"Um… yeah."
"So, I thought you could use the time so you don't have to rush. It's a long weekend after all. I bet traffic will be hell."
"Owen, since when did we leave the office early on a long weekend? You don't have to do that."
"Since now. You've been working really hard lately, you deserve it. Get out of here."
"You're sure?"
"Yes. Go."
"Okay. I really appreciate it. I'm just finishing up the report on the Chancellor file. I'll clean up once I get it on your desk."
"If you insist, but it'll still be here on Tuesday."
Owen headed back to his office and excitement drove me to the copier at lightning speed. Maddie was standing at the long counter binding some documents.
"Hey Maddie! If you can believe it, Owen just told me I can go now!"
"Miller agreed to let us go at 4:00!" she said, equally as enthusiastic.
"So we driving up together then?" I asked.
"Yeah. I might as well catch a ride with you and Edwin since we'll all be ready early. TJ isn't off work until 6:00. Aliah can catch a ride with him and Hunter. She won't mind, will she?"
I imagined Aliah's assault on Hunter in the backseat of TJ's jeep and smirked. "Um, no. I'm sure she won't mind. At least then we can get there before dark. What do you say we pick you up around 5:00?"
"Great! I just have a few things left to pack. It shouldn’t take long at all."
"Okay, we'll see you then."
I hustled back to my desk and read over my report. Everything was in order, so I packaged it up and put it on Owen's desk for signing. He was nowhere to be found. I slipped past Edwin's office, to have a quick chat with Aliah, since it was still a few minutes before Edwin's quitting time.
"Hey girl, you getting off early?" I asked.
"No. Bailey never goes for that. Seriously…it's not even worth my breath," she whined.
"You'll be happy to know then, that you get to drive up with Hunter. Edwin and I are gonna take Maddie with us. You can thank me later." I had a feeling that her smile would still be plastered on her face when she joined me later tonight.
"Sweet! No offence, but I'm glad not to be stuck with you two love birds and monster Maddie."
"Oh thanks, what am I chop liver?"
"Sorry, but Hunter is much more appealing to me. Sorry 'bout your luck!"
I laughed at her snarky comments. Typical Aliah. "Don't have too much fun without me," I nagged.
"I will," she said smiling, as I walked away.
I looked in Edwin's door before I knocked on it. He didn't respond. He was working away and didn't even notice me when I stopped right in front of his desk. I knocked lightly on his desktop to get his attention, but still his eyes were glued on his computer screen.
Putting both hands flat on his desk, I leaned toward him. "Excuse me Mr. Santora, can I get some attention here for a minute?"
Breaking his concentration at last, Edwin’s eyes glanced up at me. “Oh, Abby. I didn’t see you there.” He pulled some seemingly invisible ear plugs from his ears.
"You almost done here? The Southwind Inn awaits us."
He looked at the clock. It was 3:59. "I’ve got one more minute to go," he said smirking.
"Well on my watch, you're two minutes overdue."
He slammed the thick book shut on the papers he was marking up and started clicking his mouse erratically. "Do you think I could ride with you?"
"Do you really have to ask? Of course you can. I told Maddie she can ride with us. The others have to work late."
He nodded his head as he shut down his computer. "Works for me. As long as I've got you."
Edwin’s words never ceased to amaze me and his body was no exception in the amazing department. When he stood from his manager's chair and stretched out, his solid muscles flexed beneath his crisp white shirt. I turned away to stop the urge to go to him. With one step closer to the door, Edwin slung his laptop bag over his shoulder and caught up to me in three long strides. He turned off his lights and, with the blinds drawn, the spacious room was now draped in heavy shadows.
"I told Maddie we'd pick her up at 5:00."
"Maddie can wait." Edwin tugged me back inside and leaned against me, plastering me to his bookshelf. His kiss was hot, his eyes intense, satisfying my naughty thoughts.
So much for that ice barrier I had put in place for myself at work. Edwin had melted it in two seconds flat. I broke my mouth free from his demanding lips. "You're bad," I breathed.
"I know you like it though." He nuzzled his nose against mine and kissed me again, throwing all caution to the wind.
I pulled away from him again, terrified of getting caught by any number of people. "Why don't we take this party home?"
"Mmm, I like where you're going with this." He gripped me possessively and kissed me one last time before granting my release.
"I'll meet you at the truck. I just have to grab my purse." I left his dark room first, feeling entirely exposed, my lips as pink as my cheeks. With fingers on my bottom lip, I glanced back in time to see Edwin duck down the hall. I want him so bad.
Edwin was already backing his truck up to the curb, when I walked out the front door of the office. He jumped out of the truck and beat me to the passenger door. "My lady," he said, opening the door for me.
"Edwin! Could you be any more obvious?"
"What?"
"Since when did you give me curbside service?"
"Since now!"
"I rest my case."
"Afraid of a little attention? Let 'em stare. You're mine."
CHAPTER NINE
~
WHEN WE GOT HOME from work, Edwin loaded all of our bags in the trunk before coming back inside. I was still up in my room, changing into something more comfortable, travelling clothes. Edwin swiftly climbed the stairs. I glanced out my bedroom door to catch a glimpse of him passing by. My cheeks burned scarlet when he appeared in my doorway and caught me staring, waiting for him. He stood there very still, his eyes frozen on mine, giving no indication that he was leaving. I stood by my closet, only half dressed in a fitted tank and sexy panties, hugging my shorts to my chest.
"Mmm, look at you. Delicious," he said on a gasp.
I smiled and chewed on my swollen lip. "I've wanted you all day Eddie."
His response seemed to confirm that he felt the same. His hands reached for his trousers and undid them before I could blink. He came at me fast, crashing aggressively into my body and lifting me off the floor. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around him and kissed him with urgent desperation. He tugged on my clinging shirt and pulled it over my head with one yank, his suit jacket already carelessly tossed onto the floor.
His pants dropped, a condom clenched in his teeth, as I worked feverishly on his shirt buttons. He made quick work of the last two buttons, while I yanked off his tie. Pressing me to the wall, his hand glided down between my legs and he took a deep exhilarating breath. "Oh Abby." He swiftly slid the condom on and yanked down the scrap that was my panties.
I panted with excitement, the urgency growing as he touched me with his hands, his mouth, his tongue. When my back arched, my body begging for more, he slammed inside me, his sculpted muscles pressing my buttons as he mashed me like potatoes.
I hooked my hand around his neck demanding that he come closer. He complied and kissed me hard, slamming me into a realm of unexpected bliss. I grabbed onto my dresser clinging to reality, but when the low growl rumbled deep in Edwin's throat, I was lost. Combining his forces with gravity, he drew me into the vortex of mind-blowing pleasure. I threw my head back and convulsed with pleasure.
"Yes," I wailed, wanton and breathless, recklessly pushing Edwin over the edge.
After a moment of silence, I sighed with amusement, when I realized how swiftly Edwin had taken me. "That was fast!" I said, grinning from ear to ear.
Edwin still had me nailed to the wall. "What do you expect when you do that to me?"
"
Who, me?" I chimed, batting my eyelashes.
He flashed his charming smile and loosened his grip on my hips. After peeling me off the wall, he lowered me to the floor. "I hate to put my mitts in the oven and run, but I want to get in the shower before we go."
I flashed him a sassy smile and swaggered daintily toward the door. "Get out of here then," I said.
I was done with him. He was dismissed. He smirked as he collected his scattered clothes and took off to his room, covering his slick abs and semi-erect body with the dangling fabric.
When I got to the bathroom I decided that, though our encounter was sweaty and delicious, a shower wasn't a bad idea. I leapt into the stall as quick as I could, to beat out Edwin. I hurriedly washed myself then closed my eyes to rinse my hair. I couldn't stop thinking about our sexy rendezvous, but pushed all thoughts aside when Edwin joined me in the bathroom. Leaving the water running, I hopped out of the tub to switch him places. I rushed to my room, dressed as quickly as I could and hurried down the hall.
Edwin was still faster than me. Fully dressed and standing at the foot of the stairs. "Do you mind if I drive?" he asked, staring up at me.
What kind of question was that after what we just did? It was like a hit and run. I yanked my purse off its hook and rummaged around for my keys. I tossed them out to him, as I opened the front door and walked out. "Drive, if you want to drive." The words came out even colder than I planned.
Knowing how to press my buttons, "Well I am the man of the relationship." He knew that would get under my skin and I would have to bite back.
I spun around, hands on hips, and squinted at him unamused. "Relationship? You think what we just did constitutes a relationship?"
“Sure do. You're stuck with me now baby!" he teased.
"Whatever. We should probably figure out what's going on here, before other people start filling in the blanks for us."
"I thought we did all the talking last night."
"Eddie, I can't take anything you say when we're having sex seriously. You'd tell me anything I want to hear to get laid."
"That's not true. Well maybe a little... but that's not what happened last night and you know it. What are you so afraid of?"
Oh let's see… everything! "I don't know," I said.
"Abs, you're overthinking it. It's real simple. You're single. I'm single. We're both undeniably attracted to each other. I may even love you…" he added, smiling.
I folded my arms over my chest and gave him another narrowed glance.
"Okay…I do love you. Do you really want to pass that up? I know it hasn't worked out in the past, but this is different."
"Oh? And how is that?"
"We're older now. I've got a solid job. It's just different."
He was right. As annoying as it was, he was always right. I pushed aside my haunting womanly intuition and dropped my defences. If anything, the man made a good argument.
"You realize Maddie is gonna have a heyday with this, right?"
"They will all know soon enough. How they deal with it is their problem." He tugged gently on my arm, pulling me into his chest. He kissed me slow and sweet. "Right now, I can't see any reason why I wouldn't do everything in my power to keep you in these arms for the rest of my life."
Oh my. I love this man.
He kissed me again and we gazed contently into each other's eyes. A smile crept onto his lips then he gave me a wink and headed for the driver seat of my car. By the time my seat belt clicked, the car purred to life, and we sped off to Maddie's house. Passing the tree-lined city streets, I daydreamed about us spending the rest of our lives together.
"Eddie?"
"Mmm, hmm?"
"I've been thinking. Would you be opposed to saving the news for later? I really don't want to deal with Maddie's jibber jabber all the way there."
"Suit yourself," he said.
"Are you mad?"
Edwin’s face remained neutral, as he pulled the car into Maddie's driveway. "I'm pretty sure she'll figure it out for herself, but I'm all for waiting if that’s what you want.”
“Thank you.” I slipped out the door and walked up Maddie’s drive.
Edwin eased his window down and whistled at me like a horny construction worker, a huge smile plastered on his face. I looked back at him to roll my eyes, but I couldn't hide my smile. Two knocks on her door and her friend Samantha opened it, looking as posh as ever with her shiny, short dark hair.
"Come on in," she said. "She'll be just another minute."
I knew that meant Maddie would be at least ten, so I waved at Edwin to come in. I heard him cut the engine as I went inside, closing the door behind me. "I thought you’d be ready," I hollered to Maddie, who was nowhere to be seen.
"Um, no," Maddie hollered back.
I looked to Samantha for an explanation of her visit. “Moral support?”
"She's just having a hard time picking out what bathing suits to bring. She's so concerned about what colour Hunter will like most. She told me it was an emergency." Samantha rolled her eyes, seemingly uninterested and impatient.
Maddie entered at the far end of the room with an arm full of bathing suits strapped on her arm. It looked like I would have to take it upon myself to make a hasty decision before Edwin came in and had a bird.
"Well let's see 'em then," I said, waving at the suits.
She instantly started flashing her hoard of suits to me. “What do you think?”
"Oh definitely the black one piece. I love that one,” I said.
“And the orange one too. You look hot in it," Samantha chimed.
"You think?"
Edwin finally walked in the front door, without so much as a knock. "Oh no, what did I just get myself into?" he asked wearily, blocking his eyes with his hand.
"Don't listen to him. Those are my favs by far," I said.
"You think two will be enough?"
"Yeah for sure. We're only going for a few days. It won't kill you to wear one twice if you need to," I said.
"It might," Samantha said sarcastically, knowing Maddie all too well.
"Yeah. I think I better bring one more, just in case,” Maddie agreed. “I hate wearing a wet bathing suit. That's just nasty." Maddie cringed at the thought. "Okay, so what other one do you think? Maybe this white one?"
Edwin dropped his hands in defeat, his eyes slanting toward the skimpy, frilly white thing Maddie dangled from her fingers. "Oh yes, definitely that one! And maybe Abby can borrow it for a night," Edwin said with renewed interest.
Maddie stood there thoughtfully for a minute, confused by Edwin's comment, then shrugged her shoulders. Satisfied, she packed the suit up. Samantha on the other hand, who was no stranger to Edwin and I, looked at me stunned. I just shrugged my shoulders in response, hoping that'd be enough to curb her curiosity. She was onto us.
"So are we ready then?" I asked Maddie animatedly.
"Yes, I'm ready."
Samantha suddenly seemed equally as eager to get out of there, pulling on her shoes and stringing her purse over her shoulder. “Have fun guys. Catch ya later.”
“See ya Sam. Thanks for your help,” Maddie said, as Samantha took off.
Edwin picked up the two bags at the door, as Maddie pulled her tote toward me.
My mouth dropped open. "Did you dump your whole wardrobe in there?" I laughed, as I looked at the amount of things Maddie had packed for such a short trip.
"You'll thank me later," she said, smirking.
I glanced at Edwin wide-eyed and he smiled back at me, acknowledging that she was as crazy as I thought she was. I headed outside to pop the trunk and Maddie nearly tumbled over me, trying to get to the car first.
"Shotgun!" she hollered, dropping her bag at Edwin's feet. She held onto the passenger door like it was a life line.
"Um, no. Edwin's driving. I got shotgun. My car my rules," I said.
"Edwin's driving? That's weird." Maddie sighed and grudgingly got into the back seat.
I couldn't
help but smile. I waved at Samantha as she pulled away from the curb, and then took my seat next to Edwin. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. I was happy.
Edwin drove us away, leaving the craziness of the city behind and disappearing into the serenity of the country. After a good hour passed, I was ready to dump Maddie. She would not stop talking. I swear if that woman didn't shut up, I would have to dispose of her in some other unfriendly way.
Edwin's brow furrowed. He felt the same way. Then, shaking things up, his hand slowly wandered to my thigh. He squeezed and brushed his fingers higher. I gasped for air, shocked at his brazen act, but also incredibly intrigued. Heat electrified through my body from my thighs to my mouth.
Edwin smiled and smoothed his hand back down my thigh. He slowly scooped my hand into his and I gave him a guarded glance. Ignoring my wide eyes, showing more emotion that I cared to, he brushed his thumb over my knuckles. Such a soft touch and yet it stirred so many feelings. I chewed my lips and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to steady my rapid breaths. When I thought I was in the safe zone, I locked my eyes on Edwin, until he finally smiled and gave me a wink. Maddie didn't even seem to notice, too caught up in her own story.
When we pulled into the resort, the sun was still shining high in the sky, and Maddie hadn't said anything about our handholding. The road quickly turned from pavement to gravel and Edwin slowed the car so we didn't kick up so much dust when we winded down the narrow drive. The land was naturally beautiful, native flowers covered the forest floor beneath the lush green trees that hovered protectively over the secluded road. We reached a clearing, leading us to what looked like an over-sized log house. It overlooked the natural lakeside, a stunning display of nature at its finest. The first bout of silence went on, as Maddie watched out the window, equally as taken by the amazing view.
"I can run in and get our keys if you want," I suggested.
"Okay," Maddie said.
Edwin put the car in park. “I’ll to come with you."
"Well can you at least leave the music on?" Maddie said, not suspecting anything.
Edwin indulged her and then walked around the front of the car, where I waited for him. We both directed our attention to the two storey log house. "I take it that's where we have to go," Edwin guessed, pointing at the doorway marked Registration. Edwin put his hand on the small of my back, gentle yet possessive, leading me to the wooden stairs. Two steps up and Edwin still hadn’t removed his hand from me, his fingers slipping beneath my shirt and skimming across my skin.
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