by Tawny Weber
Business was booming, her love life was rocking and her social life... Holy cow, her social life. Suddenly she was the most popular girl in town. She’d been invited to join committees, to luncheons and just yesterday, Crystal had called to chat and ask about adopting the kittens.
It was like she suddenly belonged.
All thanks to Cade.
“Okay,” her naked hero said, opening both eyes now and giving her a questioning look. Beneath the query and sexual heat, though, she could see something else. A pain that wrenched at her heart. A pain she didn’t know how to fix. How to heal. All she could do was the same thing she’d done all week. Distract him with sex. But as deliciously wonderful as the results of that were, she knew that sooner or later, he had to face the pain. She just didn’t know how to help him.
“What were you asking about?” At her blank look, he arched a brow and added, “You asked if I had anything to say, remember?”
“Remember? Oh, yeah,” she said with a strained laugh. “You visited with your grandmother today, right? How is she doing with Alfie?”
The look on Cade’s face was pure doubt. “Are you sure that’s a dog? It sounds more like one of the squeaky toys you find at the pet store. It’s about the same size, too.”
“Alfie’s an AKC-registered Yorkshire Terrier,” Eden said with an offended sniff. Then she grinned. “Isn’t he adorable? As soon as you told me that your grandmother wanted a companion dog, I knew he’d be perfect. The lady who’d been taking care of him almost refused to give him up, but she already has ten dogs of her own.”
Cade’s jaw dropped. “Ten? Granted, they’re so small, it would take about ten of them to equal the size of a real dog. But...ten?”
“She’s a breeder who takes in fosters from time to time,” Eden chided gently. “We’re lucky she had the perfect pet so quickly. Sometimes it can take months. But I think it was love at first sight for both Alfie and Catherine.”
“Yeah, she’s totally into the dog,” he admitted. “She was personally making it oatmeal and steamed carrots when I stopped by this afternoon.”
“That’s great. Alfie’s fourteen and used to a whole-food diet.” Eden gave him a narrow-eyed look. “What’s the matter? Are you jealous of your grandmother’s new pet?”
“She has a cook, but she insists on doing it herself. I don’t think she’s made me lunch since I was two,” he muttered, making Eden grin.
“You are jealous,” she said with a laugh.
“Only of the time you spend away from me,” he admitted, his hand skimming up her thigh and underneath her nightgown.
Eden’s breath caught. Desire shimmered, low in her belly.
“I’m with you now,” she said.
“So you are.” In a swift move, he rolled over, taking her with him. Laughing, Eden cuddled into the pillow and looked up at his sexy face.
“Let’s go away this weekend,” he suggested, burying his face in her throat for a nuzzle. “Just us. We’ll go anywhere you want. Dancing all night in the city. A romantic balloon ride in wine country. You name it.”
“I can’t. We can’t,” she corrected. “This weekend is the Spring Fling, remember?”
“We’ll skip it.”
“Your grandmother would kill us both.”
Cade’s groan reverberated against her throat, but he didn’t argue further. If anything, he got serious about turning the heat up on his kisses.
Eden shivered in delight, her hands cruising over the hard breadth of his shoulders.
As much as she wanted that feeling of being a couple, taking a trip together, she wanted the memory of walking into the most prestigious event of the year on the arm of Cade Sullivan. The most popular guy in Ocean Point.
That memory would be the cherry on top of a deliciously sexy, mind-bogglingly amazing fantasy come true. Walking in with Cade would cement her place in society.
The joy faded a little, happiness taking on a dim edge. Her heart drooped like a flower in desperate need of water as she forced herself to finish that thought.
She’d have wonderful memories. She’d be a part of the clique that she’d been born into, but only skirted around the edges of for most of her life. She’d have enough clients to pay off her mother’s loan, a solid business and a strong foundation to build her future on.
The only thing she wouldn’t have was Cade.
12
THE SPRING FLING. Ocean Point’s most prestigious social event of the year, and here she was. Not helping the bartender, or sitting at the hostess table by the entrance, checking off RSVPs.
Nope. Eden was dressed in her fanciest gown, wearing her sassiest shoes, dancing in the arms of the sexiest man in town.
She gave a little shiver of delight. Wow, so many wonderful things were happening in her life, it was as if the dreams-come-true fairy had dumped a whole bagful of wishes on her life.
It felt magnificent.
Almost as magnificent as dancing in Cade’s arms. Except instead of looking like he was having the time of his life, Cade was tenser than she’d ever seen him. Oh, the usual charm was right there, front and center. And he was just as gorgeous today as he’d been two weeks ago, or even a year ago. That hadn’t changed. But Eden was pretty sure this was the first time she’d ever seen him so ill-at-ease. She rubbed a soothing hand over his back, grateful to feel some of the tension drain as he gave her a little smile.
Torn between the delight of the moment and needing to make Cade feel better, Eden hesitated for just a second. Then, unable to do otherwise, she leaned in to brush a kiss on his cheek.
“Catherine and the Spring Fling committee did a wonderful job with everything. But maybe we could cut out early. Go home, get naked, heat up some cherry-flavored body oil,” she added with a teasing wink.
She’d learned to read him pretty well over the last week or so. To look beyond his eyes, which hid everything behind a layer of charm, and instead notice the tiny wrinkles that pinched the corners of his eyes when he was stressed.
And despite her offer of warm body oil and a quick escape, the wrinkles were still there.
But all Cade said was, “Now that’s an idea. But I promised my grandmother I’d introduce the Veteran’s Auction.”
“Then we’ll leave as soon as it’s over?”
“The very second.”
Figuring she’d better enjoy the few dances she’d get, Eden cuddled closer into his arms with a sigh and glanced around. It was a magical scene. The chandeliers and candles all glinted warmly. The scent of lilies filled the air, melding with subtle perfumes and rich cologne. Like Cinderella at the ball, Eden reveled in the sight of everyone dressed so beautifully, looking so fancy.
Well, hell. A lot of those beautifully dressed people weren’t just looking fancy. They were staring. Hard.
“So this is what it’s like to be royalty,” she murmured, giving Cade a flutter of her lashes as she burrowed a little deeper into his arms as the string quartet’s rendition of The Doors’s “Light My Fire” played. “I feel like I should be doing the princess wave.”
From a few of the looks shooting her way, the wave would be returned with a single-finger salute. Of course, those were all single women who had crushes on Cade, so she shouldn’t be surprised.
“I’d rather you kept your hands on me instead of waving to the gawkers,” he said, taking his attention away from her face for just a second to cast a derisive look to the staring crowd. Not that they were the only ones on the dance floor. But they were the only ones cell phone cameras were being aimed at. “Just ignore them. We’re here to dance, to help my grandmother raise a bundle of money, then to get the hell out and have fun.”
With a tiny shiver in honor of the last round of fun they’d had, Eden smiled her agreement. Dance, help, money, run. She was good with all of that. And maybe if she focused on those steps, she could ignore the stares. Was this what he had to deal with all the time? The paparazzi-like frenzy from his friends and hometown acquaintances? She hadn
’t realized how bad it was for him, always being the center of attention.
A flash of color caught her eye, the vividness of Janie’s dress commanding Eden’s, and quite a few other people’s, attention. The green tulle was just a few shades brighter than the jealous heat in her eyes as she glared.
Eden shifted, missing a step and almost stomping on Cade’s foot. Before she could even wince, he easily incorporated her stumble into their dance steps.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Just feeling a little self-conscious,” she answered, pulling her gaze away from the crowd. For a second she stared at his shoulder, before lifting her eyes to meet his. “I think I’d be more comfortable dancing without the audience.”
“Could we be naked?”
She blinked, then burst into laughter. Her fingers curled tighter around the back of his neck and she gave him a flirtatious look.
“We could. Or better yet, we could take a radio down to the lake and dance there. Naked and under the moonlight.”
They grinned at each other for a second. Then, remembering how many times they’d made love by the lake, and in her bedroom, her kitchen, her office, her bathroom, heck, everywhere but her car because it was still in the body shop, they stopped.
“Why don’t we go outside and practice?” he whispered huskily, his breath warming her ear before he brushed a soft kiss against her cheek.
“A walk outside would be nice,” she finally agreed, giving him a shadow of a smile. It would give her a few seconds to regroup, maybe a kiss or two to remind herself of why being with Cade was a wonderful temporary fantasy that she should enjoy every second of, and then, she’d be just fine.
Warm and comforting, his hand curled around hers as he led her off the dance floor. They’d made it about halfway to the wide expanse of French doors when Cade’s steps slowed. She looked up at him.
His smile had dimmed and tension deepened the wrinkles in the sides of his eyes, stiffened his shoulders. Eden followed his gaze, grimacing when she saw his father settled into the corner with his glass of scotch, unlit cigar and group of toadies.
“I guess I should pay my respects,” Cade said in the same tone she figured he’d use to accept an order to throw himself on a live grenade.
Eden’s smile didn’t waver, but she did take a deep, fortifying breath before entwining her fingers tighter with his and nodding. “Sure, let’s say hello.”
“You’re going with me?”
“You sound so shocked.”
“I am. Why would you want to talk to him? I sure wouldn’t if I had a choice.” He slanted her an odd look, like he was about to change his mind about greeting his father.
“Moral support,” she said, nudging him with her shoulder and pulling him another step forward. “C’mon. Let’s get it over with so we can make out in the garden.”
That got both a smile, and more importantly, his feet moving. They didn’t make it two yards before their path was intersected by another man dressed in navy whites.
“Uncle Seth,” Cade said in shock. “What are you doing here?”
“Can’t a guy drop in to visit his favorite nephew?”
“I’m your only nephew.”
“Then let’s call it a friendly visit,” the older man said before giving Cade an arch look and nodding to Eden.
Cade shook his head, as if clearing a ringing from his ears, then lifted Eden’s hand in his. “Uncle Seth, this is Eden Gillespie. Eden, my uncle, Captain Seth Borden.”
“Captain?” Eden offered a smile and a warm handshake. “Do you serve with Cade?”
“We’re on the same base. But I’m in training. Something Cade here will be great at. I’m hoping he’ll take me up on the offer to come work with the BUDS.”
“You moonlighting as a recruiter now?” Cade asked. His smile was friendly, but his tone had a sharp edge to it.
Tension spiked, sharp and dangerous. Unlike the two men, Eden was unused to battles, so she felt like it was going to smother her. She shifted from one foot to the other, trying to find something to say to defuse the situation.
What had the other man said? Why was his offer—whatever it was—such an issue?
“Nah, just a guy with an intense interest in your future.” Seth’s smile shifted, worry lighting his eyes as he gave his nephew a long look. “A guy’s got to know when he’s approaching burnout. When it’s time to take a break and look at some options.”
What was he talking about?
Cade was approaching burnout? She gave a tiny grimace, noting that he looked more like he was battling fury rather than exhaustion.
“Eden, will you excuse us?” Cade asked, not taking his eyes off his uncle.
“Sure,” she said, her own gaze huge as it sprang from one man’s tense face to the other. “I’ll mingle. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
Other than Seth’s absent nod, neither of them acknowledged her. Instead, after Cade gestured toward the open patio doors, they both strode out like they were going to strip down and beat the crap out of each other.
Eden’s heart raced, nerves jangling.
Cade was a big boy.
He’d cut his teeth on society events, and this one was sponsored by his grandmother. He wouldn’t do anything to cause a scene.
And he definitely wouldn’t appreciate any interference on Eden’s part.
Now that she had all of those reasonable, well-thought-out details solid in her mind, Eden gave a satisfied sigh.
Then looked around for Cade’s grandmother.
She was going to need some backup when she went out to interrupt that little talk.
There.
She saw Catherine across the room, holding court in a Valentino gown and a diamond necklace and holding a tiny dog in her arm.
Aww, Alfie was here? Even if she didn’t want, desperately, to congratulate the elderly woman on breaking rules with such panache, Eden would have rushed over just to see the dog.
She was almost there when someone called her name. Frowning, she glanced over to see Robert, his usual glower in place, beckoning.
“You bellowed?” she asked with a friendly smile as she approached his table. He sat in the corner, away from the dance floor, where it was quieter. With just the flick of his fingers, he sent his buddies away and gestured to the now vacated seat for Eden to join him.
“I can bellow if I want. I just had surgery,” he said, chewing his unlit cigar.
Eden slid into the seat opposite him and gave his hand a sympathetic pat. “You’ve always bellowed, though. But you did, indeed, just have surgery. So why aren’t you in bed resting?”
She couldn’t help it. She knew Robert was a curmudgeonly old grump, a vicious businessman and a complete social snob. But she sort of liked him. Probably because his eyes were that same piercing green as Cade’s.
“I’ve got business to take care of,” Robert said, giving her a gruff look under his brows. As if she’d done something wrong. Eden frowned, wondering what it might be, other than having a brick wall inconveniently placed in the path of his car.
“Business? At the biggest social event of the season?” Eden noted his glass was empty and gestured to one of the waiters, then gave a tiny shake of her head when he headed for the bar. Water, she mouthed.
“More business is done at social events than in an office,” he said, leaning forward and folding both hands together, as if preparing to prove his point.
Clueless about what kind of business he could want to talk to her about, Eden lifted her brow.
“So what’s Seth doing here? Is he going to help the boy out? Did he give any indication about what he wanted to talk to Cade about?”
Was this fatherly concern? Worry over his son’s recent loss? Nerves did a little dance up her spine. She wanted to help Cade, but Eden didn’t think talking to his father about personal issues—any issues, actually—was a good idea.
“I’m not sure why Cade’s uncle is here, or what they are discussing,” she fin
ally said.
“And you wouldn’t tell me if you knew.”
Eden’s lips twitched but she didn’t say anything. Just gave a slow shake of her head.
“You and my son, you’re a thing now, right?”
Nerves were chased away by joy. She and Cade were a thing. The town thought so. The mean girls thought so, if Janie’s glare on the dance floor was anything to go by. Now, even Cade’s father thought so.
That meant something, right? Even though Cade was probably leaving in the next couple of weeks, this meant there might be some kind of future for them. Maybe?
The nerves were back, this time beating around inside her belly like giant bats. She’d only counted on the fantasy. The intense excitement. She hadn’t let herself think about—hope for—anything after Cade left.
“It’s bad enough he ran off to play hero all these years, but now he’s going to give it up? For what? To be a glorified teacher?” Robert glared at the garden. Then he shifted his steely gaze back to Eden. “If he’s going to drop out of the SEALs, he might as well come home and take his place at Sullivan Enterprises. You talk to him. Convince him to come back.”
Drop out of being a SEAL? Shock ricocheted through Eden. Cade was leaving the SEALs? But, that’s what he was. Who he was. How could he leave? Was that what his uncle was talking about? A million questions flew around her head, all of them moving too fast for her to focus on.
“Cade isn’t going to change his career for me,” was all she finally came up with.
“The boy just wrote a check for ten grand for you, girlie. He’ll listen. But you’d better talk to him quick. He’s heading back to San Diego in a couple of days. If you let him get back to that base, all bets are off.”
