Page 66

EDEN

I swipe the towel across my face, pushing back damp strands of hair, and stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My cheeks are still heated as I think about everything that happened tonight. The margaritas, the kisses in the kitchen, the way West’s eyes burned into me like I was his to claim.

And yet since dinner he’s been locked away in his office, the muffled hum of music leaking from under the door as he works.

Now it’s past midnight. Bennett has long since gone to bed in the guest room at the far end of the hallway. He chose it, I think, because it’s the furthest away from the master. And because he’s still pretty much in awe of West.

It’s kind of sweet, the way he talked about him like West is a god. That his uncle insists he can learn a lot from him. That he wants to be just like him when he grows up.

Once I’m in my pajamas, I pull the covers down from the side of the bed that I think is mine and climb underneath them, my heart speeding with a mixture of anticipation and something else I don’t want to name.

The bookstore bag is still on the nightstand. I pull out my new romance novel and flick to the first page, telling myself I’ll read until he comes up. Ten minutes later, I’ve read the same paragraph three times. The words blur, my mind wandering back to the way his hand curled around my hip in the kitchen, the heat in his eyes when he kissed me.

With a sigh, I close the book and set it aside. He’s still downstairs. Still shut away working.

And I can’t sleep without him being here.

I’m going to drag him up if I need to. He might think he’s a superhero but even Batman needs sleep. So I climb out of bed and pad barefoot to the bedroom door, opening it and stepping out into the hallway.

Bennett’s door on the far end of the hallway is firmly closed. Good.

I head down the stairs, the low hum of music getting louder with every step. Light spills out from the crack beneath his office door. I pause, knuckle raised, and give a soft tap.

“Come in,” his voice calls, low and rough.

I push the door open just enough to peek inside, and my chest does a weird flip.

He’s at his desk, not behind a laptop screen like I expected, but leaning back in his chair, the book I gave him open in his hands. His shirt is loose, buttons undone, exposing his chest, and the crisp cotton is creased like he’s been tugging at it for hours.

When his gaze lifts to meet mine, there’s something unreadable in it. Something softer than I’ve seen all day. Maybe a lot longer than that.

“Are you coming to bed soon?” I ask him, my brow furrowing.

“Close the door.” And for a minute I think he’s telling me to leave, but instead he puts the book down and beckons me over.

Like the good wife I am, I do what he asks. I walk over to his desk, the wood cool against my bare feet. He’s cranked the air conditioning up in here.

“Bad day?” I murmur, trying not to shiver at the icy cold air wrapping around my body. The cami and shorts I put on earlier seemed a good idea until now.

“Something like that.”

I run my tongue along my bottom lip to moisten it. “I’m sorry I took your car without asking.”

He shakes his head. “It’s not that.” His eyes lift. Meet mine. “I should have told you I’d ordered a ride for you. I’m sorry I didn’t do that.”

“It’s okay.” I offer him a soft smile. “I’m still sorry if it made your day harder.”

He runs a hand through his dark hair, and it strikes me just how stupidly good looking he is. In the half light, with a shadow of beard growth, he looks almost dangerous. “It’s not you. It’s Vin.”

“What’s he done now? Is he making us adopt Bennett?” I step closer. Until I’m in between him and the desk. Without blinking, like it’s almost subconscious, he reaches out and touches my bare thighs.

I shiver. This time not because of the cold.

“He still wants to put a casino in the resort,” he murmurs. “And obviously, I don’t.”

“Obviously,” I say, trying to ignore the pulse of heat between my legs. His thumbs brush my inner thighs. “Did you tell him where to shove his casino?”

“He’s withholding money until I agreed to that and to keeping Bennett here.”