to taste, calling for something far more indecent than a kiss. “You’re way too overdressed...”

This was a trap. Warning bells clanged, horns blared, and Dominic was wise enough to heed the warning. “Party ends now,” he delivered curtly, easing his tie out of her hold. “Jenna head inside,” he called without a second glance back as he dragged Eden behind him.

She resisted halfway up the stairs, and Dominic’s caveman etiquette kicked in as he hauled her over his shoulder and continued on his way unperturbed. A firm, well deserved smack on her plump ass stopped her flailing legs. He walked past her bedroom. And with their son sleeping peacefully with the housekeeper, Dominic headed towards the master. He dropped her unceremoniously on the bed and heard her giggles. She fought her way up to her knees, tendrils of hair framing her flushed face as it loosened from the ponytail she’d gathered it in. Her radiant smile was three parts alcohol and one part lucidity. “You could’ve had us both, you know.” She crawled to the edge of the bed, her eyes focused on him, making Dominic her prey.

“That is not what I want.”

“Liar.”

“Eden.”

She failed to take caution. “You know what bugs me about you?” she continued on heedlessly, sitting on the edge of the bed now, facing him completely. “Every time you’re near me, I feel exactly like this.” She slipped a finger into the belted loop of his pants and tugged him towards her, bracketing his strong, masculine thighs with her smooth caramel legs so that she faced nothing but groin.

“Like what?” he prompted, staring down at her with hooded eyes as she worked at the buckle of his belt.

“Like I’m naked and drunk, riding a roller coaster without the proper restraints.” She tugged down pants and briefs with surprising strength, freeing his rigid cock from its dark confines. “You have a beautiful cock, Dominic.” The sultry smokiness of her voice retuned, and he sucked in a sharp breath as she took him in a firm yet gentle hold, her fingers wrapping around it, moving indolently up and down the shaft. “It’s long, and thick, feels like steeled velvet. I love that you’re cut. I love the golden brown color, and,” she caught her lip between her teeth and thumbed the head, using his pre-come to skate over the slit, “this bulbous tip. Do you know how good it feels when it slides in between my wet lips, the way its curves slightly to the right so that it strokes and hits my G-spot so fucking right? I should mass produce it and let other women experience your beautiful cock.” She met his gaze, that kittenish smile reeling him in.

She was drunk, he reminded herself. If she were in her right mind, she wouldn’t be doing this. He needed to stop her. Now. A touch on her shoulder to push her away turned into a tight grip as she lowered her head and took him into her mouth in one swift motion, swallowing him to the balls.

Honorable intent flew out the window at the engulfing heat of her talented mouth. He stared down, enthralled by the dark head bobbing up and down, sucking and releasing, lips slicked with spit as she tongued him down and took him back in, her stroking hand working in perfect sync with the sweet, hot suction of her heavenly mouth. She cupped his balls, and he released a long groan, his hand in her hair clenched reflexively, while he moved his hips in shallow thrusts.

He filled Eden’s senses, completely male. With her hand at the base, she moved her mouth, lips, tongue and hand working simultaneously to increase the sensation. Pre-cum coated the back of her throat, salty, clean, all Dominic. She swallowed it and continued, her head bobbing up and down with vigor.

She made these sexy, throaty little moans as if his cock was the best thing she’d ever had in her mouth, and the vibrations sent tremors up and down his shaft. Dominic wove a hand through her hair, and his eyes narrowed to slits as he watched his cock disappearing in and out of her mouth, her reverent tongue licking him from base to head and back again. Dominic curved a hand to her cheek, his thumb stroking her soft cheek edging closer to her hot, wet lips that stretched wide to accommodate his girth. The controlled suction of her beautiful lips, worked together with the firm grip she had on him, as she went down again, relaxing her jaw and working the muscles in her throat to massage at the tip.

“Fuck.” His balls drew up and tightened, with a curse Dominic anchored the hold in her hair as he thrust shallowly in her mouth, against her throat, making her choke. So close. Too damn close. Denying himself release, he pulled away from her, the release of his cock from her mouth making a wet popping sound. He gripped her hair to tug her head back and bent down to devour her mouth, plunging his tongue between the seam of her lips to taste strawberries, tequila and his cock, a heady cocktail that went to his head.

“Turn around and get on your hands and knees.” Triumph surged through his veins as she carried out his bidding and smiled iniquitously as she presented the delectable globes of her round ass. The bottom half of her swimsuit hid what he wanted to see most, but one simple tug on the strings took care of the issue, the offending piece of clothing falling to the bed, instantly forgotten. She was perfect and he stared, mesmerized at the masterpiece of her backside. His green eyes stroked her as his hands would, starting from the flawless slope of her back to the smooth contours of a waist that rounded out to form her heart-shaped ass.  “Spread your knees and arch your back,” he said throatily, and wanted to reward her when she carried out the command without hesitation. She stretched her back like a feline, dipping down so that her ass stuck out for him allowing Dominic a view of her glistening pussy lips and the sweet, tight little bundle of her virgin hole.

Presenting herself this way, in this very vulnerable, very primal position, handing her submission on a platter for him humbled Dominic to the core. He would make it good for her, he vowed quietly to himself. He wrapped a hand around his rigid shaft to ease the strain, while he moved behind her. Palming one ass cheek, kneading the yielding plumpness, before prying it apart. She made a desperate sound, a sweet little mewl as he teased slid the tip slowly up and down the drenched lips of her pussy. “You’re so wet,” Carnal appetite thickened his voice to a growl as his warm breath grazed sensually against her ear. “I could drown in this pussy...”

“Dom...” she purred, arching so sweetly for him. She tipped back against him, needing him to dive in. But he denied her the fullness, continuing the steady, teasing slide of his tip down the center of her pulsating cunt. He was driving her insane.

“Dom... Please...” she begged so prettily for him, and Dominic wanted to give in, give her exactly what she wanted, but he wanted to pay homage to the perfection of her body that was a pleasure he would not deny himself.

“Soon, sweeting, I promise,” he soothed. She moaned softly as he licked her ear, dropped soft warm kisses across her shoulder blades, he moved down her back, a wet tongue and hot mouth traced and kissed each vertebrae, making a slow and steady progress down her spine. It was a torturous progression that boiled the blood in Eden’s veins as she waited in bated anticipation. Breath stilled in her lungs, eyes widening when he drew apart her butt cheeks and ran his tongue down the wet crevice, from clit to the puckered rosebud of her hole and back again. It was undoubtedly one of the most erotic things he’d ever done to her body, and Eden didn’t know how to breathe properly. She gripped the sheets beneath her hands and bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep from screaming.

It was like a shot of adrenaline straight into her vein. It was blood vessels dilating, her heart galloping uncontrollably in her chest, it was gasping for breath when the air she drew in wasn’t enough. He owned her body, ate it like sun ripened peaches and drank the flowing juices of her weeping womanhood with his rapacious tongue. There were fingers there, slipping between the folds to dive deep into her blistering heat, while his thumb worked at her puckered hole, his wicked, wicked mouth showing Eden exactly how very little she knew her of own body. There was nothing but the explicitness of this act, the hyper awareness that made her feel like each inch of her body was struck by lightning, that killed her and gave her life all in one electrifying jolt. He was merciless and perfect, inviting her to shove her hips back and ride his face.

Death was imminent, sweet cataclysmic death seduced her into the gaping, welcoming arms of her orgasm. She plummeted, shattered into delicious little pieces on his tongue and fingers. Recuperating wasn’t in the stars for her as he gripped her hips and plunged into her depths in one long stroke. Pulling her arms and folding them at the small of her back, he held them there with one large hand as he sank in deeper, so deep that it hurt so good. Ass high in the air, face down in the sheets, Eden was at his complete mercy, filled to absolute capacity with his cock, and she whimpered, the vulnerability of her position giving her a sweet high.

“I’m going to beat this pussy, Eden, and you’re going to scream my name.”

And she did, a promise made completely true as he fucked her like a porn star. She screamed like the world was falling, his repeated strike against her G-spot making her see stars. It was too damn much, his jarring thrusts so deep that she could taste him, spurred her fall and she orgasmed on every inch of his cock.

* * *

“Well, your resume is very impressive, Eden,” said Kennedy Archer with a smile, pulling her horned rimmed glasses from her eyes, she set them on the desk in front of her and regarded Eden down an aquiline nose. Eden returned her smile with a bright one of her own, still unable to believe this was even happening. She pinched her hand beneath the desk and knew by the sting that she wasn’t dreaming. Archer Realty was the second largest real estate brokerage in the state, specializing mostly in high end real estates and corporate properties. This was huge! The excitement Eden currently felt was hard to contain. They’d called her two days ago asking if she was available Friday morning for an interview and she’d been so stunned that she’d nearly blown it. But a quick stammering recovery had reassured the receptionist on the phone that she hadn’t called a nutcase.

She’d been in a virtual state of shock, even when she and Jenna had lined outfit after outfit for her to try on. They’d settled on a pair of grey, wide leg tweed pants, a white, sleeveless ruffled top, and her favorite black heels. She’d gathered her hair in a topknot with tendrils framing her face and had kept the makeup light. She wore very little jewelry, only a gold watch around her wrist and gold stud earrings. Shedding the image of waitress in the revealing outfit, Eden reverted back to the woman she’d been a few months ago. The woman who’d built a career and had been filled with drive, but had been knocked down by circumstances was once again. She was back on her feet. Ready and willing to work hard for what she wanted.

“Thank you, Mrs. Archer.” She beamed.

“There’s no need for formalities, Kennedy will do fine. We’re all very casual here, and I think you will definitely be an asset to our team.”

Eden’s eyes widened. “I have the job?”

Kennedy stood. “Yes, if you want it.”

“Oh my God, thank you!” Eden curbed the impulse to hug the other woman and instead reached out to shake her hand.

“I’m sorry I have to rush you out, but I have a meeting uptown in fifteen minutes and need to get going. Franca, our receptionist, will give you a tour of the place and tell you what you need. “

“Thank you so much for this opportunity. You won’t regret this,” Eden said with sincerity as they walked out of the office together, Kennedy holding the door open for her.

“I know I won’t,” she said confidently. “Aside from your stellar resume, you came highly recommended by one of our best clients.”

Eden’s brow furrowed slightly, but her smile remained. “May I ask who?”

“Dominic Armstrong.” Even before she said the name Eden knew. “We’ve procured a few international properties for him. Have you worked closely with him?”

No, but she’d had his tongue in places that would make most people blush ten shades of red if they knew. Feeling her face warm, Eden hastily shook the image from her head. “No, but I know who he is.”

A little while later found Eden in her favorite flower shop, her feeling of elation from this morning now marred by the thought that Dominic had been the sole reason Archer Realty had even called her. Anger, confusion, and resentment formed a horrible storm that raged in the pit of her stomach. It was a horrible feeling to know that she probably got the job not based on her own merit, but only on Dominic’s clout. That feeling only grew worse the harder she thought on it, realizing no one had called her for months when she’d initially passed out her resume. And then suddenly she gets this amazing opportunity without so much as a “we’ll take a look at your resume and call you.” Places like Archer Realty didn’t just hire small time real estate agents. And despite her many accomplishments, Eden knew she was small time. She didn’t doubt her abilities to do her job; she knew how to close on a home. What troubled her was that Kennedy didn’t necessarily know that.

“Thank you for shopping at Jade, have a nice day.” Eden spared a halfhearted smile for the salesgirl as she grabbed her newly purchased bouquet and walked out of the store.

The drive to the cemetery from this side of town took a little longer than usual but the ride afforded Eden time to think. Damn him for interfering in her life this way. Just when she thought she had him figured out, he does something like this and shifts the ground beneath her feet. This was why she couldn’t trust him. Why she couldn’t risk loving him like every inch of her heart yearned to do when there was too much fear there; fear that he acerbated when he did things like this. Wrenched control of her own life out of her hands and manipulated it to his satisfaction, making her feel helpless and lost. He conquered her completely in the bedroom, and she allowed him that, surrendered her body in the way she could not surrender her heart and permitted him to take her to heights unseen. But that was the only place she wanted him in control. Everything else she could manage, but he didn’t understand that. And everything reverted back to his disastrous childhood where he’d been made the most powerless. Eden sighed in frustration, pulling at the hair tie in her hair to loosen the pressure at her scalp. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, she shook her hair out and massaged her throbbing head. She arrived a short ten minutes later and parked her car close to the curb.

There was one thing that she could always count on when she came here: the tranquility of the cemetery. The warm air blew sweeter, the sun shined a little brighter through the leaves of giant trees that circled the grounds, and the singing birds made it feel like she was stepping through another realm. She had to walk up an incline to get to her mother’s grave and with the heels it was a little difficult, but Eden persevered. When she finally made it to her destination she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the man standing over her mother’s grave. Her heart skittered along her ribcage because she knew it was him. He had his back to her, the shirt he wore fitting perfectly to his broad frame was tucked into fitted dark slacks. He had his hands in his pockets with his head bowed low in deference. She heard the timbre of his voice but could not immediately make out what he was saying. Stepping a little closer, Eden saw a bouquet of flowers resting on the ground directly in front of the headstone, the same flowers that she’d seen many times before but had never known who’d brought them. Until now. Stunned couldn’t even begin to describe how she was feeling in that moment, but even more pressing she wondered why he was here.

“What,” she cleared her throat, “what are you doing here?”

He turned his head to the side to look at her. “Paying my respects.”

“Why? You didn’t know her.”

“She was your mother, Eden; there is no other reason than that,” he supplied. “There is something freeing in speaking to the dead.”

“Do you…you know where your mother is buried?” Eden regretted the question the moment she uttered it when she saw him tense. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

“I don’t know and I don’t care to.” His frigid tone raised goose bumps on her skin.

“I’m sorry.” She involuntarily stepped closer to him, her shoulder grazing his arm. “This is the last place I ever expected to see you, Dominic.”

“The night you left…I came here, on the off chance that you might be here. I was very desperate to have you back.” he admitted dryly. “I’ve fallen into the habit of coming here when I need to clear my mind.”

“She was a good listener.” Lowering herself to her knees, Eden rested her bouquet next to the one already there. “Always gave good advice, not that I ever took it.” She smiled tremulously, the dull ache of her mother’s absence making itself known. “But she was a really good mom. She always made sure I had enough.”

“You miss her.”

Eden came to her feet, standing once again next to him she blinked away the tears that refused to ebb. “A lot,” she choked.

There was nothing for a long moment after but the sound of chirping birds and a breeze rustling quietly through the trees. And then she felt it. The ghost of his touch whispering on the back of her hand before interlacing their fingers, his large hand nearly engulfing hers. “I’m sorry she was taken from you.” The sincerity of his words went a long way in soothing the ache, and in that instant, Eden was glad that he was there with her.

* * *

“I would like to take you out later this evening, if you are willing?”

Eden could tell that it was hard for him to ask rather than tell her and although it was weird for her too, she found herself pleasantly surprised by his awkward attempt. “Where to?”

“I’d like it to be a surprise.”

Eden gave him a sidelong glance, wondering what he was up to. Any attempt at gleaning that information from his impassive features proved futile. The man could give a statue a run for its money.

She thought about it long and hard and “no” flirted on her tongue but, “okay,” came out instead. Her signals were all crossed, and she knew she was sending out all the wrong ones, maybe even leading him on a little, but a very large part of her was liking this gentler side of Dominic, even if he was a consummate control freak.

“I didn’t need your help finding a real estate job, Dominic, especially with a prominent brokerage like Archer Realty,” she stated sharply.

“I did nothing but point them in your direction. If you received the job it was strictly on your own merits,” he retorted laconically, his logic grating. Eden hated that he made her feel ungrateful and she hated even more the embarrassed flush that swept her cheeks at his silent admonishment.

“This intervening in my life thing you do…it has to stop,” she said after a moment, sweeping her hair behind her ear.

“It’s a habit I’m too old to break. Old dog, new tricks and the like,” he imparted with infuriating calm.

Eden sighed in exasperation and pulled her car door open with far more force than she intended. “I’ll see you home,” she said curtly, slamming the door with the same vigor, stepping on the gas, and taking off without a second glance back.

* * *

“He’s trying really hard to get back in your good graces, Ede,” Jenna intoned from Eden’s bed, flipping through the magazine without much care to what was inside. “I bet your letting him hit it again.”

Eden blushed down to her roots and focused a little too closely on her reflection. “Shut up, Jen.”

Jenna laughed. “Fucking knew it. But I don’t blame you. I don’t’ know how you lasted this long, the man has been practically eye fucking you since you moved back here.”

“What do you think about this one?” Eden asked, turning so Jenna could look at the dress.

The blond woman scrunched her nose in distaste. “Are you going to church?”

Eden sighed and rolled her eyes, tugging the dress over her head and tossing it on the pile of rejected clothes on the floor. “At this point I’d be better off going naked.”

“Something I’m sure Dominic would not mind. How about the nude bandage dress?”

“You don’t think it’s too much?”

Jenna snorted. “Better than the granny dress.”

The bandage dress fit her like a second skin; it was unforgiving in displaying every unflattering flaw of a woman’s body, right down to the awkward stomach pooch. But luckily for Eden, it simply accentuated the litheness of her body, giving her curves where there was little. It made her ass look amazing. “So where’s he taking you.”

Eden was about to shrug but thought better of it as Jenna brought the curling iron to her hair. “I don’t know. He wanted it to be a surprise I guess.”

“He sure knows how to make a girl feel special, though.” She sighed wistfully, meeting Eden’s gaze in the mirror. “He’s trying really hard.”

“I know and that’s what makes this so confusing and frustrating. He wasn’t like this before—the wining and dining, and being kind and gentle—that’s not the Dominic I know.”

“Maybe that wasn’t the real him. Maybe he had reasons for being a prick. I don’t know what went on in your marriage, Eden, and I can’t speak for him because I don’t know him, but I think he’s trying to show you that he cares about you. People can change.”

“Not that quickly. I’m not trying to be a bitch. I just want to protect myself. You don’t know how easily he can hurt me.”

“I know, trust me, Eden, I know. But you can’t let fear of heartbreak keep you from something that might be really good. I’m not saying you have to proclaim your undying love, but maybe you both deserve another chance at this?”

What she said made sense. But saying things was far easier than actually carrying them out. Eden wasn’t ready to walk the talk, not by a long shot. “I don’t know, we’ll see.” It was all she could manage. Time would tell. It had certainly healed over some wounds, but there were others that could not be so easily mended.

* * *

She never ceased to take his breath away or make his cock stir, and it took incredible restraint to keep himself from hauling her back up to their bedroom to see exactly how much of that dress was painted on her Venus body. Dinner was at Dulce, Franklin’s restaurant, and Eden found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on her meal with his smoldering gaze heating her skin. She might as well have been naked with the way he was eye fucking her.

“Stop it.” she gritted through clenched teeth, staring at him pointedly across the dimly lit table.

“Stop what?”

“You’re staring.”

He angled a brow. “Am I?”

“You know you are, and I want you to stop.”

When he ran the tip of his tongue across his full lower lip, Eden’s pussy clenched reflexively, dampening her thong instantly. “Do you?”

“Dominic.”

“Should I tell you what I’m thinking about?” he queried, his voice deep and dark and everything sinful, rousing Eden’s passion. The wicked gleam in his hooded green eyes did not bode well for her at all.

“No,” she said curtly. She didn’t want to know. And she lied to herself so prettily.

His chuckle indicated that he knew it, too. She didn’t even remember what she had for dinner or dessert, all that consumed Eden was Dominic’s intrusive stare and how wet it made her.

“I wanted to spread you on that table, hike your dress up, slip between your panties, and have you for my dinner,” he murmured huskily in her ear before helping her inside the passenger seat.

It was mean of him to say that to her knowing she couldn’t do anything about it. Frustration kept her silent and kept her legs clenched together, hating how embarrassingly wet she was. She fumed all the way up until the moment she saw where he’d taken her, and her anger burned away, the ashes blowing away like plumes of smoke against the dark night sky.

Eden instantly recognized the club, and as though plucked from her memories, it appeared utterly unchanged. She’d been nineteen the last time she’d come to Better Blues. Halting at the threshold, Eden stared at Dominic bemusedly as he held the door for her. She struggled to find words, but they failed her, so she simply shook her head and walked inside.

Everything was the same, from the lazily strung white Christmas lights adorning the low ceiling, to the distinct scent of pot laced patchouli that hung over the dense crowd. The seating was minimal, the prime real estate being the ten small tables with mismatched chairs at the center of the room, which were all occupied. But as luck would have it, a couple abandoned their seats in the far left corner of the room and they were close enough to nab it before anyone else could. Eden looked around her surroundings as memories flooded back.

For a good year of her life, this place had been her escape, her haven when she’d needed a break from life at home, school, and the constant worrying about money. Every Thursday, sitting in these worn, wooden chairs with the scent of patchouli laden in the air, open mic night had ushered in poets who’d shared a piece of themselves and singers who’d awaken the music in Eden. Until one evening she’d finally scrounged up the nerve to expose herself, expose her voice. It had been one the most frightening and exhilarating experiences of her life, and when she’d finished, the thunderous applause had fed her soul. Singing had been fun back then, freeing, and it had been sheer bliss when her mother had attended. However rare her appearances had been, Eden had delighted in the short three minutes when her mother had heard her sing. She’d been Eden’s biggest fan, hell, her only fan.

The regulars of Better Blues milled around the room, varying in looks and undoubtedly from all walks of life, but they all had one thing in common, they all came here to feast on beautifully laced words and drink lyrics that flowed from an endless tap. This was where Dominic took Eden, to this mecca of creativity that had been an integral part of her last year of true happiness, before everything had gone to shit. He should not have known this part of her. This intimate, private part of her that she’d never shared with anyone. And what’s more was she hadn’t realized how much she’d craved this until now. She wanted to turn and ask him questions, questions to answers that only he could provide, but words deserted her as the feminine voice from the makeshift stage had her turning instead. She was backed by only an acoustic guitar; she sang the blues like she was born to do it, with a breathy intonation that provoked goose bumps on Eden’s skin. Shutting down all thoughts, Eden allowed herself to be swept away, and when the woman finally whispered the last heartrending lyric, stretching out the note so that everyone felt the word, Eden was sure that she cheered the loudest.

When she finally returned her attention to Dominic, it was to find his glimmering gaze focused on her, watching her intently and very likely garnering emotions that she could not hide from him. “Did you enjoy the performance?” he inquired, genuine interest coating hard bone features.

“Yes, it was good.” She wasn’t up for small talk, not when the questions from before returned with a vengeance, demanding answers from him. “This…how do you know about this place? I’ve never told you.” They’d never progressed to that intimate part in their relationship.

“This is where I first saw you.”

Startled, Eden looked at him with a frown. That was the last thing she’d expected to hear from him. “What do you mean? I thought—”

“I saw you long before I knew you were involved with Lucas,” he said softly. “I had never wanted anything more than I wanted you that night. I dreamt about you, your voice singing to me about things I needed but did not want to understand. So I allowed my lust to blind me instead, and you consumed my thoughts, became an obsession. I did everything I could to get my hands on you.” There were more than a dozen people around them, the dissonance of their chatter and laughter should’ve impeded on this moment, but all Eden heard was the poignant timbre of Dominic’s voice, all she saw was the grimness of his green gaze as he anchored her gaze, refusing to let her look away. “I wanted to bring you back here because this is where I remembered you being the happiest. I have taken so much of it from you these last five years, that I wanted to return a little of it tonight. Seeing you happy is something that has become very important to me.”

Eden swallowed around the lump in her throat, the words that she wanted to say plummeting back into her stomach, which was just was well because she was sure they wouldn’t have made much sense anyway. A wave of female delight rippled through every inch of her body at his words. She knew they shouldn’t have affected her this much, but they did, burrowing into her racing heart and making a home there. Caught in the trance of his gaze, unable to formulate a concrete thought, she ran her tongue across her lower lip and marveled at how his eyes dilated at that one simple action. For a man who had very little practice in romance, Dominic surely knew how to appeal to a woman’s heart, and he made it so incredibly difficult for Eden to remain unmoved when he did and said things like this. “Thank you, Dominic,” she said, reaching for his hands across the table, and though he seemed surprised by the gesture, he instantly interlaced their fingers, his larger hand engulfing hers. “This means a lot to me.” More than you will probably ever know, she thought silently.

The remainder of the evening continued on in the same the note and though Eden knew this wasn’t his scene, there was nothing in his mannerism that indicated his displeasure at being there with her. In fact, he appeared completely at ease as they listened to poetry and watched the performances. She found that she couldn’t really keep her eyes off him; the rarely seen smile making frequent appearances throughout the evening was like the sun peeking out after a rainstorm, and his laughter, even more warming, roused a series of flutters in her stomach that had nothing to do with the cheap beer they were drinking. When they arrived home a few hours later, Eden was quick to identify that tumultuous thrum in her veins as anticipation. It had been building all night, slow and burning, arcing through her body in search of a proper outlet. Dominic. Her drug in Hugo Boss. In the privacy of her mind, Eden could shamelessly affirm that she was irrevocably addicted to him. She needed the dopamine inducing opiate of his kisses, and the total body orgasm of his touch. At the bottom of the staircase of this palatial home that had been both heaven and hell, he looked at her and she back at him, compelling him to close that gap between them and take her up to the master bedroom to satisfy her withdrawal. But he didn’t move an inch, in fact the space between them only grew wider as he seemed miles away from here.

“Dominic?” she queried expectantly.

When he did finally close the gap between them, it wasn’t to drag her frame to his and ravish her mouth as she’d hoped. He simply pressed a kiss to her cheek, his intoxicating scent invading her senses in the best way possible and turning her brain to mush. “Thank you for letting me share this evening with you, Eden.” He was gone before she could register what just happened, leaving her physically and emotionally unsatisfied.

* * *

It was not something he wanted, but it needed to be done in the hopes of salvaging what remained of their marriage. It didn’t make the least bit of sense, at least not in the way some would perceive it, and if it had been years prior, months even, the idea, the very notion would have never crossed Dominic’s mind, let alone bear contemplating. But now it was all that consumed his thoughts. Vacillating more times than he could count but nearly always returning to same conclusion. It did not need to make sense in order to be right. Freedom was what she craved, what she’d always wanted, and so freedom was what Dominic would provide. He peered down at the first page of the documents his attorney had left him nearly an hour ago and the curving scrawl of his signature on the bottom of the page. Legal and notarized. He’d never thought he’d find this day so dissatisfying.

He rose to his feet and expelled an exasperated breath, a deep contemplative crease settled between his dark brows while his mouth compressed into a grim line. He moved to the full length window of his office without really seeing, his mind too far away to admire the sprawling metropolis at his feet with its kaleidoscope of twinkling lights and the death of the sun splashed across the horizon. Everything in him rebelled at this decision and even his attorney had questioned him several times when Dominic had requested the divorce papers be finalized. But regardless of his misgivings, Dominic had scrawled his name before he could talk himself out of it. He had been selfish for far too long. And as much as it pained him to let her go, Dominic wanted her happiness more than anything. This was a step in the right direction. There were things that needed to be done, steps he personally had to take if he hoped to find his way to back her again. And he would find her again.

“Mr. Armstrong?” a monotone voice inquired, drawing a reluctant Dominic from his thoughts. He gave a heaving sigh before turning around to finally acknowledge the woman seated primly on the aesthetically pleasing but wholly uncomfortable leather couch in the corner of his office. He regarded Naomi Stanford with an analytical stare, she came highly recommended, one of the best in her field, but not at all what Dominic had expected for a psychiatrist. She appeared quite young for one thing, pegging her somewhere in her late twenties. She was pretty in the prim and proper sort of way, blond with a pair of horned rimmed glasses poised on her button nose. She didn’t flinch away from his stare or react to the skepticism that he made no point in hiding. “Should we get started?” she asked after a time, placing her tablet on her lap and looking at him expectantly.

Dominic moved around to the front of his desk and leaned back against it. Crossing his legs at the ankles, he folded his arms and asked, “You’ve been seeing, Bruce?” He was clearly insinuating something, knowing fully that she was too much temptation for Bruce not to sample. If his best friend was fucking the prim Dr. Stanford then Dominic needed to know before he revealed anything to her that could inadvertently spill out during late night pillow talks. Despite his ongoing efforts to change, under no circumstances did Dominic want his past revealed to the philandering politician. Best friend or not.

“What exactly are you asking, Mr. Armstrong?”

“Have you slept with Bruce?”

The appalled look of indignation that swept over her pale features was answer enough for Dominic. “I think we’re done here.” She rose to her feet in a huff and stuffed her tablet in her bag before hastening toward the door.

“Come back, Dr. Stanford,” he called, and she hesitated, “I apologize for my rudeness, please have a seat.”

“Another comment like that and you can find yourself another psychiatrist,” she bit out coolly.

“Of course,” he assured, “should we start again?”

Once again settled, she held her tablet on her lap and regarded him. “Why don’t we start with why you’ve requested to see me today.” The note of anger in her voice couldn’t easily be quelled, but she was anything if not a professional and well worth the two hundred dollar an hour she was being paid. “Anything significant in your life you wish to discuss?”

Dominic chuckled drily, returning to his chair he pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment in an effort to gather his thoughts. When he finally looked at her, it was with unfailing certainty that he said, “I want to be a better man.”

* * *

She searched him out, not really knowing she was doing it until she stood outside his office door. The handle gave beneath the downward push of her hand, and she entered without a second thought. Missing him had become a debilitating thing that lived inside her now, so Eden had convinced herself that if she only had one good look at him she could put the thing to rest and leave. She’d expected him to be alone, but the sight of his half-brother put an immediate halt to her progression. She’d walked in on something deep apparently, because the energy in the air was so palpable that it settled on her skin like mist. Dominic sat behind his desk; darkly handsome, hard boned features set in granite but seemed to soften slightly when his green gaze flicked in her direction. The look was a minor one, barely discernable unless one was really looking, and it seemed Lucas had been doing just that as he turned to see what had brought on the sudden change in his brother. Lucas looked at her, but she only had eyes for his brother. Always his damnable brother, the proverbial pain in his ass. How did someone who should’ve had nothing end up with so much? Even the devotion of a woman who should’ve rightfully despised him? Eden should’ve been his to begin with, but Lucas had dulled the ache of losing her with good liquor, countless women, and a few good rounds at the poker tables. Through every bout of disappointment, he’d had his family’s wealth to make him happy. But now it appeared that too was gone. All thanks to Dominic.

“You have no legal right to cut me off.”

“Actually I do,” Dominic retorted with infallible calm, leaning back in his chair to regard Lucas in that imperious way that made one feel like they were nothing beneath his gaze. “I have been named the trustee to your trust fund, and as I’ve said earlier, you are to meet certain requirements before I will consider relinquishing it back to you.”

“Rehab,” Lucas spat the word. “I’m not an alcoholic!” he roared, rising he swung his arm and everything on Dominic’s desk came crashing to the ground, causing Eden to jump at the loud clatter.

Dominic stood. “It appears alcoholism is the least of your problems, Lucas.”

“I didn’t have a fucking problem until you came into my life!” he roared, and when he rounded the desk and invaded Dominic’s personal space, Eden knew they would come to blows. She didn’t know what good she was going to do, but she at least needed to try and diffuse the situation before it got completely out of hand.

“Dominic…” she called tentatively.

Dominic ignored her. “The problem with you is that you are an entitled, spoiled little boy too lazy to get off his mother’s teat and do something with your life.”

Lucas shoved at Dominic’s chest with enough force to have the other man stumbling backwards and when he grabbed the lapels of Dominic’s shirt bringing them face to face, he snarled, “Your goddamn cum bucket of a mother should’ve killed you the very second she found out about you. You’re nothing but a mistake, Dominic, no wonder why she wanted nothing to do with you.”

“Lucas!” Eden grabbed at his arm to try and pry him off, the words he’d just uttered more than hateful, provoked her protective instincts and she wanted to physically attack him for hurting Dominic this way. “Let him go!” she railed tugging for all she was worth on Lucas’s arm.

“Fuck off!” he jerked his arm back and shoved hard so that she went sailing, crashing first into the desk before falling to the floor from the impact. With her eyes closed from the pain, she didn’t see exactly what happened next but when she did reopen them, Dominic was pummeling at Lucas, fists crashing down connecting with the sickening crunch of bone hitting bone. Eden knew she wasn’t in a condition to move with her head spinning and her back screaming in protest, but she had to get Dominic to stop, otherwise he was going to kill his brother.

“No more…” She crawled to where he stood grounded and wrapped her arms around his leg because that was all her body would allow and held on. “Please…stop…” He did.

“Be very grateful for this day,” he grated, his laborious breath coming in short and fast. “Because the next time you come at me like this, you had better be ready to kill me yourself, Lucas.”

When Lucas finally stumbled out of Dominic’s office, it was not only with a bloodied and battered face, but his bruised pride kept his head down. Eden didn’t pay much attention to him, all that mattered to her was seeing to Dominic. She called for someone in the kitchen to bring up a towel and some ice which thankfully they weren’t made to wait too long for. Seated in front of him on the carpeted floor, with her legs curled beneath her buttocks, Eden put a few cubes of ice in the towel and folded it tightly closed before gently applying it to his bruised knuckles. The adrenaline was wearing off now, but she was still shaken by the display of violence she’d witnessed.

Dominic watched her work almost too diligently on his wounds and knew he’d up screwed once again. He had known when he’d called Lucas over to notify him of his inevitable visit to rehab, that things would get out of hand, given Lucas’s explosive temper, and the very real possibility of losing his trust. The situation had been volatile from the start. Which was why Dominic had endeavored to remain calm. A calm that abandoned him the very second Lucas made the mistake of shoving Eden. He’d lost it there for a second, admittedly. However inadvertent the shove may have been, Dominic had failed to see the difference. There’d been a haze of red and the undeniable need for violence. It had taken her touch and her voice to clear that haze and draw him back from the edge of the consuming violence that had felt too good to be right. He didn’t like himself that way. Dominic didn’t relish her seeing that violent side of him. But these were the demons he was attempting to exorcise.

“There’s no bleeding,” she whispered unevenly. “Just some bruising…”

Dominic peered down at her auburn head, her hair concealing her face from his view, but he could tell that she was visibly shaken, even if the tremors of her hands didn’t give her away.

“Eden.”

“I think we need more ice.” She didn’t meet his gaze when she came to her feet. Her legs felt like jelly beneath her she wavered, but his fast reflexes caught her before she could tumble back down.

With his hand at her hip, he interlaced their fingers together. “We don’t need more ice,” he murmured.

She blinked. “But your hands…”

“Will heal. I just…don’t leave.” The slightest tug brought her to his lap. He gently pried the towel of ice from her cold, damp hands and set it down on the edge of his desk, before drawing in a ragged sigh. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” His arm banded possessively around her waist, but he didn’t need to do much to keep her there because Eden wouldn’t have moved if he wanted her to. “I could have handled it better.”

Eden turned to look at him, staring into his stunning green eyes that had so much control over her, her heart especially. “You handled it exactly how you should have.” The tips of her fingers slid along his bristly cheek, caressing, delighting, and taking her absolute fill because she’d gone so long without. “He shouldn’t have said those things to you.”

“It’s nothing,” he murmured succinctly. But still waters did indeed run deep, he said very little yet having come to know him as well as she did, Eden found that there was so much more meaning beneath that flippant reply. Emotions that could not simply be verbalized. She felt him almost like they were her own, and it broke her heart that he had to convince himself that it was okay.

“I know,” she agreed, surprising them both by wrapping her arms around his torso and laying her head on his chest, his strong, steady heartbeats thudding beneath her ear. “I’m still sorry he said them.” She would bear this burden with him. Whatever emotion he wasn’t capable of displaying, Eden wanted to display them for him. “I’m sorry.”

Dominic’s brows creased at the catch in her voice, “Hey,” he tilted his head down to look at her but she hid her face against his chest, her warm tears dampening his shirt. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not,” she sniffled.

A half smile upturned the corner of his mouth. “Then why your eyes sweating?” She snorted and Dominic’s smile spread wider. He moved back slightly, enabling him a chance to cradle her cheek in one hand and swipe at her tears with his thumb.

“I just…I didn’t like hearing him say those words to you.”

She heard him take in a breath before releasing it slowly. “The words did not bother me. The fact that he touched you did. It bothered me a lot.” That he would feel so moved to come to her defense when he’d been the one assaulted flooded her with overwhelming warmth. “Are you hurt?”

Eden sat up and sniffled again, chancing a look at him she said, “I just had the wind knocked out of me, but I’m fine now. Honestly, I wanted to jump on his back and scratch his eyes out when he shoved you.” That brought a deep, rumbling chuckle that made her instantly giddy. “What’s so funny?”

He shook his head, the remnants of his laughter in the ghost of his smile. “I’m just imagining what that would have looked like.” Resting his forehead against hers for a moment, he took a deep breath and the scent of her shampoo filled his lungs. “I’m touched that you feel so protective of me.”

“I’m…” Eden didn’t know what was about to come out of her mouth, but she was sure it wasn’t meant to be said as she was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. “You should probably get that,” she said, swiping at her cheeks while hastening off his lap.

“Eden,” he called, but she was already by the door holding the dripping towel over the bowl of ice she had in her hand.

“I’m going to go check on Liam,” she floundered feebly, before taking her exit.

It shamed her to know that she’d used her child as an excuse to run away. But it’d been the first thing that popped in her mind. She’d panicked because she knew if the phone hadn’t rung she would’ve been prompted to say something that would’ve embarrassed her. Eden practically ran down the hall almost afraid that he would come after her and demand she finish what she had been about to say. Her heart was racing, and she was trembling but it was for a completely different reason now than the shock she’d received earlier. Taking a detour to the kitchen to drop off the items in her hands, Eden continued up to Jenna’s room and before entering she drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.

“Are you alright?” It didn’t help.

“I’m fine.” Eden smiled a little too brightly, resolved not to think any further on what she’d been about to inadvertently reveal to Dominic. Something she had not even admitted to herself yet. She took Liam into her arms and hugged the chubby boy close. “Any luck on those apartment searches?”

* * *

Dressed casually for the day, Eden met Jenna downstairs with Liam. They had a few errands to run before they took him to the park later in the afternoon. Jenna had found a two-bedroom apartment that had looked incredible online, but Eden had wisely cautioned not to take it at face value, considering the amazing things people could do with Photoshop these days. In her experience, a two bedroom apartment was far better than a two bedroom split; it was all about careful wording when it came to hawking property. Eden could even admit of doing it several times herself. They piled inside her car and commenced their day.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to do this, Ede.” Jenna said nervously as they stood in the front office of the community college.

Eden looked at her friend and smiled. “You’ll be fine, Jen. This is the first step in you owning that business. You need to get your GED and everything else will be a snap,” she quietly reassured, wrapping a hand around Jenna’s arm to move her out of the way of incoming students.

Jenna pursed her lips. “You say it like it’s so easy. I haven’t been to school in like ages. I dropped out when I was sixteen, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember, but I know it’s never too late for you to get your education. Besides, not only do you have this GED class to help you, but I’m here, too. I’m not going to let you give up so easily. I want to come to you for some business advice when I open up my own brokerage firm one day.”

She snorted and flipped her blond hair over shoulder. “Please, like you could afford me.” In saying that, she pushed Liam’s stroller forward, crying out slightly when Eden pinched her shoulder on her way inside.

The apartment, located on the fringes of Langston, but not quite in the suburbs wasn’t as bad as Eden expected. In fact, it met eight out of ten of her requirements and that was great considering she hadn’t hoped for much coming in. The floor plan resembled more of a duplex, with metal stairs winding up to the two bedrooms and bath upstairs, meanwhile the on the first floor the living room and kitchen existed in one large open space delineated by beautiful cheery wood flooring. The walls were newly painted a neutral beige that was meant to go with any sort of furniture and décor. There were four large windows in the living room that allowed plenty of sunlight, and the French door that opened to a small patio was a nice touch.

“So…what do you think?” Eden saw the expectation on her face as she finally turned to look at both Jenna and the property manager, who’d allowed them access to the apartment. “Gorgeous, right?”

The stairs presented a problem for Liam who was quickly showing signs that he was ready to crawl. But that was a problem they could easily fix with a stair gate and another one would need to be placed between the kitchen and the living room. The apartment was beautiful, ready to move in, and if they baby proofed, it would be a great place to live. “Definitely gorgeous,” she agreed with a smile. And the first and last month’s rent, and security deposit would put a dent in their pockets, but Eden had a good job now, granted it was based on commission, but it was commission she knew how to make. Jenna would move in first as they’d agreed, and Eden would join her when the divorce was finalized in a few months. They could make this work. “I think we should discuss this a little further before giving Steve our final answer, what do you think, Jen?”

Jenna nodded. “Of course. You don’t mind do you, Steve?” She smiled at full wattage and did the girly hair flip she excelled at. Steve didn’t stand a chance.

“I’ll wait for your call.”

“You didn’t like it?” Jenna asked once they were inside the car. “You won’t hurt my feelings, Ede, I can keeping looking. We need to both love it.”

“No, it wasn’t that I didn’t love it. I think it has great potential. I was just thinking about baby proofing and…”

Jenna looked at her profile with a frown. “And…?”

“I’m just realizing that Liam isn’t going to get to be around Dominic that much anymore.” That very notion was a wound on her chest. “We’re going to have to work out visitations.”

“But it’s what you wanted.”

Was it? Was this what she still wanted? Eden didn’t know anymore. She was at a crossroad, facing that thing she’d convinced herself for so long would make her happy, while on the other side laid the uncertainty of a future she found herself wanting more and more with a man capable of taking her through every spectrum of human emotion and still have her needing more.

“Yeah,” she muttered without much conviction, “yeah it is.”

* * *

Carver’s was only a distant memory now. More sweet than bitter but nevertheless a little sad. There would be no more skimpy outfits for her. Goodbye to reeking of alcohol and grease and icky customers who didn’t know how to keep their hands to themselves. Standing beneath the blistering hot sprays of the shower head, she watched as the dirt from her last night of work trickled from her skin and around the shower drain beneath her feet. However brief, Carver’s had been a big part of her life these last few months. It would be hypocritical of her to say she wasn’t going to miss it, the girls especially. But that part of her life was gone now. A brief chapter closing with another taking its place. She released a slight squeal of excitement. She started working at Archer Realty next week, and the very idea very nearly put her over the moon. Rinsing out the rest of her shampoo, she conditioned her hair, and exfoliated with a loofah before jumping out of the steaming shower.

She would’ve been a stupid woman had she allowed her pride to interfere with her decision in taking this job. Dominic’s interference may have gotten her through the door, but as he’d painstakingly pointed out to her, it was her own merits that had cinched the deal. This was a huge opportunity for her and Eden vowed to herself that she wasn’t going to blow it, not this time. But then, her mind was quick in reminding her, she hadn’t exactly blown it the last time. Waiting for the all too familiar feeling of animosity to overtake her, Eden was startled to find that she no longer held the same sort of resentment as she previously did. In fact, it seemed most of her antagonism towards him had ebbed considerably to the point where she could even find herself understanding why he did them.

Dominic did nothing without reason; every bit of his actions was motivated by something. And in this case, it appeared, she’d been that motivation. As he’d said, he’d done everything he could to have her. What woman could say that she wasn’t flattered by that, even if his intentions had been less than admirable? The very idea that he’d known her long before he’d seen to interfere in her life and marry her did incredible things to her insides. He did incredible things to her insides. Things that Eden couldn’t believe she was able to feel for him considering everything he’d put her through. But things have changed, and it wasn’t only recently.

Thinking on it, she realized the changes in him had begun the moment she’d barged into his office and confronted him. It had started there and had only progressed for the better after he’d met Liam. There were all these knew facets to him now that were so very appealing to her. She’d seen him at his most vulnerable when he’d opened up to her and allowed Eden to see him for what he was, allowed her to look into his horrible childhood and see how deep his emotional and physical scars ran. He’d been marred in the worse way possible, those adversities shaping him into this indomitable, hardnosed man who did not compromise when it came to his work ethics, but could so easily display his altruism when it came to those of lesser means. He went after what he wanted with an almost frightening zeal, eliminating all obstacles if need be. That was a trait that she both admired and feared, because there was no knowing his limits. But with all that, Dominic’s devotion to Liam was remarkable and Eden had never been happier to be proven wrong each and every time she had the privileged of seeing them together.

And then there was them. Never had something so wrong felt so right. Every melting touch, every soul searing kiss and every time he tattooed his name between her legs, Eden surrendered to him in the best way possible. He laid siege on the glass walls of her heart and chipped away at her doubts, her insecurities, and her fears until there was nothing left but her naked pumping organ, beating only for him. Each and every time she was with him now all Eden wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and tell him to never let go. Lust had burned away a long time ago and from its ashes flourished a love Eden had denied for far too long now. It hadn’t come suddenly. It had been there for years, blanketed by the debris of their crumbling marriage, neglected, abandoned and desperately denied because despising him had been so much easier.

His money was the reason why she’d married him, but love had made her stay. She found herself missing him more and more, craving not only his touch, but his presence as well. He had a very wry, often times self-deprecating humor was incredibly endearing. Eden loved the warmth of his smile and how it softened his otherwise hard features, she loved the sound of his laughter and how it formed crinkles at the corner of his devastating green eyes. She enjoyed his company and loved that he took a genuine interest in everything she did. They’d started off so wrong, but now Dominic was attempting to right those wrongs, and it was impossible for Eden to continue denying him another chance at her heart when he seemed so determined to have it all now.

Releasing a long sigh, Eden unfastened the lid from her favorite lotion and applied a generous amount to her skin, paying extra care to elbows, knees and the heels of her feet. A grimace touched her lips as she felt the bit of callous there and knew she needed to visit a nail salon as soon possible.

* * *

“Come here, Liam, come to Daddy.”

Eden stopped short at the threshold of Liam’s nursery, a bottle of milk in hand, she silently watched father and son. Liam lay prone on his tummy, arms extended in front of him, legs intermittently kicking behind him, head raised in avid interest of what his father was doing. Dominic, for his part was on all fours, positioned just a few paces in front of Liam, a motley assortment of toys placed between them, more incentives for Liam to crawl. “Come on, Liam, come get your toy.” Dominic wiggled the stuffed monkey rattle and it appeared that was enticement enough to prompt Liam into action. There were squeals and excited coos as he used his chubby arms and belly to drag himself forward, his legs kicking excitedly behind. “That’s it, son, come to Daddy, come on.”

Eden’s grip on the bottle tightened as a beaming smile touched her lips. This sight alone was enough to obliterate her previous bad mood. She remained silent, unwilling to disturb such a pivotal moment. “Come get Mr. Monkey, Liam. You can do it.” And he did. It took him some time, stopping every now and then, but Dominic’s encouragement kept him moving until finally he reached his father who joyously scooped him up and threw him up in the air. “I knew you could do it, son.” Dominic held Liam up and stared at him, his pride so strong that Eden could feel it standing where she was.

“My heart drops every time you do that,” Eden said quietly, waiting until Dominic caught Liam in his arms before making her presence known. “You’re not working today?” He wasn’t in his usual business attire, but he was no less handsome in tailored Chinos and the checkered shirt that brought out the green in his glimmering eyes. “I thought we would take Liam to the fall festival in town.”

Her amber eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected suggestion. “Sure,” she murmured, blinking owlishly at him. “That would be great.”

He was allowing personal greed to rule his decision; old habits that would undoubtedly take some time to change, but Dominic could not let her go. Not yet. He wanted a little more time with her. It was an inevitable end, but one that he would postpose for another few hours. Dominic wanted to give himself this last day before he unshackled her from his side.

They walked down Main Street, Dominic holding Liam while Eden walked beside them. “I love the fall,” she imparted with a smile. “It’s like nature’s perfect painting. The beautiful colors of the trees, the cool weather and there’s like this sense of comfort in it. It’s like coming home. You know?” She looked at him and flushed noting the imperceptible grin of his face. “I sound silly.”

He touched her arm to halt their progress. “Not silly,” he said firmly, “I love hearing you speak of the things you love. It allows me to see the world through your eyes, and there is nothing better for me than this.” His candor and the intent way he peered at her further heightened the color in Eden’s cheeks. She said nothing, but her heart managed to say enough when he interlaced their fingers.

“Tell me more,” he ordered gently, and she did with a secret smile as they continued their stroll.

The sign of fall was everywhere, but no more than at the heart of the Langston Fall Festival held at Langston Square. There were a multitude of tents with an array of games, food, and drinks to attract the milling crowd. Eden, Liam, and Dominic visited nearly every tent. They bought a small basket of apples after sampling fresh apple pies. Eden had her face painted along with Liam’s, a cat and a cute little puppy respectively. Dominic however declined. But he redeemed himself by winning them some stuffed animals, and by the time they returned home, it took Eden three trips to the car to retrieve all of the things Dominic had won.

“Have dinner with me.” He captured her wrist before she could turn away and made the request.

“Ok.” No was a word temporarily erased from Eden’s vocabulary, at least when it came to him.

She found him out on the veranda later that night, a table set for two reminiscent of the evening he brought up the divorce contact. An odd feeling trickled down her spine making Eden suddenly uneasy. She ignored it, however, when his paralyzing gaze landed on her, and she forgot to breathe. Her heart skipped like a school girl in love and made a desert out of her mouth. He was brooding, and as she neared him, Eden could tell that something was upsetting him.

“You look lovely.” His husky compliment made her feel beautiful even though she only wore a simple summer dress and sandals.

“Thank you,” she said shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear. He pulled her chair out for her, and she shivered when he ghosted a kiss against her cheek, the scent of his cologne hitting her in the right the spot.

“Is everything alright?” she inquired over their first course, setting down her glass after taking a long sip of the port.

“Is Liam asleep?” he asked in lieu of answering.

“Yes, I came down as soon as I put him to sleep. Jenna has the baby monitor,” Eden replied with a frown. “Are you okay, Dominic?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Taken aback by the coolness of his tone, Eden looked at him trying to find something in the flinty hardness of his gaze or why he suddenly appeared so grim. “You look like you’re angry.” She licked her lips nervously. “Did I...did I do something to upset you?” She felt stupid for asking it, and even stupider when she realized exactly how much it suddenly mattered to know whether she’d upset him in any way. If it was her, then she wanted to fix it. If it was someone else, something else than she would fix that, too.

“No, you have done nothing to upset me.” His gaze softened and Eden was allowed to breathe. “I’m was just thinking.”

“About what?” she urged.

“Nothing in particular,” he replied evasively. “Have you found a suitable apartment yet?”

The question stopped Eden’s heartbeat as cold sweat thickened across every inch of her skin. She blinked owlishly at him, like she just got caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. “Am I being followed again?”

“Yes.” No hesitation. “Hate me on this all you want, but as I have said, I will not compromise when it comes to your safety.”

“I don’t hate you.” I’m more than likely in love with you. That last bit she kept to herself though she felt the burn of those words on her tongue. “I was going to tell you about it. I was just afraid of how you would react.”

He angled a brow. “And how exactly is that?”

“Like this,” she murmured, “cold and distant. I wasn’t planning on moving any time soon.” She attempted soothingly. “I just thought that...”

“You should have somewhere to go when our contract is over,” he finished for her. “I’ve always admired that about you, Eden. This very thorough ability you have to plan ahead. It’s a trait that will take you very far.” It was hard for Eden discern whether he was being sincere or was insulting her in that roundabout way he used to.

She couldn’t remember the rest of dinner, but she knew it tasted like ashes, and she guzzled down the port to wash it away, only to realize a short time later that the taste in her mouth had nothing at all to do with the venison. When he asked her to follow him inside, she felt like an inmate on death row who’d just been given her last meal and now faced capital punishment. Their trek was a short and silent one, and when they entered his office she watched him walk around his desk to retrieve something from the locked drawers.

“I’ve been battling with myself for weeks about this,” he waved the folded piece of paper in his hand as he approached her but did not come any closer, “even now, I’m not sure I want to give it to you. But it’s the only way I know to show you that I’m trying to change.”

Dread poured ice water in her veins and while anxiousness pushed her heart into a full gallop. She tried swallowing around the constriction in her throat, but even that proved difficult. “What it is?” She was too afraid to ask and even more afraid to hear the answer.

“The divorce document, signed, sealed and reluctantly delivered,” he quipped without much humor, extending the document to her. It took Eden a short eternity before reaching for it with trembling fingers. She unfolded it and looked down without really seeing much of anything, except his signature at the bottom of the page and the seal that made it official. “You don’t have to worry about the contract. Everything we have agreed on will be upheld. I have transferred everything I took from you back into your possession.”

“Dominic—”

He held up a hand. “Please, let me get this out before I lose my nerve,” he beseeched in a low voice, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “In the five years that we’ve been married, I have not been a good husband to you. Hurting you as I have, disappointing you to this degree, has been my greatest failing as a man, and for that I am deeply regretful. You deserve better than me, undoubtedly. There are far better men out there who are free to love you in the way that you need. And I know when you walk out that door you will live and thrive and laugh and smile because that is the sort of person you are. And however much I want that for you, I can honestly say that everything will stop for me.”

Blood rushed between her ears and Eden knew she wasn’t breathing as he closed the space between them and tenderly cupped the side of her face. She saw only him and the glimmering intensity in his green gaze. “I don’t know what love is, Eden, but if I did, I know it would not come close to how deeply I feel for you. This thing, this feeling I have is unconventional. It’s emotion right down to its most basic element, and it rules me, it controls every aspect of my life until all I can see, all I can taste, all I can feel is you,” he breathed huskily. Taking hold of her hand, he placed it on his chest, right over his beating heart. “You’ve given my heart its rhythm and it beats only because of you. I come to you in fractured pieces with the hope that you will have the patience to help put me back together again.” He made himself emotionally naked to her, finally permitting Eden to see him, see the rawness of emotions he felt for her, see how deeply it ran and how fiercely it burned. “I am not worthy of you, but how can I live when you hold my heart in your hands, Eden?”

Tears gathered in her eyes as she attempted to gain control of her own emotions, but Eden was altogether overcome with awe and exhilaration when she gazed into the very depths of his eyes and saw his soul. “I…” she drew in a shuddering breath and tried again, “I’m…” words…words were not enough to express what she felt, so Eden rose up on her toes and sealed her mouth to his, needing to speak in lips and tongue everything she could not say. She spoke and he listened in a kiss that rocked the ground beneath their feet. Their tongues tangled in hot, frenzied carnality, shattering all reservations, crumbling all of Eden’s barriers. And in a state of absolute madness to feel him, to have him, to claim him and jump into his skin if need be, Eden frantically pulled at his shirt and pants. Buttons were sacrificed; the very loud tearing of clothes splintered through the breath laden silence as he too blindingly tore at her clothes, drove her back and scooped her up on his desk. She reclined backwards, her torn dress hanging haphazardly at her sides as she slowly propped herself on her elbows in offering Dominic a banquet of sumptuous breasts with nipples puckered to delightful peaks, the macchiato river of her flat belly led to the bare ocean of her salted caramel pussy. His mouth watered but the desire to sink into her won out as he fell upon her, wrapping his arms around her parted legs to yank her towards him until her bottom hung off the edge of the desk and without a second’s hesitation Dominic slid and sunk in deep swallowing her sweet feminine gasp.

She was full of him, yet not satiated, but it was problem easily rectified as his long, even thrusts slammed into her with delicious accuracy, jarring every nerve ending in her body. He set a punishing speed that she fought desperately to match, her legs dangling at his sides as he drove hard and fast into her hot melting passage. She was the ebb and he the flow, her gasping whimpers harmonizing with his grunts and groans. He toyed with her clit, a very slow and deliberate brush of fingers that brought the world shattering down on her. He flooded her with his own release muffling his groan between her breasts.

How was he able to shatter her so completely and put her back together again? Eden breathed in deep, and with her head on his chest, she listened to the steady beats of his heart. They were on the carpeted floor now and her body covered his like a blanket while his arm curved around her waist. They said nothing. Eden bit her lip, remembering the forgotten divorce paper that he’d handed her a while ago. He’d finally given her what she’d asked for, but it appeared it was no longer what she wanted.

“Stay,” he murmured huskily above her, almost reading her thoughts. When he shuffled beneath her, moving forward to bring Eden up to a sitting position, he curved fingers beneath her chin so that she looked into his green eyes that had darkened considerably. “I love you more than words can ever begin to define. I know I have no right to ask, but I’m asking you to please stay with me, Eden.” He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered a kiss on her quivering lips.

Tears filled her eyes and leaked down her cheeks from beneath her shuttered lids, overwhelmed beyond words. Eden had never once believed that she would ever hear these words from Dominic’s beautiful mouth. All that had been endured for this one moment of complete perfection.

“Stay…”

That decision had been made for her a very long time ago, maybe even before she’d been ready to admit to it.