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Eden shrugged. “Nash stopped by The Lemon Drop last night, and we started talking about bras. I guess he wants me to try the new line of French Kiss lingerie and tell him what I think.”
“If that was true, then why didn’t he send you a variety from all the collections?” She lifted a wicked-looking black corset. “These are all from the Lothario Collection… his collection.”
“So?”
Madison sent her a knowing smile. “So… I think the panty billionaire is staking his claim.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Good morning,” Nash said as he passed Kelly’s desk on his way to Deacon’s office. “I’m assuming Deacon’s fit to be tied that I’m late again.”
Kelly looked up from her computer screen, and her eyes narrowed. “Actually, he just called and said that he and Olivia are going to be late as well. Which means everyone is having great sex except me.”
“I was running, not having great sex.”
She cupped her chin in her hand and studied him. “But you’ve had great sex within the last twenty-four hours. The eyes never lie, and yours are sparkling with sexual satisfaction.”
Kelly couldn’t have been more wrong. It wasn’t sexual satisfaction. Not when his penis felt like he’d overdosed on Viagra. But despite his physical discomfort, he did feel happy. Happier than he’d felt in a long time. And there was only one explanation for it.
“It’s called endorphins, Kelly,” he said. “Exercise will do that for a person.”
She pointed her pen with the purple feather on the end at him. “Don’t tell me that sappy look on your face has to do entirely with endorphins. You always go on a morning run, and you’ve never looked this happy before. Charming. Sexy as all get-out. But never like you want to join Pharrell for a chorus of ‘Happy.’”
Okay, so maybe Kelly was right. Maybe his happiness wasn’t all to do with endorphins. Maybe it had more to do with his running partner. Not that Eden was much of a runner. For a person who planned on running a marathon—even a half marathon—she didn’t know how to stretch, control her pace, or hydrate. And her gait was endearingly awkward. Probably because she talked the entire time they ran. With her hands gesturing, she talked about needing to find a job for Madison, she talked about her mother being a granola-eating tree-hugger, her brothers being expert surfers, bikers, and skateboarders, and her father being a war correspondent before he became a journalism professor. It surprised him that she had such a normal family. He’d thought, with her choice in careers, she would have some dark skeletons in her closet. But maybe she kept them as well hidden as he did.
Nash had slowed his pace to accommodate her obvious lack of running experience. And occasionally asked if she wanted to stop and walk awhile. But she appeared to be the type of woman who could do anything she set her mind to and had kept up.
He still wasn’t sure why he had invited her on his runs. Grayson was a much better running partner. He gave Nash a workout without a lot of talking. But Nash realized that he kind of liked the talking. Not to mention the way Eden filled out a pair of running pants. It was sheer torture watching her bend over to stretch her quads. And he had major fantasies of stepping up behind her and pressing the part of him that ached the most against those firm, sweet cheeks. But he didn’t. He didn’t touch her nice ass, or her sweet breasts, or her plump lips that were chapped from the wind. He didn’t touch her at all.
Instead, he allowed the ache for Eden to grow, to consume him and fill every waking moment and every subconscious thought. Because as much as he ached to touch her, he found deep satisfaction in the pain of not touching her. It was punishment. A punishment that he well deserved. For the first time, he felt like he was paying for what he’d done. And in a weird way, it released him from the guilt he’d carried for so many years.
“What has you looking so happy, Nash?” Kelly’s fiancé, Jason, walked up. Jason was a lawyer for French Kiss and the first person willing to befriend a bunch of country bumpkins on their arrival. He was honest and as loyal as the day was long, but had a tendency to be a bit of a slob. Today, he had a smudge of what looked like strawberry jelly on his purple tie.
“Nash had sex,” Kelly said. “You know what that is, right? When two people get naked and—”
“Yes,” Jason cut her off, “I know what it is, Kels.” He looked at Nash. “So I’ve got an extra ticket for the basketball game. You want to go?”
Obviously, it was the wrong thing to say, because Kelly exploded from her chair. “You’re asking Nash to go? And last week you asked Deacon and the week before Grayson. What happened to us going to sporting events together? Or are you afraid that I’ll jump your bones in the bleachers after the first half?”
Jason shrugged. “Well, it does seem to be all you can think about.”
Nash cringed while Kelly’s face turned a deep red. “Well, it’s better than being a repressed virgin boy!” She stormed down the hallway. When she was gone, Jason’s shoulders wilted.
“I guess I handled that wrong.”
Nash bit back a smile. “I think that’s putting it mildly.”
Jason released his breath. “You probably think it’s strange that a guy wouldn’t want to have sex with his fiancée.” Since Nash couldn’t cast stones on what was sexually strange, he kept his mouth shut and let Jason continue. “It’s not that I don’t want to have sex with her—hell, I’m so horny that I have to take a cold shower every night before I go to bed.”
Nash could relate. Since meeting Eden, he’d taken more than his fair share of cold showers. “So why wait?” he asked.
Jason looked down at the floor. “Because I don’t have as much experience as Kelly has… and I guess I’m afraid that I won’t measure up.”
Damn. Sex could really screw a guy up. And he and Jason were perfect examples. But while there was no hope for Nash, there still might be some for Jason.
“Look,” Nash said, “I get that you’re scared. But Kelly isn’t marrying any of those other guys. She’s marrying you. Which means you’ve got a major advantage—she already finds you irresistible.”
Jason glanced up, and a smile lit his face. “She does?”
