She stared at him, her mouth pressed into a tight line. “It doesn’t have to be awful like the last one,” she murmured. “It can be sexy and wonderful and real. I want you to remember that it was real.”
“Eden, I’m not going to forget you.”
She nodded. “I know. But I want to share this with you. I trust you, Marcus. I know you would never use this to hurt me.”
He drew a deep breath, then handed the camera back to her. “Just promise me we’re going to burn this tape after we watch it,” Marcus said, letting his shirt drop to the floor.
Eden smiled. “No, I’m going to leave it with you as a memento of our time together. Every now and then you can watch it and it will be like I’m here.”
Marcus kicked off his boat shoes, standing in his bare feet. “I don’t think so,” he said. He undid his belt and Eden let the camera drift lower. “It would be a sad substitute for the real thing.”
“Slower,” Eden ordered, kneeling in the center of the bed and tucking her feet beneath her. “Take your time.”
“Are you the director?” he asked.
“For tonight,” she replied.
As he lowered the zipper of his khakis, Marcus was forced to admit that Eden’s little game was a huge turn-on. Undressing had always been a necessary step, but now it was entertainment. His sexual liberation at Eden’s hands had had no limits, and he didn’t want to stop now. “Is that slow enough?”
“Run your hand over your chest,” she said.
Marcus watched her, but Eden wasn’t looking at him. She was looking intently at the screen. If he wanted to seduce her, then he’d be forced to do it through the lens of the video camera. Smiling, he did as she ordered, smoothing his palm over his chest and belly.
When he reached his pants, he slipped his fingertips beneath the waistband of his boxers. He heard Eden take a sharp breath and her eyes went wide. A tiny smile quirked at the corners of her mouth. “That’s very nice,” she said.
Marcus slid his hand downward and was surprised to find that he was already hard. Though he was familiar with the art of pleasuring himself, he’d never done it in front of anyone. But he wasn’t embarrassed to do it for Eden as long as she found it…arousing.
“Touch yourself,” she murmured. “The way that I touch you.”
He pushed his boxers down, freeing himself from the confines of his clothing. Marcus slowly began to stroke himself, tipping his head back and imagining that it was Eden’s touch on his body. He grew harder with each movement, the sensations coursing through his body more intense because of her presence.
Marcus kept his pace slow, knowing that he wouldn’t finish on his own. He opened his eyes and looked at Eden. She ran her tongue along her lower lip, and he smiled, imagining her tongue running along the length of his shaft.
As if she could read his mind, Eden crawled off the bed and handed him the camera. She knelt down in front of him and tugged his boxers and khakis to the floor. Marcus kicked them aside, and a heartbeat later she took him into her mouth, her tongue caressing the tip of his penis with every stroke.
Marcus held up the camera and watched her through the view screen, his attention completely focused on Eden’s lips and his cock. He’d watched the occasional porno, but this was something much more tantalizing. It was happening to him.
Eden glanced up and smiled. “Tell me what you want,” she said. She ran her tongue along the length of his shaft. “You’re the director now.”
“Take your underwear off and lie down on the bed,” Marcus ordered. He walked over to the dresser and set the camera on top, focusing the lens on the bed. When he returned, Eden was lying across the sheets, her hands skimming over her body.
Marcus watched her for a long time as she touched herself, his fingers clenching with the urge to take over. But she was still performing for him, bringing his desire to a fever pitch. He’d never wanted a woman this badly, and when he finally spread her legs and pushed inside of her, Marcus was almost mindless with need.
The camera recorded every sigh, every stroke, but Marcus wasn’t aware of any of it. The moment he entered her, he was lost in a whirlwind of pleasure, Eden’s body responding to his every movement. He was rough and then gentle. She came twice without his touch, and it was only then that Marcus allowed himself to join her.
His orgasm sent uncontrollable tremors through his body, as if every nerve and muscle had been waiting for release. When he was spent, Marcus lay down beside her, his leg thrown across her hips, his fingers tangled in her hair. Though his mind was void of rational thought, one thing broke through the haze.
How was he supposed to live without this? Without her?
THEY HADN’T SLEPT AT all. They’d spent the night making love and then talking and then making love all over again, caught in an intimate cocoon. Eden curled into Marcus’s body and closed her eyes against the early dawn’s light at the windows.
“Promise me something,” she said.
He turned and pressed a kiss to her temple. “What?”
“Don’t bring another woman into this bed for a while. I don’t want to have to imagine that. If you promise me, then I won’t.”
“I promise.”
Eden knew he’d keep his word, at least for a little while. She trusted him completely. She pressed her lips against his chest and smiled. They’d watched their home movie, giggling over it at first but then allowing themselves to enjoy what they’d done.
Eden wasn’t sure what had possessed her to do it, but in the end she was glad that she had. Now this night would come to memory when she thought about a sex tape. This night full of unbridled passion and complete satisfaction with a man she loved.
She didn’t know how long it would be before they saw each other again-or even if they would-but perhaps when he needed her he might watch the tape again and remember how good it had been between them.
Eden pushed up on her elbow and looked down into his eyes. “Do you ever wonder what it would have been like? If I hadn’t been Eden Ross and…you know. How do you think it would have ended? Would we have been different together?”
Marcus picked up her hand from his chest and studied her fingertips, twisting her fingers between his. “I don’t know. You are Eden Ross and things are exactly as they are. We can’t change that.”
“When we began, it was all about sex. It was very uncomplicated and I thought that’s what I wanted.”
“But?” Marcus asked.
Eden sighed. “Do you ever think it might have been better if we’d believed there could be more between us?” She reached out and slowly ran her hand along the ridge of his collarbone, then traced a line down the center of his chest. Pressing her palm to his warm skin, Eden felt the slow, steady beat of his heart. What would it take to possess Marcus’s heart? Did she have it already or had he just lent it to her for the time they’d been together?
Marcus kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know.”
He grew silent and Eden cursed herself for bringing up the subject. He didn’t answer because he didn’t want to hurt her. It was obvious he had resigned himself to her leaving.
He slowly pulled his arm out from beneath her head, then sat up. “I’m going to get us some breakfast. There’s a bakery in town that opens in a little while. If I get there when they open, the cinnamon rolls are still warm.”
Eden drew the sheet up to her chin. “All right,” she said. “Do you want me to come with you?”
Marcus ran his hand along her arm, his gaze following his fingers. He shook his head. “I won’t be long. You could make some coffee.”
Eden smiled sleepily. “I know how to do that,” she said with a trace of pride. Of all the things she’d attempted so far, coffee had been a success.
She watched him get dressed, admiring the masculine beauty of his body, the long legs and well-formed arms, the wide back and flat belly. She’d touched him so many times, in so many places, that she’d lost sight of how the pieces fit together. Eden took a mental picture of him, then closed her eyes and tried to imprint it on her memory.
When he was dressed, he bent over the bed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back in a bit.” A few seconds later the door latched shut, and Eden rolled over, burying her face in the pillow.
