Prologue
Isaac
“Your next client is here, Mr. Harvey.”
I reached over and pressed the intercom button on my phone. “Thanks, Lianne. Send them in.”
My appointment was with a potential new client and I was hoping to convince him to put Harvey Croix on retainer. My firm was only a few years old and we could use the influx of money, as well as the reputation bump from having such a prestigious name on our client list.
My partner, Jax Croix, had dealt with him at his old firm before we struck out on our own and he was known for being honest and straightforward. I was determined to do just about anything to get his business.
The door to my office opened and I stood, stepping around my desk to greet Victor Kent. He was a distinguished-looking, older man who had clearly aged well. His hair was almost black but for the streaks of silver at his temples. It was my job to know as much as possible about the people we worked with and I’d done my research on him.
From what I’d learned, he’d been married in his early twenties, having one daughter from the relationship. But, it didn’t last long and he’d remained a bachelor until his late forties when he’d met and married a woman twenty years his junior and immediately had another daughter.
In between marriages, he’d started a new company and over the years he’d built it into one of the most successful investment firms in Baltimore.
I held out my hand and he shook it in a firm handshake. “Mr. Kent, how can I help you?” I asked as I returned to my seat.
His blue eyes studied me, like he was taking my measure. I felt the urge to squirm in my seat under his scrutiny, but I managed to tap into my confidence and sit still.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush, Mr. Harvey,” he began. “I’m considering bringing my business to your firm. I like the prospect of new blood and perspective.”
I tamped down the bubbling excitement inside and nodded, holding his steady gaze.
“However, I’m not ready to commit just yet. I’d like to give it a trial run.” To my complete shock, his unruffled façade cracked and he glanced away, shifting uncomfortably. “I have a . . . delicate situation that needs special handling.”
I raised a brow, but didn’t otherwise react. A suspicion was forming, that he had come to us because whatever this case was, he didn’t want it dealt with within his normal circle of associates.
“It’s personal and it needs to be settled quickly and quietly.” He was back to staring me down. “Are you the man for the job?”
“Of course, Mr. Kent,” I answered assuredly. “Why don’t you have all of the pertinent information faxed to my office this afternoon and we’ll set up another appointment after I’ve had a chance to familiarize myself with the case.”
He frowned and shook his head. “I want as little paper trail as possible and no more people than necessary on the team.”
I’d been curious, but now I felt like a fucking school girl waiting for the latest bit of juicy gossip. What the hell was he into?
Mr. Kent had been leaning back in his chair, legs crossed at the knee, but he slowly unfolded himself and stood. He dipped his hands into his pockets and began to pace the floor.
“My youngest daughter, Eden, has gotten herself into a spot of trouble.”
That one statement brought an immense amount of clarity to the situation. It was fairly well known that Mr. Kent doted on his daughters, particularly his youngest. I wondered what kind of trouble she could have gotten into that warranted my involvement. I didn’t know her exact age, just that she was much younger than her sister and, considering the age of her mother, I assumed she was probably a senior in high school, or there about. Surely, she hadn’t been caught shoplifting or vandalizing her high school or something similar. Those kind of situations were easy enough to sweep under the rug and didn’t require the skills of a seasoned, and expensive, lawyer.
Mr. Kent stopped pacing abruptly and returned to his seat, adopting the same posture as before. It seemed as though he was trying to remain calm, but the tense set of his mouth and shoulders gave away his agitation. “Eden is extremely intelligent. She was accepted into MIT when she was a sophomore in high school.” His face lit up as he extolled upon his daughter’s virtues. “Her mother and I didn’t like the idea of her being on her own so young and decided to keep her home for her remaining school years”—he grimaced—“A choice we have since regretted. It quickly became clear that we had basically clipped her wings. High school was too easy and she had no real outlet for her brilliance.”
I listened quietly, giving no outward reaction while inside I was cringing.
Great, another spoiled, entitled brat who needs Daddy’s lawyers to bail her out.
“Eden is so full of life and has so much heart. I suppose we should have seen it coming, but we didn’t find out until it was too late.”
Color me intrigued.
Mr. Kent sighed. “The FBI showed up at our home two days ago.”
Well shit.
“It seemed Eden had gone on a crusade, of sorts. She was picking through the financials of companies rumored to be corrupt and if she found evidence of it, she was siphoning money from their accounts into local charities. She also got i
nvolved with the local politics and rigged the elections so the more honest politicians won, ensuring stricter crack downs on these companies in the future.” His tone was rueful, but I didn’t miss the hint of pride.
I wanted to laugh at the whole situation because honestly, it was like something out of a movie. Apparently, this kid considered herself some sort of virtual Robin Hood. Maybe she wasn’t the self-indulgent, rich kid I’d pegged her as.
Grabbing a legal pad, I started to take notes as Mr. Kent laid out all of the particulars. After he finished, he scrubbed his face with his hands and then looked at me with expectation and it was clear that he was waiting for me to speak. I inherently knew, my next words were going to make or break his confidence in Harvey Croix.
“There is a deal to be had, Mr. Kent. The FBI isn’t interested in Eden’s crime, I promise you. They want to exploit her. In fact, my guess is that they already offered her the opportunity to have all of this go away if she agreed to work for them, help them take down these dirty companies. Am I right?”
Mr. Kent nodded, his mouth tipping at the corners and his eyes filling with satisfaction. “My instincts are rarely off and it’s nice to know I was right about you, Mr. Harvey.”
He stood and extended his hand, effectively ending our meeting as it began, with a firm handshake.
It took me the better part of the next day to secure a meeting with Eden at FBI headquarters. They had stonewalled me as best they could, but I had the law and contacts on my side.
Once inside the building and past security, I was met by a young woman with a pinched face, her hair pulled back tight, and wearing a plain gray, boxy pantsuit. The whole look basically screamed, “I’m a woman in a man’s world and you’ll take me seriously.”
“Follow me, Mr. Harvey,” she snipped as she spun around and marched down a hallway to an elevator bank. We rode it to another floor and then she led the way to an interrogation room.
“Seriously?” I snapped. “You put her in an interrogation room?”
The woman glanced at me with surprise, the first emotion I’d seen one her face the whole time I’d been there. “She’s old enough,” she sneered. Technically, she was right. I’d learned that Eden was actually eighteen, but I still disapproved of their tactics in treating her like she was a mature adult.
I shook my head and ignored her, stepping around her and grasping the door handle. The steel barrier opened and I entered the sterile, gray box.
Across from me, facing a two-way mirror, stood a petite, young woman with dark, wavy hair and a spectacular ass. My cock jumped and I sternly told it to calm the fuck down. I shouldn’t be lusting after a client, much less one who was barely legal. She was shifting her weight from foot to foot with a little bounce, as though she was filled with too much energy and had no other way to expend it.
“Ms. Kent,” I called out as I walked over to the lone table in the room and set down my briefcase. Eden slowly turned and it was a good thing I’d already set down my things, or I might have dropped them in shock. I was also extremely grateful that I’d left my case standing up and it was effectively covering the heavy bulge suddenly pressing against my pants.
Clearly, I was mistaken when I’d assumed Eden was practically a child. Despite her small frame, there was no mistaking that she was a woman. Her body was made up of luscious curves in all the right places. Black hair framed a heart-shaped face, with expressive blue eyes, a pert nose, and a full, sensuous mouth. She was fucking gorgeous.
Desire pulsed through me, every throb screaming one word.
Mine.
***
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Harvey?” Victor’s roar practically shook the walls of my office. Eden jumped out of my embrace and started to move towards her father. I hooked my arm around her waist and tucked her securely into my side.
I’d handled her case, brokering a deal with the FBI that gave them some of what they wanted but didn’t tether Eden to them. During the process, I attempted to keep away from her, but eventually, the primitive need inside me to claim her won out. I spent as much time as I could with her between work and her schooling. It was clear that she wanted me as much as I did her and I was determined to have her. But, during a particularly heated make out session one day, she confessed that she was a virgin.
I knew I was punishing myself, but for some reason, I had the urge to keep our relationship platonic until our wedding night. My excuses for not taking her to bed were often flimsy, but I used every other tool at my disposal to keep her satisfied so she wouldn’t think it was because I didn’t want her.
Hiding our relationship was not an option in my mind, but Eden wanted to keep it private for a little while. I knew she was afraid of the backlash from people because of our thirteen-year age difference. I’d agreed to go along with it briefly, but she wasn’t a dirty secret and it was about time I made it clear to everyone that she belonged to me. Considering the ring sitting in my desk drawer, there was no time like the present.
“Isaac,” she hissed. Other than a quick squeeze, I ignored her in favor of locking eyes with Victor.
“Victor,” I said calmly. “I respect you and would hate to lose your business. But, I’m in love with your daughter and I feel it is only right that I inform you I intend to marry her.” Eden gasped, and I looked down into her clear blue eyes. They were dancing with excitement and so full of love, it soothed the shot of nerves I hadn’t realized were there.
“Absolutely not! I forbid it!” he roared. He stalked towards us and made a grab for Eden, but I quickly shoved her behind me. “Eden, let’s go,” he snapped.
I could feel her moving with restless energy, she was always full of it, except when I was making her melt into a boneless puddle. I suppressed my arrogant grin at the thought.
When she stepped to my side but didn’t go any further, I let her stay there, though, I slipped a possessive arm around her again. “Dad, I’m sorry, but I love him too. And, when this jackass gets around to actually asking me to marry him”—this time I couldn’t hold back the grin. Damn, my girl was adorable—“I’m going to say yes.”
Victor glared at me. “I will ruin you.”
“No you won’t,” Eden argued. “Because then you’d be hurting me and I know you wouldn’t ever hurt me, Daddy.”
He deflated slightly, his indignation fading at the truth of her words. After a long glance at Eden, he shook his head, then threw his shoulders back and puffed up again. “I will not give you my blessing”—he glared at me—“or my business. She’s too young for you. Too young to get married at all! But, as long as you make my little girl happy, you have nothing to fear from me.” He took a menacing step forward. “Understand one thing, Isaac, if you break her heart, if you don’t take care of her like she deserves, if you ever put her life in jeopardy, I will destroy you.”
I nodded. “I would expect nothing less.”
Victor faced his daughter and sighed, muttering, “Don’t expect me to tell your mother.”
Eden grinned and rushed forward to throw her arms around her dad. “Don’t worry, I can handle Mom.”
***
I slammed the hotel room door shut and shoved Eden up against the wall, attacking her mouth. Six months. Somehow, I’d managed to wait six fucking months to make her mine in every way possible.
“Happy birthday, Sunshine,” I whispered against her lips. It was her nineteenth birthday and from that day on, it would also be the day we celebrated her becoming Eden Harvey. My wife. I fucking loved the sound of that.
When we were threatened with oxygen deprivation, I pulled back. “You’re so damn beautiful, Sunshine. My only sunshine,” I panted. Her white dress was strapless with a full skirt, the bottom dipped in layers of orange, red, and yellow because my sweet girl always had to be a bit of a rebel. Something I adored about her, even though it often caused me a great deal of irritation.
Bending at the knees, I gathered up the voluminous fabric, searching for her legs.
When I found them, my palms ran up the stocking clad limbs to take hold of her ass and boost her up and wrap them around my hips. I carried her to the bed and gently set her down. Tugging at her corset, I freed her generous tits. The pink nipples were hard and lowering my head, I sucked one into my mouth.
She moaned and drove her hands into my hair, yanking it when I bit down lightly. I’d learned, my woman liked it a little rough and I ached to fuck her. But, it was not only our wedding night, it was her first time and I intended to make slow passionate love to her.
Through many kisses and touches, we managed to end up naked on the bed, wrapped up in each other. I brought her to orgasm with my fingers and my mouth, hoping to stretch and prepare her. I was large and a small part of me worried about fitting in her tight little pussy. At the same time, I knew without a doubt that she was made for me.
She was slick and wet when I finally pushed my cock inside her. As gently as I could, I worked my way in, breaking through her virginity and groaning in ecstasy when every inch of me was completely buried from root to tip.
I was sweating and shaking as I attempted to hold still, letting her adjust and waiting for the pain to fade. “Isaac, I feel—you feel so good.”
“Fuck, baby. I need to move,” I gritted through my clenched teeth. She tentatively circled her hips and at the sound of her sweet moan, I couldn’t wait any longer. Tenderly, I began to thrust, holding back as much as I could until her cries escalated and her pussy was rising up to meet me. With a shout, my control broke and my rhythm turned wild.
“You feel better than I ever imagined, Sunshine,” I groaned. “You’re so fucking tight but damn, you’re drenched. Can you hear it, baby? The sound of my cock sliding inside you?”
I was taking her bare, something I’d never done before, unwilling to ever feel anything between us. The sensations were almost more than I could handle and my orgasm rose swiftly to the surface. Eden was right on the cusp and a small pinch of her clit sent her tumbling over the edge. The clench of her walls had me following right behind. I came so hard I practically saw stars. It was the most amazing experience of my life.