Page 70 of Tempting Eden

“And I love him.” Eden’s words took my breath away.

It seemed impossible, but Adele’s smile grew wider. “I already knew that, too.”

Ms. Temple showed up in the doorway and shooed Adele back to bed.

“You two, carry on,” she said with a knowing grin before closing the door with a click.

Eden rested her forehead against mine. “So, I guess you got my email?”

“Yes.”

A sob hitched in her throat. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

I wiped her tears away with my thumbs.

She took in a shuddering breath. “Do you think we could start again?”

The tears still bloomed in her eyes, though I could have sworn she’d never looked more beautiful. If starting over meant more time with her, even if it only amounted to a few moments before things went all to hell again, I was more than happy to oblige. I’d start over as many times as necessary to make her mine.

“Hi. I’m Jack England, ex-killer, ex-con, and deeply in love with Eden Rochester.”

“Hi, Jack. I’m Eden Rochester, ex-broker, ex-opportunist, and deeply in love with Jack England.”

I kissed her again, soft and long, before pulling away and capturing her gaze.

“I think that’s as good a start as any.”

EPILOGUE

JACK

Six months later

“Where’s the contract for the Lackland property?” Eden stormed into our small office and tossed her bag on our sofa. “Their realtor called me and claimed he sent it, but I sure haven’t seen it.”

“It’s been on your desk for two days.” I spun around in my chair and watched her grab the papers. The late afternoon sun hit her from the back, making her hair glow fiery red. Beautiful.

“It has not.” She wrinkled her nose. “I would have seen it.”

I laughed. “You’ve been burning at both ends with the Lacklands, the new Mobile high rise, and closing on the Atlanta properties. You overlooked it.”

For the past six months, we’d been working nonstop getting our realty company off the ground. Climbing the real estate ladder was a full time job, but we were rising at a rapid pace. An unused bedroom on the third floor of the Rochester home served as our makeshift office. But our business had been growing so much that we signed a lease on an office space downtown and were on the brink of moving, hiring more staff, and taking on bigger projects. Eden did the selling; I did the logistics. A team, one built on trust and something deeper.

After scrutinizing the contract for a moment, she nodded. “Fine, maybe I overlooked it.” She sighed and shrugged off her suit jacket, giving me a nice view of her curves.

“Come here.” I crooked my finger at her.

Her lips twitched, a smile beginning to form. “I should finish up the—”

“Come. Here.” I stared at her, enjoying the surprise in her raised eyebrows and the tension my command put in the air.

She dropped the contract and stepped around her desk. “Bossy.”

“This is just the start.” When she got close enough, I pulled her into my lap. “I missed you today.” I gripped her waist and hugged her tight against me.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I missed you too.”

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