I picked her up and set her on the railing before moving to stand between her legs. My mouth hovered close to hers while I said, "Stop talking. You can't take it back now. You can't change your mind. Stop second guessing it."
"I'm being serious, Dane. I'm not changing my mind or taking it back." She had her hands pressed to my bare chest, keeping me at enough distance to look into my eyes as she spoke. "I only want to make sure this is the right thing and we're not being impulsive. It didn't become real until just now. I knew what I was saying when I told you yes, but now it hit me."
"When did you decide to resign?"
"This afternoon. I was at the beach, at our pier, and then headed straight to the office to give my resignation to HR."
"Why? I mean … why did you do it? Why quit if you wanted to be with me?"
"Because you said I can't be your assistant and be with you at the same time."
I kissed her again, slow and thorough this time. "I love you, Eden." The rush of saying those words to her was exhilarating. "I'm so damn in love with you."
"I know," she said with a smile. "I told you that when you were, I'd know it."
"When did you know?"
"Shortly after I realized I'm in love with you, too. Thinking of you choosing a couch and tables meant for a bachelor pad made me realize how much I desperately wanted you to pick the ones meant for a family. And then I thought about you as a family man with someone else, and I couldn't handle it. That's when I knew I was in love with you. But I didn't know what to do about it, because I didn't know how you felt. Then, on Thursday, the furniture store called the office looking for you. They were calling to confirm the delivery. I knew I shouldn't have, but I needed to know, so I asked which items they had on the truck. They told me, confirming they were all the pieces I'd picked."
She wiped away a tear I hadn't even known had fallen.
"You chose me, Dane. Knowing you picked out and bought every piece I'd chosen proved to me that you chose me. You chose the family man, chose the couch and tables and entertainment center that I had liked. That's when I knew how you truly felt."
"Then why did you disappear? Why didn't you come to work today?"
She shrugged and looked to her lap, but I wouldn't let her turn away from me. I placed my finger beneath her chin and made her look me in the eye.
"I was excited to come to you, to tell you how I felt, but then Janette came to my office to talk to me." Her glossy eyes met mine. "I know you know. You don't have to act surprised. I don't know how you figured it out, but I'm kind of glad you did. I'm glad she did. We talked … a lot, and even though it was good, it kind of overwhelmed me. On top of my feelings for you, discovering your feelings for me, I then had to organize my thoughts and feelings about Janette knowing she's my mom. I needed space to sort it all out."
"And you have it all sorted now?"
"Yes. When I left the pier to turn in my resignation, I knew without a doubt I wanted to be with you. When I found out you'd moved, that's when I knew the answer to your questions. It was one thing when I discovered you'd ordered the furniture, but it was another thing entirely when I realized it wasn't for the condo you'd shared with Gabi. However … nothing solidified my decision more than finding out you were the one who bought the house I wanted, and you did it without knowing."
"Say you love me," I whispered against her lips with my eyes closed.
"I love you, Dane."
I held her against me and kissed her as if it were the first time. As if the act of kissing had been undiscovered until this moment. Until my lips met hers. Because no one had ever kissed like this. No one had ever felt this much joy, relief, or passion before. This kind of love was what everyone else strived for, and I'd found it with Eden.
I dragged her off the ledge, and with her legs and arms wound tightly around me, I carried her inside. I didn't stop until I'd made it to the bedroom, where I laid her gently on top of the mattress and held myself over her. I stared into her emerald pools and allowed myself this one moment to take it all in.
Slowly, she slid her hands up my chest to cup my face. It was enough to push me into action. To wake me up so I could see this wasn't a dream. This was real. Eden was in my arms, in my bed, in love with me. And I'd never let her go again.
She laid still with her hair fanned across the pillow while I removed every piece of her clothing. I didn't stop until I had her bare beneath me. I wanted to give every inch of her attention, worship every fiber of her being, but she wouldn't let me. With a firm grip in my hair, she drew me up her body until every part of us lined up. She removed one hand and slid it down my chest, into the elastic waistband of my shorts, and wrapped her delicate fingers around my throbbing cock.