Trusting Stone (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

Eden pulled the rental car into her parents’ driveway, stealing herself for what was to come. Finally, she had agreed to see her them. Her mother had threatened to turn up at her
apartment
and that was the last thing Eden wanted. It would be only the second time she’d seen them since she returned from Edinburgh and she knew her absence was bordering on rude. In fact, it was rude, but she knew that seeing her parents would only detract from the bubble she had created with Sebastian.

She had a great boyfriend, great best friend, great
apartment
, and a great job. She had everything she knew she wanted at this stage in her life and she didn’t want anything to detract from it. And for the past six weeks, the bubble had stayed intact, ignoring the Simona drama that she and Sebastian had managed to overcome. But now with her parents looming on the horizon, Eden felt that bubble was about to pop. With her mother threatening to turn up on her doorstep, Eden had decided she needed to take matters into her own hands. Her parents would have to understand once and for all that she was her own person, with her own dreams and desires, most of which were fulfilled by being with Sebastian.

With her newfound confidence, Eden had insisted that she drive up to Boston to visit them in their family home. This had been met with resistance from Sebastian, who insisted on taking his town car.

“They don’t even know about you! How would it look if I showed up in your town car? How could I explain that?” Eden
realized
that Sebastian was stunned to hear that she hadn’t told her parents about him. “It’s not what you think, Seb. I don’t tell my parents anything. I barely speak to them.”

Up until now, they had kept any conversation about family to a minimum. He didn’t ask how she could afford her
apartment
and she didn’t push on the whereabouts of his father. It was one of the few unspoken rules between them and here he was,
suddenly
challenging it with his look.

“Does your father know about me?”

“That’s different.”

“Why? Because I’m an open book with no secrets and I’m supposed to be happy with that? Well, I’m not, Seb.”

He turned his back to her and she knew her line of questioning had hit an abrupt dead end. Sebastian was not a man who would be pushed, she had learned. He had let her in about Simona and his mother, but there were still high walls around parts of his life and she had no idea how to break them down.

Eden approached him, her heart swelling at the thought of him thinking she was ashamed of him. She pressed her hands gently on his broad shoulders, hoping he would turn around. When he didn’t, she resorted to leaning her forehead on the back of his suit just to keep some
contact
between them.

“I don’t tell my parents anything about my private life anymore. Part of going to Edinburgh wasn’t just to finish school with a fresh slate, but to get away from them. My parents don’t know how to support me unless money is involved. They don’t know how to interact with me. I didn’t want them to know about us because I thought they would smear it
somehow
, make it all about your money, your business. And that’s nothing to do with us. The same way you didn’t want Simona to know about me. I didn’t want them to taint it. Can you believe me?”

It was the first time either of them had mentioned Simona since the day Eden had walked in on them in his office and she felt him tense when she said her name. Eden had never questioned Sebastian as to how he had resolved the Simona situation.

Sebastian
finally
turned and she pulled his hands up to kiss his fingertips.

“I know. I just hate the idea of you feeling we need to hide.”

“Seb, trust me, I’m doing all I can to stop myself from shouting from the rooftops that I’m yours, that you’re…mine.” She hesitated at the last part. While Sebastian frequently reminded her of what she meant to him, she had never yet tried to stake the same claim on him. There was something so fiercely guarded and independent about Sebastian, she didn’t dare.

“But still, take the town car, Eden. Don’t fight me on this.”

“No,” she said, stepping back. “No! Part of leaving Boston and coming to New York was about showing my parents I was fine, I was better—that I didn’t need hand-holding anymore. And if I show up in your town car, they’ll know that someone else is taking care of me, not that I’m taking care of myself.”

Sebastian’s face hardened again and Eden felt it was a losing battle.

“That’s exactly what I’m doing, making sure something of mine remains safe.”

“I’m not your doll, Sebastian. I’m not an investment you have to protect!” She turned away from him now, wishing she was at home and not in his office.

Tears started streaming down her face. The confusion that Sebastian instilled in her made her head spin. At times like this, she did just feel like an investment, a kept woman who Sebastian had on speed dial for whenever he needed a thrill. Now it was Sebastian’s turn to touch her back, to bring her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her.

“Don’t cry, Eden. I hate it when you cry, especially because of me. I can’t stand it. I don’t want to cause you any pain, ever, you understand?”

Eden nodded, comforted by his voice that was smooth and deep now.

“Take a rental, but promise me you’ll text as soon as you get there and as soon as you leave.”

She didn’t intend to stay the night and she knew Sebastian was worried about her getting tired. “Yes, of course.” She turned to him now, wanting the fight to stop, amazed that he had capitulated. She wanted him to kiss her, touch her, re-establish that connection between them that was so strong it left her breathless. She pressed herself against him,
signaling
to him how much she wanted him. She didn’t care that they were in his office. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d had
sex
there before.

“I’ll miss you, you know.” She was already breathless with anticipation. Sebastian instigated
sex
most of the time, but Eden was building her courage and learning how to get what she needed, when she needed it.

Sebastian ran his hands down her waist and onto her ass, grabbing her cheeks with both hands and pulling her toward him. “Maybe I need to give you a going-away present.”

****

Looking up at her family home, Eden knew that her explanation about her parents had left Sebastian unsatisfied. Despite the growing animosity she felt toward her parents, she didn’t want Sebastian to think badly of them. They had tried in their way to help her. It just hadn’t been the right way. She felt her phone vibrate in her coat pocket and she reached for it, knowing it would be a text from Sebastian
. Are you there yet? Miss you xx
.

She smiled to herself. Knowing he was missing her made her giggle in a ridiculously childish way.
Literally just pulled in the driveway, I miss you too. Looking forward to tonight. Resisting thinking about it—you drive me to distraction
.

Sebastian’s texts were always racier than hers, but she couldn’t bring herself to be as explicit as he was. She could only allude to it.

Tell me
, he responded immediately.

Eden blushed. She knew what he wanted. She bit her bottom lip,
suddenly
thrilled with the idea of turning him on, knowing there was nothing he could do about it until late this evening. What she didn’t dare say to his face, perhaps she could put it in text.
Just your voice makes me wet, Seb
.
 
She quickly sent it. Her phone bounced to life. She quickly picked up.

“Just my voice makes you wet, Miss Maxwell? Is that right?” His voice was gravelly and deep, the way it got right before he usually ripped her panties off.

“Yes, Mr. Stone, I’m sure you’ve noticed.” For some reason, she felt the need to whisper, as if her parents could hear her from inside the house.

“I wasn’t fully aware of the extreme anatomical effect it had on you. With this newfound information, I plan to have some fun.”

“Do you now?” she teased back, squeezing her thighs together. Just the thought of having phone
sex
with Sebastian, even after what had happened in his office just a few hours ago, made her crave him, and she felt her body responding.

“Yes, starting right now,” he answered, his English voice reverberating in her ear. “I want you to close your eyes and keep your free hand by your side. Very slowly picture my hands on your knees, pushing your legs apart. Are you doing that, Eden?”

“Yes.” She could feel herself getting wet already as she slowly spread her knees slightly.

“Now can you feel my fingers tracing your inner thigh? Slowly working my way up your silky smooth skin?”

“Mmmhmm” was all she could muster, her breath starting to get heavy.

“Say it, Eden.”

“Yes, I can feel you.”

“My lips are now on you, kissing your inner thighs, and my teeth are gently pulling on your panties.”

“Yes, Sebastian, yes.” Eden was now panting, having to resist moving her hand to feel where he was describing.

“Don’t touch yourself, Eden. Now tell me what you want.”

“I want you, Seb, always you.”

“No, tell me what you want me to do to you.”

Eden knew Sebastian was pushing her outside her comfort zones, but she couldn’t resist his demands. “I want you inside me.”

“What part of me, Eden? Say it.”

“I….I…” Eden stammered, unsure she could say it out loud.

“Say it, Eden,” he commanded. His authoritative tone made her groan.

“I want your cock inside me,” she blurted out.

“Right then,” he quipped back, his tone
suddenly
all businesses and stern. “Now that we’ve established that, I’ll let you get on with your day.”

Eden’s eyes flung open as she
realized
he was about to hang up. “What? You bastard, Sebastian Stone!”

“Have fun with your parents, love,” he said right before he hung up.

Eden stared at her phone, furious at him for getting her into this state. “Right, two can play at that game,” she said to herself. She quickly texted, not giving herself a chance to think about what she was actually sending to him.
Tit for tat, Mr. Stone. I want to feel your cock in me. I want you to fuck me until I feel you finish inside me, filling me up with your hot cum that I’m so desperate for, pounding into me until I scream your name
.

It was the dirtiest thing she had ever said to him, even if it was just in the form of a text. She waited, wishing she could see his face as he read it.

His response came a few seconds later.
You have no idea what you do to me xx
.

With that she swung the car door open,
suddenly
brimming with confidence, and hurried up the front steps. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could get back to Sebastian.

Although Eden had hoped her parents would keep their meeting casual, Eden wasn’t surprised to see a full-catered brunch spread across the dining room table. Her father had taken the morning off from work, an element of the day’s meeting that had aroused suspicions in Eden that her parents were after something else besides a
catch
up. After the cursory chitchat about work and her
apartment
and her mother’s most recent fundraising event, her mother dropped the bombshell.

“We want to talk to you about Sebastian Stone, dear.”

Eden paused with a cream cheese bagel in her hand. How did her parents know about Sebastian? She hadn’t seen any photographers around them, although she was usually too caught up in Sebastian to notice anything around her. Sebastian had explained to her that they only tended to appear when a massive deal was being brokered and he had learned to keep his business dealings quieter now. However, Mara was a celebrity gossip fiend and if they had shown up in any news articles, Mara would have let her know.