IT WASN’T LIKE I HAD a plan when I came back to Harriet’s. All I had was the extra set of keys I’d purposely kept, and the knowledge that I wasn’t leaving until I knew whether the Eden I’d thought I was getting a feel for was a fraud.
When I saw her in the pool and realized she was naked, I decided to take the prime opportunity presented to me.
If she was running some kind of con, I figured she’d use her body to distract me from getting the answers I wanted. If she wasn’t . . . I guessed we’d see how she’d react.
I stalked her as she paddled backward to the wall and waited until she had nowhere else to retreat.
“What do you want from me?” she whispered.
“I want the truth.”
But that wasn’t all I wanted. My cock was rock hard and not afraid to remind me that I wanted her body too.
“Just let me get the money. I made a huge mistake. I freaked out over something stupid. I’m so sorry.” She looked away as she spoke.
I released the concrete edge of the pool and lifted my hand to her chin to force her dark gaze to mine. “Not enough. That’s bullshit, and we both know it.”
Indecision warred behind her gaze, and I wished she’d just fucking spill so I could quit wondering if I was drawn to someone who was a con or just on the run.
She swallowed, her eyes on mine when she finally said, “They told me my credit card was canceled because of fraud, and I thought I saw cops at the front desk and I got scared that maybe they’d arrest me or something. So I ran.”
Her explanation sounded sincere enough to be the truth, but my radar didn’t seem to operate flawlessly around her, so I needed more.
“Did you steal the credit card you used?”
Eden’s eyes widened. “No. Of course not.”
“Then why would you think the cops would arrest you if there was an issue with it?”
Her gaze dropped away from mine. “I panicked.”
Something wasn’t adding up, but I didn’t have a fucking clue what it was. “So you’re just afraid of cops?”
For a girl like Eden, I couldn’t imagine that she’d have any reason not to think cops were the most helpful people on the planet. For a guy like me, I avoided them as much as I fucking could, even though it seemed half the NOPD had decided that I was the guy who needed to do their ink.
“I don’t particularly like them,” she said quietly.
“You ever broken the law before this, Eden?”
I expected a quick and unequivocal no, but it didn’t come as fast as I thought it would.
“I don’t think so. I mean, I’m sure I have by accident sometime. I’ve jaywalked. But I’m not some kind of criminal.”
Well, that makes one of us, I thought.
My anger from earlier started to fade and be replaced by the heat of the knowledge that Eden’s naked tits were only inches from my chest, separated by water I could see right through. Last time I’d seen them under her pink bra, she’d been too fucked up for me to take advantage . . . but tonight she was completely sober.
I raised my gaze from her chest, expecting her cheeks to be red when she realized I was staring at her nipples, but she wasn’t watching my face. She was staring down at my body.
“Like what you see?”
That got her attention.
Eden jerked her head up to meet my eyes, and the blush colored her skin like I’d timed it.
“You’re . . . big.”
A booming laugh broke free from my throat at her unexpected response, and her cheeks flamed even brighter.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean . . . everywhere. Not just, in the . . .” She looked down, then jerked her gaze back to mine. “I’m going to shut up now.”
That kind of awkward and fumbling response couldn’t be faked, and protectiveness rose in me again. Eden was no con artist. She was a girl who couldn’t even say the word cock without turning red.
“Ain’t no shame in my game.”
She reached out a hand and covered my lips with her fingers. “Stop. You’re just making it worse. I wasn’t checking out your . . . package. I mean, I did before you got in the pool, but that’s only because I thought you’d have underwear on because who doesn’t wear underwear?” The babbling continued, and so did my laughter.
Hell, I hadn’t laughed this much since Delilah had given in to a customer’s request and tattooed a flexing veined eggplant cartoon on a client so he could send pictures of it instead of dick pics.
Eden pulled her hand back and covered her face. “I’m going to stop talking now. I seriously can’t be trusted to say anything that’s not completely humiliating when you’re standing this close to me naked.”
“I disagree, and since I’m not ready to get out and put my clothes on, you’re going to have to deal with it.”
She mumbled something under her breath.
“Come again?”
Eden pressed her lips together for a beat before saying, “I don’t know how to deal with it. This isn’t something I’ve ever dealt with before.”
A crazy thought popped into my brain. “Are you a virgin?”
If there was a red brighter than fire engine, that was the color of Eden’s cheeks. “No! Of course not. Really. I’ve touched a dick before. I mean, just the one, but it still counts. Well, I didn’t really touch it. Except, you know, inside me. Oh my God, I’m just going to shut up now.”
Realization dawned on me as her babbled protest silenced. “You’ve had sex with one guy? Once? How old are you?”
Eden turned to bolt, but instead smashed her tits into my arm. I stepped close enough so that only an inch of water separated us.
Her gaze went skyward. “This is so humiliating.”
That’s where she and I had differing opinions. “Why? Because you haven’t fucked every guy you’ve ever met? What’s wrong with that?”
Eden’s gaze snapped down to mine and her brows drew into slashes. “Hey, whoa now. You can toss that double-standard crap right in the trash. What if I had screwed every guy I ever met? Would that make me less of a person? I mean, it’s not like you probably haven’t been with dozens and dozens of women. I’m not judging you. Except for maybe that Kitty girl. I mean, really? You’ve got to have some standards.”
My laughter boomed out again across the courtyard. “Cupcake, just because I can get most any pussy I want, doesn’t mean I do it.”
“Still, double standards are—”
When she started on another tirade, I decided to silence her the best way I knew how.
I leaned down and covered her lips with mine.