Page 36 of Fractured Dreams

And she was still so young. Not that she wasn’t mature—she was, in all the ways that counted—but she wasn’t worldly. She hadn’t experienced enough of life to be making decisions about her future, with him or anyone else. Plus, she’d be leaving in a few months. He had no idea where her head was at regarding that. Would she even want to keep seeing him? Would she want to come back to LA or stay in Oregon afterward? She had her whole life in front of her and just because he’d already considered the possibility of a future together didn’t mean the idea had even entered her head. He needed to keep himself in check, keep things casual. After all, he knew from firsthand experience that jumping into a serious relationship too early, at too young an age, could backfire, hurting more than one person in the process.

That thought was like being doused in cold water. The last thing Tex wanted was to sweep Eden up in his desire to have her. To convince her that what he wanted was what she wanted. Because that’s exactly what had happened to his parents and look how that had turned out. His mother had figured out too late that being with him and his dad wasn’t what she wanted, and she’d broken both their hearts when she’d left.

And if he went and let himself fall in love with Eden and it all came crashing down the way it had for his dad, he wasn’t sure his heart would recover. Or what it would mean for his friendship with Noah, or for Fractured, if things went really bad. After all, Noah had Crossfire now, would he consider walking away?

Tex rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the tension that filled him. He was getting too much into his own head. He just needed to relax and enjoy what he had with Eden right now, not worry about what the future might hold. Spending this time with her, having her in his bed, it needed to be enough for now. It had to be enough, since it might end up being all he ever had.

The thought sat like lead in his stomach, and without waiting for Will and Eden to reach him, he turned and climbed into the car.

Chapter 21

Once they were both in the car and heading home, Eden asked him what Noah had called about. Tex gave her a quick overview, and, after he’d reassured her that her brother didn’t have any suspicions, she chatted happily about their morning, apparently unfazed about leaving early.

Tex did his best to act normally, but he couldn’t bring himself to say much in response, still stuck in the mire of his own thoughts. When Eden picked up on his mood, she quietened, watching him with a crease between her brows, a shadow darkening the bright blue of her eyes. Knowing his uncharacteristic silence was concerning her, but unable to voice the questions he was asking himself, Tex looked away out the window at the passing cars. He was being an asshole, but he had no idea how to deal with the situation he’d gotten himself into with Eden, all because he’d done the unthinkable and not kept his dick in his pants.

They spent the rest of the trip not talking, and when they got back to the house, Eden got out of the car first, keeping her gaze averted from him. She’d withdrawn too, in the face of his silence, and Tex felt like an absolute bastard. When she went around to the trunk and pulled the bags of produce out, he took them from her, hating the uncertainty in her eyes when she briefly met his gaze.

He led the way inside, taking the bags to the kitchen and placing them on the island countertop, before turning to see that Eden had followed him and was standing in the doorway, watching him with her eyebrows drawn.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong? Did Noah say something to you?” she asked.

Tex fought the urge to go to her, to pull her into his arms and kiss the doubt off her face, to replace it with heat and need, but he didn’t, the misgivings thrown up after his conversation with Noah rooting him in place. Instead, he leaned back against the counter. “No, darlin’, I’ve just been thinking.”

“Thinking,” she repeated, before swallowing nervously. “About this?” She gestured between the two of them.

He nodded, gritting his teeth when she tensed then crossed her arms, pulling into herself. “Do you want to stop?” She was trying to sound unconcerned, but the faint quiver in her voice gave her away.

For a fraction of a second Tex considered it, considered calling it quits, trying to go back to the way things were before he’d ever laid a finger on her, tried to imagine not being able to touch her, kiss her, make her cry out his name when he was deep inside her. He tried to imagine fucking someone else, seeing nothing but lust in their eyes instead of everything he saw in Eden’s when she looked at him: lust yes, but also compassion, warmth, intimacy, and need—forhim.For Tex the man, not Tex the rock star. A sudden, steely resolve overtook him, and he shook his head sharply. For better or worse, he’d had Eden now. He knew just how good it felt to be with her, in and out of bed. He’d be lying to himself—to both of them—if he said he wanted to stop now. He thought he might never want to stop.

“Then what are you thinking about?” Eden said, reacting to the shake of his head, her spine still stiff, the quiver still in her voice.

Tex pushed off the counter and stalked toward her, watching her pupils dilate as he closed the distance between them, although her arms were still folded tightly in front of her. He crowded close, reaching out and grasping the back of her neck to hold her in place as he leaned over her, seeing the bob of her throat as she was forced to tip her head back to maintain eye contact. For the first time he saw wariness in her eyes when she looked at him, and he wasn’t happy about it, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself either. The thought of not being able to have her again had done something to him, and now he had a driving need to show her exactly what she’d started when she’d bared herself to him.

Tex leaned even closer to her. “I’m thinking I want you wrapped around me again. Right fucking now,” he said, then crashed his mouth down on hers. She stiffened for a second before melting into him, her lips parting, her arms going around him, at the same time as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. He wasn’t going to let her know the fears and doubts that had tumbled around in his mind after Noah’s call. This right here was all that mattered, the connection between them. It was more than just physical, but it was too early in the game to be spending his time worrying about what else it was—or could be.

Tex tugged her top out of the waistband of her skirt and stripped it off her, before reaching around to undo her bra, sliding the straps off her shoulders and letting it drop to the floor between them. Then his hands were on her, kneading her full breasts, pinching and rolling her hard nipples between his fingers, all while he plundered her mouth until she was arching up against him, her hands going up and clenching in his hair as she whimpered.

Finally pulling back, Tex was almost vibrating with the need to be deep inside her, claiming her in every way possible. He reached up under the floaty little skirt she was wearing and yanked her panties down to her ankles, helping her step out of them before straightening to see Eden staring at him, eyes wide, lips swollen and a beautiful flush across her cheekbones.

He’d taken her hard and fast before, but he’d never felt so out of control. And Eden might be wide-eyed, but the wariness was gone, replaced by the same stark hunger that filled him. Not saying anything, he grabbed her waist, turning her and pushing her down until she was bent over the table, her hands pressed against the smooth wood on either side of her head.

Eden’s breaths were coming in needy little pants as Tex lifted her skirt, shoving it up over her hips until she was completely exposed to him; he groaned at the sight. His cock was pressing hard against his jeans and he quickly stripped off his clothes, hissing in relief as he took himself in hand and squeezed to ease the ache.

Tex palmed her ass with his other hand, massaging the supple flesh. He tried to restrain himself when he saw the red marks his fingers were leaving on her skin, waiting for her to tell him to stop, that he was being too rough. Instead, she begged, “Tex, please, please touch me.”

He growled, and still fisting himself, dropped his other hand to the slick folds between her legs, running his fingers up and down her, skimming over her clit again and again until she was crying out for more, before finally sinking two fingers into her. She inhaled sharply as she jolted against the table, her internal muscles already rippling around him. “That’s it sweetheart, I need you to come for me.”

She moaned and whimpered as he thrust his fingers in and out, using his thumb to rub her clit, over and over again until she went up on her tiptoes, her hands pressing hard against the tabletop as her orgasm hit. The feel of her pulsing around his fingers almost had Tex painting her ass with his own release, but he was greedy, and he wanted more.

More of her orgasms.

More ofher.

He pulled his fingers out, notched his cock against her still pulsing channel and drove into her with one hard stroke. Eden cried out, shoving herself off the table and arching back against him. Even though he was hanging on to his control by a thread, he was gentle as he pushed her back down, so she was lying flat again, her panting breath fluttering the blonde hair that had fallen over her mouth. Then he grabbed her hips and pumped into her, the feel of her—like a slick, hot vice around him—so good it was driving him out of his mind.

He reached around to her front, sliding his fingers through her wetness before stroking and pinching her clit, and it wasn’t long before she was coming again, the clenching of her body around him almost sending him over the edge with her. But he wasn’t done yet, didn’t know if he’d ever be done with her.

Pulling out abruptly, causing Eden to gasp at the sudden loss of him, Tex drew her up off the table, turned her toward him and lifted her in his arms so she could wrap her legs around him as he pushed back in. Then he took two steps forward and pressed her back against the wall, pinning her there as he resumed stroking into her.

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