Eden's Pleasure (Pulse Book 1) (29 page)

Drawing attention to a new subject to give Rheanna time to cool down, Chase put his arm over the back of Eden’s chair and pushed his plate aside. “I had an idea,” Chase said in the silence.

“What kind of idea?” Eden asked, wiping her mouth, curious about his thoughts. Surely he wouldn’t bring up the topic of sex with an audience. Besides, the way she was feeling, that was the last thing she wanted right now.

“You’re going to have a lot of time on your hands now that…sorry that was insensitive.”

She smoothed her hand over his beard and smiled. “It’s ok.”

“I had art supplies sent over while you were…busy earlier. There are canvases, pads of paper, drawing supplies, a variety of paints and brushes, pastels, a few other things. I just thought that you could take some time to create for the fun of it. Do something for you. You know, take some time for you.”

Eden looked at him with sad eyes. He couldn’t figure out from her reaction if he had done the right thing or made a real dumb-ass move. “Was I wrong? I can send them back.”

“No don’t do that. Thank you so much, Chase. You amaze me, dealing with all my mess, and still, you do more. No one has ever cared for me the way you do. I don’t deserve it.”

“Believe me, baby, you’re worth it. You have no idea what you’ve done for me.” He ran his fingers gently down her arm sending goose bumps over her skin.

“No velvet Elvis paintings, ok?” Mason interrupted the pair before they climbed onto the counter and started having sex right there.

“Are you sure, Mason? Because I could paint you one to hang over your bed if you like,” she teased, folding both arms around his large upper arm and giggling, causing him to go red.

He wrapped his large, free hand around her chin and half smiled. “Sweetheart, I already got one.” His eyebrows rose in a do-I-or-don’t-I look, and they howled with laughter.

Rheanna rolled her eyes as she watched these two grown men stumbling over themselves like schoolboys competing to play with the ball called Eden. She wanted to stick her finger down her throat and gag, but it would go unnoticed anyway.

“When are you going back to your apartment?” Rheanna asked with a single raised brow aimed at her brother. His eyes burned through her. The urge to jump over the counter and grab her by the throat was strong, and he had to bite down hard to stop himself.

“My apartment! I hadn’t even thought of it. Jesus, could I be any more out of it? I haven’t even talked to the landlord. My renewal hasn’t been signed. He’s going to be pissed. I better call him right away. Excuse me.” She rose from her seat, and Chase grasped her elbow. Eden sat, eyeing him with a quizzical look.

“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of time to take care of that later,” Chase said to Eden, shooting his sister an evil look while mouthing the word “bitch” for her eyes only.

Rheanna stood and headed to the doorway with a vicious smirk on her face. “Well, I guess I’m done here.” Her innuendo was clear to both men as they stared her down. “Have a good evening.”

“I really should go home and at least clean it and sign my renewal agreement.”

“It’s been cleaned and packed up. Your clothes and personal items are upstairs,” Chase told her, looking like he had been caught and his secret was out.

“What?” she asked, not quite sure she was hearing right. The atmosphere in the room changed suddenly, and panic started to show on her face. A hollow feeling in her stomach accompanied it. Chase was avoiding eye contact, and this set off alarm bells. No matter the mood, he never avoided her.

“I’m going to go and check on things and leave you two to talk.” Mason waved his thumb in the direction of the door and left the pair alone.

Eden’s brow was furrowed together as she spoke. “What are you talking about, Chase? What are you not telling me?”

“Oh, baby, the building manager called to speak to you shortly after we got home,” he said, hesitating. “The lease isn’t being renewed. You were evicted. I didn’t want to tell you right away. You were already so upset. I had my cleaners go over with a moving crew. Everything but your clothing and personals have been put in storage.”

Tears welled up in her already swollen eyes, and her chin quivered. She held nothing back, and Chase just held her tight, not knowing what else to offer but his strength.

“Why is this happening to me? Why does every moment have to be so hard? I have nothing left. I have absolutely nothing. No job, no home, my life isn’t even my own because I’m being forced to hide by Jackson. All I seem to do now is cry.” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the heel of her hand. “I used to be so strong, nothing got to me. I organized major contract dealings for Christ’s sake. I was a respected businesswoman. Companies sought out my designs. Once word gets out that I was fired for sleeping with a client…oh my god, I can’t even think anymore, my head hurts so badly.”

“You have me, baby.” He kissed her open palm. Chase got up, reaching for a bottle of pills from the cupboard, handed her two with a glass of water, and watched as she swallowed them without question.

“You’re sweet, but we both know that this isn’t forever. So sooner or later this too will come to an end, then I won’t have you either.”

“That’s not true, baby. I’m not going anywhere.” He had no other answers to give, no solutions to the puzzles, no joke to take away the sting. “You’ll always have me. You know what you need? You need to get out of this house for a while, get some fresh air. Let’s go for a long walk around the grounds. It’s going to get dark soon, and we can just forget everything for a few hours.” He took her face in his hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs, kissing his lips to her forehead.

***

Chase had brought a heavy blanket along, and spread it out on the ground so they could sit and enjoy the stars. They were far from the house now; its glow in the distance was like a beacon to light their way. It was pitch-black here, and the stars in the sky felt close enough to reach up and touch. They seemed so much brighter than the views in the city sky, as if there were two different skies. Eden sat back on her hands with her ankles crossed and her head held back. Chase lay on his side, leaning on his elbow watching her; she was of more interest to him than any stars ever could be.

He could see her breath in soft white clouds, escaping through her lips into the cool fall air. He took in the beauty of her face. Her features were small and delicate, her eyes sparkling. He felt her sadness, and it cut him to the core. His heart knew that it was his fault that her life had gone so wrong. If he had only left her alone when she pushed him away all those months ago, things would be so different now. Maybe his presence in her life had caused the universe to slightly waver off its course, causing all this pain and hours of spilled tears.

But Chase had committed himself to take care of her, promising all her needs would be met in some now-silly verbal contract, and nothing would make him back out now. He thought of the times they spent sharing each other’s bodies. His exploration of her every inch, her touch, her taste, her scent, the taste of her breath and the way she cried out his name as she reached climax, made him suddenly aware. His feelings for this woman were becoming much deeper than he had ever expected.

“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly in almost a whisper.

She looked down at him, becoming conscious that he had been staring. She brushed her hand against his bearded cheek with confused eyes. “For what?”

“If I had let you be, if I hadn’t pushed myself on you…I was selfish and demanding, even after you told me your fears, and now I see what I’ve done to you.”

“Chase, I don’t regret us for a minute. What we shared, what we had together, I regret none of that. If this is our last night together, I’ll know that we shared something very special.”

“This will
not
be our last night together,” he told her with a bold confidence. He wouldn’t let go now, not when he was falling in love with her. She was his, and he wouldn’t loosen his grip for a minute.

He pushed her back onto the blanket and covered her body with his, his face to hers. He kissed her, his lips stroking gently across hers for several long minutes.

***

“Would you like a drink? A martini? Wine? Coffee? Tea?” he asked, hanging his coat and helping her out of hers.

“Surprise me. I’m going to go put on my pj’s. Where will I find you?” she asked, heading to the stairs.

“Meet me in the sunroom…the one across the hall from the gym.”

When she entered the bedroom, she found a row of boxes in the large walk-in closet all carefully labeled and sorted by season. She found the one marked “night wear” and stripped the tape off, opening it in search of something old and comforting. She chose her favorite blue, satin nightshirt with moons and stars and the matching flannel robe.

In the bathroom, she undressed and took a quick shower before slipping into her pj’s. She toweled her hair dry and brushed it, carefully taking the tangles out. Her reflection in the mirror startled her. Her eyes were empty voids, the brightness gone, the once-happy smile replaced by a doleful mouth, and her heart didn’t beat quite the same. She snuggled into her robe and fastened it around the waist with the tie.

The door to the sunroom was closed, and she knocked gently before entering. It was a silly thing to do after being invited to meet him, but manners were always her strong point. The sunroom was actually a glassed-in solarium like the ones added to houses in Britain. She had seen them in many design magazines, had even added them to sketches for her wealthier clients living in the larger estate homes on the outer edge of Boston.

An easel with a large blank canvas sat close to the door with a small side table holding many wrapped brushes, a box containing oil paints, and a pallet. On a bench, a box full of supplies sat, all unopened. She noticed a box of charcoal pencils and another with a picture of rainbow pastels. At the far end of the room sat her drawing table, carefully organized as if it had been transported from her office to that very spot. It saddened her, the idea that she would never again sit by the large plate-glass windows of her office and sketch as the tall ships arrived in the harbor that she’d watch, daydreaming.

“You like?” he asked, coming behind her and wrapping his arms around hers, holding her tight to his chest.

Her chest tightened, and she swallowed back tears she had no intention of spilling. “This is too much. You’ve done so much for me already. I can’t believe you brought my drawing table too. I appreciate it, I just…it’s been such a long, long day.”

“I should have kept this for another time. I didn’t think. Come, we’ll have our drinks and go to bed.” He took her hand and led her from the room, turning out the light and closing the door behind them.

In the kitchen, he directed her to sit and handed her a mug of hot cocoa with whipped cream on top. She smiled at his choice, taking a sip and licking her lip where the cream sat like a mustache. Chase took a napkin and wiped her lip clean.

“I would have licked that off for you, but I don’t want to start something that I can’t finish.”

“And why wouldn’t you be able to finish?” she asked, taking the napkin from his hand, wiping the cream from his mustache.

“Like you said, it’s been a very long day. You need to get some sleep…I’m going to use the guest room across the hall so you’re not disturbed.”

The plan stung. She didn’t want to be alone, not now, not when she needed him the most. “Don’t do that—”

He stopped her with a fingertip over her lips. “I think it’s for the best, don’t argue.” He took their mugs and put them in the sink before taking her hand and leading her up the staircase to the master bedroom doors.

“I’ll be right in there if you need me.” Chase pointed to a guest-room door straight across the hall. Opening the master bedroom door, they walked over to the bed, and he drew back the sheets. He picked her up in his arms and placed her on the bed, drawing up the covers and kissing her tenderly.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Eden.”

“Good night.”

Eden?
she thought to herself.
He always calls me baby
. Had she lost him, too, so soon? Had she made a terrible mistake by rejecting his generous gift? She really hadn’t rejected it, she just didn’t know how to accept it after everything…

It wasn’t long before she fell asleep. But it was not the deep peaceful sleep that she had so badly needed. She tossed and turned as her dream enveloped her mind. The dream came to her in slow, animated, torturous motion.

Eden saw herself lying in a field of wild flowers. It was day, but she was watching the stars sparkling in the sky. Chase handed her a beautiful bouquet of lilies, and she put them to her nose, breathing in the scent, when she felt something drip onto her face. The sky blackened, and clouds rolled in, covering the stars. She pulled away the bouquet to view it, and wiped her hand across her face. When she pulled her hand to look, it was bloodied. The flowers were dripping crimson droplets onto her chest, splashing like raindrops into a puddle. She looked for Chase, seeking an answer, but standing over her where Chase had just stood was Jackson with an evil smile on his face. His head rolled back as he laughed hysterically, but there was no sound. The silence was deafening. She tried to sit up, but a black satin rope held her in place. She squirmed in painfully slow motion.

She turned her head to the right, and to her shock, Rheanna was lying beside her grinning, running her hand through Eden’s hair and whispering “shhh” in her ear. Her eyes were glowing green, her lips crimson like the blood from the flowers. Turning her head to her left side, Eden saw Chase lying there, staring at her with blank, stony black eyes. She tried to call to him, but the sound remained trapped behind her lips. Eden looked from Chase to Jackson, over to Rheanna and back at Chase again. This time, his eyes blinked to life to her relief. Just as she thought that there was hope, he made a sickening guttural sound, and blood spewed from between his lips, gushing over his chin and down his neck. Eden watched in horror, trying desperately to scream as Jackson draped black fabric over her face, placing her in complete darkness…