Page 47 of Riding High

‘Does their dad see them often?’she asked, wondering if she was overstepping any boundaries.

Jed sipped and rested his beer bottle on his knee.‘Not really,’ he replied.She looked at the wine in her glass, and down at her feet.The big kitchen seemed smaller than it did before, and Jed seemed bigger.The smell of his shower gel and shampoo mixed with the aroma of pepperoni and garlic, and her tastebuds watered.

For Jed or the pizza?

Both.But if she had to choose… who needed food?

Jed closed the distance between them and suddenly he was an inch from her, their mutual heat an almost tangible shimmer.Her pulse thudded in her ears, so loud she was sure he could hear it, and she reminded herself to breathe.Eden knew she should step back and look for a plausible excuse to let this moment fade away, but his copper-coloured eyes, fierce and determined, caught hers.

‘It’s a terrible idea,’ she muttered, her whisper hitting his lips.

His mouth quirked, his maddening half-smile promising trouble.But there was a softness to his eyes, in the thumb that drifted over her jaw.

‘Maybe,’ he said, his voice low and unsteady as he invaded her personal space.He placed his hand on her lower back and yanked her into him, her stomach connecting with his groin.She immediately noticed he was happy to have her there.He lowered his head until his lips were an inch from hers.Neither of them moved, neither willing to break, to yield.To be the one to back down or away.

She felt herself cave, surrendering and softening, desperate to repeat their out-of-body kiss.She needed his mouth on hers, to be in his strong arms… It didn’t matter who made the first move, someone had to and it might as well be her.Be brave, Eden, reach out and take what you want.

She lifted her heels to stand on her toes.Overwhelmed by the desire in his eyes, she averted her gaze, landing unfortunately on his fridge door.It took a second, maybe two, for the photo to come into focus.A dark-haired woman with Jed’s smile beamed at her, her arm around Tara’s waist.

Tara.Shit!

Eden felt Jed’s lips hit hers and tensed.She slapped a hand on his chest, wrenched her mouth away and dropped back to her feet.Jesus, she couldn’t do this.She wanted to, she did– more than she wanted her heart to keep beating– but there was a picture of Tara and his mum on his fridge!Tara, the woman who might end up in jail because of her.

‘Whatever is going on in that pretty head of yours, push it away,’ Jed told her, sounding a little desperate.She noticed that his lower lip was slightly chapped, that he had a scar on his chin and that his dark stubble held the odd fleck of grey.

‘I haven’t been able to stop thinking about our kiss last week.I want to kiss you again.Everywhere.’

She jumped, just a little, shocked by the heat in his fabulous eyes, the seriousness of his expression.

Oh, God, she needed to be strong, to step away from him.But she’d have to explain her Sudden Onset Hesitation.

He narrowed his eyes and pulled back.‘What’s the problem?’he asked, his voice rough with frustration.

She hauled in a deep breath, hoping to push blood into her brain.‘Having sex with you is a complication,’ she admitted.

He picked up a lock of her hair and allowed it to slide through his fingers, a tender action that was at odds with his unreadable face.‘Why?’

‘I’m Troyden’s niece.You’re his stepson.’

‘There aren’t, thank God, any blood ties between us,’ he murmured, looking fascinated by her hair.‘It’s perfectly okay for us to sleep together.’

‘I’m leaving soon,’ she told him, grasping at the thinnest of straws.‘I’m going travelling, to Croatia.’

‘So?We can sleep together until you do,’ he told her, his tone both confident and assured.His big hand lightly encircled her throat, his thumb on her jaw.‘It’s not like I am asking you for a commitment.I was thinking more along the lines of a one- maybe two-night stand, or possibly a fling.’

No, she couldn’t do this.She couldn’t risk it.Because with Jed, it wasn’t just attraction or a passing crush– it was more.Bigger, deeper, brighter.He felt dangerous.

She glanced at Tara’s picture again.She knew what it was like to be left behind, to be the one who almost mattered.If she opened this door, she risked falling for him.And how would she cope when the truth was revealed and he decided she wasn’t enough?

It was too much.Too scary, and too risky.

For a moment, just a millisecond, Jed leaned into her, as if were considering pulling her into him, but then his sigh brushed over her cheek, and he pulled back and dropped her hand.‘Okay, message received.’

A wave of regret rolled over her, both spiky and acidic.Why couldn’t she, just once, take what she wanted without overthinking everything?Without projecting?

‘I think you should go,’ Jed told her, pushing a hand through his hair.Was it shaking, just a little, or was that her imagination?‘I know I offered you food, but if you stay, you’re going to be on the menu.’

Man, that was so tempting, she couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than to be loved by him.Could she backtrack?What would he do if she put her hand on his chest, lifted her lips to his, and slid her tongue inside his wicked mouth?Shoved her hand between the band of his shorts, undid the button…