Trusting Stone (23 page)

Her thoughts moved to his most recent trip and the strange phone call about the Benedicts. Why Florida? Boston made a bit more sense, but Florida seemed random. She knew he didn’t have offices there. Why couldn’t he give her a straightforward answer about anything she wanted to know? Was he hiding something or was this simply how he treated the women in his life—providing them with information on a need-to-know basis only.

She dressed slowly, wishing the coffee she had made herself was stronger, and reluctantly slunk into the elevator. She would be early for work again, but it was better than moping around the
apartment
for another half an hour. She was glad she had
cancelled
today’s lunch with Joachim. There was no way she could face him over what had happened with her parents with the dark cloud of Sebastian’s control issues hanging over her.

Joachim obviously had other ideas and she stopped in her tracks to see him standing in her lobby, waiting for her. What was he doing here?

“Eden! I caught you! I wasn’t sure what time you left for work.”

“What are you doing here, Joachim?” She kept her voice calm but stern. She didn’t like him invading her routine like this and he clearly understood that.

“I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t wait until next week. Your mom and our weird phone call on Saturday—I wanted to clear the air with you sooner rather than later.”

She looked at him,
realizing
she had been a bit rude. After all, he wasn’t exactly going to come on to her over coffee and Danish. “Okay, fine, breakfast then, but you have to get me to work on time.”

“Scouts
honor
.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door,
signaling
a taxi with the ease of a true New Yorker.

“Okay, I’ll start.” Joachim didn’t spare a second. As soon as they were settled in the booth in the indie coffee shop two blocks from her office, he launched in. “I’m sorry I told your parents about Sebastian. I know that it wasn’t my place, but they asked why I hadn’t been seeing much of you and I had to tell the truth. Since Sebastian’s been in your life, it’s like you hardly exist anymore. No one from college has even heard from you. Saskia Miller said that you haven’t RSVP’d to her wedding invitation. I mean, it’s like you want nothing to do with anyone from your old life.”

Eden remembered the invite that came in the mail a few weeks ago. Annoyed that her mother was obviously giving her new address out to her old friends, she had promptly thrown it in the trash, not even bothering to reply. Saskia was one of the many girls who Eden had considered a casual friend, but had kept her distance from in the aftermath of the attack. “I don’t want a lot to do with them, you’re right,” she
finally
answered.

“Does that include not seeing me?”

“No, but things are complicated at the moment. It’s just that…” Eden didn’t know how to explain, or even what she was trying to explain.

“Let me guess. It’s just that Sebastian doesn’t want you seeing me. Am I right?”

Eden didn’t want to talk about Sebastian. “This isn’t about Sebastian. Leave him out of this.” Her voice was cold again. She might be annoyed at Sebastian, but there was no way she was going to let Joachim launch into him.

“You know, I remember him from school, before they left. He got so weird. I mean, he completely freaked out about his parents’ divorce.” Joachim didn’t seem to take the hint.

Changing the subject, Eden clenched her fists under the table. “So how long have you known that our parents want us to get married?”

Joachim glanced up at her and from the sheepish smile that he was trying to suppress, she knew the answer already.

“I know they’ve got their fingers crossed that we’ll
pick up
where we left off.”

“That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one. My parents were pretty clear about it. Especially the part about how I’m part of some lovely romantic business deal between our fathers.”

“That’s a really crude way of putting it, Eden.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought, too. Doesn’t really change the facts, though, does it? And I take it from your answer that you knew about that part of it?” Part of her was deeply disappointed that Joachim had known.

“Wait a minute, you’re making it sound like some insane arranged marriage.”

“That’s what it’s called, Joachim, when your parents promise you to someone else, regardless of how you feel.” Eden started gathering her purse together, trying not to cry. She had expected more from her oldest friend.

“Stop, please let me explain. You owe me that much, Eden.” Joachim reached across the table and took her hand.

She withdrew it quickly. “Fine, you have five minutes.”

Joachim looked at her hands that she had now clasped together on the table. He was clearly hurt about how quickly she had flinched under his touch. “I remember our moms joking about us getting together when we were just kids, how it would be a match made in heaven. We were so close and, to be honest, by the time I started being interested in girls, I always just had this idea in my head that we would end up together. When we
finally
did get together, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t believe it and I assumed that you felt the same way. You were my best friend, Eden. Sure, we would break up sometimes and there would be the usual drama, but it never lasted long, even when I went to college. When you started at St. Leonard’s, I started my internship with my dad and that’s when I learned about how much trouble your father’s business was in.

“Obviously, it was all confidential information and you’d never shown much interest in your dad’s work anyway, so I kept it to myself. We were getting pretty serious by then and I’d even spoken to my parents about you and what the next move would be. I was going to work for my dad’s branch in New York after I graduated and I didn’t know what you had planned. That’s when my mom gave me this.” Joachim pulled out a small ring box from his suit jacket. Eden knew exactly what was in it. He placed it between them. “Open it, Eden.” She shook her head. Joachim reached over and lifted the lid. Inside, as she’d assumed, was a diamond engagement ring the size of an olive. “It was my grandmother’s. I was going to give it to you during spring break, but then everything happened and you had to leave college and it just didn’t seem right so I decided to wait.”

Eden stared at the ring, not daring to look at Joachim.

“But I had already approached your father for his blessing. Your parents were thrilled. I thought your mother was going to have an embolism she was so excited about it. It was only after that when my father approached your dad about a merger...You can imagine how much your dad hated the idea of splitting his company or relinquishing control. But after he knew we were going to get married, or I mean, that I was going to ask you, the idea was much more appealing. Your dad knew that eventually I would take over my father’s firm and all its ventures. If we were married, it meant there would be a way for the merger to happen, but for his company to ultimately end up back in the hands of his family, with you as my wife.”

Eden shuddered at those last words. “You were really going to ask me during spring break?” It was a truly beautiful ring, but staring at it now, she felt nothing except fear.

“Yes. I had it all planned out. But then you dropped out of school. I thought about doing it when you decided to come back, but when I found out about the Edinburgh trip, I couldn’t do it. You clearly weren’t ready.”

Eden looked at her phone. She only had five minutes to get to work. So much of the anger she’d been carrying around since Saturday seemed to be fading away. She had assumed so much from her father’s words and now she felt embarrassed about how dramatic she had made the whole thing seem. “I have to go. I’m going to be late otherwise.”

 They walked the few blocks to her office in silence. Joachim’s usual jovial mood had been replaced with something severe, and he was scowling as they arrived.

“Have dinner with me tomorrow night. We’re not done talking about this.”

“I think we’ve talked enough, at least for now. Dinner’s not really a good idea and I’m seeing Sebastian.”

“You don’t know anything about him, Eden. For Christ’s sake, he doesn’t even know you!”

“It’s none of your business, Joachim. Just like it’s not any of my parents’ business.” In light of what he had just told her, she knew it would sting him to hear her say it. “I’m happy with him, he makes me happy. I have to go.” As she turned to leave, Joachim caught her elbow, turning her toward him and wrapping his arms around her. It was the most physical
contact
they had had in years and Eden leaned into him, remembering how much he meant to her at one point.

“I can make you happy again, Eden. But you have to give us a chance,” he whispered in her ear.

She stepped back, not wanting to hear any more, but he held her shoulder with one hand while his other hand reached up and touched her cheek, his eyes focused on hers so intensely for a moment she thought he was going to lean in and kiss her. Instead, he moved his hand slightly and tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. “Don’t shut me out again. He doesn’t know you like I do. He’s not good for you.”

With those last words, Eden abruptly pulled away. “You have no idea what’s good for me.” And she turned and quickly walked into the building, flashing her
security
card past the front desk, knowing that if Joachim did try to follow her, he wouldn’t get far. She
finally
turned around when she arrived in front of the bank of elevators, but Joachim had already left.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Eden couldn’t focus on her work. The enthusiasm she’d felt yesterday was gone and she kept thinking of the ring, relieved that she had felt nothing when she looked at it, but still worried about what do about Joachim and her parents. Despite the lack of relationship between her and Joachim, her parents were still trying to push them together. Joachim clearly wasn’t going to give up so easily either. She
realized
that while she had managed to find out more from Joachim about her father’s situation, she still wasn’t any closer to resolving the situation.

She wanted Sebastian now. She didn’t care about the secrets or his control issues. She just wanted to feel his arms around her, to make everything else go away. She had wanted so much to start over in New York and it seemed like Joachim was determined to drag her back into their past. She
finally
texted Sebastian, slightly surprised that he hadn’t already been in
contact
to make plans for the evening. He was obviously still annoyed with her for some reason, but she didn’t care.

When are you back? I miss you xx
.

Sebastian usually responded quickly, but it was still over an hour before he texted back.
Just landed, what’s the earliest you can get off work? I need you now
.

Eden checked the time. It was only 3 p.m., she had at least two more hours before she could legitimately go home. She decided to push her luck and stuck her head around her manager’s door. Trying her best to look run down, which was easy after her sleepless night and upsetting morning, she asked if she could work from home the rest of the day, she thought she was coming down with something. Her manager looked concerned and, after yesterday’s display of enthusiasm, she knew he’d say yes.

Sitting back at her desk, she texted Sebastian.
I’m free now, text me when you’re outside xxx
.

Half an hour later, she was opening the door to the town car and getting in. Usually, Sebastian would have been already waiting on the sidewalk and helped her in, but she hadn’t even given him the chance to get out of the car. Whatever glacial barrier Sebastian had put between them before his trip, she was determined to break through it. He obviously felt the same because as soon as she had pulled the door shut behind her, he grabbed her around the waist and dragged her onto his lap, pulling her face toward his with her hair.

His kiss was coarse and Eden felt a desperation in it that matched her own needs. She moved now, straddling her legs on either side of his lap. Sebastian’s hand moved from her hair, down to her breasts, kneading them roughly, causing her nipples to harden. She gasped as he pinched them through her bra. She could feel his erection under her ass. He was already hard for her.

Suddenly, she stopped. “Wait.” Eden pushed herself off him, sitting on the seat next to him, holding up her hands between them. “You were such a jerk when you left, Sebastian. Not only did you tease me and give me all that
delayed-gratification
talk, but then you hardly texted or called on your trip, then you yelled at me about not being at home. You owe me. Now you just have to wait until we get to your
apartment
.”

“That’s not funny, Eden. You have no idea how much I want you. I’ve waited over three days for this.”

“Exactly, so what’s another twenty minutes?”

Sebastian made a noise similar to a growl. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I’m sure I’ll figure it out.” Eden nudged away from him a few more inches to prove her point. “So, how was your trip?” As she spoke, she gently parted her legs, placing her hands on her knees, just touching the hem of her skirt.

Sebastian glanced at them before answering. He adjusted his erection that was clearly causing him discomfort. “It was very productive.”

“That’s good to hear. How was the weather in Florida?” Eden continued, using all her willpower to keep a straight face. Her hands now brushed along her thighs, pushing her skirt just a few inches from her cunt. She let them linger there, waiting for his answer.

“The weather?”

“Yes, Sebastian. How was the weather in Florida?”

He sighed, his jawline hardening as he moved his gaze from between her legs to her face. “The weather was hot, as you’d expect for this time of year.”

“Really? I can imagine it was unbearable.” She moved her skirt further so now he could just see the dark blue material of her thong. “Did you see lots of girls in skimpy bikinis and think of me?” Her finger grazed the silk, already slightly damp from her arousal.

“No.”

Eden’s fingers stopped moving. “No what?”

“No, I didn’t see any girls in bikinis. I went straight from the airport to my meetings and then back. And I thought of you the whole time.”

Eden smiled at him, even though he was glaring at her now. She slowly moved the small patch of material to the side and slid one finger inside her. Sebastian exhaled and she started to slide her finger in and out, using her thumb to touch her clit. “What did you think about me? Tell me, Sebastian.” She closed her eyes now as he spoke, his voice low and controlled.

“I thought about fucking you. I thought about how amazing you feel when I’m inside you. I thought about how your stomach tightens when you’re about to come and how you call my name. I thought about my fingers being inside your cunt, my mouth on your tits, sucking those amazing nipples. I thought about fucking you until you could hardly stand. And then starting over again.”

Eden stopped now and opened her eyes. She was about to come, but wanted to wait for him. She had lost all track of time and had no idea how much longer until they arrived at his
apartment
. He was right, she had no idea what she was doing, completely lost in his words. Her eyelids were heavy and she was panting slightly.

“Seb,” she whispered. He slowly moved over and took her hand that was between her legs, pulling her finger out of herself. He brought it, shiny and wet, to his lips and licked it.

“I thought about tasting you, Eden.” He put her finger in his mouth and sucked it gently before taking it out, “And how I hate the idea of you having an orgasm from anything but my touch.”

Eden groaned as his hand moved down between her legs, replacing where her finger had been with his own. He leaned into her, his mouth on her neck, not kissing her, but simply breathing her in as his hand moved rhythmically between her legs. He pushed another finger in and Eden’s hands grabbed her skirt, bunching up the material into her fists. She could feel herself getting close and leaned her head back now, thrusting her hips forward to meet his fingers, groaning his name softly.

The car stopped and Sebastian pulled his fingers out, growling into her ear. “You have no idea how much I want you. Get. Out.”

Eden yanked her skirt down, smoothing her hair as she stepped out of the car. Her legs felt like jelly and she held onto the doorframe, waiting for Sebastian. As soon as he was out, he grabbed her around the waist, walking quickly into the building, ignoring the doorman. Eden tried hard not to stumble and she remembered trying to do the same when he had practically dragged her out of the Acer
Club
. She looked at him now, as they waited for the elevator, but he ignored her, his face a stony mask.

Once inside, she expected him to reach for her, since they were alone again. But he flinched as she made to push herself against his body.

“Don’t bloody move, Eden, or I won’t be able to control myself.”

She grinned, biting her lip, but she obeyed, slightly nervous at the idea of Sebastian losing all control, especially with the build-up he surely would have felt if their distance had done anything similar to him as it had to her.

Finally in the
apartment
, he held her by her upper arm, gripping it hard enough that Eden knew it would leave bruises, as he marched her down toward his bedroom, throwing his keys on the hallway floor. He didn’t say a word as he pushed her toward the bed, turning her around so she faced it. He pushed her shoulders down and she bent over the mattress, face down with her thighs pushed against the edge. He pushed his feet between hers,
signaling
to her to step her legs apart, which she did quickly.

Sebastian lifted her skirt and pushed it up her waist. With a quick yank, he ripped her silk thong off and ran his hands over her bare ass. She heard the zipper on his trousers and, without a word, he pushed into her hard, causing her to gasp, not from pain but from the exhilaration she felt as he filled her. There was no slow build up like usual, no foreplay that she had come to expect from him. Sebastian grabbed her hips to keep her from sliding up as he rammed into her again and again. Neither of them made a sound, the only noise coming from their
contact
—a rhythmic, wet beat that filled Eden’s ears as she felt her orgasm building. There was something brutal and primitive about the way he had taken her and now, as she felt him push into her, with no self-control, it made Eden quiver with pleasure.

In that moment, she was his and there was nothing she could do about it, even if she wanted to. It was this thought that drove her over the edge. The pressure that had been building in her with every thrust
suddenly
burst and she closed her eyes, biting the sheets as her body hardened, every muscle contracting to such a degree she could hardly breathe. As it passed, she grew limp and her legs lost all strength. Sebastian held her up as he continued his onslaught. He quickened his tempo, grabbing the waist of her skirt to hold her up as her knees buckled from her orgasm. With one final thrust, he fell onto her back, panting. Eden felt his erection spasm inside her as he emptied himself into her. Sebastian’s hands moved up the bed, finding hers still grasping on the sheets, forcing his fingers to intertwine between hers. Eden wanted him to know what she had felt, how much she was willing to give him.

“I love you, Sebastian,” she whispered, not caring in that moment if he responded, or if he had even heard her. She had to get the words out.

Sebastian slowly started kissing her neck before working his way down her spine. He knew how sensitive she got after
sex
and his touch was gentle and tender, especially in comparison to what had just happened.

He rose and pulled out of her, taking her skirt down over her ass before helping her off the bed and turning her around. He pushed her gently so she was sitting down, looking up at him. Sebastian took her face in his hands and gently kissed her mouth. He fell to his knees
suddenly
, burying his face in her skirt, holding her waist. Eden thought for a moment he was crying. She had never seen him in such a position before and it made her uncomfortable. He turned his face to the side, still resting his head in her lap.

“I lost control there for a moment, Eden.”

She placed her hands on his shoulders, alternating between stroking the back of his neck and his hair. “I liked it, Seb.”

“Please forgive me. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” His voice was pleading now.

“No, of course not. Believe me, I’d tell you if I wanted you to stop. I promise, Seb, I liked it. Couldn’t you tell how much I liked that?”

He ignored her question. “I don’t like losing control, but you do something to me. I can’t even explain it.” He stopped talking and they sat in silence as Eden gently stroked his hair, running her fingers through it softly, reassuring him with her touch that she was alright. He hadn’t pushed her too far. She knew that there was nothing Sebastian could do that would push her too far.

He stood up after a few minutes, looking composed again. “I almost forgot. I got you a present. Come.” He
led
her over to the large closet that, up until now, Eden had never really paid much attention to. Sebastian opened the door and
led
her in. She had never
realized
how big it was—one side was full of Sebastian’s suits, with shoe racks running underneath. In the middle stood a low island with drawers on either side, but it was the left hand
wall
that Sebastian was pulling her toward.

Eden silently took it all in—hangers full of dresses and skirts, with a range of shoes, mostly high heels, filling the shoe racks that matched the right side. He gestured toward the island drawers, pulling open a few to show her the contents—lingerie, slips, stockings, and even socks and gym clothes. She didn’t dare let herself think this was what it looked like. Sebastian had cleared over half his closet for her and bought her a whole new wardrobe. This was more than just allocating a drawer for a spare change of clothes.