Eden kept her face down as a small smile tickled at the corner of her mouth. He'd read her well.
“So then what?”
“I took a leave of absence from work.”
She couldn't squelch her startled gasp. “You did?”
Jordan nodded, his dark eyes grim. “I thought, with all my experience and contacts, I could do what the police hadn't been able to do. I retraced every step they took. My contacts in the government gave me access to files no ordinary citizen would have. Not that it did any good. She'd just vanished into thin air. After six months, I gave up and went back to work.”
He'd looked for her for six months. Eden couldn't believe what she was hearing. Noah had hinted at what he'd done, but she hadn't really paid attention. She'd been so upset at Noah's betrayal, everything else had been lost.
“Is there a reason to think you missed something … or the police missed something?”
“Hell if I know. I contacted LCR in D.C. a few months later. I was getting nowhere and hoped they could help. They did some checking and told me they couldn't.”
Eden sat in dismay, realizing that Noah more than likely halted their investigation. He'd done it to protect her. She'd still been in therapy, hadn't even begun the numerous surgeries to repair her face. Still, she was surprised he'd never told her. Not that it would have made a difference. There was no way she could have returned to her old life.
“Why did you decide to come to LCR again?”
He lifted his shoulder in a small shrug. “Just in passing, an acquaintance of mine mentioned that since I was coming to Paris, I should contact the founder of LCR. I thought, what the hell, and the rest you know.”
Noah. There was no way to prove it, and he'd dance around it, but Eden felt certain that Noah had somehow planted that little seed. Someday Noah would find a person he was unable to manipulate or an event he couldn't fix. Eden hoped to be around when that happened.
She looked down at her notes, suddenly so exhausted she wasn't sure she was going to be able to get to her feet without his help.
“Dammit, Eden, you look like you're about to fall out of that chair.”
She managed a wan smile. “I am feeling a little tired.”
“Do you need help getting home?”
The last thing she needed was for him to go with her. She needed to be alone … just for a little while.
“Of course not. I'll catch a cab. You know I don't live far from here. I'll be fine by tonight.”
“Let's cancel tonight. You need to stay—”
“Don't be ridiculous, I'll be fine. Come by my place at seven.”
“You're sure?”
Eden stood, gratified and relieved that her legs held her. “Absolutely sure.”
Jordan took her hand and kissed it softly. “I'll see you tonight then.”
Eden managed a quick smile as her unsteady legs carried her out the door. Didn't she feel the fool? She'd gone into the meeting confident she could handle hearing his side of the story, but never would she have guessed what she would learn.
He had cared and searched for her … extensively. He still searched.
With startling clarity, Eden knew what she had to do. She had to tell him the truth. No one deserved the truth more than Jordan. When she'd thought he hadn't cared, that he just wanted to get to the bottom of a mystery, she'd been prepared to give him the fake file. But now there was no way.
She would come clean. Tell him everything. But not yet. When she told him, she fully expected he'd be furious at her deception and most likely would never want to see her again. She had to tell him the truth, but she would wait. She would take the days she had with him … enjoy and treasure them.
She told herself she deserved them and so did Jordan. She told herself she believed that lie.
seventeen
Jordan watched Eden leave the office, more than a little concerned for her. Yes, she looked better than she had earlier, but she still looked ill … almost shell-shocked. Did she judge him for the way he'd treated Devon? God knew he had nothing to be proud of there, but dammit, he was doing his best to correct that, in the only way he knew how. Finding the truth.
Standing, he turned to look out the window. It was late afternoon, and Paris traffic was in its full frenzy. Not that it slowed down very much at any time of the day or night.
He had a sudden and unusual longing for his boyhood home. Living with his grandmother hadn't been the easiest upbringing in the world. Somewhat abrasive, always opinionated, and at other times downright mean, Hannah Montgomery had been quite the character. Showing affection was synonymous with vulnerability to Hannah, but she'd made sure he got the basics and he had to be grateful for that. Looking back on it, he'd had it better than most kids. Plenty of food, green hills and valleys to roam and play in, and someone who, in her own way, cared for him.
It was amazing how similar Eden's background was to his. With so much in common, no wonder he felt this incredible draw toward her. And it was mutual. The look she'd given him yesterday and the kiss they'd exchanged today told him that very soon, he'd have her in his bed. He hardened at the thought.
He'd ended things with Samara. A phone call was a piss-poor way to end a relationship. If he hadn't needed to stay in Paris and help Noah out, he would have gone back home and ended things face to face. She'd deserved that much … hell, she deserved a whole lot more. But she also deserved a man who loved her more than anyone else in the world. Jordan knew he couldn't be that man. She'd told him she understood, and he knew he had hurt her deeply, but he'd had no other choice.
Never in his time with Samara had he felt this fierce surge of desire as he had for Eden. He had tremendous admiration for both women, but they were so different, it was hard to even believe he'd been attracted to both of them.
Samara was goodness and light. An open book. If she had something to say, she said it. She was rarely in a bad mood, with an energy and contagious enthusiasm he'd always found delightful.
Eden was shadow and mystery, enclosed in a cloud of earthy sexuality. He'd never met anyone quite like her. Yes, he wanted to get her in bed … she could turn him on with a look. He had every intention of getting her there and keeping her there for hours … maybe days.
But it was more than that. She had an incredible depth of character, steel-hard determination, and performed a job few women or men could do. She was also passionate, courageous, and, he strongly suspected, deadly when necessary. He knew that much about her and wanted to know a hell of a lot more.
Jordan checked his watch. He had a few more calls to make, to check in with operatives, then he would head home. He'd found a nice flat not far from Eden and it wasn't far from his favorite restaurant … the one in which they'd met.
He'd have a meal delivered from there; the staff knew him well. Maybe he'd pick up a bouquet of flowers on his way home.
Tonight, as long as Eden was feeling well, he'd make sure they both got to know each other much better.
After a long hot bath and a cup of tea, Eden felt much improved. Stronger and refreshed, she dressed with care. This was her first date with Jordan and she wanted to look spectacular. One thing she'd learned in all the years she'd worked for LCR was the supreme confidence of a woman comfortable with her body and her beauty.
Though she knew herself to be outwardly beautiful, she took no credit for it. The plastic surgeons Noah hired were responsible for her looks. They'd worked endless hours, repairing broken bones, removing scars, and reconstructing her features into something almost otherworldly.
Noah told her they'd done that at his request. She could have been repaired and still have been passably pretty. Since they'd agreed she would work for LCR, he'd asked the surgeons for stunning and his request, according to him, had been exceeded.
She carefully made up her face, paying special attention to her eyes, one of the few features the surgeons hadn't tried to improve. She wished she didn't have to wear colored contacts. Her real eye color was
a pretty shade of light gray, but she couldn't take the chance of Jordan seeing them. Though she doubted he'd remember after all this time, she still wouldn't risk it.
Tonight, she chose a clear aqua blue and enhanced them by outlining her lids with a smoky blue liner. She'd changed her hair color back to her preferred white-blond, which only made her eyes more appealing.
She slipped into an ice-blue, almost non ex is tent thong and a sexy lace bra with a front clasp. Opening her closet, she perused her multitude of dresses. Her eyes fell on a purchase she'd made last year in Milan but had never had a chance to wear. Made of blue silk, it draped over her body like melted wax over porcelain.
Eden stepped into it and turned to the full-length mirror behind her. The dress, seductive and provocative, reflected her mood. Exactly what she needed for tonight.
Today, in the office, Jordan's kiss told her he wanted her, and if she wasn't mistaken, he planned to try to seduce her. Though she didn't intend to immediately fall into his arms and make it easy for him—what was the fun in that?—she planned to make sure he knew she wanted him just as much and he could have her.
Playing coy was usually a game she played with men she wanted information from. Tonight, she'd do it for a different reason. She wanted to have fun with Jordan. To have what she'd never had … a real love affair. With genuine emotion and caring.
Eden cautioned herself from slipping into that silly romantic mode she'd had years ago. She would never be that stupid again, but that didn't mean she couldn't have romance.
The doorbell rang, and with one last glance to make sure the seductress was in place, she went to open the door.
Damned if she didn't keep surprising him. Every time he saw her, her beauty astounded him. Tonight, if possible, she'd outdone herself.
Feeling like a geeky teenager picking up the prom queen, he practically shoved the bouquet of violets in her face.
Eden apparently didn't see anything strange in his presentation. A delighted smile covered her face, causing his heart to kick up toward a galloping speed.
“They're lovely. Come in while I put them in water.”
He closed the door behind him, then leaned against it. The way she looked, he was pretty sure if he advanced further inside, he'd try to convince her to skip dinner and go straight to bed. Not because he thought she'd be that easy, but because he wanted her that much.
He wanted her, but he also wanted to take her out and just enjoy her company. The dinner he ordered would be delivered around nine. That gave them almost two hours to sit down and talk. Not about business, not about Devon. He wanted to know Eden, the woman.
Eden returned and stood in the middle of the room. “Would you like a drink?”
He shook his head slowly. “I thought we'd go out for drinks and then dinner at my place. That okay with you?”
He could see the acknowledgment in her eyes. Dinner at his place meant something more than dinner.
She gave him a slow, sensuous smile. “Sounds perfect.”
His hand at her waist, Jordan ushered her to a table overlooking some of the most beautiful lights of a Paris night. As he pulled the chair out for her, he pressed a soft kiss on her bare shoulder as soon as she was seated. A shiver of extreme desire swept through her. Jordan was trying to seduce her and doing a damned fine job.
The expression on his face as he sat across from her told her he knew exactly what kind of effect the small caress had on her.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, thank you. I took a nap and a long hot bath. A cure for almost anything.”
The waiter appeared and they ordered their drinks. Eden could have ordered for Jordan. She remembered he favored scotch. He'd been drinking it the night they made love.
“So, what do you do when LCR gives you some time off? I'm assuming you do get some vacation?”
“There's no set time or even amount of time for vacation. We pretty much set our own hours. If we feel the need for time off, we take it. I think one of Noah's requirements is to hire people who need to work almost constantly.”
“So no three-day cruises or weekend trips to the country?”
She tilted her head in a flirtatious, teasing slant. “Are you asking me to join you on something like that?”
“If I did, would you?”
“I believe I might be able to make room on my schedule.”
He leaned forward. “I don't want to deter you in your investigation of Devon.”
“Much of my work will be done through others. Since she was last seen in Washington, many of my investigators will work from there.”
“I wish you luck with that. Every step I took forward, I seemed to take three steps back. No one saw or heard anything.”
She reached for his hand, wanting to comfort him. Stupid really, since she was responsible for this. She would come clean, though. She just needed some time.
“We'll do our very best … I promise.”
He returned the squeeze on her hand. “I know you will.”
As their conversation turned to other topics—politics, religion, global warming—Eden gloried in what she considered a gift: to be with Jordan, having him not only attracted to her, but treating her with respect and admiration, listening to her answers and views as if they mattered to him.
Her ego had never been tied to a man before and it wasn't now. But even after all this time, Jordan's opinion meant something to her. It wasn't a childish crush from a long-ago yesterday, but the want and need of approval from a man she respected and admired.
In the few weeks she'd known him, that respect had increased enormously. She wasn't ready to call it love. That was too dangerous, even if she was still capable of that emotion. But what ever it was, she wanted to savor the feeling for as long as she was able.
“I'm having dinner delivered to my apartment at nine. Are you ready to leave?”
Eden nodded and stood. As he draped her wrap around her shoulders, he whispered in her ear. “You hungry?”
And just like that, any desire for food disappeared as a new hunger took control.
She shivered, this time wanting him to know how he affected her. Tilting her head back, and flashing a look that told him exactly what she hungered for, she whispered, “Famished.”
Jordan's eyes widened slightly before they narrowed into a hooded, hot gaze. “Do you enjoying eating in bed?”
“It's one of my favorite places to dine.”
He gently nudged her toward the door. “Good, because I don't have any other furniture.”
A surprised giggle escaped her as he hustled her out of the bar and into the elevator.
Ten minutes later, Jordan opened his apartment door, and allowed Eden to enter first. She'd taken it in stride when he assured her he hadn't been lying. He'd barely had time to find an apartment and buy a bed. All the other furnishings he figured he'd pick up at some point.
Though he'd been halfway teasing about having dinner on the bed, he had thought they could dine on the floor, like a picnic. The bed sounded like a much better idea.
Her beautiful mouth curved with an enigmatic tilt, she gazed around the spacious and empty living room before turning back to him. “You weren't kidding.”
He wondered if she was rethinking their dinner plans, but the doorbell rang before he could ask if she'd rather go out. Dinner had arrived. He turned to open the door and heard her footsteps as she wandered through the apartment.
Food bags in hand, Jordan closed the door and turned.
No Eden. He headed to the bedroom and stopped at the door. Again that curious flip to his heart. One that only she had ever been able to make happen.
The comforter had been pulled down and pillows were placed at strategic spots on the king-sized bed. Eden sat, barefoot, her legs curled under her, in the middle of the bed, with a teasing glint in her eyes. “The table is set.”
“So I see.” Jordan took the three large sacks, set them between the two of them, and unloaded everything on
the bed. If Giorgio, the kindhearted but temperamental chef, saw where they were eating his elegant meal, he'd probably keel over.
Jordan couldn't imagine a better place.
As they dined on smoked salmon, roasted chicken, fresh spinach, and mashed potatoes, Jordan couldn't help but be fascinated at the change in Eden's attitude. She acted younger, almost carefree, and damned if he didn't find her even more attractive, if that was even possible.
They talked little during dinner, but the hot looks she sent him had Jordan thinking of a different kind of dessert than the one he'd ordered with the meal.
He opened a box of pastries and held a small piece to Eden's mouth. Full, sensuous lips opened and closed over his fingers. A surge of lust hit him like a tsunami. Before she could realize his intent, he came over her and pressed her back against a pillow.
She swallowed the small bite of pastry and then, with an even more sensuous smile, wrapped her hands around the bedposts and wiggled her body in a blatant sexual move.
Jordan propped himself above her on his forearms, his eyes roaming the delectable offering. “You are the sexiest, most enticing creature I've ever met.”
She responded by lifting her body and rubbing against him.
Jordan couldn't stop looking at her. Her eyes glittered with desire, those luscious “suck on me” lips beckoned, and her beautiful, “do wicked things to me” body threatened his control unlike anything ever had.
He wanted to ravage her. He wanted to take his time with her. He wanted to fuck her hard until she screamed in release over and over again. To slowly uncover and savor every inch of her body … swallow each gasp, breathe in each sigh.
“You know, touching is allowed.” Her sultry voice held a tinge of amusement.
“Anywhere in particular?”
“Anywhere you like.”
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