Page 8 of Garden Daddy

Lifting her hand, Eden sent her bestie a one-finger salute, which made her and Bree laugh.Marcus shook his head before he caught himself.

Uh huh.

Some old habits died hard.Just seeing that little head shake was enough to help clear her head.Part of the reason she’d focused on Rita was because of the visceral reaction she had to seeing Marcus waiting for her, his gaze running over her body like he was mentally undressing her.He hadn’t looked at her like that before now.

Not even when he’d made the challenge.The heat in his eyes flustered her, made her want to avoid his gaze, made her want to turn and run out the door… so she responded by antagonizing her friend and doing something that would have pissed him off in the past.

It didn’t help that he looked damn good, wearing leather pants and a vest that proved he was in fantastic shape.Even better shape than he had been before when he was working at the office all the time.Granted, she’d sort of known that, but she hadn’t seen him in full-on Dom gear or with his shirt off before now.She’d seen the way his shoulders and biceps had filled out his clothes, but who knew those Flower Power t-shirts were also covering up pecs and abs?

Well, she knew now, and so did everyone else.

Eden pressed her lips together, lifting her chin up and sauntering over to the table.If Marcus wanted to undress her with his eyes, that was fine.It didn’t bother her because she didn’t have feelings for him.She recognized he was an attractive man and enjoyed his appreciation of the effort she’d put into her appearance for tonight without it meaning anything more.

“Did someone send out a memo to get here early?”she asked when she reached the table.

“Nope, just wanted to make sure we didn’t miss anything,” Rita said, still grinning unrepentantly.Bree shot her a look.

“She means we wanted to be here in case you needed anything.”

“I said what I said.”

The laughter helped break the tension, and Eden could breathe a little easier.God, she loved her friends.They were going to have her back no matter what, and they knew what she needed.She was acutely aware of Marcus watching the interaction, like he was studying them.Studying her.

She couldn’t help but wonder what he saw.

She’d never been like this with any of her friends while they were married.Not once he started becoming more concerned with appearances.A lot of her friendships from before their marriage had fallen by the wayside, other than the co-workers she was friendly with, but she hadn’t really been friends with them, either.Her social life had been consumed by Marcus’ needs.She’d known to behave ‘properly’ around their joint friends… because they all worked with Marcus.The ones who didn’t actually work with him were either married to or romantically involved with someone who did.

This kind of behavior would never have been acceptable.She sure as hell wasn’t going back, though.Not that she’d need to.Marcus wasn’t at that job anymore.He’d seen who she was now, how she interacted with her friends.If he was still interested, he needed to take her as she was currently.She wasn’t going to change for him or making herself smaller for a man ever again.

He apologized for that, remember?He knows.

A really heartfelt apology.Which just made him more dangerous to her.Deep down, she knew she wouldn’t have agreed to tonight without that apology having already happened.He’d offered it up before she’d asked for it, and by the time he challenged her to a night together, it had gotten under her skin and was motivating her to make stupid choices.

“Would you like a drink?”Marcus asked.“Or would you like to jump right in?”

“Jump right in.”

She didn’t need a drink.She needed to get this over with, so she could figure out what happened next.

5

Eden

The jerk had gottenthem a private room.

She hadn’t been surprised when he’d led her to it, but the confirmation had upped both her arousal and her anxiety.Part of her had wondered if he’d want witnesses.Especially when this scene amounted to a bet.

Instead, he’d chosen privacy.

Intimacy.

I am so fucked.

Her traitorous vagina cheered.

Not that kind of fucked, you slut.

Her vagina was going to be a problem.Maybe if she’d had a boyfriend or a play partner within the past six months it would be easier, but the truth was she really missed being with an actual man.Someone who could spank her and hold her, then fuck her to a screaming orgasm.

---