When Day Breaks(91)

When Swanny got Eden into the middle seat, Skylar went to the opposite door while Edge took the front seat next to the hired security specialist driving the SUV.

Swanny didn’t like Edge being in such a vulnerable position. After what had happened when their vehicle had been hit with an RPG and the driver had been killed, if a similar attack happened, Edge was an open target. The very last thing Swanny wanted was to lose a teammate. A brother.

Eden was more at ease as they drove to the hotel. She was relaxed, leaning into Swanny’s side, snuggling as if seeking his strength and warmth. Uncaring of how it appeared to his teammates, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to his body. She laid her head on his shoulder and let out a sigh.

“One more day of shooting and then the launch party and we’ll be done with this,” she said, relief evident in her voice. “I won’t lie. I’m ready for this to be over with. It scares me that you and your team are in the line of fire. I’d never forgive myself if one of them—or you—were hurt or killed because of me.”

Swanny frowned because she sounded like she was ready to be done with it all. Including him.

He was suddenly struck with a raging case of nerves. He could feel his palms growing clammy. What if she didn’t feel the same way about him as he did about her? What if when this was over, she moved on, leaving him behind, only the memory of him being her first lingering in her mind?

He tried to block out his doubts and focus on the positive and hope for the best. It scared him to death to put his heart on the line. To open up to her completely and to be so direct in his planned conversation with her.

His head told him he was an idiot for even considering that a woman like her would have any interest in seeing him beyond the time they spent protecting her, but his heart clung to the tenuous hope that he was more to her than her bodyguard.

What if he got shot down?

He wished he could be more confident. But his demons wouldn’t go away. His dreams were still tormented by his time in captivity, though he had noticed that when Eden slept with him, she chased away those demons, calming his inner beast and soothing away the pain of the past.

But he had visible reminders of his captivity. Could a woman like Eden look beyond those? In her career, where beauty and elegance was a part of her daily life? He couldn’t imagine her ever wanting to show up to an event on his arm.

Beauty and the Beast. Literally. Only real life wasn’t a fairy tale and no happily-ever-afters were ever guaranteed. He’d seen love work with the Kelly brothers. Other members of the KGI team. But he’d never considered it for himself. Never thought he would even entertain the thought.

And yet he knew in the deepest recesses of his heart that he loved Eden beyond measure. He felt the worst kind of fool for setting himself up for such a huge fall. He wasn’t even sure when he’d fallen for her. She’d certainly had his attention from the moment he met her, but looking back he couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment when love had happened.

It seemed he’d always felt it toward her, growing even more the first time they made love and he discovered he was her first. That had humbled him in a way he’d never been humbled in his life. It still had the power to bring him to his knees. It was a gift he’d treasure forever, no matter what happened between him and Eden.

But he knew one thing. No matter where life took him, he’d never love another woman as he did Eden. Nor would he ever meet another woman of her caliber.





CHAPTER 30


EDEN issued an audible sigh of relief once Swanny and part of his team had entered her suite and swept the interior while Edge and Skylar had remained in the hallway with her, flanking her protectively and watching for any sign of anyone in the hallway.

They’d rented out the entire floor of rooms so they’d be the only occupants, and the hotel had put a block on anyone stopping on their floor on the elevator. But the stairway presented an issue because they couldn’t lock it in case they needed to get out fast, and they damn sure needed more than one option for escape.

Now everyone was gone except Swanny, and she sank onto the couch, only wanting Swanny next to her, his arms around her.

“Want to get undressed and into more comfortable clothing?” Swanny asked before he sat next to her. He stood just in front of her, as if waiting to see what she wanted before he decided on his position.

“Only if you’ll come to bed with me and hold me,” she said, watching for his reaction.

It bothered her that she was still so unsure of herself, or rather of him. She wasn’t used to being anything but confident in her life and career. But this was something she’d never encountered before.