Kate Hoffmann - Marcus

“Looking for me?”

Marcus pulled his arm away. “He works for your father. That’s how I got the job on the boat, Eden.”

“What does he do for my father?” Eden asked.

“Security, private investigations, background checks. Anything your father asks. And right now, among other things, he’s looking for you. So is my brother Ian. He’s the chief of police in this town. And I’m supposed to be looking for you, too, for that matter.”

“Your brothers are looking for me and you’re hiding me?”

Marcus nodded. “So can you see why a family picnic might be a wee bit awkward? Hell, Ian would probably arrest you on the spot for that little 911 call.”

“And that’s all? That’s the only reason you don’t want me to go?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

“I thought maybe you were ashamed to be seen with me.” She drew a deep breath. “Let’s not pretend that I’m every mother’s dream. I have a reputation. My life is splashed all over the media. I guess I’d be a little hesitant to introduce me to your family.”

“That’s not it,” Marcus said.

“But there is something else, isn’t there? If I went to this picnic, then this would be all over, wouldn’t it? You and I would be over.”

She was right. As long as she was hiding from her troubles, she was his. The moment she faced her problems, she’d be gone, out of his life without a second glance. It may be selfish, but Marcus wasn’t going to feel guilty. Why shouldn’t they take as much pleasure as they could from each other? A sexual connection like theirs didn’t come along every day.

“Everything is perfect right now,” Marcus said. “It’s just you and me. Uncomplicated.”

She stared at him, her eyes shadowed with indecision. “So you just want to stay like this forever?”

“I don’t think that’s possible, Eden,” Marcus said.

Eden smiled ruefully. “You’re right. I know you are. But it could be for a little longer, couldn’t it?” She picked up her pillow and smoothed her hands over it. “I’m just not ready.”

He watched Eden crawl out of bed and disappear behind the canvas curtains. She wasn’t ready for what? To go out into the world again or to leave him? He could see it happening in his head. If they both believed it would end, then it would. Gradually they’d pull away from each other. Promises made would be broken. Instead of spending time together, they’d make excuses to be apart, creating a distance that would protect them both when their affair finally came to end.

Marcus fought the temptation to go to her and draw them closer again, to reassure himself that she still cared. He could do it easily, with sweet words or a passionate kiss. But in his gut he knew this was for the best. He’d had her for a week, a lot longer than he’d ever expected for her to stay. He would have to let her go soon and it was about time for both of them to face that truth.

EDEN STOOD IN THE DOORWAY of the coin laundry and gazed at her surroundings through dark sunglasses. “This is nice,” she said. “But why are we here?”

“I have to do laundry,” Marcus replied, flicking the brim of her baseball cap. “In the real world, so will you. Clothes get dirty and you have to wash them.”

“I don’t have to wash them,” she said. “I send them to the cleaners and they wash them.”

“This isn’t the Ritz. Most people wash their own clothes.”

“I know that,” Eden said. There were times with Marcus when she felt like a complete idiot. Yesterday she’d tried to operate his dishwasher and managed to flood his kitchen with suds. Then she’d tried to make toast and set off the smoke alarm. And last night she’d cleaned up cookie crumbs with furniture polish only to have Marcus slip and fall on the hardwood floor.

The past twenty-four hours had been a lesson in how little she knew about day-to-day life. Though she thought she could at least cook something simple, macaroni and cheese from a box had been a disaster. After her fiasco with the furniture polish, Eden had been forced to scratch cleaning off the list of things she could do well. And though grocery shopping seemed like an easy task, the store layout confounded her. If she was a failure at the coin laundry, then she might as well give up her dream of starting a life of her own.

“I know how to do the wash,” she said. “I used to watch Sarah do it. She used to let me push the buttons and turn the dials.”

“Good,” Marcus said. “Then this should go quickly.”

He dragged the duffel bag inside the door and dumped the contents into a wire basket on wheels. Eden smiled as she watched him pick through the laundry. Their clothes were all jumbled together, and anyone walking by might think they were a couple, perhaps even husband and wife.

A tiny thrill raced through her at the thought. What would it be like to make a life with Marcus? She’d been so careful not to allow herself such thoughts, but the longer she spent with him, the more she enjoyed the silly fantasy playing out in her head.

They shared an incredible physical attraction, so their life in bed would never be dull. But was there something beyond that between them? And if there was, how would they go about discovering it?

Eden boosted herself up on a nearby washing machine, kicking off her flip-flops and tucking her bare feet beneath her. “I know why you wanted to do the laundry,” she said. “So you could play with my underwear and I wouldn’t think you were pervy.”

He picked up one of her bras and fingered the lace and satin. “I’d rather play with what’s underneath your underwear,” Marcus said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Eden giggled, removing her sunglasses and glancing around the empty Laundromat. She grabbed the front of Marcus’s T-shirt and pulled him toward her. “We’re all alone here,” she said, straightening her legs on either side of his hips. She wrapped one leg around his thigh and drew him closer.

He gave her a skeptical look. “Eden, behave yourself.”

Unfazed, Eden took his hand and slid it beneath her skirt, pressing his palm to her inner thigh. “Haven’t you ever done it in a public place?”

“Have you?”

She grinned and slid his hand higher. “Believe it or not, I haven’t. Contrary to the stories the press puts out, my sex life has not been terribly adventurous. What about you? Where’s the most exciting place you’ve ever done it?”

He gave her a wary glance. “I think my shower ranks right up there.”

“You haven’t been a very adventurous boy either,” she teased, her hand sliding down to his crotch.

“You asked for the most exciting place, not the most public,” he said, leaning into her until her palm pressed fully against him. “Are you doing this just to get out of helping me with the laundry?”

Eden leaned forward and took his lower lip between her teeth, tugging at it. “I’m really excited about doing the laundry. Can’t you tell?” She moved his hand up a bit higher, enjoying the game and wondering what Marcus’s limits were. How far would he go to possess her? Would his desire be so overwhelming that he’d risk making love to her right here? Or did he have secret boundaries? His hand slid up until it rested at the juncture of her thighs.

Marcus gasped, his gaze meeting hers. “You’re not wearing underwear,” he said.

“All my panties are in the wash. What about you?” She slipped her hand down the front of his jeans. “Oh, I guess yours must be in the wash, too.”

He nodded, holding his breath as her fingers danced along the length of his penis. Almost instantly he began to grow hard, and Eden left her hand where it was, enjoying his discomfort.

“Don’t mess with me,” Marcus warned, sliding his thumb between the soft folds of her sex. He found her clitoris and rubbed it gently.