Stirred (25 page)

When I’d arrived earlier to pick Eden up, I’d been so stunned by how beautiful she looked, I hadn’t even noticed her house. But as I stood outside on the front walk, I soaked in every amazing detail of the expansive, mid-century modern home, with its perimeter of floor-to-ceiling windows set between wall panels clad in lightly-stained cherry. In stark contrast were others made of exposed, unfinished concrete, all very contemporary and avant-garde.

Eden unlocked and held open the oversized glass and wood front door. I stepped through and stopped still as I scanned the modern opulence of Eden's home. Narrow, ebony-stained ceiling beams ran the entire depth of the house, front to back, with matching columns here and there, allowing for a remarkably open floor plan with very few walls. It all drew the eye straight through the heart of the home to the rear wall of bi-folding glass doors that opened up onto a well-lighted, multi-level flagstone terrace, a stretch of perfectly manicured lawn, and the dark waters of Lake Washington.

Eden walked ahead, switching on lights as she urged me to come in and relax. I took my time walking through the more formal areas, easing into the kitchen where Eden was waiting for me. She fiddled about, putting things away and tidying up the already immaculate space.

“What is this?” I asked as I smoothed my hand over the extraordinarily-colored island countertop.

“Lava stone, from France,” she answered with a hint of pride. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah,” I answered stiffly, though I wasn’t sure why. I turned a slow circle, taking in the grandeur of the professionally outfitted kitchen, with its rich, modern finishes and high-end appointments, not to mention the sleek contemporary furniture in the adjoining room and the collection of pricey, abstract art that hung from the walls and accessorized every surface. “You weren’t kidding when you said you had a lot to lose,” I remarked with not only admiration filtering through me, but resentment, as well, something I was sure Eden picked up on.

She nodded, her eyes a bit uneasy as they browsed the room. “Yes, but…it’s more than just this…stuff.” Her attention focused back on me. “There’s my son to consider, my school and reputation, the kids, their parents. Declan has too much control over everything.” 

“How so? What’s he do for a living—your husband—to garner such control and afford all this?”

Her brow rose as she shrugged a single shoulder. “Well, uh, he teaches finance at the U-Dub, for one.”

“Really, Eden? A teacher?” I snickered. “Come on.”

She dropped her eyes to the floor. “Well, that and a hedge fund manager.” She peered around the room again then looked at me and added, “It’s pretty lucrative, I guess.”

I glanced around again, too. “Yeah, I guess,” I mimicked with a humorless smirk.

With a deep sigh, Eden peeked back up at me. “Did you want to look around?”

With considerable effort, I relaxed the tight line of my mouth. I closed the distance between us and took her hand in mine. From there, Eden guided me on a tour of her home and extensive lakeside grounds. I completely understood why she feared having it all taken away. Considering the location, the architecture, and the size of the estate, her home was easily worth ten million, if not more, and apparently, her husband not only controlled it all, but held it and everything else over her head. I swallowed hard, feeling a little guilty for putting her at such great risk, but, with everything that’d happened between us, the connection we had, the feelings we shared, there was no way I could stop. I wouldn’t.

Regardless of her current lifestyle, I was certain Eden was tired of pretending to be someone she wasn’t, sick of existing in a loveless marriage. She enjoyed being with me, and while, as an attorney, I might not ever make as much as her husband, I’d still earn more than enough to satisfy her every want and need. And I would be so much better for her anyway. I’d never take Eden for granted, and I’d certainly never stray. I would actually prefer if she walked away from her marriage empty-handed. That way, she’d know my love for her was pure and unrelated to anything she might bring into our relationship.

Eden concluded our tour on the lake’s pebbly shoreline, where we shared a long romantic kiss under the glowing half-moon. But I knew she hadn’t shown me everything. And there was a reason for that.

“Show me the rest, Eden,” I said, my voice soft but serious.

She scrunched up her brow, but I knew she understood precisely what I meant, and my expression said as much.

She sighed. “All right. This way.” Lacing her fingers through mine, Eden led me through the dew-covered grass and up the stone steps to the far side of the massive terrace, where she slid open a wide glass door. Kicking off her shoes, she moved to the side and nodded me in.

I looked into her eyes for a long moment then slipped inside, pulling her in behind me. The master bedroom was large and swanky with a tall, imposing platform bed dressed in costly silk linens and oversized designer pillows. The wall behind it was expensively upholstered in a coordinating tufted silk grid. Dimmed can lights dotted the perimeter ceiling soffit, and a large modern chandelier hung from the center coffer.

Dropping Eden’s hand, I stared at the large bed, envisioning her in it, wearing a sexy, barely-there negligee. And beside her, Eden’s husband, his hand on her hip as she slept and he read an article on his tablet. With a shake of my head to purge the image, I took a step back, one hand stuffed in my pants pocket while I gnawed at a thumbnail on the other. Eden moved to stand in front of me, pulling both my hands into hers.

She shook her head as she read my thoughts. “Sean, please, Declan and I—”

“Don’t say his name,” I spat. “Not around me. I don’t wanna hear it.”

“Sean, I only meant to say that we don’t…” She nodded toward the bed behind her. “Well…you know. We don’t do
that
much anymore.”

“
Much
?” I repeated as I tried to tear my hands free.

But Eden held fast. “He’s not interested in me anymore, Sean. He has Aurelia, and whoever else he might be…sleeping with. He hardly even speaks to me unless he needs an errand run or something from the grocery store.” She squeezed my fingers to get my attention. “Seriously, Sean, he and I are little more than roommates who rarely even see each other.”

I dropped my gaze to the floor. Eden stooped to regain it.

“Don’t do this, Sean. You’ve no reason to worry. I don’t even remember the last time Declan and I—”

My mouth tensed into an angry fissure as I rolled my eyes and turned my head away.

But Eden took my face in her palms and forced me to look her in the eye. “I’m sorry, Sean. Please…” She trailed off with a shake of her head. “You trust me, right?”

I remained silent for a long, drawn out moment, studying her face before I acquiesced with a single nod. She smiled in relief, however small, then kissed me, gently at first. But, just like all the other times our lips had met, it quickly heated, and, before long, I backed her up to her huge bed and tipped her over the edge as I ground my hips into hers. I was aroused in an instant and wanted nothing more than to fuck her, hard and merciless, making her mine in her own husband’s bed, so she knew damn well she belonged with me—
to
me—so she’d scream
my
name and think of
me
every time she lay in bed next to her asshole, douchebag, prick of a husband.

A fierce sense of possession washed over me, taking complete hold, twisting my heart and burning my gut. The speed and intensity of it overpowered me, and I couldn’t seem to stop myself from getting rougher with Eden than I intended. Disregarding that voice in my head that screamed at me to stay in control, I pinned Eden down on her bed, kissing her harshly, my mouth ravaging hers. It wasn’t enough though, not even close. I reached under her t-shirt and pushed her bra out of the way, squeezing her breast and twisting her nipple until she yelped.

“Sean, please, not so rough.”

But while I lightened my touch the barest amount, I couldn’t stop. I tore open her snug jeans and shoved my hand inside. The lips of her sex grew slick as I thrust my fingers into her tight hole. My thumb pressed brutally against her clit, making her squirm and moan.

“Sean…” she ground out against my mouth, her tone every bit as urgent as the need I felt building inside her.

I shot off the bed and stripped her jeans from her body, tearing her tiny panties clear and throwing everything to the floor.

“Sean…slow down,” she urged as I yanked open my fly and pushed my jeans down past my hips.

Ignoring her plea, I grabbed her ankles and pulled her toward me. I flipped her over and, with a hand pressed to her back, bent her forward across the edge of the bed.

“Sean!” Her voice was high and slightly panicked, though she gasped in pleasure when I slipped in between her legs.

I spread them wide and ran my hand through her crease, spreading her slick juices so she was ready for me. She moaned even louder and moved her hips back and forth, waiting, wanting.

“Oh, God…” she groaned, her voice saturated with longing and hunger.

That’s all I needed to hear. I took my raging-hard cock and slid it up and down through her swollen, glistening fold until I found her opening. Without any thought to her comfort, I drove myself all the way inside Eden in one powerful thrust. She screamed out my name just as I’d wanted her to. But I didn’t pause or give her time to adjust.

I planted my feet wider. Spread her so not even her toes could reach the floor. Then I pumped into her, more savagely than I knew I should, but she didn’t ask me to stop. With the bedding fisted in her hands, her head reared back. She sucked in rapid, high-pitched pants with each heaving plunge and called out for both me and God in between.

I had one goal only, to unload myself so far inside her, she’d practically taste me. And with all her moaning, the way she pressed her tight ass high and back into me, I knew damn well she was getting off—and hard. Her reaction was so feral, so untamed and primitive, it didn’t take long for me to reach that point of no return. As her walls tensed and pulsated around and down the length of my shaft, I emptied myself into her, pumping and pumping until I no longer could, until my heart felt ready to burst, and it hurt to breathe.

But even then, it wasn’t enough. The need to claim her, mark my territory, raged through me like wildfire. Something dark curled around my heart as I slid out from Eden’s body. I kept one hand pressed to the center of her back, and with the other, I slipped a hand between her sex, where I’d already sealed her as mine, until my fingers were dripping with my own semen. I slid a finger to her ass and rubbed the tight ring in circles, making her moan in such a guttural voice, it reminded me of a wounded animal. With Eden pushing back against me, I nudged harder and slipped the end of my finger inside her. Her whole body tensed. And yet, she still didn’t ask me to stop. She only stilled. A breath later, her muscles relaxed, waiting for my next move.

“Sean,” she said, this time a crushing whimper as her knees struggled not to buckle beneath her.

At the sound of her surrender, I froze and stared down at her sprawled across her bed, suddenly comprehending what I was on the verge of doing, not to bring her pleasure or give her release, but to spitefully mark her like a dog. That darkness inside me had wanted to dominate her, control her. Just like her husband had done. The thought made me sick. Ashamed.

Angry for letting my malevolence for him push me too far, I slowly withdrew. But as Eden swayed against me, I realized I couldn’t abandon her and leave her needs unmet. So I massaged her still-swollen clit, around and around, and thrust my fingers inside her until she screamed in release and could no longer hold herself up. Then I backed off, tucked myself away, and buttoned my jeans into place.

I stared at Eden’s half-naked body as she slowly slumped down the side of the bed and settled into a loose puddle on the floor at my feet, her breathing ragged and her face flushed a bright red. With her hair a disheveled mess, she looked at me with wet, sultry eyes, and I smiled inside, thoroughly enjoying the just-fucked expression on her face. Her lips moved, but nothing came out.

I wasn’t sure what I should do. Part of me knew she needed to be comforted for the rough way I’d just taken her, but I also knew, even if it was a bit painful, that she got off just as much, if not more, than I had. So I didn’t move to assuage her. My warped sense of authority wouldn’t allow me.

Instead, I looked down on her, my hands on my hips, and muttered, “We’re together now, Eden. Don’t ever touch that piece-of-shit husband of yours again.”

My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides as Eden stared up at me and nodded, the ghost of a satisfied grin pulling up one corner of her mouth. But it was there, and I sighed in victory. Unwilling to show anything that might be construed as weakness, I merely held out my hand to help her up. Just as she placed her hand in mine, we both stiffened when we heard the front door slam shut.

An unmistakably male voice called out, “I’m home!”