Kate Hoffmann - Marcus

“It’s possible,” Eden replied. “I’ve come back here to be with him, if he’ll have me. I don’t want to live without him, Daddy. I can’t.”

“You’re going to propose to him?” her father asked.

Eden shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I just want to make sure that he and I have a future together and we’re never apart again.”

“Eden, you’re still very young and-”

“Daddy, this is what I want. I know I’ve said that before and you have no reason to believe me this time. But so much has changed for me. I want to have a life with him and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

“What do you see in this man that you didn’t see in the others?”

Eden smiled. “Oh, Daddy, there’s so much. He’s kind and he’s steady and he watches over me. And when I make mistakes, he helps me to understand what I’ve done wrong, but he doesn’t judge me. He lets me be myself but a better Eden Ross than I’ve ever known.”

“How will you live?”

“That’s why I asked for this meeting,” she said.

“Well, now we get down to business.”

“I don’t want money. I want a job.”

Trevor Ross chuckled. “You’ve never had a job in your life.”

“I know, but it’s time I did something productive. And I was hoping you could find a place for me in your company. It doesn’t have to be anything important. I could work in the mail room or I could do filing. I’d be willing to go back to school to learn what I needed.”

“You’re not serious,” Ross said.

“I am,” Eden replied. “But I’ll understand if you don’t want me working for you. I can’t offer much in the way of references or previous experience. But I promise I’ll work hard.”

He considered her offer for a long time, his face caught in a deep scowl. “All right,” he finally said. “But the first time you screw up, I’ll-”

“I understand,” she said. “And I won’t.”

He stood and held out his hand, then realized what he was doing and pulled it back. He circled his desk and gave her a perfunctory hug. “Report to the Providence office on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. I’ll have you meet with Human Resources and see what we can find.”

Eden smiled, emotions overwhelming her. The first piece of her plan had fallen so easily into place. “Thank you, Daddy.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long hug. “I promise I won’t disappoint you.”

He drew back, and for the first time in a long time Trevor Ross smiled at his daughter. “I suppose I have Marcus Quinn to thank for this?”

“Maybe,” Eden said with a smile. “A little bit.”

“Well, why don’t you invite him to lunch with us? He’s down on the boat, finishing up the job I gave him.” Her father paused. “He’s good at what he does, Eden. I like his work. And I like him. You could do a lot worse than Marcus Quinn.”

“But I couldn’t do better,” Eden said. She drew a deep breath and steadied herself. “Wish me luck.”

He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand. “How could he refuse such a beautiful woman?”

Eden pushed up on her toes and kissed her father’s cheek. “Thank you, Daddy.” She hurried to the door, but her father’s voice stopped her.

“There is one other thing.” He opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a videocassette, then held it out to her. “I just received this by messenger. I thought you might like to dispose of it yourself.”

“I’ll leave that up to you,” she said with a grateful smile. “And I promise, I’ll do my best to pay you back, Daddy. I’ll make you proud of me.”

He nodded, and Eden hurried out of the study through the main hall. She threw open the wide doors to the terrace and kicked off her shoes. The grass was cool on her feet as she ran down the lawn toward the water. When she reached the dock, Eden shaded her eyes and stared out at Victorious, rocking at anchor.

Her heart began to beat faster again and she couldn’t help but smile. Though it had been only a week, the days had seemed like years since she’d seen Marcus. She felt like a silly schoolgirl, all flushed and nervous.

It was a first date of sorts. From now on, things would be much simpler. She wouldn’t have to always be watching her back, waiting for her past to catch up with her. She had a chance to begin again.

The dinghy was tied up to the swim ladder, and she couldn’t see Marcus anywhere on board. Eden shrugged out of her jacket. She’d made the swim once before, the day they’d met. Making it again would give her time to calm her nerves and prepare her for her proposal.

She finished stripping down to her underwear, then dived neatly off the end of the pier. The water was warm and clear, and as she swam she felt a curious serenity overcome her. For the first time in her life she knew exactly what she wanted, who she wanted, and he was waiting on that boat. She ought to have been afraid or at least a little nervous, but Eden realized that she had nothing to lose. She’d already lost it all and was determined to get back what she couldn’t live without.

Even if he didn’t accept her proposal, she wasn’t about to give up. Now that she’d be living in the area, she’d find a way to convince him that what they had was worth saving. No man had ever touched her the way Marcus had, and in her heart Eden knew they were meant to be together.

By the time she reached the boat, she was breathless, not from the swim but from anticipation. She’d thought about Marcus so many times over the past week, imagined them together, lost in an endless kiss. As Eden climbed the swim ladder, she shivered, the breeze causing goose bumps to rise on her skin. She brushed the wet hair from her eyes, then walked to the hatch for the master suite.

He was there, sitting in the center of the berth, his back to her, tools spread out around him. A tiny smile twitched at Eden’s lips as her gaze slowly took in the broad shoulders and narrow waist. Her fingers clenched and Eden realized that she knew exactly how his skin would feel, how his mouth would taste.

The man had burned himself into her being, and everything about him, from the tiniest detail, now fascinated her. She stood in the hatchway, her arms braced on either side of her, her body still dripping water.

Eden watched as he shifted, then slowly straightened, his back still to her. She held her breath, wondering if he’d sensed her presence. “Hi, Barney,” she said softly.

He tipped his head back and took a deep breath, as if he’d merely imagined her voice. But then he slowly turned. His gaze met hers and Eden felt her limbs go weak.

His blue eyes scanned her body, and Eden shifted, the attraction between them intensifying by degrees. “I missed you,” she said.

He crawled off the bed and crossed the cabin to stand below her. Eden took a step down, and a moment later he grabbed her waist and swung her into the cabin. Without speaking, Marcus cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, frantically, deeply, starved for the taste of her. His hands moved over her body, touching every inch as if he needed to prove that she was real.

When he finally drew back, his fingers skimmed over her face, tracing every feature. “You’re here,” he said.

“I am.”

“I’ve been having these dreams and sometimes I was so sure you were with me. And then, I’d wake up and you wouldn’t be.”

Eden ran her finger along his lower lip, and he kissed her fingertip, holding her hand to his mouth. “I got all the way to California only to realize that we weren’t finished,” Eden said.

“No,” he murmured, kissing her palm. “We aren’t. I’m not sure we’ll ever finish with each other.”

Eden smiled, her gaze searching his. “I’m counting on that. I’m back to stay. I’ve asked my father to give me a job.”

“You’re here for good?” Marcus asked. “Here with me?”

“If you’ll have me.”

Marcus took a deep breath and then shook his head, a smile playing about his mouth. “I don’t know, Princess. You can be a real pain in the ass.”

“I’m working on that,” Eden said solemnly, wanting him to know she meant it. “You have to give me time.”

“I guess I could do that,” Marcus conceded with a twinkle in his eye. He pushed her back toward the bed and then tumbled them both onto it. “But you may have to convince me.”

Eden stared into his handsome face, her fingers smoothing his hair out of his eyes. This was the man she loved, and though she hadn’t said the words yet, she knew it in her heart. “We’ll have to leave that for later. My father wants you to join us for lunch up at the house. I think he wants to talk to the man who has finally tamed his daughter.”

“Oh, I don’t think I want to tame you, sweetheart,” Marcus said. “I like you just the way you are.”

“Well, I suppose I can’t rid myself of all my wild inclinations,” Eden admitted.

“Are you sure I don’t have time to tear your clothes off and make love to you before we eat?”

Eden thought about his offer, then shrugged. “Only if you’re very, very quick about it.”

“Sweetheart, when it comes to making you moan, I’ll do it any way you want.”

Eden giggled and rolled on top of him, tossing aside her bra and shaking out her wet hair. “I bet you won’t last five minutes,” she challenged.

Marcus grinned. “I’ll take that bet.”

MARCUS PULLED THE TRUCK up in front of his parents’ house on a quiet street in Bonnett Harbor. He switched off the ignition and then leaned back in the seat. “Are you worried?” He glanced over at Eden to see her fidgeting in the passenger seat, a plate of brownies on her lap.

It had been two weeks since she’d come back from California and they’d spent nearly every free moment together. She’d started work the Monday before last, and while she was away, Marcus had finished the project on Victorious. At night they’d slept on board, preferring to keep to themselves.

After Eden’s father had bought the video back, there’d been no more speculation about what was on the tape. And though she’d been hounded by the press, with each day that passed, their interest in her dimmed. A former party girl who now worked as a file clerk for her father’s business didn’t hold much interest for the general public. Ian still hadn’t found the other video, and Marcus was beginning to worry about what had become of it.

“Before we go in, there’s something I need to tell you,” he said.

“What? Is my hair all right?” She reached up and smoothed her hand over her head. “Do I have something in my teeth?” Eden grabbed the rearview mirror and twisted it so she could see her reflection.

“No, you look beautiful,” Marcus said. “Perfect.”

“Then what?”

He drew a deep breath. “You know that tape we made?”

Eden nodded.

“Well, it kinda got lost. I mean, I think I know where it is. Or Ian does.”

She gasped. “You gave the tape to Ian?”

“No, no. He took it. By mistake. It was in the camera, and he borrowed the camera without my permission and-” Marcus paused. “I’m sorry. This is a mess, but I really don’t think it’s going to turn up on the Internet. I just think it’s temporarily misplaced.”

Eden stared at him for a long moment, then smiled. “I was wondering when you were planning to tell me.” She grabbed her purse and reached inside, then handed him a camcorder tape. “It was sitting in front of the door when I stopped by your loft to pick up the mail last week.”

“Oh, jeez,” Marcus said, relief flooding through him. “I’m sorry. This is getting shredded the minute we get home.”

Eden snatched the tape back. “No! I think we should make a sequel.” She popped the tape back into her purse. “But from now on, we’ll make sure to keep it in a safe place, all right?”

Marcus leaned across the seat and kissed her, his mouth lingering over hers for a long time before he drew away. Life couldn’t get more perfect. He and Eden were together and there wasn’t any doubt in his mind that it would be forever. And it was finally time to let his brothers in on their secret affair. He’d chosen Sunday dinner with the Quinns to be her coming out party. He hoped his family would accept her, but even that didn’t really matter.

“Are you ready to go in?”

Eden stared straight ahead, worrying at her lower lip with her teeth. “In a minute,” she said.

“Are you nervous?” Marcus asked.

“No,” she said, her voice tight. “Yes. Am I supposed to be? I feel a little sick. Maybe we could do this in phases? One family member at a time?”

“You’ve already met my mother and she likes you, so that means everyone else will, too.”

“But how’s she going to feel when she figures out I lied to her about who I was? She thinks I’m Liselotte Bunderstrassen.”

“Well, that’s what the brownies are for,” Marcus said.