LITMIR.BIZ

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the water and gently removed the condom, stroking him softly as she did. Something had changed between them, some bond had suddenly been strengthened.

      A sliver of fear shot through her as Eden realized she no longer had control over her feelings for Marcus. She’d believed herself in love before but been fooled. Could this be wishful thinking or did her feelings for him run deeper? She shivered, her body trembling.

      “What is it?” he asked.

      Eden glanced up at him, then shook her head. “The water. It’s getting cold.”

      He took her hand and led her from the shower. Wrapping a soft towel around her body, Marcus dried her. But the goose bumps still pricked her skin.

      Eden stepped to the mirror, and Marcus stood behind her, combing the tangles from her newly colored hair. She stared at her reflection, not recognizing the person looking back at her, wondering how she’d managed to lose herself so completely.

      “What have I done?” she whispered.

      Marcus smiled. “At least it’s not green anymore.”

      MARCUS AWOKE SLOWLY, his limbs twisted in the sheets and his face buried in his pillow. Without opening his eyes, he reached out for Eden. But her half of his mattress was empty. He sat up and peered through the curtains of sail that hid the bed, but the loft was empty.

      With a low curse, Marcus crawled out of bed and grabbed his jeans from the floor, then tugged them on. He glanced in the bathroom as he passed, then crossed the loft to the windows that overlooked the workroom. But as he turned, he noticed Eden sitting at his desk tucked in the corner, her gaze fixed on his computer screen.

      He silently came up behind her and placed his hands on her arms. She jumped in surprise, glancing over her shoulder at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wake you.”

      “It’s nearly midnight. Come back to bed.”

      “In a few minutes,” she said.

      “What are you doing?”

      For a long moment she didn’t speak. “Finding out where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing.”

      “What?”

      “It’s been reported that I’ve entered drug rehab in Arizona. There’s another report that I’ve suffered a nervous breakdown and I’m staying at a spa in Switzerland. And then there’s the story that I’ve been kidnapped and my father is desperately trying to arrange a ransom.”

      Marcus squatted down beside her and grabbed hold of her hand, twisting his fingers through hers. “But none of that is true.”

      “They’re not going to leave me alone,” Eden said. “If anything, it’s going to get worse. I was stupid to think people would forget if I just disappeared for a while.” She pointed to the computer screen. “But the speculation is always going to be there. It’s never going away.”

      “But it will stop eventually,” Marcus said. “Sooner or later don’t you think they’ll stop searching, stop speculating?”

      She shrugged, then clicked on to another screen. “For nine ninety-five we can watch a clip from my video. Would you like to see it?” Her voice was cold and flat.

      Marcus frowned at the sudden shift in her mood. “No, not really.”

      She turned on him, and he saw a flicker of anger in her eyes. “Why not? Aren’t you curious? Every other man in the world is. Ah, but you got the real thing, didn’t you?”

      “Eden, I don’t—”

      “Maybe you should sell your story. I’m sure there’d be money in it for you.”

      “Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?” Marcus asked.

      She jumped out of the chair and pushed past him, pacing along the length of windows that overlooked the workshop. Marcus watched her for a long moment, noting the tension in her shoulders. He suspected this wasn’t really about the video, yet he wasn’t sure what to make of it. They’d just spent the most incredible night together and she—

      Marcus drew a sharp breath. Did she regret what they’d done? They’d both been so cautious in taking that final step. And now that they had, there was no going back. There was something happening between them and they couldn’t deny it any longer.

      He crossed to Eden and grabbed her arm, pulling her around to face him. “If you think I have anything in common with that guy on the video or any other guy you’ve been with, you’re wrong. Don’t blame me for your past, Eden. And don’t be so quick to count me as part of it.”

      “Sooner or later you’ll blame me for my past, won’t you?”

      Marcus shook his head. “Why would I do that?”

      “You don’t think you will, but just wait. Here, let me show you who I really am. All we need is a credit card. Do you have a credit card?”

      “Stop it,” Marcus muttered.

      “No, we’ve always been honest with each other. Why not look at it? We can enjoy it together, as so many others will.”

      Frustrated, Marcus decided to call her bluff. If she wanted a fight, he knew that watching the video would easily put him in the mood. “All right. Why not? I’ll go get a credit card.” He gently set her aside, then crossed the room to his dresser. His wallet was where he’d left it earlier, and he picked it up and tossed it at her. “Go for it.”

      Marcus watched the emotions play across her face. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss the fears out of her. He wasn’t sure what had caused the upset, but Marcus sensed that she was doing her best to put distance between them.

      Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to make love to Eden. Though she kept her emotions under control, when she did show them, they were raw with confusion. But resisting Eden and the pleasures her body promised had become an overwhelming task, and he wasn’t superhuman. There wasn’t a moment in the day when he didn’t want to touch her or kiss her. But falling in love with Eden would be a disaster in the making.

      Marcus had never been in love, of that he was certain. There had been women in his life who’d kept him interested for a short time, but in the end he’d stepped back, unwilling to put his heart at risk.

      Maybe Eden felt the same as he did. They could go so far, enjoying each other’s bodies without sacrificing their hearts and souls. But Marcus already sensed that they were wandering into dangerous territory now, unfamiliar to them both.

      Marcus slowly crossed the room, then took his wallet from her stiff fingers. “You’re the one who wants a fresh start,” he murmured. “If that’s true, then forget the mistakes you made in the past. Walk away, Eden. Start your life now. Tell me what you want to do and I’ll help you.”

      Eden drew a ragged breath and nodded. Then, her bravado crumpling, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Marcus scooped her up and carried her back to the bed. He lay down beside her and pulled her body into the curve of his, nestling her backside into his lap.

      “Do you want to change your life?” he murmured, his chin resting on her shoulder.

      “I’m not sure I have much choice.”

      “You do. You can leave here today, hop a plane, and be back where you came from by tomorrow evening.”

      “I can’t,” she said. “I want to stay here with you.”

      “Then stay,” Marcus said, “and stop looking back.”

      “We can’t hide out here forever,” she said. “Sooner or later we both have to go out into the real world again.”

      Marcus nodded. “I know.” He realized that by pushing her to find a new life, he might just lose her for good. Why not allow himself this chance to get close? To finally see what it would be like to let a woman inside his life? He and Eden

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