Page 21 of Fractured Dreams

Apparently, this crazy attraction he’d been experiencing wasn’t one-sided. Now he had to deal with the knowledge that Eden wanted him too. They both wanted each other, and they were stuck living in the same house together for the next two weeks.

He had to reach down and adjust himself to ease the ache in his cock as he remembered the expression on Eden’s face when she’d been looking at him—thewantin her eyes as her gaze had skimmed down over his chest. He’d felt it almost like the ghost of fingers trailing along his skin, and he’d been instantly hard. Her breathing had quickened as her gaze dipped down, but it was when she bit her plump bottom lip that he was forced to stop her. Before he gave in to temptation, ripped that bikini from her body and took her like an animal by the side of the pool—Noah be fucking damned.

She’d been startled out of her trance, and if he hadn’t already known where her thoughts were, he’d have figured it out then when the flush on her chest crept up her neck and burned hotly in her cheeks. She’d looked horrified, leaping up and rushing inside with an excuse about making dinner.

Tex raked his hands through his hair. Perhaps he should leave—move back home. Eden hadn’t wanted him there to start with anyway, and she’d be fine on her own.

But a part of him rebelled at the idea. Not only shouldn’t he leave her when he’d told both her and Noah that he’d stay, but he didn’t really want to. He fuckinglikedher. Liked being around her, seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, listening to what she had to say. As hard as it was not being able to touch her, it was a sweet kind of torture, because he’d realized the last few days that being around her made him happy. Happier than he’d been in a while. As much as he lived for playing with Fractured, and enjoyed writing music with Connor, there’d always been a part of him sitting empty, just waiting to be filled. The part that craved an intimate connection with someone. It was just his fucking luck he might have finally found it and it was with someone he couldn’t—or at least shouldn’t—have.

So, it’d be difficult, but he’d stay. He and Eden were both adults, aware of the repercussions if they were to act on what they were feeling. They could control themselves. Then, when Noah returned, they’d go back to only seeing each other occasionally. And hopefully the burning attraction that was consuming him, the urge to touch and taste and just fuckingtakeher, would go away.

Tex stared out at the ocean, trying to figure out what had changed over the last year and a half to cause this insane desire to flare to life. As if when he did, he could do something about it—hit reset and go back to thinking of her as only Noah’s little sister. So he could stop feeling so guilty about all the things he suddenly wanted to do to her.

But he couldn’t figure it out. Maybe it was simply that the change from teenager to adult had been so gradual, it had taken that amount of time without seeing her to jog his brain into looking at her in a different light.

And now that he had, he couldn’t seem to stop.

There was no doubt she was beautiful. From her big blue eyes, surrounded by long, naturally dark lashes, to her full, soft lips, to her perfect breasts, small waist, and long legs. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, imagining what it would be like to have her spread out before him—his for the taking.

But it wasn’t only how gorgeous she was, or how much he enjoyed her company, it was also the latent sensuality he could see in her that was driving him crazy. As if she were just waiting to experience everything the world had to offer her—including exactly how good it could be between a man and a woman. And fuck, he wanted to be the one to show her that, because he’d bet her bastard of an ex hadn’t bothered to.

Tex swore, his eyes closing and his head falling back against the chair at the thought of the things he could do to—with—Eden.

He couldn’t though, he couldn’t do it. Because aside from the significant issue of betraying his friend, he couldn’t shake the feeling that if he went there—if he gave in to temptation—it wouldn’t just be a straightforward slaking of lust, a simple exploration of each other’s bodies. Because he felt something for her. Already. And if he gave in, he knew there was a chance he might fall hard and fast for her. And then what? She was off to Oregon in two months; had a brand-new life she was looking forward to starting. A life that would have no place for him in it.

So, he needed to ignore the fact she wanted him, needed to ignore how much he wanted her, and just try to get through the next few weeks keeping his dick in his pants and his hands to himself.

Gathering his resolve around him Tex picked up their empty bottles to take into the house.

He could do this.

Chapter 12

Eden jerked awake from an already fading dream, the sound of a slamming door echoing in her ears. She rubbed at her bleary eyes. It must have been Tex, leaving early to go to the recording studio. She remembered him saying something about having another practice session with End of Daze, the band they were going to be performing with tomorrow night.

God, Tex. She groaned and threw her arm over her eyes. She was exhausted after tossing and turning all night, playing the embarrassing memory from yesterday over and over again in her head. What had happened to her? When had she become so sex-crazed? She couldn’t remember ever responding to Mason this way, even right at the start. He’d excited her, she’d gotten butterflies in her stomach when she thought about him, but she’d never experienced the overwhelming desire that seemed to flood through her whenever she was around Tex now.

But maybe it was because of Mason that she was feeling this way. Maybe it was her body’s instinctual awareness of what—or who—could help her begin to heal emotionally. After what she’d seen Mason doing, how much it had hurt, maybe she just needed someone to help her feel good about herself again. And being with Tex, well, there was no doubt in her mind he’d be able to help her feel very, very good.

But what would she be risking if she allowed herself to act on that need? The relationship she had with him now? His relationship with Noah, if Noah found out they’d fooled around? Not to mention the risk to her heart. Because Noah had been right when he said she wasn’t the type to sleep around without getting emotionally involved. And she had a strong suspicion that Tex would be able to hurt her far more than Mason ever could if it came to that.

But oh, it would be so very, very good.

Eden shivered, then groaned again. She was going around in circles. There was no point thinking about it anyway. Whatever attraction Tex was feeling, and she still wasn’t certain he was feeling any, he wouldn’t make a move. There was no way he’d risk his friendship with Noah for her, so she was making her head hurt for nothing. She needed to forget about it and hope the desire went away soon.

Eden’s stomach growled, reminding her she was starving after having only picked at her dinner the night before. Sitting awkwardly across the table from a near-silent Tex after he’d caught her fantasizing about him had completely destroyed her appetite. She’d pleaded tiredness and gone to bed early, unable to take the thick tension between them. Now he’d left for the day and she was both relieved and dejected.

She dragged herself out of bed, and without bothering to shower, change, or even put on a bra, since Tex wasn’t there, she stumbled downstairs in only her sleep shorts and cami top.

Eden poured herself a glass of orange juice and sipped it slowly as she debated cooking a hot breakfast, but she couldn’t muster the energy, deciding on cereal instead. She opened the top cupboard that Noah kept his cereal bowls in, having to stretch to reach the top of the stack.

Why the hell were the cupboards so high? Oh, that’s right, Noah was a fricking giant. She didn’t know where he got his giant genes from, since their parents were average height, like her.

Just a little further… The tips of her fingers touched the rim of the top bowl, cool air brushing the small of her back as her top rode up. Two things happened at once. Footsteps sounded behind her, and her fingers slipped on the bowl, causing the stack to tip forward and begin to topple.

Eden let out a squeal, imagining the whole pile coming down on her head. But before it could, a huge, hard body pressed against her back and a muscular, tattooed arm reached up and caught the bowls before they fell.

Time slowed to a crawl as Eden froze in place. Stretched up on her tiptoes, back slightly arched and a very hot, very hard, very shirtless man pressed up against her back. Dammit, she must have still been half asleep and dreaming when she thought she’d heard the front door close. She sank back down on her heels, took a deep fortifying breath, then turned around slowly.

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