Page 41 of Mr. Scandalous

No denying the sultry blaze in his hot eyes.

Alec was happy to see her.

ChapterTen

Alec couldn’t believehis eyes. Eden, his fantasy goddess, was right there in his sister’s den, breaking her own rules.

She smiled as he approached. A sly, seductive smile that took his breath away and made him think of throwing her over his shoulder caveman-style and carting her off to the nearest bedroom. Never mind his mother and four sisters were in the vicinity.

He raked his gaze over her.

She wore a long black coat, which shouldn’t have been provocative, but combined with those black leather vixen boots wrapped around her legs, it was. In fact, his mind splintered off in a million directions. What did she have on beneath that duster on this sultry summer day?

Her chestnut curls were pinned loosely to her head and long, soft tendrils trailed around her heart-shaped face. He imagined reaching over, removing the pins and watching the rest of her hair tumble. Small pearl earrings and a pearl choker shone with a luminescent glow in the light from the nearby window. He was close enough to spot a hint of sheer black lace peeping from the V-neck of her collar.

What was she wearing under that coat? He had to find out.

“Why hello,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“My assistant called in sick, so I brought the basket myself. I’m afraid your sister took me hostage and wouldn’t let me leave.” Eden shrugged.

She appeared serenely nonchalant, and she might have gotten away with her act if he hadn’t caught the movement of her fingering something in her palm. When he recognized the worry stone, he suppressed a grin. No matter how cool she tried to play it, Eden was as unsettled by the potent sexual energy surging between them as he was.

“That’s our Sarah,” he said. “Force of nature.”

“She’s quite persuasive.”

“Sometimes to the point of being annoying. At other times, like now, I thank heavens for her steamroller personality.”

“I was just about to leave.” Eden gestured toward the front door.

“To keep your date with me?”

She met his gaze and didn’t flinch. “Yes.”

He spread his arms wide. “Here I am.”

“So I see.”

“Who are you tonight?” he asked, his pulse racing with anticipation.

“I don’t know. My plans have been thrown.”

“We can adapt.”

“Stop staring at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like...you know.” She fidgeted in her seat. “We don’t want your family figuring out what’s going on.”

“Alec, Eden, we’re heading to the kitchen for the dinner buffet. You guys up for chow?” Sarah asked as the rest of the guests filed from the room.

Eden got to her feet. “Thank you so much, Sarah, it’s been very nice meeting you all, but I really do have to get back to the city.”

“I’ll give you a ride,” Alec said. He liked the idea of having her in his car.

“That’s okay,” Eden said, and shot him a dirty look. “I’ll order an Uber.”