Chapter Fifteen
Milo
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her to spend the night with me, but Eden started yawning before we even left Maverick’s house. I swallowed my disappointment and tried to remind myself we had plenty of time, even if every cell in my body longed to have her in my arms again.
As soon as we were buckled into my car, though, she glanced over at me from beneath those long lashes, her fingers tangled on her lap again.
“I threw a change of clothes into my bag,” she said quickly.
Slowly, my lips curved in the darkness. “Does that mean you’re sleeping over?”
“It means if you invite me to stay over, I’m prepared to say yes.”
“Okay, then. Eden, would you like to spend the night with me?” I asked, reaching over to cup her cheek.
The breath she drew was ragged enough for me to hear it, then she nodded against my palm. I could only just see her features in the lights from the dashboard, but I felt her cheek lift with a smile.
“Yes, I would.”
“Excellent,” I breathed, grinning at her. “Jiji will be very happy.”
Eden laughed. “Well, anything for Jiji. As long as it doesn’t include sleeping on the couch again.”
I fought back the giddy wave of excitement that taking Eden home with me inspired. Last time, we’d only slept—and I’d be fine with a repeat, if that was all she wanted this time. Cuddling up in bed together and whispering in the darkness sounded like a perfect end to the evening.
But if she wanted more…my hands tightened on the steering wheel and my body tightened in anticipation.
When we pulled into my driveway, Eden grabbed her bag from the floorboards while I jogged over to open her door.
Mark did stuff like that for Libby all the time, and even when she rolled her eyes over it, she still gave him the same pleased little smile that lit Eden’s expression as she stepped out.
Jiji ignored my presence, weaving between Eden’s feet the second we crossed the threshold.
“Ungrateful beast,” I muttered.
Eden laughed, bending down to scratch the cat’s cheeks and giving me a perfect view of her ass. Presented with such bounty, I couldn’t stop myself from appreciating it, though I did manage to keep my hands to myself.
Barely.
As she stood back up, Eden gave me a look like she knew what I’d been thinking. Instead of being offended, though, she moved closer and hooked her thumbs in my belt loops. I circled her waist with my arms, not pulling her in but following her lead.
Once we were pressed together, she propped her chin on my chest so she was gazing up at me.
“I want you,” she whispered.
“Thank fuck.” Relief nearly buckled my knees.
“You have an actual bedroom, right? Not just a couch?” One dark brow arched upward even as her lips twitched.
I dropped my head to nip the edge of her jaw. “I do. Would you like to see it?”
“As long as Jiji doesn’t mind being locked out temporarily, yes.”
Before releasing her, I kissed her smiling lips, slow and deep. She opened immediately, pressing herself closer, her hands shifting so her fingers could twist in the sides of my t-shirt. When I finally lifted my head away, I remembered what I’d been meaning to tell her.
“We can sleep in tomorrow. Rafael, my part-timer, wanted a few extra hours a week, so he’s going to open the store on Mondays.”
Her expression, already soft and a little dazed, melted into a smile. “That is fantastic news.”
“And I programmed my coffee pot.”
“Even better,” she muttered, then tried to tug me back down for another kiss.
I shook my head, untangled her hands from my shirt, and pulled her toward the bedroom, saying, “If I keep kissing you out there, I’ll end up tearing off your clothes and Jiji might destroy them out of spite.”
“Can’t upset the kitty, can we?” Eden laughed as she skipped along behind me.
When we hit the bedroom, I spun and caught her in my arms. Her laughter faded into a low purr as I trailed my lips down the side of her neck and back up again.
“We should talk first,” I murmured into her ear.
“About what?”
At her breathless question, I grinned against her skin. “About what you liked or didn’t like at the hotel. We didn’t know each other then, so I was going on instinct.”
“Milo, let me assure you, your instincts are outstanding.”
“Yeah?”
“God, yes.”
I skated my hands up to her waist, taking the hem of her sweater with them.
Eden raised her arms and I pulled it over her head, then tossed it onto the dresser beside us.
That night at the hotel, as extraordinary as it had been, hadn’t involved a whole lot of conversation.
It was one thing to read her cues and adjust as needed; making sure she got exactly what she wanted was another.
“I took charge,” I said, running my gaze over her bare skin and following the path with my fingertips. “You’re okay with that?”
“Yes,” she breathed as she shivered under my touch.
“Anything you didn’t absolutely love from that night?”
Her head fell back as I ghosted my thumbs across the black satin of her bra. “No, I loved all of it.”
“Anything you wish I’d done but didn’t?”
“Milo, for Christ’s sake, please can we stop talking and go back to kissing?”
I laughed and released her just long enough to pull off my t-shirt. Eden’s lips parted, the tip of her pink tongue sneaking out to wet them before she reached out to run her palms over my chest.
“Beautiful,” she whispered.
“I want you bare and spread out on my bed,” I replied, my voice low.
Eden shivered, her lashes sweeping down for a second.
After a half step backward, she reached behind her, unhooked her bra, and let it tumble from her shoulders.
I fought the urge to cup her full breasts in my hands, toy with those plump nipples as they tightened under my eyes, instead of waiting as she shimmied out of her leggings and a pair of lacy black panties.
“Fucking hell,” I whispered.
She tossed me a grin. “I do own a store full of sexy underwear.”
“Starting to see the benefits of that,” I replied, taking a step closer to her as she backed away toward the bed.
Though I’d become well-acquainted with her body at the hotel, it wasn’t the same as seeing it in my bedroom, draped across my sheets.
With her dark hair fanned out over my pillows, I felt a surge of satisfaction, followed by a rush of possessiveness that threw me, because I’d never felt that way over a partner.
Eden’s expression shifted from shy to sultry when she caught sight of my face. I moved slowly to the foot of the bed, studying every inch of her. In the light of my bedside lamp, her skin glowed almost golden, though a rosy flush stained her cheeks and chest.
“Paradise,” I murmured. “Spread your legs for me.”
Biting her lip, she did, and I swallowed a groan. Those dark curls, the wet heat I knew I’d find there, the way she responded to each quiet command—fuck, she was perfect. As I stroked my gaze over her body, her fingers clutched at the navy comforter beneath her.
“I want to taste you.”
Gasping out a laugh, she replied, “Be my guest.”
I grinned and planted one knee on the mattress, sliding my palms from her ankles to her knees, opening them wider. Though her skin was wonderfully sensitive, she wasn’t ticklish anywhere but her ribs. Even when I trailed my fingertips up the insides of her thighs, she only sighed with pleasure.
When I dropped my head and ran my tongue over her, she shifted restlessly and a quiet moan escaped her lips. I repeated the caress, determined to have her writhing and desperate before sending her over the brink.
“Milo,” she whimpered as I slid a finger inside. “Please.”
“No need to beg, doll. I’ll give you everything you need.” I swirled my tongue over her clit and added another finger, curling them in the way I knew would force her closer to the edge.
Fuck, I could listen to her all night long. Every helpless noise she made only inspired me to prolong this moment forever.
But I also couldn’t wait to be inside her again, so I sealed my lips around her clit and fluttered my tongue over it.
Her hips bucked, then her thighs quivered on either side of me, a sure sign she was getting close.
I rotated my wrist, sucked hard, and drank in her cry of release as her back arched off the bed.
“That’s it. Fucking beautiful,” I growled against her trembling flesh, remembering how she’d responded to little comments like that the last time. A quiet purr of pleasure from her served as confirmation.
God, I’d missed this.
I kissed each hip bone as I crawled up her body, nuzzled the soft roundness of her belly, and drew each dusky nipple into my mouth until they were peaked and glistening. The sounds she made were like a symphony, soft gasps and little whimpers and low, sexy moans.
“Gorgeous, you know that?” I whispered against her throat as I slid my fingers back between her legs. “The only thing sexier than seeing you laid out like this is the look in your eyes when I sink into you.”
She groaned, the sound vibrating against my lips, and said, “Then maybe you should do that. Right now. Please.”
I lifted up and kissed her until her legs wrapped around my hips, the fabric of my jeans barely muting the heat of her as it pressed against me.
“I think that can be arranged.”