"Can I kiss you?" she whispered.
Shock registered in his eyes. She knew she was being forward. Practically forcing herself on this man. But she knew he felt it too. This inexplicable pull between them. She wasn"t imagining it.
"We shouldn"t," he began. But she hushed him by fitting her mouth to his.
He let out a low groan and she licked over his lips, pushing gently so he"d open his mouth to her advance. And then, as she"d hoped, he took control of the kiss.
He pulled her into his lap, deepening the kiss, sliding his tongue across hers in a gentle exploration. Her body molded to his perfectly. She leaned into him, enjoying the hard wall of muscle against her much softer body.
She was tall, nearly five-ten, but he was still a head taller than her. If they were standing her head would tuck perfectly underneath his chin and she"d only have to angle her mouth up a bit to kiss him.
She was the first to break the kiss but she wasn"t finished. Not yet. She started at the corner of his mouth where the scar began and she kissed a gentle line over the entire puckered slash that ended close to his eye.
"You are beautiful," she whispered. "To me, you are."
He framed her shoulders in his hands and pulled her away, regret simmering in his eyes. But there was also answering desire. He actually picked her up and deposited her back onto the sofa and then backed off, standing a distance away.
"That shouldn"t have happened," he said hoa.r.s.ely.
He dragged a hand raggedly through his hair and looked away.
"Besides the fact that my job is to protect you, you"re so far out of my league it"s not even funny. I don"t even exist on the same plane as you."
Her eyes narrowed as she stared back at him, unwilling to give an inch.
"Don"t you think it"s me who gets to decide who"s in my league?"
"A woman like you doesn"t have to go slumming," he said bluntly. "You could have any man you want."
"Apparently not," she murmured, looking pointedly at him.
He stared back at her in clear confusion. "Why me?"
She smiled ruefully. "Attraction doesn"t follow a set of rules, you know. But I know that I don"t look at the others like I look at you. I don"t feel any chemistry with them, or anyone else for that matter. Can you deny that you feel it too?"
His lips tightened and he cursed softly beneath his breath. "No, I don"t deny it, but that"s not the point. I have a job to do and I can"t do that job if I"m distracted, and babe, you"re definitely a distraction."
She smiled, pleased with the irritation in his voice. He didn"t want to be attracted to her and he was fighting it, but he was. She"d just have to work a little harder to crack through all those barriers he was putting up.
Playing the temptress was definitely new to her. She wouldn"t have thought she had it in her to be so bold. But then she"d never met a man who made her feel this way. She wasn"t entirely sure what she was experiencing here, but she knew she wanted this man.
And yeah, she was a job, but people met and fell in love all the time. Who was to say it couldn"t be that way for her and Swanny?
Whoa. Talk about getting way ahead of herself. She was already planning their future and he was pushing her away as quickly as she was pushing toward him.
"Don"t push me away," she said in a quiet voice. "I"m attracted to you. I don"t sleep around, though you might think so because I"m being so forward with you. I"ve just never met someone I"ve felt this kind of chemistry with. I"d be a fool not to see where it takes us."
He looked utterly sh.e.l.l-shocked. He swallowed visibly and then ran a hand through his hair again.
"Jesus," he muttered. "The world"s most beautiful woman thinks I"m beautiful and I"m telling her we can"t get involved. I either need my head examined or need to make sure my b.a.l.l.s are still attached."
She laughed, her lips turning up into a broad smile. "Just something to think about. We"ll be spending a lot of time together over the next while. I just want you to promise me you won"t start avoiding me. I like you. I feel comfortable with you. Much more so than with the others."
"I don"t particularly want to get my heart broken," he said dryly. "When you move on and the job is over, am I just supposed to forget about you and move on like nothing ever happened?"
Her brow furrowed. "Is that what you think I"ll do? Break your heart? Here I was contemplating that you"d be the one to break my heart. But we"re getting way ahead of ourselves here. I just want your promise that you won"t try to avoid me over the next several days."
He sighed. "Okay, I promise. But I still think you"re crazy and when you come to your senses, you"re going to think you lost your mind."
She rolled her eyes. "You can"t blame this on the situation or that I have some kind of savior complex about you. There are three other guys on your team and I feel nothing for any of them."
"Well, thank f.u.c.k for that," Swanny muttered.
"Will you at least come sit with me?" she asked. "We still have a long flight and I"d like your company."
He seemed to battle with himself over the simple request, and then he gave in and slid onto the couch beside her.
"You should get some rest," he said gruffly. "I looked over your itinerary and it"s booked solid for the next several days. I don"t know how you manage to work those kind of hours."
Without asking permission, she snuggled into his side and looped her arm across his midsection. He went still, his entire body vibrating with tension, but he didn"t pull away.
Finally he carefully curled his arm around her waist, anchoring her to his side. She let out a blissful sigh and laid her cheek on his chest, tucking her head right below his chin.
"I"ll rest better with you here," she said.
He toyed with a strand of her hair with his fingers before dropping them and resting his hand back on her hip.
His body heat soaked into her, making her feel warm and contented. She yawned broadly and closed her eyes, snuggling a little deeper into his embrace.
"You make me feel safe," she murmured.
"You are safe with me, Eden."
It was a vow, one spoken in solemn tones.
"I know," she whispered as her eyelids fluttered closed.
CHAPTER 10.
WHEN they landed in Paris, Eden was hustled off the plane and into an armored Mercedes sedan. She barely had time to blink over the image before she was inside the backseat, flanked by Swanny and Skylar. Edge rode up front with the driver, and Nathan and Joe rode in another car that led the two-car procession to the hotel where Eden would stay.
She had only today to get her bearings and rest up because the following morning the shoot would kick off and her schedule was packed full, culminating in a formal launch party held by Aria at the end of the shoot.
They drove to the back entrance of the upscale hotel and Swanny issued a soft order for her to stay until he and the others were in position. When she finally ducked out, the five KGI members formed a tight boundary around her and hurried her inside.
Joe went up to the desk to handle the registration, and it occurred to Eden that she wasn"t sure of the sleeping arrangements. She was used to having her own suite and her own s.p.a.ce. She didn"t even share quarters with Micah or David.
Having to share s.p.a.ce with anyone would interfere in her plans to get Swanny into her bed. She mentally rolled her eyes and shook her head. She should be more concerned with her safety, but instead her thoughts were consumed with how to seduce Swanny and whether they would have the privacy she wanted.
When Joe returned, they began the trek up the stairs and when they reached her floor, she hesitated and turned to look at Joe, since he was holding the key cards.
"What are the arrangements?" she asked. "I mean, who"s sleeping where?"
"Skylar will share a two-bedroom suite with you. The rest of us will take the other two bedrooms on either side of your suite."
Eden hesitated, unsure of how to put this without sounding either b.i.t.c.hy or just plain obvious.
"I"d rather not share a room with anyone," she said quietly. "It"s just that I have so much stuff and I don"t want to inconvenience anyone . . ."
She trailed off, knowing she sounded lame.
Joe"s eyebrows furrowed and he exchanged quick glances with his teammates. Obviously they hadn"t antic.i.p.ated her resistance to someone sharing quarters with her.
"It"s a two-bedroom suite, right?" she asked quickly, gathering her courage. Her face was flaming, she knew, but she just had to be more a.s.sertive and blunt.
Joe nodded.
"Then I want Swanny to stay in the other room with me," she blurted.
Skylar suppressed a quick smile, but she sent Eden a knowing look, and oddly enough Eden could swear she saw encouragement and camaraderie in Skylar"s eyes.
"Edge and I can bunk together," Skylar spoke up. "Not like we aren"t used to living together. That way you and Nathan can share the other room," she said to Joe.
Swanny looked a little poleaxed, and she supposed she couldn"t blame him since no one had exactly consulted him in the decision making.
"I"d feel more comfortable with him," Eden said, refusing to give in to the embarra.s.sment crowding her chest.
"Swanny?" Joe asked, looking in his teammate"s direction.
Eden refused to look at the others, not wanting to see their expressions. She stared at Swanny, pleading with her eyes for him not to refuse her. She hadn"t lied. She really did feel more comfortable with him.
"That"s fine," Swanny finally said. "Her being alone isn"t an option."
Eden sagged in relief.
Joe handed her a key card and then another to Swanny. "We"ll be on either side of you, Eden, and it needs to be clear that you aren"t to leave this room without one of us. For any reason. Where you go, we go. Period."
"Got it," she said, taking the key from him.
She pushed into her suite, Swanny following behind. Her luggage had been sent ahead and was waiting in the living room. Swanny"s eyebrows went up.
"That"s a h.e.l.l of a lot of stuff for just a few days."
She grimaced. "Part and parcel of the business. One whole suitcase is nothing but hair and skin care stuff."
He glanced ruefully down at his large duffel bag. "Guess I pack lighter."
Her eyes widened as something occurred to her. "Oh my G.o.d. The Aria launch. If you all are going with me, and I a.s.sume you are since Joe said I wasn"t going anywhere without you, then you"re all going to need tuxes. Or at the very least a formal suit. It"s a really big deal. Glitzy and glamorous. You"ll need to blend in."
The deer-in-the-headlights look he gave her was hilarious.
"A tux?" he croaked.
She nodded solemnly, keeping a straight face. "I"ll have to take you shopping and get you all outfitted. It"ll be fun."
"Fun," he muttered as if it were the very last word he"d use to describe it.
"So, um, was I too obvious about you staying with me?" she asked hesitantly.
The corner of his mouth lifted into that half grin and his eyes gleamed with amus.e.m.e.nt. At least he didn"t look p.i.s.sed.
"Let"s just say that Joe and Edge are probably jealous sons of b.i.t.c.hes right now. Nathan is happily married, so he"s out."
"So in other words, I was obvious," she muttered.
"I don"t mind," he said mildly. "I like a straight shooter. It"s nice to always know where I stand with someone."
"And do you know where you stand with me?" she whispered, staring into those mesmerizing eyes.
He cleared his throat. "I think so."
"So where do I stand with you, then?" she said quietly.
"Can"t say I"ve ever had a conversation like this with a woman," he said ruefully. "You have to cut me some slack. You-this whole thing-is way out of my league."
"But you didn"t answer the question," she said pointedly. "Look, Swanny, if you aren"t interested in me, just tell me. I"m a big girl. I can take it. I"m not good at the coy meet-cute stuff in relationships. My father always said that I was a take-the-bull-by-the-horns kind of girl, and I guess he"s right. I"d rather know now whether my attraction is reciprocated so I don"t continue to make an a.s.s of myself."
He crossed the short distance between them and hauled her roughly into his arms. He took her hand and guided it to his groin so she could feel his rigid erection.
"Does that feel like I"m not attracted to you?" he asked hoa.r.s.ely.
She licked her lips nervously but she left her hand where it was, lightly caressing the denim of his fly.
"Jesus, Eden, you have to stop. This is starting to get painful."
"After we discuss where I stand with you," she murmured.
"What exactly are you after here?" he asked bluntly. "Am I a distraction to you? Something to keep you entertained for a few days before you move on to someone else?"
Hurt crowded her chest and she withdrew, her features carefully schooled. She was used to giving the camera whatever emotion or expression the photographer demanded. The last thing she wanted was for him to see that he"d hurt her with his frustrated statement. What must he think of her to have said that? But then she hadn"t given him any reason to believe she wasn"t exactly what he thought. Some bored spoiled woman looking for a good time and nothing else.