Loving Eden (8 page)

I wiggled two steps back as fast as I could, as if suddenly Mason was holding matches trying to light me on fire.

“What in the hell is going on?” Grey demanded.

“I spilled my coffee.” I raised the computer. “But the computer is fine.” I looked for a place I could set it safely.

“That’s not what I meant.”

The office suddenly seemed small with the two broad-shouldered men standing side by side. Seeing them next to each other, the family resemblance was uncanny.

“You must be Grey, my nephew.” Mason extended his hand. “Uncle Mason.”

The absurdity level had just risen to an all-time high. They should be cousins or brothers.

Grey’s eyes squinted, and I thought he would punch Mason on the spot. “I told you not to step foot on this property.” He reached for his phone. “I’m calling the police and having you removed.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Mason laid the wet towels on the desk and held up his hands in innocence. “You told me you wanted proof. I brought proof that I’m your uncle. Don’t you want to see it?”

I wanted to see it, but I knew this wasn’t the time to pipe in. I held my breath, waiting for Grey to respond in some way other than using his fists.

“What do you have?” He stepped away from Mason, and I finally exhaled.

Mason reached into his back pocket, withdrew a manila envelope, and shoved it into Grey’s hands.

“Call me after you’ve had a chance to look at it.” He walked out of the office.

Grey stared at the envelope and I studied his face. What in the hell was in there?

I
wasn’t sure if the humming from the air conditioner or my heartbeat was louder. Grey stood staring at the envelope Mason had deposited in his palm. I wished he would just tear the damn thing open, but instead, he stood like a statue.

“I’m going to get some air.” He turned to walk away.

“No.” I dodged from behind the desk. “Can’t we open it together? Maybe I can help you with whatever is in that thing.” I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

Grey’s piercing eyes hardened. “Like letting that asshole paw all over you.”

My hands shot to my hips. “Don’t turn this around on me. I spilled my coffee. I was in the middle of telling him to get out of the office when I knocked my cup over, and then he just started helping me.”

Grey didn’t look convinced. “I saw where his hands were, Eden.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. It wasn’t like I asked him to do that.” I was close to slapping him across the face. “I didn’t invite him here. He showed up.”

“Like he did yesterday.” Grey almost spit the words out.

“Are you implying something?” I had always heard jealousy was an ugly green-headed monster¸ but this was ridiculous.

“No, not at all, darlin’.” He smile was crooked. “It’s just obvious he has a thing for you.”

“Thing for me? What’s that supposed to mean?” I tried to flip through my conversation with Mason. Had I indicated in any way that I was interested in him? I wasn’t going to deny the man was good-looking and flirty, but that wasn’t my fault. “I told him you and I are together. There is no way he got the wrong idea.”

Grey shook his head before sliding into the empty seat Mason had occupied. “And you think that would stop a guy like that?”

Oh my God. Did Grey actually think I would give Mason Lachlan my time or attention? I kneeled beside him. My anger melted, remembering how I felt when I saw Grey having drinks with Laura. I had felt betrayed and hurt. If he was feeling half of that, I had to do something.

“Grey, I would never even consider someone else. You and me. We’re together. I just moved all the way from North Carolina to live with you. You think I would throw that away?”

The envelope was still mangled in his fist. “No, I’m not worried about you. It’s him. He thinks he can swoop in here and steal the Palm, and if he’s got the hots for you, what’s going to stop him from trying to make a move?”

“It takes two people, and this girl is not interested in that guy. Ok?” I tilted his chin forward, looking for a smile, any sign that I had reassured him.

“I saw how he looked at you.” His voice softened.

I had seen it too, but I was done letting Mason come between us. “It doesn’t mean anything. I am with you.”

He handed me the envelope. “You open it.”

I didn’t know what to expect. I searched Grey’s eyes. I slid my finger between the flap and the seal. I pulled out a folded piece of paper along with a few photographs. I opened the paper.

“It’s a birth certificate.” I read the names in the blocks. “It says his father was Mitchell Lachlan and his mother was Lorraine Hanish.” There was a seal from the state of Texas at the bottom. I gave it to Grey to read.

“What else?” He prodded me.

We both knew the certificate could have been altered or the paternal name falsely identified. In my hand was a stack of pictures. There was a little boy blowing out candles on his third birthday cake. One of the same boy opening Christmas presents. As he got older, the pictures became clearer. His high school graduation. College graduation. There was no mistaking Mason was the boy aging over the decades. Although, I didn’t know who the man and woman were flanked on either side of him in each snapshot. I placed them in Grey’s palm.

“This is Pops.” He pointed to the man in the picture. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered under his breath, but it was loud enough for me to hear it. He flipped through the pictures, his speed increasing as Mason got older.

I waited for his reaction.

“How could Pops keep this from me?” He shook his head. “And not just me, my dad, my grandmother. I thought I knew him. He had another life? Another family? I don’t understand how he could have done this.”

I wish I had an answer that would make sense of this mess, but I was still trying to wrap my head around everything. I took his face between my palms.

“I will help you get through this. We will figure it out together. Just don’t shut me out, please. Don’t let it ruin us.”

He dropped the contents of the package on the floor as his hands tangled in my hair, his lips crashing into mine. His tongue twirled inside my mouth, and the center of my world began to tilt as his mouth moved harder and faster against my lips. I didn’t know if this was the beginning of makeup sex, or if he was going to break away any second and claim he had work to do. So, I held on for dear life, moaning at each flick of his tongue, my hands roaming his chest, reaching to his back. If I could hold him closer, he would know he was the only one for me. Mason Lachlan wasn’t in my head. I felt the electric charge tingling deep in my core and fire through my veins. If he broke this off now, I would scream.

Grey’s eyes darted to the window. He pulled back. “Baby, we can’t do this now. It’s the middle of the day, and that asshole could come back.”

I realized we were in the middle of fishbowl, where anyone on the outside looking in could see our every move. The supply closest was cramped enough. I planted another kiss on his lips.

“Take me home.”

“I’ve got to get back to the roof. We can pick this up later.” He stood, stretching his legs.

The fire he lit in my body was screaming to rage on. I couldn’t let him waltz out of here like we didn’t need this connection. Suddenly, it felt like everything between us hinged on this moment of intimacy. “No.” I stood in front of him. “Take me home. Take me to bed. Just take me.”

I stood on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his lips toward mine. I bit on his bottom lip. “I need you now. Not after work, not tonight, but right now.”

Grey didn’t speak. He laced his fingers through mine and tugged on my arm to lead me out of the office.

We didn’t say a single word as we climbed the stairs to our blue beach cottage, and we didn’t talk as we undressed each other in the coolness of our white bedroom. His hands lingered over my breasts and I arched forward, urging him to take me in his mouth. I moaned at the contact. I lowered myself on the bed, bringing him with me.

The house was quiet except for the sounds coming from the beach. Our room was bathed in sunlight. Shadows cast by the ceiling fan bounced off our naked skin. If Grey was still hurt, I couldn’t feel the tension in his body or see the wounds on his face. I ran my fingers through his hair. My legs parted for him, and I bowed toward him as he pushed deep inside, slow and forcefully. As long as we could still communicate with our bodies, we would always be able to tell each other how we felt. His heart beating against my chest, his whispers in my ear, his body moving in and out of mine. It was everything I needed.

I watched as Grey zipped his jeans and laced his boots. “Thank you.” He leaned down to kiss me on the neck.

“Thank you?” I let the sheet fall from my chest. I wasn’t ready for him to go. I wanted to climb in his lap and spend the rest of the afternoon showing him how much I loved him, in case he still had any doubts.

“Yeah, I needed that.” He smiled. “And I don’t mean just the sex part. I needed you too.”

“Can’t you stay?” I nipped at his ear, distracting him with whatever tactics would keep him from putting his shirt back on.

“Darlin’, I have to get on that roof and finish the shingles. But this was a much better ending to my morning than how it started.” He reached for the second boot. “I was an ass earlier.”

I wasn’t going to argue with him.

“How about we go out tonight? I don’t think I’ve taken you anywhere since you moved here.” He flashed a white smile.

We had become regular homebodies in a short amount of time. I wasn’t complaining. I liked sunsets on the deck and dinner on the floor watching TV. It was us.

“Sounds good. Pete’s?” I was excited to wear a dress. Grey hadn’t seen nearly enough of my cute clothes.

“Nah, some place else. I’ll think of something and text you later.”

“Ok.” I wrapped my arms around him a little tighter. I couldn’t let him go.

“Baby, I have to get to work. After the roof, I have rooms at the Palm to get ready.” He peeled me away limb by limb.

“What if I just stay here like this all day? Naked and waiting for you.” I threw the sheet on the floor.

His laughter filled the room. “You might get cold.”

I pouted. There was nothing cold in my body.

“See you tonight.” He rushed out of the room before I could throw myself on him again.

I rolled on my back and watched the fan blades spin. This is the part of life when responsibility was supposed to kick in. I got that. Grey was trying to make sure we could afford our rent. He had to keep the Palm from falling to pieces, and all I wanted to do was spend the day in bed. It wasn’t my most mature moment. I had to learn to savor the moments we did have. Like our bodies moving together in perfect unison. I sighed. He was incredible. I shook out my clothes from the pile we had made on the side of the bed.

I needed to focus on a new snowbirds marketing campaign. Grey would be here tonight, and we would be spending it together. I giggled, hopefully naked.