Chapter Nineteen
Milo
Keeping myself busy while Eden was shut away in a room full of sex toys proved nearly impossible. Every time I got a handle on my imagination, a new fantasy would pop up and I’d have to distract myself all over again.
Jiji watched with casual disdain as I cleaned the entire house, washed and dried my bedding, and baked a batch of Eden’s favorite cookies.
“You like her just as much as I do,” I muttered at the cat, then shook my head. “No, probably not quite as much, but whatever.”
Eden would be coming over after the party and her store was closed the next day—she’d decided to take off Sundays as well as Mondays, now that she had a clearer view of her customers’ shopping habits. Since that would give us a day off together, I was in full support of that prospect.
I paced the living room like I was waiting for my prom date to show before finally collapsing onto the couch.
Just before eleven, her car pulled into my driveway and I jumped to my feet, displacing an aggravated Jiji so I could throw open the front door.
Eden grinned at me, lugging a backpack so she could stay until Monday.
She was wearing a polka-dot dress that flared out from her hips and swished around her thighs.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey,” I replied, as enchanted by the cheeky look on her face as by the thought of bunching that skirt up around her waist and bending her over the couch. “Did you have fun?”
“I did, in fact. Unfortunately, the surprises I got for us have to be shipped and won’t be here for a week or so.”
“Surprises? What kind of surprises?”
She rose up on tiptoe to kiss me before passing through the doorway. “The kind of surprises that you’ll learn about when the package arrives.”
“I have to wait a whole week? Not even a hint?” I asked, closing the door and taking the bag from her shoulder so I could tug her against me.
“Not. Even. A. Hint.” She punctuated each word with a kiss. “But I promise you’ll like all of my choices. Will that satisfy you?”
I brushed my cheek along her throat until she shivered at the sensation. “Not even close, but I’ll let you make it up to me.”
“Oh? And how will I do that?”
With one hand at her waist and the other inching up under the full skirt of her dress, I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Maybe I’ll tease you the way you’re teasing me, spend all night edging you until you beg me to let you come, and then fuck you until you come so many times, you’re begging for mercy. ”
“I think I could get on board with that,” she replied with a grin, tangling her fingers in my hair. “By the way, what are your thoughts on boudoir photos?”
I blinked at her, images of Eden modeling every sexy item in her shop playing rapidfire through my mind. “Favorable. Very favorable.”
“Good. One of the guests at the party, Simone, is a photographer who’s looking to branch out a bit.
She suggested we could work together on creating some photo packages—clients could come to the shop to pick out some items, maybe at a discount, then do a photo shoot with Simone and I’d get a cut of each session. ”
“That’s an amazing idea,” I said, realizing just how many connections Eden had made in the short time since her store opened.
“Anyone who wants to will get an extra discount if they let us use the photos for advertising or display in the store. Simone said it’s easy to frame shots so their faces aren’t visible and the models aren’t identifiable.”
“And are you going to do a test run for her?”
Her grin was as wicked as it was promising. “You bet your ass I am.”
I ran my lips along her jaw and murmured, “Excellent. I can’t wait to see how they turn out. In fact, I’d very much like to see photos of you in nothing but a pair of sexy little panties and a Wonder Woman comic book.”
“What an intriguing idea,” she replied, tipping her head as I moved to her neck. “You know, I’ve been thinking…”
My body went tight at her tone even before her hands moved to the zipper of my jeans. “Oh? Thinking about what?”
“About how much I enjoy all the things you’ve done to me, and about certain things I haven’t done to you.”
“I’m listening.”
A groan tore from my chest when she dropped to her knees in front of me, smirking up at me and looking no less like a goddess for kneeling before me.
“And I wanted to show my appreciation, you know?”
I threaded my fingers through her hair, sifting it back away from her beautiful face. “I’m not going to stop you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Good.”
She flashed a grin and dragged the zipper down, and the only speech my brain could handle after that was a steady flow of praise and encouragement that had her humming happily around my cock until I was finally able to haul her into the bedroom and show my own appreciation.
With all of Sunday and half of Monday to laze around together, I had plenty of opportunities to try to convince Eden to spill her secrets, but she held firmly onto her plan to surprise me with her purchases.
I tried to wager a hint as reward if I could beat her in a round of Super Smash Bros, but she annihilated me.
I offered a daily cookie delivery; she shot me down.
In the end, I accepted my fate and looked forward to learning just what she’d chosen.
The only update we received about the investigation into the bomb threat was that the third party interested in Eden’s location was an older couple from the next town over who ran a Lutheran summer camp in Oakville and wanted to open a Christian gift shop in Spruce Hill.
Hanson had found no connection between them and Eden’s parents or their church, and the couple had a solid alibi for the days around the bomb threat, when they were spending the weekend at a meditation retreat in Lake Chautauqua, so it felt like a dead end.
I hadn’t found a moment to have a private word with Adelaide about Eden’s parents, either, so it was time to get creative.
Olivia showed up at the store just before closing time on Tuesday to do some game prep, and I pounced.
“Has Addie mentioned anything about her reconnaissance mission on Eden’s parents?” I asked as soon as she set her bag down on the folding table we popped up for her game nights.
“Hello to you, too,” she muttered. “No, and before you ask, I’m not pumping my girlfriend for information for you, either.”
“Girlfriend.” I grinned at Liv, who’d been single almost as long as I had.
She rolled her eyes at me, but she couldn’t hold back a smile. “Yeah, look at us, dating the hottest cousins in town.”
“Pleased for you, Liv.”
“Back at you. Hey, Eden wouldn’t happen to be into tabletop RPGs, would she?”
I almost laughed at the thought of Eden joining a role-playing game. “Why?”
“My new campaign starts next week and Addie said she’d like to try it out. Most of my other players have some experience, so it might be nice for her to have another newbie around.”
“I’ll ask, but I’m not sure that’s her style of nerdiness. She might be interested in hanging out during the game, since I’ll be here.”
Olivia laughed. “I’d call the two of you sickeningly cute, but I have a feeling Addie and I aren’t much better.”
“Hey, you were there on Saturday.” I tapped my fingers against the table.
“Don’t even try it, Milo. I’m sworn to secrecy. But from what I remember, you’re going to have a real good time when those orders come in,” she teased, her tone a little too gleeful for my liking.
The first of Olivia’s players arrived, so I opened the door for them and then retreated to the stockroom to update inventory while the group got down to business.
I’d gone weeks from my first taste of Eden until seeing her again, then even longer before I finally had her in my bed—I could handle waiting a few days to find out what she had in store for me, for us.
Knowing Eden, it would be paradise for us both.