her body was calm and resting, her mind never shut off. She zeroed in on the screen and saw Graham’s name this time. Once again, she dried her hands and checked his message, cursing herself for acting like a teenager.
Meet me at my penthouse. 30 min.
Eve gritted her teeth. While some may go for the demanding attitude, she did not. Besides, she was exhausted. If she could sleep in this warm bubble bath and not drown, she would.
Because she didn’t want him to think she jumped when he texted, though she did, Eve set her phone back down without replying. There was no reason to pretend that the thought of Graham didn’t have her body humming, but now she had to be realistic. She was expecting his child, and she was entering into a battle over her father... Sex couldn’t be the main thread that held them together at this point.
Eve closed her eyes for just a moment, needing to push aside all the fears, all the questions, and just relax. Her doctor told her to try to take as much downtime as possible. Even if she could grab five minutes here and there, she would have to for the sake of the baby and her own health.
All too easily she could let her mind drift into the worry of whether she was carrying a healthy baby, but she wanted to focus on the positive. Would she have a boy or a girl? Would her baby have Graham’s striking aqua eyes and her honey hair? One thing was for sure—this child would be strong-willed, determined and take charge, all qualities she and Graham possessed.
Eve’s mind went to the nursery, and she instantly envisioned Nora and Grace helping her decorate. She could hire a decorator, but this wasn’t a kitchen or bathroom job. No, Eve would take a hands-on approach to her baby’s room.
The water had cooled, but Eve was still content to just lie there and relax. The quiet of her home was a welcome reprieve. She’d been in meetings all day, had made numerous decisions regarding offices in several different countries. She wasn’t one to have idle time, but she had to admit this felt amazing.
She definitely had to listen to her body, and her body was tired and in need of some downtime.
“Eve.”
Water sloshed as she jerked and opened her eyes to see Graham standing in the door separating her bedroom from the bath. Her heart beat out of control in her chest. He’d scared the hell out of her.
She blinked, realizing she’d fallen asleep. The water chilled her now and she shivered as she started to get up.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping from the tub to reach for the towel from the heated bar. “How did you get in?”
His eyes raked over her, causing her chills to multiply for a totally different reason. “You were supposed to meet me an hour ago.”
Eve wrapped herself in the towel and secured the edge between her breasts. She’d been asleep that long? Maybe she was more tired than she’d thought.
“First, I never agreed to meet you after you demanded it.” She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes when his gaze dipped to her cleavage. “Second, you didn’t tell me how you got into my house.”
One slow step turned into two and suddenly he was in front of her. His fingertips trailed up her bare arms and shivers wracked her body. Without a word, he tipped his head to rake his lips lightly across her jawline. Eve fisted her hands at her sides. She wanted to clutch him and give in to what he was obviously offering, but she had to think with her head, too.
“You smell amazing,” he muttered as his mouth continued to explore her skin. “I worried when you didn’t show up.”
Eve cursed herself when her head tipped back. With this man, she didn’t have control over her body. The fact that he worried about her warmed her, but she couldn’t think like that. They weren’t in a relationship. In fact, last time she’d talked to him, they were more divided than ever.
“Graham.” She pushed at his chest. “We can’t do this.”
Her slight shove did nothing to budge him. Wrapping his arms around her, he met her eyes.
“Brooks and I have an unspoken understanding.”
Eve narrowed her gaze, waiting for him to elaborate. “And that’s him keeping his investigator out of my family’s business?” she asked when it was clear he wasn’t going to go into detail.
“He’s staying out of this for now. I don’t want to talk about my brothers or your father.” He nipped at her lips. “Trust me, Eve. I won’t hurt you.”
Trust him. Oh, how she wished she could. She had a secret she wasn’t ready to reveal and he wanted her trust. And he may not intend to hurt her, but he was hell-bent on destroying her father, which in turn would most definitely hurt her.
With an expert flick, he had her towel open and gliding to the floor before she could stop him. Every intimate encounter before now had been frenzied, frantic, clothes flying and lips exploring. Something about this slow seduction in her bathroom seemed even more...intimate. Were they crossing a line or was she just reading into this?
“Stop thinking,” he demanded in a whisper against her ear. “Feel, Eve. Only feel.”
As if she had any other choice.
He couldn’t touch her, taste her enough. When she hadn’t shown, he’d wondered if she was working, but then she hadn’t even replied so he’d panicked like some lovestruck fool. Considering he was neither in love, nor a fool, Graham hated how he’d let his imagination run away from him.
But then he’d gotten into her place, using the security code he’d seen her type in one other time, and every worry fled. Seeing her wet in that tub full of disappearing bubbles, he’d had one mission and that was to get his body on hers as soon as possible.
But he wanted to go slow. She looked positively exhausted, not that he’d ever tell her. He wasn’t an idiot when it came to women. Something about how vulnerable Eve looked resting in the bath stirred deeper feelings in him that he’d quickly tamped down, but he welcomed the rush of lust and desire.
He wanted her, he needed her and he planned on having her. Now.
Her bathroom was spacious, complete with a vanity island in the middle. Perfect. He scooped her up, sat her on the edge and stepped between her thighs.
Running his hands up her legs, over those rounded hips and over her waist, Graham wasn’t surprised when she trembled beneath his touch. Trembling was a nice start, but he planned on having her writhing, panting his name.
Her fingers curled around his shoulders. “We shouldn’t do this anymore,” she argued, but her words came out on a whisper, betraying her true feelings.
Graham slid one fingertip between her breasts and down to her abdomen. “And why is that?”
Eve sucked in a breath as her lids lowered. Yes. That was the reaction he wanted to see. Complete surrender.
“B-because. We want...”
Graham leaned forward, his mouth trailing along the path his finger had just traveled. “Oh, yes. We want.”
Her hands framed his face as she urged him back up to look at her. “We want different things,” she stated, her eyes holding on to his.
“Right now I’d say we want the exact same thing.”
“It’s not in here that I’m worried about.”
She had every reason to worry, but he meant it when he said he wouldn’t hurt her. Eve was innocent, but she may feel some of the aftershock of her father’s wrath. Everything that was coming down on them was a result of Sutton’s actions. If anyone was hurting Eve, it was her father. Couldn’t she see that?
“I told you to trust me,” Graham reminded her. His hand settled between