Page 104 of Unleashed By Eden

Message received.

Vacation’s well and truly over.

I carry my bags into Carter’s room and drop them in a heap on the floor. I should probably unpack. Or at least separate the “clean” from the “absolutely not.” But everything still smells faintly of Como. Of him. Lake water, sunscreen, sweat, and sex.

I’m not ready to wash any of it out yet.

I drag myself back to the main room. The guys are still scattered across the couches and chairs; Cindy is flipping through a magazine that she’s definitely not reading.

I treat her like she’s not there and step around her.

At the long table by the windows, I set up my command center: laptop, charger, camera. I slot the cable in and connect it to the camera. The folders pop up, and a grid of tiny thumbnails floods the screen—three days of escape reduced to postage stamps.

Voices drone in and out around me.

Chris is mid-briefing. “Wheels up for LA tomorrow. Two nights there, then New York. You’re all Liam’s problem after that.”

Groans all around. A few halfhearted cheers. I tune them out and scroll.

Como spills across the laptop.

Carter waist-deep in the lake, sun bouncing off damp skin.

Carter in swim shorts on the lounger, grin wide, sunglasses crooked.

Carter sprawled across the bed, hand reaching for me.

And him behind my camera, insisting on taking photos of me naked, telling me to “hold still, Storm.”

My phone chimes, jolting me.

Megan

Need to catch up. Last leg logistics. My room in 5?

Work waits for no one, not even schmucks in love with rock royalty. I quickly upload the Milan concert photos to the cloud and email the link to Megan. Disconnecting the camera, I tuck it under my arm, and close the laptop. When I straighten, I can feel the weight of his eyes.

Carter’s by the balcony, lighter in his hand, cigarette already between his lips. He looks at me full-on with no effort to hide it.

“I’ve gotta go,” I say walking up to him. “Megan wants to go over the brief for LA and New York.”

He nods once, mouth pulling into a sulky line. I bet he’d drag me back to Como if he could. I lean in with the intention of a quick kiss, but his hand hooks around my neck and deepens it, mouth hot and firm, stealing the breath right from my lungs.

I forget who’s around us, watching, until the catcalls start.

“Get a room,” Kai cackles.

Xander wolf-whistles. Theo starts humming an eighties porn soundtrack under his breath.

I break the kiss, rolling my eyes, breath short. “Grow up,” I tell the room, brushing my lips with my thumb.

“Come on, you love us,” Theo calls back.

“Hmm, debatable.”

I rest my hand on Carter’s jaw for one last second. “I’ll be back later.”

“Better be,” he replies, catching my wrist and giving it a squeeze before he lets go.