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Mimi beamed at him. “Eden looked so cute in her little tutu and tap shoes for her first recital. And you should’ve seen the determination on her face.” She smiled as if remembering. “She was going to finish that tap dance if it was the last thing she did. She didn’t care that the music had cut off when the backdrop fell over. Or that the other little girls had scattered offstage like frightened baby chicks. Eden just kept right on tapping until she’d completed her routine.”
“I wouldn’t call it tapping,” Eden said. “From the videos that Dad took, I looked like I belonged in the musicalStomp. It took me three years of tap before I figured out I didn’t have any rhythm.”
“Rhythm comes when you learn to release.” Mimi closed her eyes and took a deep, even breath and slowly released it. “Release, and the natural rhythm of your body will take over without any thought whatsoever.”
The wordsreleaseandrhythmhad Eden glancing over at Nash. Sure enough, his eyes weren’t on Mimi. They were on her. And there was a hard intensity in the bluish-purple depths that left her feeling hot and breathless… and ready to release and find the rhythm. The fact that she could feel that way when in the presence of her grandparents showed just how much control the man had over her. Before she could pull her gaze away, her grandmother spoke.
“So do you know how to release, Nash? Because two tightly threaded screws will never fit snugly together.”
Eden wanted to crawl under the table or race out to the balcony and jump off. Instead, she sat there with her face flaming as Nash answered.
“I think I can handle keeping Eden released.”
Grayson coughed in his napkin. “Excuse me.” His eyes twinkled. “A piece of couscous must’ve gone down wrong.” He got up and started helping Mimi clear the table. Eden would’ve helped too if her grandmother hadn’t stopped her.
“No, you and Nash go sit out on the balcony. It’s a beautiful night for young lovers.”
The “lovers” part did not sit well with Eden, and after stepping out on the balcony and closing the sliding door, she released that anger on Nash. “We should’ve gone with the headache. Now they’ve gotten the impression that we’re lovers.”
“I think your grandfather got that impression when he saw me pinning you against the car.”
His words brought a flush to her body that matched her face. She ignored both and walked to the railing. “It wouldn’t be so bad if they thought we were just having sex. But now they think it’s something more.” Her shoulders slumped. “Why do you have to live next door to my grandparents? I thought you lived in some big mansion in Pacific Heights. And what were you doing at my work?”
“I was thirsty.” He moved to stand next to her and rested his arms on the railing. He had taken off his suit jacket and rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt to display strong forearms and an expensive watch. “And the mansion in Pacific Heights belongs to my brother Deacon.” He glanced at her. “So how long have you known who I am? I’m assuming you figured it out the moment I stepped into The Lemon Drop.”
“Actually, no. I didn’t figure it out until I followed you outside and heard you threatening the drunk in the alleyway. Your voice changes when you’re angry or…” She let the sentence drop, but he finished it for her.
“Horny?”
“I was going to say being seductive.”
His bare arm brushed hers as he angled his body toward her. “Am I seductive, Eden?”
“You know you are. And isn’t that the point of the game you play? You want to seduce women and prove that they have no effect on you.”
He studied her for a moment before he turned away. “Something like that. So who have you told about me?”
“No one.” It was the truth. At least for now. Eventually she planned to tell the entire world. Which for some reason made her feel extremely guilty. Not to mention kind of sleazy.
He released his breath. “Good. I hope you realize the damage that could be done if you did.”
“And I certainly wouldn’t want to damage the reputation of the panty billionaire.”
He laughed. “I was thinking more of the damage to the image your grandparents have of you. I wonder what they’d think if they found out that their sweet, tap-dancing granddaughter has decided to excel at something besides whale training?”
Obviously, Nash didn’t know her grandparents very well. They would probably jump for joy to find out she wasn’t as uptight as they thought she was. They would be more disappointed when they found out she had thrown their neighbor under the bus just for a good story. But Eden wasn’t going to think about that now. Or about how the moonlight gilded Nash’s dark hair and eyes with silver.
“Why an escort?” he asked. “You come from a good family who loves you. Why would you choose that profession? And don’t tell me you do it for the money. If you needed money, I’m sure you could borrow it from your grandparents.”
This time she had no trouble telling the truth. “Maybe I don’t want to take things from my family. Maybe I want to make it on my own.” From the corner of her eye, she watched as he nodded.
“Lately, I’ve felt like I’ve been on someone else’s roller-coaster ride. A roller-coaster ride that never slows down long enough to let me off.”
“French Kiss?”
Again he nodded. “I know it’s crazy. Most men would kill to be in my position. And I love it most of the time, but there are times when I feel like I’ve stepped into someone else’s life.”
“So if you don’t want to sell panties, what do you want to do?”
