Part 18 (1/2)

Even though-G.o.d help her-she wanted to.

Pretending. This was only pretending. But Lord, it felt so good-the ardent way he was kissing her-and Eden knew with a flash of certainty that he wasn't wasn't pretending. He'd always wanted her, and he obviously still did, even though she'd hurt him as badly as she had. pretending. He'd always wanted her, and he obviously still did, even though she'd hurt him as badly as she had.

And didn't that that give her the ultimate power? give her the ultimate power?

Except for the fact that she was powerless when it came to her feelings for this man. Her heart had leaped at the sight of him, when she'd realized he'd come zooming, once again, to her rescue. She'd almost kissed him like this right there, in the dust of the front yard, after he'd pulled her down behind his car.

But she did did have the power, because it was now clear that-if she have the power, because it was now clear that-if she had had kissed him? He would have kissed her back, exactly the way he was kissing her now. kissed him? He would have kissed her back, exactly the way he was kissing her now.

He'd always tried to bury it-his l.u.s.t for her. He'd tried to hide it or dress it up, disguising it as something loftier-as love. And he'd probably even fooled himself. A lot of men did. I love you I love you really only meant really only meant I want to get with you I want to get with you.

Seeing him again-sitting here and talking to him-was...devastating. It was heartbreaking. It was soul shaking. It had pulled Eden back, hard, into that crazy place of longing and wanting. Longing for something she knew she'd never have. Wanting to believe words she knew couldn't be true. I love you I love you...

But I want to get with you... I want to get with you...

That she could handle. And as long as she knew what she was doing, as long as she stayed in control...

The SUV was pulling past them, heading down the street, and Eden broke free from that kiss, turning her head away as if she'd suddenly become aware of the light, hiding her face against the wide expanse of Izzy's shoulder, as the too-bright headlights slid past their car.

And then there they were, sitting in the dark again, both breathing hard.

”Sorry.” Izzy's voice was raspy, his breath hot against the side of her face as he exhaled hard, as he moved his hand from her b.o.o.b but still continued to hold her in his arms. ”I didn't know what else to do.”

”No,” she whispered as she, too, kept her arms around his neck. ”It's okay. If they were cops, I didn't want to have to answer their questions.”

”The cops are the good guys,” Izzy said, still not releasing her.

”Not always,” she said. ”But you are. You're always the hero. Coming to my rescue.” She lifted her head to look at him, and the look in his eyes was one that she'd remember on her deathbed. It was desire, pure and sweet.

”Eed,” he breathed, ”I think I might be on the verge of really s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g this up-our new friends.h.i.+p, our impending amicable divorce-”

She didn't let him finish. She just kissed him.

And on a scale from one to ten, it was completely off the charts.

Eden kissed him as if the world were ending.

Izzy saw it coming, and even though he saw it telegraphed in her eyes, in the way her tongue briefly moistened her lips, he still couldn't quite believe it. And he certainly didn't do anything to stop it.

But then, as she kept kissing him, he could could believe it, because this was Eden, and she wasn't just kissing him, she'd actually thrown her leg across him and straddled him-which was possible only because he'd adjusted the seat as far back as it could go and had reclined it quite a bit, too. believe it, because this was Eden, and she wasn't just kissing him, she'd actually thrown her leg across him and straddled him-which was possible only because he'd adjusted the seat as far back as it could go and had reclined it quite a bit, too.

And it was very, very clear that she, too, was h.e.l.l-bent on s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up their impending amicable divorce. Or maybe she wasn't. Maybe this was her crazy-a.s.s definition of being amicable.

Either way, it was obvious that they were both extremely willing pa.s.sengers aboard this particular bad-idea bus. And as she reached between them to verify that that was, indeed, him in all his glory and not the gears.h.i.+ft, he knew that, this time? He wasn't going to be the one to stop them.

He was done with that.

He'd spent nearly his entire premarriage relations.h.i.+p with Eden slowing her down to an absolute stop, and look at where that had gotten him. Decidedly unf.u.c.ked for all of his gallant efforts, except for their very brief wedding night. Oh yeah, and except for the ultimate f.u.c.king she'd given him shortly thereafter, by walking away.

Now, however, hoh jay jay-sus, she was simultaneously reaching into his pants even as she pressed and rubbed herself against him, all the while kissing the s.h.i.+t out of him.

His own hands weren't idle. He'd sent them on an a.s.signment up beneath her T-s.h.i.+rt, to find and unfasten the front clasp of her bra. Her skin was cool and silky, and-mission accomplished-he filled his hands with the unfettered softness of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as she moaned her approval.

She stopped kissing him to pull back slightly, her goal apparent-to unzip and free him from his pants.

His own choices were a) to pull up her s.h.i.+rt so he could kiss and lick the sweet tautness of her nipples into his mouth, or b) to start working to get her out of her jeans. That was going to be quite a task, involving an Olympic-worthy dismount-not to mention the impending awkwardness and self-consciousness that would no doubt come with her being half naked in a fishbowl-like car on a fairly busy suburban street.

True, there was currently no traffic and the streetlamp on the corner had long burned out. The circle of light from Greg and Ivette's porch lamp didn't begin to reach them, but still, Izzy was pretty certain that the odds of him actually getting laid right here, right now, were slim to none.

He did not doubt, however, that he was going to get a very lovely BJ, which was fine by him. Fine, that is, by this new, heart-hardened him.

Still, if he had his druthers, he'd prefer the big bang, and he took the optimistic route and unfastened the top b.u.t.ton of her jeans, his fingers against the smooth warmth of her stomach. She was wearing jeans with a b.u.t.ton fly, so he kept going-and found she was wearing the same red satin thong that she'd worn while stripping.

That discovery was either off-putting or hot, and he decided to let it be hot. And it did, absolutely, make him even harder as he remembered the way she'd moved when she'd danced. Or maybe he was responding to the un.o.bstructed touch of her impossibly soft hands as she finally untangled him from both his pants and briefs.

And there it came-the dismount he'd been expecting. She pulled away completely, leaving him the use of his own hands to recline his seat a bit more, and to push his pants and briefs a bit more down his thighs, away from any impending spill zone.

But when he realized what she was doing-kicking off her right sneaker and pulling her right leg free from her jeans in the age-old s.e.x-in-the-car tradition of not getting completely undressed-he dug for his wallet and the condom he always carried there in the event that he b.u.mped into Veronica Mars and Lieutenant Starbuck from BSG BSG, and they wanted to do him simultaneously.

Or in the event that he b.u.mped into Eden.

He kept that condom there, he had to admit, mostly because of Eden. Although before today, the idea that she'd seriously want to do him had seemed as absurd and impossible as a three-way with outer-s.p.a.ce-themed fictional characters, even though one of them was only named after a planet.

But he now took it out of his wallet, dropping the leather bifold that held his ID and credit card onto the floor of the car so he could more quickly cover himself. He focused on the task at hand-p.e.n.i.s, latex, rolling it carefully down-so he didn't have to think about the fact that he shouldn't be doing this.

And there, alas, it was: He shouldn't be doing this He shouldn't be doing this.

Izzy pushed the unhelpful thought away. Latex. p.e.n.i.s. Happy, happy p.e.n.i.s. Not quite quite as happy as it had been under Eden's sure touch, but that was going to change very quickly, very soon. as happy as it had been under Eden's sure touch, but that was going to change very quickly, very soon.

He shouldn't be doing- Oh, yeah, a.s.shole? Why the f.u.c.k not?

Because you still love her, dim nuts. And maybe-just maybe-she loves you, and this is some kind of a test- You are such a f.u.c.king moron. Test? She doesn't love you. This is just her twisted way of saying thank you. Just shut up and get it while you can. She'll be gone again, soon enough.

And where will that leave you? Freaked out and feeling like the s.h.i.+t that you are, because you know know that she thinks all guys want just one thing from her, and here you are on the verge of proving her right that she thinks all guys want just one thing from her, and here you are on the verge of proving her right.

Eden ended Izzy's mental argument with himself by coming back, slipping her completely naked right leg over him.

But no doubt about it, despite how far back he'd reclined his seat, that steering wheel was going to interfere. So even as she came toward him, he lifted her up, and moved them both up and over the parking brake, and quickly reclined that seat as far as it could go.

He reached out and touched her then, sliding his fingers up the entire gorgeously smooth length of her leg. She, in turn, had reached for him again, one arm bracing herself as she balanced there above him, and she stroked him even as she maneuvered him toward her, pus.h.i.+ng him just a little bit inside of her, and then a little bit more.

He watched her face, just letting her have complete control. Her eyes were closed, and she'd caught her lower lip between her teeth. But then, G.o.d, as she pushed herself down, all the way down, she opened her eyes and looked back at him.

Izzy had no idea what kind of expression he was wearing, but she seemed to think a conversation was in order.

”I was a little afraid it would hurt,” she whispered.