Her thighs clench, her ass lifts, and I know she’s gone. She’s racing to the edge with a heady cry from deep within her.
I grab hold of her hips and ride the wave with her, sucking and licking her through it, until she shudders.
I don’t stop.
I don’t push for more.
I gently lay kisses over her pussy and the inside of her thighs as her breathing levels.
I want more. I crave more of her, but I stop when I feel her hand loosen in my hair.
Her body goes lax beneath me.
“That was…” she giggles. “I don’t know what words to use.”
I glance up to see her staring down at me. “You don’t need words.”
She rests her head back against the pillow. “Good because there are no words.”
I rain kisses on her flesh as I crawl up her beautiful body. I stop to circle my tongue over the sensitive skin between her breasts. Whenever I touch it, she moans.
It brings her pleasure so I’ll remember it. Always.
When I reach her mouth, I kiss her softly. “Thank you, Eden.”
Her eyes widen when I move to sweep a strand of hair from the side of her face. “I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
“That’s a gift to me.” I kiss her again; taking time to breathe her in. “Your pleasure is a gift.”
Her bottom lip trembles.
My cock is aching. I’m so hard that all it would take is a brush of her hand against the tip of my dick to make me come.
Feeling her climax under me almost sent me into an orgasm, but I held back because I want to feel her heat wrapped around me.
“I’ll give you five minutes before I fuck you.” I take her bottom lip between my teeth, tugging it softly.
Her hand curls around the back of my neck. “Now.”
“You’ll come again,” I say it as much as a promise as a warning.
“I know.” Her soft lips curve against mine. “Please.”
I’ll never deny her my body.
I reach for a condom, sheathing myself with a groan because I’m already so lost to this. I’m already imagining how tight her cunt is.
I slide into her in one smooth stroke. It’s so intense that I have to close my eyes to ward off the raw need to give in and fuck with abandon.
I want to savor this.
She brings her hips up to meet mine, sinking me even deeper inside of her. Her hands run a path down my shoulders and arms and back up until they settle on my chest.
I take her in slow strokes at first, giving her time to adjust to the length.
Her body responds with a demand of its own when she clenches me, urging me for more.
I thrust deeper and faster, taking my cues from her.
I want her to come first. I fucking need her to come first.
When she does, I follow right behind her with an intensity that burns through every part of me.
Chapter 42
Dylan
An hour later, I’m on my couch in a pair of sweatpants while Eden sleeps in my bed.
I took her into the shower after we made love. I washed her under warm water as she hummed a song that we danced to the other night.
I stood and stared at her, basking in the rawness of her beauty, in the softness of her soul.
I’ve never met a better person than her.
She makes me want to be a better man.
I scoop the ring into my palm. I turn it to the left and then the right. The clear stones catch on the soft rays of light coming from the lamp in the corner.
Pride bubbled in my chest when I threw the winning touchdown during that game.
I looked over to see Coach on his feet, his hands in the air, and his beautiful daughter by his side.
She was only sixteen that day.
Too young for me to touch and too innocent to want to touch me.
She offered her palm in a high five when she hit the field in celebration with her dad. I curled my fingers around hers to savor the contact for just a few seconds.
Her eyes widened when I did it.
A flush of pink tainted the perfect skin of her cheeks. The color a match to the T-shirt she was wearing.
I knew that day that she had never been touched. I knew from the scowl on her dad’s face when he caught me with her hand in mine, that I wouldn’t be the guy who took her to bed for the first time.
He saw me as his son.
It was a line I couldn’t cross. My respect for him back then trumped my need for her.
He’s gone. She’s here, and I need to level the playing field.
“Hey.”
Her voice breaks through the memories. I turn to see her standing next to the couch. The band T-shirt covers her body.
I laugh. “I thought you hated that shirt.”
She skims the bottom hem with her fingers. “On you, I do. I kind of like it on me.”
“Keep it.”
Her head shakes, sending her long hair skimming over her shoulders. “I’d rather keep the jersey. We can negotiate for it, can’t we?”
I pat the couch next to me, wanting her beside me. “It’s yours.”
“Really?” She claps her hands together. “You don’t want it?”
All I want is her forgiveness and a chance to spend every day I have left on this earth with her.
I take in a deep breath, warning myself to slow the hell down.
There are too many factors at play. I can’t control it all, but I can control something.
She lowers herself to the couch, tucking one leg beneath her. I get a flash of the blue panties she was wearing earlier.
I could go at her again. I want to, but there’s something I want to do more. There’s something I need to do more.
‘The ring.” She looks down at my palm. “I remember the day you won it.”
This is it. This is the moment when I take the opportunity she’s unknowingly handing to me. I turn to face her, resting an arm over the back of the couch.
I stare at her face, knowing that she may never look at me like this again.
“Eden, I need to tell you something.”
Her brows pinch at the stress woven into my tone. “What is it?”
I suck in a long breath, hoping that it will calm me. It doesn’t work. “It’s about the night we graduated.”
Her expression lifts. “The night I found your ring.”
The night I let you down.
The need to touch her is strong, but I resist. I want her to process this on her terms, in her way. She doesn’t need to comfort me now. I’m the one who has to let her experience this and absorb it.
“You were never supposed to get in that car with Clark.”
Her eyes search my face. “What do you mean?”
This may very well be the defining moment of my life.
Coach is dead. I could keep this buried for eternity. I can’t be that man anymore.
Eden deserves better.
“Coach asked me to drive you home that night.” I keep my eyes pinned on her face. “I didn’t follow through. I let you down. I let your dad down.”
Time slows as she takes in each of my words. A string of emotions passes over her face. Surprise, then confusion. Finally, sadness settles there.
A tear wells in the corner of her eye. “You didn’t let me down. You didn’t let anyone down.”
“I sure as hell did,” I say without thinking, knowing that there’s a lot more to this story to tell.
I can’t spring it all on her at once. This is a starting point.
“Before I left for the party, my dad and I talked about how I would get home,” she says softly. “He brought you up.”
That’s news to me. When Coach asked me earlier that day to drive Eden home, he told me to keep it under wraps. He didn’t want her to think he was trying to control her every move.
“He was worried that Clark would drink too much beer.” She sighs. “When he picked me up that night, he promised my dad he wou
ldn’t drink. My dad told me I could go home with him as long as he didn’t have a drop.”
That explains why Clark had a bottle of water in his hand all night.
“You had to go to the airport.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Clark was sober. You didn’t let me down, Dylan.”
Relief should be washing over me, but there’s another chapter to this story that needs to be told.
“Let’s not talk about this now.” Her lips find mine.
I kiss her softly. “Eden.”
“Shh.” Her fingers skim over my mouth. “Less talking. More kissing.”
I nip at her fingers. “We can kiss later and talk more now.”
She brushes a path over my eyebrow with her thumb. “I have to go soon. I need to catch a flight in the morning.”
“Back to Buffalo?”
Her gaze drops. “Yes. Court at nine and then I’ll stop by my office there.”
Jealousy worms its way into my vision. I push it aside because I won’t waste the time I have with her talking about another man.
My questions about Chet Richmond need to be put on ice for now.
“When will you be back in Manhattan?”
“Tomorrow night,” she answers quickly. “I wouldn’t miss our court date for anything.”
That’s going to happen the day after tomorrow. I need to see her again before we go head-to-head to fight over the remains of the Alcesters’ shattered marriage.
“We’ll meet for dinner.”
I don’t phrase it as a question because I don’t want to give her the option of saying no.
“A drink?” she counters. “I have some prep I need to do before I beat you in court. I’ll meet you at the Tin Anchor at eight. Do you know it?”
I represented the owner of the pub in a custody case.
“I’ll be there at eight.”
She plants one last, long, lingering kiss on my mouth. “I need to get dressed.”
“I’ll help,” I offer, gliding a hand up her bare thigh.
“Why do I feel like you’re offering to undress me instead?”
“Because I am.”
Chapter 43
Dylan
Seeing a familiar face is always a welcome sight.
I walk to the counter at Palla on Fifth and slap Kurt Sufford on the shoulder from behind.
“What the hell?” He turns to face me, his hand centered on his chest. “You scared me. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
I’d laugh under different circumstances, but I know he’s been through a lot the last few weeks.
“It’s good to see you, Kurt.”
He edges his chin up. “Great to see you, Dylan. How’s business?”
“Unhappiness never goes out of style.” I point at the large herbal tea on the counter in front of him. “I see you’re making some changes.”
“This is the least of it.” He runs a hand over his forehead. “Thelma has me up and out of bed at six every morning. First it’s a walk in the park, oatmeal and fruit for breakfast once we’re home.”
“It’s paying off.” I cross my arms over my chest. “You’re looking great.”
He is. There’s more color in his cheeks. His shoulders aren’t tensed back. I’ve never seen him dressed in anything other than a tight three-piece suit. Today, he’s wearing a pair of light brown dress pants and a white polo.
“I’m taking it day-by-day.” He chuckles. “Change isn’t easy. Backing off at work has been the hardest. So far I’m doing a lousy job. I’m keeping up with every case in both offices. Not an easy task when your wife wants you to do crossword puzzles and meditate.”
I laugh. “You’ve got some good people running the ship while you rest up.”
He takes a sip of the herbal tea. “You’re talking about Eden. She’s doing a great job here in Manhattan.”
“And back in Buffalo,” I point out. “I have to hand it to her. Two courtrooms in two different cities in two days. I don’t know a lot of lawyers who could handle that and the flight in between.”
His gaze narrows. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Eden’s in court in Buffalo today. We’re facing off tomorrow in the Alcester case in front of Judge Mycella.”
I doubt I’m giving away a secret. It has to be an oversight on his part. He’s got over a hundred employees spread over two offices. Keeping track of all of them isn’t an easy task.
He edges a finger over the bridge of his nose. “Eden’s not in court today. She booked the day off.”
That makes zero sense. She left my place last night in route to Noelle’s so she could rest up before her early morning flight.
“You’re sure?”
“One hundred percent sure.” He taps his forehead. “Eden called me a couple of days ago to check-in. She mentioned needing a personal day today. I gave her my blessing because sometimes you need to rest before you face the lion.”
I take it that I’m the lion in that analogy.
If she’s not in court in Buffalo, where the hell is she?
He glances over my shoulder. “It’s been good seeing you, Dylan. I need to run. I’m meeting with my partners. Retirement is on the horizon. I need to start thinking about who will fill my shoes.”
Eden is the logical choice, so I point that out. “Eden must be at the top of the short list.”
His mouth curves into a smile. “I agree, but she doesn’t.”
I query him with a raise of both brows.
He shrugs. “Off the record, I already offered her the job. She turned me down. No explanation. Nothing. Just ‘thanks, but no thanks.’”
Something inside of me splinters. Maybe it’s hope. I’ve rarely experienced it in my life, so I’m not an expert on what it feels to have your dreams torn in two.
She’d rather go back to Buffalo than stay in New York.
Just as Kurt’s about to walk away, I stop him with another question. Curiosity fuels it because maybe he asked her before that first night at the club. Maybe he needs to pose the question to her again because circumstances have changed. Everything has changed in the past few weeks.
“When did you offer her the job?”
“During that call two days ago.” He chuckles. “She said she’d think about it so I gave it one last valiant attempt last night in an email, but she replied before dawn today to let me off easy. It looks like Buffalo is where she wants to be.”
***
“She’s not here, Mr. Colt,” Betsy Burton looks up at me. “She has the day off.”
“It’s my understanding that she’s in Buffalo.” I shoot her a dimpled smile. “Can you check to see if her court session is done for the day?”
“I have Ms. Conrad’s Buffalo schedule right here.” She taps a fingernail on her laptop screen. “There’s nothing booked for her.”
I’m not surprised. Kurt may be recovering from major heart surgery, but he’s got a finger on the pulse of his employees.
He knows what they’re up to.
I could wait for Eden to meet me for a drink tonight or I can push Betsy to get to the bottom of it.
I choose the latter because I’ve tried calling Eden and it went straight to voicemail. The two text messages I sent her asking about how her day is going have gone unanswered.
“Can I get the number of her assistant in Buffalo?” I lean on the reception desk with both forearms. “I need to get in touch with Eden regarding our court date tomorrow.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, that’s right. The Alcesters go to court tomorrow.”
I’m playing a hand I didn’t intend, but I’ll see it through to the end since Betsy is finally responding.
“Let me call her assistant myself.” She points at the phone on her desk. “I’ll explain the situation. She’ll understand the urgency. The Alcester case is a priority, after all. Excuse me for a minute, will you?”
I step back to give her the privacy she needs to make the call.
It’s not far en
ough that I can’t hear her side of the conversation.
She greets someone on the other end of the call. That’s followed by a conversation about the weather in New York City. It’s hot as hell here, and apparently that fascinates Betsy because she drags the discussion past the three-minute mark.
She finally gets down to the reason for her call.
I take a half-step closer so I don’t miss a word.
“I see,” she says. “Of course, Ms. Conrad needed to be there.”
That’s followed by a series of ‘uh-huh’s and ‘oh, yeses’.
Frustration draws me even closer. Betsy doesn’t notice me inching up on her because she’s circling a pen on a piece of paper.
“I won’t mention that to him,” she half-whispers. “I won’t say a thing about Eden’s husband to Mr. Colt.”
Chapter 44
Dylan
Anxiety threads its way through every one of my movements.
It started when I shaved my face bare this morning.
I haven’t done that in months.
It was a regular part of my routine for years, and this morning, in my dazed state, I reached for the razor. I came out of the shower and glanced at the mirror at a face I didn’t recognize.
I walked right past Palla on Fifth on my way to my office.
Gunner was greeted with a wave of my hand.
He took it to heart, trailing after me like I had just granted his greatest wish.
I did when I turned at the doorway of my office to embrace him.
I needed the hug more than he did.
I’m skilled in handling difficult situations. Some of my clients have told me that they’ve never met anyone as cold-hearted as me.
I’ve always taken it as a compliment.
I never will again.
Eden Conrad’s ex-husband is the purest definition of a cold-hearted bastard.
He’s rotting in prison just outside of Buffalo.
After the parole hearing she attended yesterday, he should be stuck there for at least the next two years.
“We need to get to the courthouse.” Gunner appears in the doorway of my office. “I tried Ms. Conrad’s cell again, sir, but it’s going straight to voicemail.”
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