Chapter Three
Eden drew a breath to center herself as she waited for Jay to return. After her friends had left, their encouraging words still echoing in her brain, she’d changed into sexy clothes, not to mention her favorite stilettos, but there was a part of her that could hardly believe she was actually going to go through with such a devious plan.
When Jay had first opened the door and she’d set eyes on his half-naked body, all wet and sexy from his recent shower, she’d felt a brief moment of hesitation and wondered if she was biting off more than she could chew. The man was smoking hot and if things went according to her plan, then after tonight life as they both knew it would be forever altered.
She was hoping her seduction would bring the two of them closer, to show him how good they could be together, but there was still a small part of her that feared it could tear their friendship apart—that he would think she was some sort of sexual deviant and run the other way. But how could she possibly continue to go on dreaming and fantasizing about a future with Jay without doing something about it? No, she had to do this. She had to show him the real Eden Carver and get him to notice her as something more than a pizza-and-movie pal.
“So, what do you think?” Jay asked, his deep, sexy voice curling her toes as he came back into the room.
Eden glanced at him and he shifted from one foot to the other, like he was uncomfortable but trying to hide it. A fine shiver moved through her as she took in his recently laundered uniform and she had to bite back a moan of want when she noticed the way his shirt and pants hugged his sculpted body so flawlessly. He came closer and the rich scent of his freshly showered skin combined with the aroma of fabric softener had her hungering for him with an intensity that was almost frightening.
He widened his arms so she could examine him and that’s when she noticed the handcuffs. “Do I fit the lead male role?”
Oh, he fit it all right. He just had no idea how well.
“It was almost like it was written for you,” she answered, hoping her voice didn’t sound as mischievous as she felt.
Jay picked up his script and frowned. “I’ve never known you to take on such a racy role before.”
“A girl’s gotta stretch her acting muscles every now and then.”
“Actually, these lines seem a bit cheesy.”
Eden crinkled her nose and tried not to take offense. She was an actress, not a screenwriter for heaven’s sake, and the whole scenario played out much better in her head than it did on paper.
He flipped the page and read on. “Jesus, it reads like a bad porn movie. The main character likes to be tied up, spanked, and has all kinds of fetishes, like BDSM and exhibitionism.” He pulled a face. “She even wants her ex-lover to have sex with her in the alleyway. Are you sure you want this role?”
“I’m sure once we get into character and add the emotions, it will sound better.” With that she gave an efficient clap of her hands and said, “Okay, let’s take our places and pick up where the heroine finds herself cornered in a dark alleyway by two thugs. This is where you enter, scare the guys off, and come to her rescue.”
She watched his throat work as he swallowed. His voice came out a little rough, a little edgy when he asked, “Isn’t that the part where she seduces him?”
“Yeah,” she agreed, “it’s the part I’m having the hardest time nailing. So I thought we should pick it up there.”
Slipping into the role of damsel in distress, Eden mussed her hair and opened a few buttons on her blouse to make it look like she’d been fighting off her attackers.
Once she was ready, she pressed her back to the wall and gestured for Jay to come close. He glanced at the script, then back at Eden as he closed the distance, and an agonized look came over his face when he positioned himself in front of her, his body pinning hers against the wall.
“Did they hurt you?” he asked as he got himself into character for her.
“They tried but I was able to fight them off.”
They ran through the next few lines, and she hurried them to the spot where he kissed her. She put on her best sultry face and said, “I miss seeing you in your uniform.” She paused, traced her tongue over her lips, and added, “And I miss seeing you out of it.”
With his lips hovering over hers, everything in the way he had her caged with his chest to the way he was staring at her mouth generated heat inside her.
Prompted by need, she aligned her hips with his and pressed her sex against his groin. The movement was slight but from the tortured look on Jay’s face and the way his entire body stiffened, she knew he’d felt it.
Looking like he was in sheer agony, Jay dropped the script onto the floor and planted his hands on either side of her head. His voice came out a little broken, a little labored when he shifted his stance and asked, “Uh, so this is where I kiss you?”
She worked to find her voice. “Yeah,” was all she could manage to get out. Good God, she was down to one-word answers and if he didn’t do something soon she was going to explode into a million pieces.
When she met his glance, sexual tension arced between them, and she was certain anyone within a fifty-mile radius could feel the tremendous heat they were creating inside his condo.
Jay swiped his tongue over his bottom lip. “So I…uh…I guess I should kiss you now.”
Her entire body quivered in heated anticipation, because this was the moment she’d been fantasizing about for so damn long now. She knew he was waiting for a reply but since words were beyond her, she nodded, and when he dipped his head, bringing them eye-to-eye, ripples of sensual pleasure danced along her skin.
She poised, her mouth open, conveying without words what she wanted, but when he gave her a quick, jerky peck on her mouth, his lips barely scraping hers, a chaotic lump settled deep in her gut and she nearly sobbed from disappointment.
Maybe he really just wasn’t interested.
As she mulled that over, she listened to the pounding of his heart, and that’s when she noticed the way his breath was coming in quick, shallow bursts. He moved restlessly, and she took that moment to steal a downward glance. The second she spotted the huge bulge in his sexy work pants,
hope surged inside her.
Okay, so maybe he
was
interested, and maybe she was simply going about this all wrong.
With her mind racing a million miles an hour, she pushed him away. Deciding to change tactics, she dropped down onto the sofa and with renewed purpose she said, “This isn’t working. I can’t quite capture the emotions in the role. My character is supposed to be in grave danger before getting rescued by her former lover, and I’m just not feeling it.”
He almost looked relieved as he raked a shaky hand through his hair. “You want to call it a night?”
Eden crinkled her nose and knew she had to shake things up. She had to get him out of his comfort zone and into a place where he’d forget they were running lines and give in to his urges.
“Actually, I was thinking we could take it outside. You know, so we can recreate the scene in a dark alleyway, put ourselves in the situation, and really get into character.”
He gave a quick shake of his head. “It’s almost midnight, and I don’t want you in a dark alleyway by yourself. The city streets are dangerous.”
“I won’t be by myself. You’ll be there with me. And you’re not going to let anything happen to me, are you?”
That earned her a scowl. “Do you even have to ask?”
“No, I don’t. So I guess it’s settled then. Let’s take this show on the road, shall we, and see what we can come up with.”
…
Jay knew exactly what he could come up with. A rock hard erection, that’s what.
Fuck.
Even though he’d sworn he would never cross the line with her, the minute she’d pressed her soft, sensual body against his, his dick had hardened to the point of pain. And when she’d gyrated, aligning her hips with his, it had taken all his effort to keep his hard-on under wraps, a
lthough he was beginning to believe he hadn’t quite accomplished that task. When she’d glanced between their bodies he was pretty damn sure she’d glimpsed his traitorous cock. How could she not, considering the insistent way it was pressing against his unforgiving work pants?
Before he could tell her it wasn’t settled, she scooped up their scripts, tucked them under her arm, and bolted out the door.
“Come on, let’s go.”
With his lust-rattled brain hardly able to keep up, he called out to her, struggling to figure out a way he could help her without reenacting a sexy scene in the alleyway, but she’d already picked up the script and was out the door and halfway down the stairs before he could stop her.
“Dammit,” he cursed, and hurried after her.
By the time he caught up, she was already outside the building. With determination etched on her face, she headed to the small alleyway that separated their condo complex from the identical building beside it.
“Come on,” she said, waving him in.
“I don’t know.”
She frowned. “Okay, if you’re not up to it, I guess I can ask Mike Douglas from down the hall.”
An unwise pang of jealousy hit and there was nothing he could do to bank it. As an actress, she must kiss different men all the time. He understood that was part of her job, but the thought of her kissing Mike didn’t sit well with him, especially since he saw the hungry way Mike always looked at her.
“Fine,” he conceded halfheartedly, looking into the alleyway. At least they were in a safe neighborhood and not downtown where it was dangerous, and since he was in his work wear, if anyone happened upon them they’d either think he was a cop in the line of duty or getting his kink on with his girlfriend. “Let’s just get this done.”
“Okay,” she said as she toyed with her top button, her glance darting around to check the location as she got herself into the role. When she looked back at him, her smile was more seductive than sweet and suddenly all he could think about was nailing her against that wall and taking her hard and fast.
But this was sweet Eden Carver. Even though she tempted him in mind-fucking ways, he was here to help her run lines, not hold her down hard and fuck her.
“Why don’t we pick this up at the beginning?” She gestured with a nod toward the parking lot. “Go out there and wait for my signal.”
Moonlight spilled over them, giving him sufficient light to see her features but not enough to see the small print on the script. “It’s dark, and I won’t be able to read my lines.”
She paused for a moment, and he hoped she was thinking about calling it off.
She dropped the script. “Why don’t you just follow my lead?” she finally suggested, and if he wasn’t mistaken there was something very sensual and suggestive in her eyes as they moved over his uniform. “As long as I read mine correctly, you should be able to respond like any cop would. You know, just wing it. Do and say what comes naturally.”
He was about to protest again, to tell her that probably wasn’t a good idea—for reasons he couldn’t quite admit—but she waved him away and began getting herself into character, the way he’d watched her do numerous times in the past when he’d helped her rehearse.
“Fine,” he conceded unenthusiastically, only because this was so important to her. He twisted on the balls of his feet and walked away from her. The warm night air moistened his skin and he scrubbed a shaky hand over his face as he left Eden to get into character.
He, too, needed to get into character and summon all his control to try to get through this scene without tearing the clothes from her body, save for those high heels, and ravishing her—caveman style.
He stood near his truck and as he waited for her signal, he wondered what was taking her so long. Was it possible that she was having second thoughts about rehearsing such a sexy scene with him? After all, this provocative role was a real stretch for her. And maybe he’d mistaken her nervousness earlier. Maybe she had concerns about what she was asking him—a friend—to do and less about her apprehension over getting the role.
He tossed that idea around in his mind and hoped like hell he’d gotten off lucky and she’d changed her mind about all this. When she called out to him, he frowned. Guess not.
He rushed to the mouth of the alleyway, but when he saw her, saw the way she looked so mussed and sexy, blood pounded through his veins and knocked him off-kilter. He braced his hand on the wall beside him and worked to stifle the emotions and sensations bombarding him as he took in the gorgeous woman waiting for him to come to her rescue.
In the moonlit alleyway her eyes met his, big wide saucers full of surprise and relief. “Officer,” she rushed out, a note of desperation in her voice as she followed the scripted lines. “They went that way.” She turned her head and pointed to the opposite end of the passageway.
“Did they hurt you?” he asked, remembering his next line as he did his best to get into character for her.
But by God, she looks sexy.
“They tried, but I was able to fight them off.”
“You were very brave,” he said, pitching his voice low as he closed the distance between them, but when he moved into her personal space,
she gasped and regarded him with wide eyes.
“It’s you.”
“Yeah, it’s me,” Jay said and glanced up and down the alleyway to check for danger before he asked, “What are you doing out here alone?”
She pushed her blond curls off her face and gave a defiant tilt of her head, like she knew a lecture was coming. As he watched her play out the scene, lust mingled with pride, because he realized just how good she was at this, just how believable and convincing she could be when she put her mind to it.
“I had a late shift at the hospital and I was in a hurry to get home.”
He stood before her and dipped his head until their gazes clashed. “How many times do I have to tell you it’s not safe to take shortcuts?”
When he took a measured step closer, his body crowding hers like the script demanded, it triggered a reaction in her. He felt a tremble move through her as her hand reached out to surf along his jaw. He put his large palm on the small of her back to drag her closer, and that’s when he realized that the scene they were rehearsing was so damn familiar to the fantasies he’d had about her. Her fingers tracked lower to slide along his stiff collar and, from the way she was looking over his attire, he’d hazard a guess that her character also had some sort of uniform fetish.