When Day Breaks (KGI #9)(45)
Author: Maya Banks

And for the launch, Aria had already chosen the gown they wanted her to wear: the flashy red dress with the long slit up one side of her leg that she’d worn in the commercials. This was their launch for their new ad campaign, so they wanted the woman from the television to come alive. She’d be playing the role of that woman the entire evening. Flirtatious. Sultry. Mysterious. She wanted to roll her eyes at some of the things her job required, but overall it was a job she loved.

She loved traveling and meeting new people even though at heart she was a homebody, much more comfortable as the real Eden she could be when she was with her family. But her job gave her the best of both worlds. An opportunity to see the world and yet still be able to come home to her father and brothers. It was a career she wouldn’t change a single thing about.

And, well, she knew realistically she likely had only a few more years, so there was still plenty of time for her to turn her thoughts to stuff like marriage and children.

“Eden?”

Guiltily, she swung her head up to see Swanny standing in the doorway of the dressing room. She hoped that her face hadn’t given her away because he’d been very much on the fringes of her mind when she’d begun to think about the possibility of marriage and children. Which was pretty stupid considering they were still very much feeling their way around each other. But she’d always been impulsive and one to put the cart before the horse, so to speak.

She drank in the sight of him. He looked so damn delicious that she wanted to shove him back into the dressing room and have him against the wall while she devoured his mouth and a whole lot more.

He was dressed in a white silk dress shirt with a black coat and slacks. Usually a tie should accompany such an outfit, but there was something decidedly sexy about that top button being undone and getting a glimpse of that hard chest.

It was simple yet elegant and it made this beautiful man look even more powerful and dangerous than she already knew him to be.

“It’s perfect,” she finally announced.

“Thank f**k,” Swanny grumbled. “We’ve already wasted thirty minutes of your lunch break and we haven’t even started shopping for you and Sky.”

“Oh, I’m already taken care of,” Eden said blithely. “And getting something for Skylar will be a snap. Her coloring is beautiful and with all that gorgeous blond hair, I already have a very good idea of what will look great on her.”

Swanny stopped, his features scrunching into a scowl. “What do you mean, you’re already taken care of? Wasn’t that the whole purpose of this trip, to find you a dress for the party in two nights?”

Her lips curved in a grin. “Dahling,” she said with exaggerated emphasis, “in my line of work, designers provide almost all my clothing for public appearances. They vie for my attention because they want the publicity. They provide a free dress in return for free publicity. Win-win. I have three gowns already delivered to the hotel for me to choose from, and I wouldn’t be surprised if more showed up.”

“You little heifer,” Swanny said in a menacing tone. He shot her a glare that only made her laugh. “You totally set me up, didn’t you?”

“Who me?” she asked, batting her eyelashes innocently. “I can’t help it if you looked so cute grumbling your way through several outfits.”

Swanny shook his head and then ducked back into the fitting room to take the suit off.

Skylar cracked up. “Well done, Eden. Well done, indeed. I quite enjoyed that. I have to say, you draw out a side to Swanny that most of us haven’t seen.”

Eden gave her a serene smile and picked an invisible piece of lint from her shirt. “He’s too easy and it’s so much fun to see him all riled up. He’s too cute.”

Skylar choked on her laughter. “Cute? I have to say I’ve heard Swanny described in many ways, but cute has never been one of them.”

Skylar then cocked her head to the side. “You really dig him, don’t you? I mean, it’s not an act with you. You truly like him.”

Eden flushed.

“I’m not saying that to make you uncomfortable or put you on the spot,” Skylar hastened to say. “It’s just that not many people look beyond his appearance to get to know the real man underneath. He has a huge heart, as I’m sure you know by now. I think it’s really cool that you’re so accepting of him. All of him. You look very good together.”

“He’s a very special man,” Eden said quietly.

“On that we agree,” Skylar responded.

They looked up to see Swanny come back out dressed in his jeans and shirt, and as good as he’d looked in his suit, Eden’s mouth watered at those form-fitting jeans and the T-shirt that stretched over his broad shoulders and muscled chest.

He slung the suit on its hanger over his shoulder. Then he shot both women a glare. “Let’s go see how the other guys fared since they didn’t have you two tormenting them and making them go through half a dozen suits. I bet they chose the first one they picked out.”

Skylar snickered and Eden lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, how little you know. I sicced the very nice saleslady on those three and told her my specifications. I can assure you that she made certain they didn’t just grab and run. You were the lucky one, having me and Sky being the only witnesses to your pain.”

“Poor bastards,” Swanny muttered. “I think this qualifies for hazard pay. I’m definitely going to take this up with Sam.”

“Quit being a baby,” Eden scoffed. “Let’s take your suit to the saleslady and then we’ll outfit Skylar. I can’t wait to get my hands on her. She’s going to look amazing before I’m finished with her!”

With an exaggerated, indulgent sigh, Swanny meekly—or as meekly looking as a man his size could pull off—carried the suit to the beaming saleslady, who took it back to be wrapped with great care.

Eden clapped her hands, rubbing them together in anticipation, just as the other team members joined them. “Now for Skylar.”

Skylar’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I’m being dressed by a supermodel. How many women can say that? I’m going to look fabulous! Man, I haven’t looked forward to a swanky gig like this like ever. But I’m already fantasizing about a to-die-for dress, some kick-ass total f**k-me shoes and being made up by an honest-to-God professional makeup artist. And I get to hang out with Eden Sinclair! I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this.”