“Please,” she gasped, her hips arching forward.
The look on Eden’s face could only be described as feral as she dropped her gaze between Anna’s legs. Anna almost came on the spot. Eden brushed her free hand over Anna, toying with her before she finally took mercy on her and directed the showerhead so that it beat directly against Anna’s clit.
“Fuck!” Anna shrieked, her hips rocking into the spray. It felt so good, so good ... she clutched at Eden’s hips to keep herself upright. Anna felt herself clench as she reached her breaking point. With a groan, she was coming, grinding against Eden as the shower’s hot spray massaged every bit of pleasure from her body.
When she opened her eyes, Eden was watching her, bottom lip pinched between her teeth, eyes dazed with desire. “You are so hot,” she whispered before claiming Anna’s mouth for a searing kiss.
With trembling fingers, Anna took the nozzle from her and aimed it so that it hit Eden right where she needed it. She cried out, grippingAnna’s shoulders as she ground herself against her until she’d followed Anna over the edge with a long, low moan. Once she’d dropped her head against Anna’s shoulder, body limp and trembling, Anna replaced the showerhead in its bracket overhead and held Eden close.
“I love that,” Eden murmured against Anna’s wet skin. “I loveyou.” Almost immediately, she tensed, lifting her head to stare at Anna with wide eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s too soon to say that, isn’t it?”
“No,” Anna whispered, her throat tight with tears. “No, it’s not, because I love you too.”
It was too soon, though. Anna didn’t regret telling Eden she loved her, because she meant those words with all her heart. She only wished they hadn’t fallen so fast. As she woke next to Eden the following morning, Anna felt vaguely unsettled. Eden, by contrast, looked blissfully happy. Apparently, once she made up her mind about something, she was all in.
And ... well, maybe Anna was the one who had needed to ease into this relationship. She hadn’t been in love with anyone since Camille. Already, Anna’s feelings for Eden were stronger than what she’d felt for Camille. Eden had more power than Camille. Eden had more power than almost anyone in this industry. She had the power to break Anna’s heart in a spectacularly devastating way. She might not mean to do it, but that didn’t mean Anna wouldn’t get hurt.
“Paris is on her way up with smoothies,” Eden murmured. She looked sosoftfirst thing in the morning, so sweet and tender. It was hard to remember this sleep-rumpled woman was Eden Sands, one of the richest and most successful women in the American music business.
“I need to head out after breakfast,” Anna told her. “I’ve got a meeting with Kyrie.”
“And Paris has me booked upstairs in the gym. Will you come back this afternoon to watch some TV together?” Eden asked. Tonight was their second sold-out show in Boston. Tomorrow, they’d travel to New York for back-to-back shows at Madison Square Garden, where Anna would get the chance to see Eden’s Manhattan condo.
“That sounds good,” she agreed.
Eden gave her a gentle smile, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Anna’s ear, and warmth flooded Anna’s system. Why was she second-guessing this? Had Camille really damaged her so badly that she’d question every relationship after her?
There was a knock at the door, and Eden slid out of bed, donning a robe before she went to answer it. She returned a minute later with two breakfast smoothies, one of which she passed to Anna.
“This is good,” Anna said as she took her first sip. “I see why you like them so much.”
“Right? Such a good way to start the day. I’d probably give up on them if I had to make them myself every morning, but, well ... there are perks to being me.”
They drank their smoothies together, and then Anna got dressed. She gave Eden a quick kiss before letting herself into the hallway to head down to her room. As she got off the elevator on her floor, she walked straight into a group of fans.
“Oh my God, Anna Moss! I love you!” one of them squealed.
“Thank you.” Anna said, painfully aware she was wearing the clothes she’d left the arena in last night, no makeup, her hair an unruly mess from going straight to bed after her adventurous shower with Eden.
“Could I get a selfie with you?” a young woman with short black hair asked.
Anna had no desire to take selfies looking like this, but she couldn’t see a way to politely refuse, so she leaned in and smiled. The fans were talking over each other now, clamoring for more selfies while asking what dress she’d be wearing for the duet that night, if she and Edenwere dating, what Anna’s next single would be: question after question until her head was spinning.
The elevator doors opened, and several more people joined the fray. Had this group texted their friends? Anna kept smiling and posing for pictures, wondering peripherally what to do. She couldn’t go to her room without leading the fans right to it, but she couldn’t stay by the elevators either. Things were rapidly getting out of hand.
Before she could panic, the elevator opened again. This time, Kyrie stepped out. She took one look at the scene before her and took charge. “Come with me,” she said, pulling Anna into the elevator she’d just stepped out of. She put out a firm hand and shook her head when several fans tried to follow them in.
The doors slid shut, and Anna sagged against the wall of the elevator in relief. Was this her life now? She gave Kyrie a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Kyrie pushed the button for the floor below, and when the doors opened, she checked the hallway before leading Anna out of the elevator. Kyrie stayed close as she took Anna down the hall to the stairwell and up a flight of stairs to arrive on her floor anew, this time without fanfare.
Kyrie acted as if this were no big deal, and Anna wondered when she’d become such a pro, because she’d handled this as efficiently as Paris or Taylor would have. Not that Anna had found her inefficient before, but Anna and Kyrie had both been inexperienced newcomers when Anna hired her, and now, it seemed, they had both grown up.
“Here we are,” Kyrie said as they arrived at Anna’s room.
“You’re a lifesaver.” Anna pulled out her key card and swiped it, then led the way into the room she’d barely set foot inside of yet. She’d dropped off her bags here yesterday before heading to the arena and hadn’t been back. The bed was still made, a fact Kyrie took in with subtly raised eyebrows.
“You’ve gotten a lot more popular since the tour started,” Kyrie commented as she headed for the table near the window. “David and I had a conversation about it last week, about what new precautions we should take. I think a good first step is for you not to walk around the hotel unaccompanied anymore.”