‘Den and Ben.’ Even though her eyes were closed she could hear Nick’s smile as he said the words and lifted Ben up off the bed. ‘Come on, buddy, let’s get you back.’
Opening her eyes in the darkened room, Eden took a moment or two to orientate herself. Fumbling for her watch, she was bemused to see that it was after six, stunned to realise it was Christmas Day and absolutely horrified to find that Ben wasn’t lying beside her.
‘He’s fine.’ The door was pushed open and Nick smiled as he made his way over. ‘You were completely out for the count so I took him back to the hospital myself.’
‘How was he?’ Eden asked, sitting up and trying to give the impression she was, if not entirely together, at least awake!
‘Great,’ Nick said, his smile widening as he sat on the bed beside her. ‘He was just great, Eden, he had the best day. I’ve never seen a kid so happy and so tired at the same time. Mum printed off a couple of the pictures on the camera and he’s lying in his cot back on the ward in his new pyjamas surrounded by his new toys, with his new CD playing and a photo of us all in his hand.’
‘I didn’t say goodbye,’ Eden started, but Nick shook his head.
‘You did. You just can’t remember it. He gave you a kiss.
‘How about some supper?’ Nick asked, changing the subject and standing up. ‘My sisters’ kids are here now and mum’s put out a cold buffet.’
‘I should get back,’ Eden said, but Nick wouldn’t hear of it.
‘For what, Eden? You can’t be on your own on Christmas night.’
‘Why not?’ Eden shrugged. ‘Anyway, once you’ve given me a lift, you can relax and have a drink, enjoy Christmas night with your family.’
‘Stay,’ Nick said. ‘Stay here the night.’
‘With you?’ Eden said startled. ‘I think that’s pushing the deal a bit, don’t you?’
‘I can sleep on the sofa, or if you’d rather I didn’t stay here, I could ask Mum to make up the bed in the spare room over at the house,’ Nick offered.
‘And ruin your little charade. Oh, come on, Nick, I’m sure you can manage to behave yourself for one night.’ She gave a tiny tight smile, a slight edge to her voice, which she quickly modified. ‘After all, we both know we’re just good friends. It’s no big deal.’
But it was.
Even as Eden agreed, even as she casually shrugged and nodded, she could sense the folly of her decision, hear her mother’s warning words ringing in her ears. Sure, at the moment the talk was flowing easily and they were the friends that they supposedly always had been, but as she wandered up to the main house and through to the lounge, saying hi to Lily’s kids and helping herself to the gourmet buffet, she could feel Nick’s eyes on her, feel the strong current of emotion beneath the apparent calm surface, knew deep down inside that things weren’t all they seemed—however brief the kiss, something had happened in the car. A point of no return had been passed and tonight things would come to a head.
Tonight, she would find out where she stood.
Lily’s children had clearly inherited more than a few Watson genes! Fair and good looking, they were all thoroughly spoiled and had a rather haughty arrogance that Eden assumed was hereditary when you were born with wealth, brains and beauty.
‘Are you Uncle Nick’s new girlfriend?’ Aqua green eyes, identical to her uncle’s, narrowed as they eyed Eden. Nick’s precocious niece, Harriet, stared rudely at Eden as she shuffled her food around her plate.
‘I am,’ Eden replied carefully, consoling herself that it was more a lie by omission. After all, she was a girl and, as Nick had pointed out on rather too many occasions, she was also a friend.
‘Are you two going to get married?’
‘Harriet!’ Lily chided as Eden took refuge in her turkey sandwich. ‘Don’t be so personal!”
‘Well,’ Harriet sniffed, ‘I heard Nanny say Eden was staying the night in Uncle Nick’s room, so I certainly hope that they’re getting married.’
Fortunately Eden had a mouthful of turkey at the time and was saved from comment, but she was sorely tempted to poke her tongue out at the impossibly bold child and privately wished Lily would put them all to bed. But, as the evening progressed, when it became clear the little treasures were going to be up longer than the adults, Eden finally gave in and relaxed. The plates were cleared away and the corny party games that were so much a part of Christmas unfolded, and Eden found herself joining in. Finally, when she was exhausted, she flopped on the sofa and the yawn she was smothering was interrupted as she laughed out loud as Harriet took to the karaoke machine, belting out a song. Her brothers joined in and, turning, Eden was slightly startled to see a sparkle of tears in Lily’s green eyes.
‘They’re having such a good time,’ Lily sniffed. ‘I’ve been so worried about Christmas, wondering how they’d cope, what with their dad and I breaking up and everything—we parted in April,’ Lilly added.
‘I’m sorry,’ Eden responded, feeling horribly out of her depth, wondering just how much, as Nick’s girlfriend, she should know. ‘It must have been a difficult time for you all.’
‘It was.’ Lily nodded. ‘I was running around trying to help Nick. Well, you’d know yourself the state he was in, riddled with guilt, barely sleeping, a complete mess really…’
Lily was too deep in her own thoughts to register Eden’s frown. By April Nick had appeared well over Teaghan, in fact, if she remembered correctly, by April Nick had been well on his way to his second girlfriend and coping remarkably well, nothing like the shattered man Lily was portraying.
‘I was so busy trying to be there for Nick I didn’t realise until it was too late that my own life was falling apart.’ This time she did notice Eden’s frown. ‘Another woman,’ Lily explained, with more than a dash of bitterness. ‘There I was, feeling sorry for him working so hard, and all the time…’ She let out a low mirthless laugh. ‘I’m sorry, you don’t need to hear all this. I’m just finding it hard to keep the smile painted on at the moment. This time last year I thought I knew where I was going, had this vision of the future, and it didn’t include being a single mother.’
‘Don’t be sorry,’ Eden said. ‘My friend’s going through the same thing at the moment, or at least she thinks she is. She’s just hoping to make it through today without upsetting the kids so that they can have a good Christmas, and then she’s going to confront him.’
‘The things we do for our kids,’ Lily said softly, looking over to her brood dancing and laughing as if they didn’t have a care in the world. They waved back to their mum who grinned and waved back. Eden could only admire her, just as she had admired Priscilla’s mum, women who somehow held it together, somehow kept things going, somehow managed to keep on keeping on, despite being on their own.
The rather sombre mood on the sofa was lifted when Nick finally wrestled the microphone from Harriet, and both women laughed as he showed that he really was the biggest kid in the room, singing loudly, his face one of pure concentration as he tried to follow the little ball over the lyrics on the TV screen as the kids all fell about laughing.
‘He can sing, too,’ Eden said dryly.
‘Yep.’ Lily laughed. ‘There’s nothing my brother can’t do if he sets his mind to it. You know, I’m really glad that you two finally got it together.’
Oh, how Eden would have loved to have probed further, how she wanted to ask just what Lily meant. Instead, she had to make do with sipping her drink, grateful for the diversion when Vivian stood up and clapped her hands. ‘How about a game of charades?’
‘How about we call it a night?’ Nick said, coming over and smiling down at Eden who was clearly having trouble keeping her eyes open. A few hours’ sleep in the afternoon not quite enough to keep her partying into the small hours.
‘You stay,’ Eden offered, but Nick shook his head.
‘I’m tired, too. I’ve been up since six.’
The goodnights took for ever and for Eden they were surprisingly hard. T
he family she had shared Christmas Day with had already wormed their way into her heart and she was achingly aware that it wasn’t just goodnight she was saying but probably goodbye, too, that the game of charades had started long, long ago and that her allotted time slot in Nick’s vibrant life was nearly over.
‘They’re great.’ Eden smiled when finally they were at the cottage. She felt impossibly shy now, the exhaustion that had sedated her moments ago disappearing, nerves catching up as she faced Nick alone for the first time that day. ‘They’ve all been so nice. I feel absolutely wretched that we’ve deceived them.’
‘What they don’t know can’t hurt them.’ Nick shrugged, pulling a pillow off the bed. ‘I’ll crash on the sofa.’
‘Nick.’ Eden gave a dry laugh. ‘It’s only about two feet long and there aren’t exactly a load of spare sheets. Just sleep in the bed.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘So long as you don’t snore.’ Eden grinned. ‘Not that it would matter—I’m so tired I’ll be out like a light in a couple of minutes anyway.’
In record time Eden peeled down to her knickers and bra, jumped into the bed and pulled the sheet around her, pretending not to watch as Nick pulled off his shorts and T-shirt, stripping down to his boxers. She was as rigid as a board as Nick slowly climbed into his side of the bed, and as she felt the indentation of the mattress beside her she desperately tried to keep her breathing even as Nick flicked off the light. Not that it made much difference. The full moon over the bay cast a silver glow around the room. ‘I’ve had a fabulous day.’
‘So have I,’ Nick agreed. ‘In fact, it’s been the best Christmas I can remember in a long time, and it’s thanks to you, Eden.’
‘To me?’
She felt him roll over to face her, but still she lay staring at the ceiling, terrified to face him, terrified he might somehow read the blatant desire in her eyes. ‘You’ve made this Christmas really special.’
She didn’t know what he meant—whether he was referring to Ben or that he had been saved a few awkward questions from his parents. But his face was right beside her now and she was powerless not to look at him. Her head turned on the pillow and she swallowed hard as she finally faced him, the eyes that had held hers in the car staring down at her. All she could do was gaze back, gaze back at the man she had always, since the moment she’d set eyes on him, loved. Knew there and then that, however much she fought it, however much she didn’t understand it, she loved him and probably always would.
‘I hate going to bed on Christmas night.’ Her voice trembled slightly. ‘Hate knowing that Christmas is over.’
‘It doesn’t have to be,’ Nick whispered, and Eden knew exactly what he meant.
For a moment the voice of reason sounded loudly in her mind, her eyes taking in the effortlessly beautiful man that lay before her, a man who had broken more hearts in this last year than she cared to remember, a man who would undoubtedly do the same to her. But need was taking over, tossing aside reason, soothing her with impossible truths—that surely she could deal with this, that one night with Nick was enough to see her through, that because she knew what she was getting into, maybe it wouldn’t hurt too much…
‘I’ve always wanted you, Eden.’ Nick’s voice was thick with emotion, his finger tracing the contour of her cheek, and she screwed her eyes tightly closed, trying to summon up the mental strength to push away what she wanted so dearly. ‘I’ve always wanted you.’
His repetition was enough to convince her, enough to drown out the warning bells, and Eden knew, as she had known since she’d agreed to stay the night, that this moment had been sure to arrive, the thrum of sexual tension that had hung in the air between them demanded this natural conclusion. And more selfishly perhaps, as wonderful a day as she’d had, as much pleasure as there was in giving as well as receiving, Eden wanted her own Christmas magic now, wanted to peel away the wrappers on the one present she’d secretly wished for for so long now, wanted to feel him, to touch him, to be held by him, to know him as only a lover could.
Her eyes stared into the endless depths of his. No need for barriers now, the desire, the passion she felt was there for him to see. He read her so well, his beautiful face swimming out of focus as he softly lowered his lips to hers, the sweet, sweet release of his mouth on hers, the cool of his tongue languorously exploring her mouth a delicious backdrop as their bodies met.
He turned her to face him and she felt his naked skin against hers, the brush of his thigh, the quiet strength of his arm around hers. And all she could do was kiss him back. She relished the feel of his skilful hand on her, expertly undoing her bra. His hand cupped the swollen weight of her full breast, his mouth leaving hers now and exploring the hollows of her throat. Eden revelled in it—his expert touch, the sheer intimacy of sharing a bed, sharing each other.
What she lacked in skill she made up for in willingness. There wasn’t a more decadent scent in the world than that of a man in full arousal and she dragged it in, drew on its aphrodisiac power, Nick’s sheer naked delight in her body imbuing her with boldness. She ran a tentative finger along the snaking trail of his abdomen that had teased her earlier, fumbling with the elastic of his boxers and sliding them down over his snake-like hips. As Nick wriggled out of their confines she laid eyes on his naked body for the first time.
Eden stumbled into her own paradise, capturing the full delicious length of him in her hand, marvelling at the silky texture, the ominous strength, running a curious, needy, teasing finger in ever-decreasing circles.
‘Careful.’ Nick’s gasp was deep, his breathing rapid, and if ever Eden had felt empowered it was then. For a moment in time at least she held Nick Watson in the palm of her hand, and it was she, Eden, calling the shots.
‘Why?’
The innocence of her question belied the wanton smile on her lips, her fingers working intimate magic, feeling the delicious swell of him beneath her touch as Nick’s breathing came harder. In the moonlight she could see the planes of his stomach, the golden dust of hair, the generous length of him rising, the pleasure to be had in giving clearer now because Eden’s breath was coming faster. His fingers dug into her breasts as his other hand cupped one buttock and it was Nick taking control now, Nick guiding her down onto him, Nick parting the petals of her most intimate place, Nick gazing up at her, holding her steady as she slid down his glorious length.
Capturing the peach of her buttocks, he guided her towards oblivion, that distant beat nearing now, Nick so deep inside her body, inside her head that for a second she resisted the deliciousness, not wanting to give in, not wanting it to be that easy, not wanting it all to be over, feeling the final, thrusting swell of him, the tension in his body beneath her, until Eden gave into her own blessed release, reeling at the force of her orgasm, almost violent in its intensity, robbing her of any semblance of control. Her neck arched back as she dragged him in deeper, a rush of heat fanning her throat, scalding up her spine, making her giddy with sated lust, heady from spent emotions, the last embers of her fire dying down, until spent, utterly exhausted, she lowered her head to his chest, listened to his heart pounding in her ear, the sheen of his damp chest on her cheek mingling with an involuntary tear that slipped out of one eye.
‘Hey.’ Nick rolled her on her side, wiping the salty tear away with the nub of his thumb.
‘I’m fine,’ Eden whispered. ‘I’m just…’ But she didn’t finish, couldn’t even attempt to find the words to describe how she felt at that moment, lying in bed with Nick’s strong arms around her, her body weak, exhausted but supremely satisfied, the breeze of the ceiling fan cooling her warm flesh, a glimpse of a perfection she had always known existed, a feeling of coming home.
‘Happy Christmas, Eden,’ Nick whispered, kissing the top of her head, dragging her just a fraction closer towards him.
She nodded into the darkness even though his words didn’t require a response because, quite simply it was the happiest Christmas she’d known.
CHAPTER NINE
THE shrill ringing of Nick’s mobile phone had Eden sitting up before her eyes had even opened. She wrapped the sheet around her and blinked as Nick jumped out of bed and pulled on his boxers, clearly, due to his profession, used to being abruptly woken. Raking his blond hair into almost perfect shape, he headed out into the hall with a very brief ‘I won’t be long’.
Without even looking at her watch, Eden knew they had both overslept. Bright sunlight streamed through the windows, emphasising the chaos of the discarded clothes and rumpled bed, her naked body beneath the sheet swift confirmation, if Eden had needed it, of what had taken place last night. But instead of reeling in horror, instead of burning with shame and burying her head beneath the sheet, Eden gave a contented sigh and lay back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling and fondly recalling their love-making, remembering the bliss of being held by him, the tenderness in his eyes and, best of all, the depth of his words.
He’d always wanted her.
As he walked back into the bedroom, utterly confident, completely without regret, Eden turned to face him, smiling as he placed a brimming cup of coffee on the bedside table. She took a grateful sip.
‘I thought you could use a coffee.’ Nick gave a very tight smile and Eden frowned at the stilted voice. ‘And then I’m going to have to take you home, I just had a phone call…’ He didn’t elaborate further, just gave a shrug of his shoulders. ‘If you need a couple of paracetamol or anything, I can get them for you.’
‘Sorry?’ Bewildered, she frowned at him, trying to catch his eye and realising he was avoiding her gaze, the implication behind his offer starting to sink in. ‘Nick, I barely had anything to drink last night. I certainly don’t have a hangover.’
‘I was just offering.’ Nick gave another tight shrug and Eden stared at him, perplexed. All she knew was that she had to tell him her truth, couldn’t let him think for even a moment that last night was something she regretted, that she could be so easy as to tumble into bed and make love with a man on nothing more than a whim.
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