Eden groaned as she slammed the book she had been attempting to read shut. She had been reading the same sentence over and over, the words not processing despite trying her hardest to concentrate.

She had been restless since she had left the Carter's residence, her mind refusing to stay silent.

When she had come home she decided to have a long soak in the bath, even breaking her alcohol ban and taking a small glass of red wine in to sip with her.

She could usually count on a nice jasmine-scented bubble bath to help soothe her subconscious. But much to her frustration, all it did was remind her how it had felt to be in Barron's arms - his warm, hard body and addictive scent curling around her; mouth at her temple and the the low timbre of his voice vibrating through her.

Without realizing, her hand had started to stroke low on her belly, her naked legs shifting against each other; chasing that friction. Her nipples pebbled as they played peek-a-boo amongst the bubbles.

She had moved her other hand against her chest, her fingers dancing against the stiff peaks.

She was wet. And not just from the water.

Eden had been sorely tempted to reach her hand beneath the bubbles, to ease the ache that was humming low in her belly, causing her sex to throb.

She could no longer deny that what she felt for Barron was left over attraction from their days together.

Young and in love.

He still affected her. If she hadn't felt so deeply for him, she would never have reacted so passionately with each interaction they had.

She wouldn't be sitting here, fingers skimming over her sex and contemplating whether it was worth having more talks with him.

Giving up on her bath, Eden had changed into a short silk robe, too lazy to change into actual clothing considering that she was planning on having an early night.

Her Mom was staying the night at Mike's again. She had confessed to Eden that she had asked him to move in with her. Although they were waiting until Eden left to go back to New York before he gave up his place and officially moved in.

As happy as she was that her Mom had finally taken the next step in her relationship with Mike, Eden was grateful that he hadn't moved in while she was still here. The last thing she needed to see was the two of them going at it again on the couch.

Her body still restless but not tired, Eden had attempted to watch the first season of Bridgerton, a show that she had been meaning to try due to her love of the book series, but until now hadn't had the time to indulge.

But unfortunately, even the swoon worthy actor who played Simon Basset couldn't tempt her thoughts away.

So she had switched it off and attempted to concentrate on a mystery thriller novel that had gotten rave reviews. At her fourth try at reading the first chapter, she had given up on that also.

Just as she was about to cut her losses and call it a night, the doorbell sounded.

A jolt of awareness settled low in her stomach as she paused in her movements.

Ryan was out tonight at a birthday dinner, Sofia was in New Jersey and her Mom certainly wouldn't be ringing her own doorbell.

That just left one person.

As she made her way to the front door, heart in her throat, she just knew. Knew it was him.

She hesitated for a moment, her hand hovering over the lock, dancing her fingers around the door chain; her mind conflicted.

Somehow she knew that if she let him in, heard him out, it would either make or break them. And she still had no idea which direction she wanted to take.

The peal of the door bell caused her to jump. And in that moment, she quickly made her choice.

"Hi."

The evening air was still warm so he hadn't changed from his gray tank and shorts. His hands were deep in his pockets, shoulders hunched into himself as he gave her a small smile.

His body language read hesitant, as if he was unsure how his presence would be received by her and seemingly on the defense to tuck tail if she felt provoked.

She shifted uncomfortably as his eyes drifted down her form, almost bulging as he realized how little she wore.

Her short navy blue and floral satin nightgown was certainly not suitable for company. Definitely inappropriate to wear in front of an ex boyfriend whose current relationship could only be described as complicated.

Despite the warm air, she felt her nipples pebble against the soft material. Wanting to appear unaffected, she subtly pulled the lapels of her nightgown tighter together; hoping her forearms covered the stiff peaks.

Barron came out of his trance. He swallowed hard and darted his gaze away before again sweeping down her bare legs as if a magnet kept drawing him to her.

Finally meeting her eyes he took a shaky breath.

"You have every right to say no, but can I come in?"

Her hand tightened on the door, indecision causing her to falter in thought for a moment. If she invited him in, how will their talk end this time? With frozen silences, angry taunts and hurt feelings?

She was so tired of arguing with Barron; of being angry and triggered by their conversations.

Sensing the hesitation in her, Barron held his hands up; the universal sign of surrender.

"I don't want to keep hurting you, Eden. I swear." He punctuated.

"I need to explain what went down Wednesday night in my office. I know you don't have the best opinion of me, that's my fault. But I swear to you, what happened the other night with Tracey was a misunderstanding. Please let me explain," he begged.

His impassioned plea broke something in her. She opened the door wider, stepping back to allow him to enter.

"I don't want to fight anymore, either."

Relief swept over his face as he brushed past her, causing goosebumps to prickle the fine hairs on her skin.

He turned to her as she closed the door "Thank you. I won't take up too much of your time."

She nodded and gestured for him to go ahead of her. With his body on this side of the door, she was even more keenly aware of how skimpily clad she was. Her robe fell a good few inches below her ass but, while she was wearing panties, her robe did inch up a bit when she walked.

Barron sat on the end of their couch, rubbing his hands up and down his thighs in his usual nervous tell.

She eyed the armchair that she had just vacated, wondering whether she should retake her seat there or sit on the other end of the couch next to him.

Quickly making a decision Eden strode to the other side of the couch, grabbing one of the cushions to place on her lap in an attempt to hide her bare legs.

Their bodies were turned towards each other and the air crackled with sexual tension, despite the space between them.

She met his eyes, their depths swirling with a mixture of sadness and longing.

His gaze left to roam her features, taking in her bare face and rosy cheeks. She had pulled her hair up and secured it haphazardly with a clip, which caused tendrils to fall around her neck.

"Firstly, I want to apologize for my behavior today."

He blew his breath out, collecting himself before he continued.

"Truth is, I was jealous." He shook his head, a humorless laugh escaping.

"Who am I kidding? I am jealous. I know I have no right to be, especially after what I'd done to you in the past. But there you have it," he flicked his wrist, "The mere thought of you with another man makes my blood boil."

She frowned, trying to ignore the jolt of thrill at his admission.

"That's a little hypocritical. You haven't exactly been celibate sitting around waiting for me."

He nodded, his expression tortured as he turned to her. "I know, I know. It makes zero sense. I lost my head back there. I'm so sorry, E."

She nodded, acknowledging and accepting his apology.

"Can I please explain about Tracey?"

She held her breath, twisting her hands on top of the pillow. "If you want," was all she said with a careless shrug.

He turned more fully towards her, his expression earnest in its appeal.

"I didn't lie about only having temporary sexual partners who weren't locals. That's what Tracey was initially. She was only hired on as a seasonal worker during our busy months. She had told us that she was moving on once she saved a bit of money."

He shrugged as an embarrassed flush painted his cheekbone red.

"So, I started up a purely sexual relationship with her."

Her stomach swayed uncomfortably at his words but outwardly she appeared unaffected.

"Why only with out of towners?" she asked. "You weren't ready for a serious relationship?"

He rubbed his hands down his face, sighing wearily. "I didn't want the complication of seeing the same person around town or having them think that something more permanent would occur between us."

"Why?" she pushed again, wanting to know his reasoning.

He placed his elbows on his thighs, head bowed in a moment of silence. He then turned to her, meeting her stare head on. When his gaze became too intense, she moved down to his mouth.

But that was a bad idea as it drew her attention to his full lips.

"Because I couldn't imagine ever getting serious with another girl again who wasn't you." He simply stated.

Eden's eyes darted up to his in shock, her mouth dropped open as the full meaning behind his words penetrated. Her heart hammered in her chest, unable to comprehend what she was hearing.

He quirked his lips at her response. "I didn't mean to just blurt that out." He shrugged casually in a 'what have I got to lose' gesture. "But I'm getting tired of keeping my feelings for you to myself."

"Feelings?" She whispered.

He slid across the remaining space between them until his knee was almost touching hers. Her back went ramrod straight as just the slightest brush of his body caused her senses to heighten.

She swallowed visibly, the pulse at the base of her neck was beating erratically, causing her to soothe it with cold fingers.

Barron's eyes followed her movement, flaring in response at seeing her bare neck; the soft curve leading towards her naked shoulders which was only hidden by a thin layer of material.

His arm curled behind her head along the top of the couch. She was sorely tempted to lean back, to encourage his arm to drop further until he pulled her body towards his.

"Let me explain first about Tracey."

And just like that, her name on his lips cooled her libido and she shifted away slightly; uncomfortable with the turn of conversation.

"What's there to explain?"

She jumped when his warm hands reached out to come down heavy on her own which were still tightly wound together on the cushion. She stared down at his long fingers, the light hair dusting the top of his arm, the tan in stark contrast against her own pale complexion.

She flicked her blue eyes to meet his, breathing shallowly through her nose at how close he was. His eyes were like molten swirls of gold, mesmerizing her with its intensity.

"We got busier that season, a lot busier than we anticipated. Ian, I think you met him on Wednesday? Anyway, he asked some of our seasonal workers if they wanted to stay on as permanent staff. Tracey took him up on the offer, which surprised me considering how much she talked about moving onto one of the bigger cities."

He paused, allowing his words to sink in and process.

"That was the beginning of the end for us. I had made it clear that I was only looking for a good time so once I found out that she was staying on in New Haven, I ended things immediately."

He squeezed her hands which still lay frigidly beneath his. "She wouldn't accept my decision and constantly offered me sex."

She turned to him, frowning. "But she said you hit her up for sex not that long ago."

He nodded then sighed, removing his hands from hers to run through his hair. "I did."

"Okay, then." She gave a choked, derisive snort.

Barron chose to ignore her scorn, pushing forward with his story.

"It's true that I hadn't slept with anyone since my Mom told me that you were coming back this summer. It wasn't a conscious decision. I had no doubt that you weren't interested in seeing or talking to me."

He gave a self deprecating snort. "I mean, you barely acknowledged me all the times you did come back to New Haven."

Well, he wasn't wrong there. When she had floated the idea past Mom that she was thinking of coming home for Summer, Barron was far from her thoughts.

She had no doubt that if it hadn't been for Kelly's classes, she would've breezed into town, hung with her Mom, Mike, Sofia and Ryan; with no desire to see anyone else.

Sure, she would've made an effort to visit The Good Home out of curiosity. Would she have cared if Lissa came stumbling out of his office half naked? It might've stung to see that they were still hooking up. But she probably would've rolled her eyes and assumed that Barron had not changed; no matter how innocent he had been in that particular scenario.

She would've been back home in New York by now, or off somewhere on vacation; once again never talking or being susceptible to any interactions with Barron. Never in a million years would she have expected to be sitting on her couch with him, listening to him explain his sexual activities.

Taking her silence as concession, Barron pressed on. "Anyway, Mom was at pains to let me know the day, the exact hour you would be back in New Haven. She called me that morning to tell me that she was coming round to yours to surprise you."

His mouth twisted in dry humor. "I wasn't prepared on how much it would affect me."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I got off the phone with Mom and I was immediately restless. I had a lot of pent up energy in me after her call. I knew that the thought of you coming back to New Haven, spending time with my parents and staying for a lot longer than you normally did was what was causing so much anxiety in me. But I ignored that. In my dumb head, I thought what I needed to do to relieve the tension was to have sex."

He paused, casting his eyes to her to observe how she was taking his words. "It had been so long since I had sex. I mean, I wasn't counting the days or anything. But that's the first thing I thought of because I refused to acknowledge that the thought of you coming home tore me up so badly."

'So you had sex with Tracey?" She inferred.

"No!" His voice rose passionately as he grabbed at her hands again, squeezing tightly to convey how much he was feeling.

"No. I thought that that was what I needed. So yes, I did ask her to come over that night when I saw her at The Good Home."

She nodded slowly, unsure where he was going. "Okay."

Another squeeze to her hand which sent a thrill up her arm. "But then you called."

Alarmed, she jerked her head back in shock at his statement.

He cleared his throat. "You called to clear the air, break the ice. When I heard your voice, that's when I knew that I had been kidding myself. All thoughts of bedding Tracey went out the window after that."

He let go of her hands to gesture his emotions. "To be honest, my desire to go through with it had gone by the time you called. But I fully admit that I most likely would have gone through with it-"

She shook her head. "That doesn't matter, Barron. You're free and single. That was never the issue I had."

"I know. It's the thought that I was dishonest with you. I get it. And if I did have sex with Tracey I would've told you on Wednesday. But after your call, I was honest with Tracey and turned her down gently."

"How did she take it?"

He gave her a droll look. "I think her attitude towards you on Wednesday let you know how well that went down."

The other woman's open contempt of her made sense now. I guess if the guy she had been chasing after for a while had turned down sex with her after offering it first, she would be a little miffed, too.

Not pissed enough to attack another woman, but suitably annoyed with an extended period of silent anger aimed at him.

"Do you believe me, Eden?" Barron again turned to her, eyes full of nervous energy that she may respond to him in disbelief.

She nodded slowly "Yeah, I do." she told him.

"And it wasn't because I tried to hide it from you, I honestly forgot about Tracey. She and I hadn't had sex in so long so the idea that I had slept with someone who lived in town didn't register, plus-"

"Barron, Barron," She held her hand up to halt him mid speech. "You don't need to explain. I believe you and your explanation of forgetting about her. It's all good. Truly."

"But it's not all good," Barron said, his eyes were filled with some sort of tortured emotion. "Because I don't have you in my life; not even as a friend."

"You can't undo years of hurt and untrust over a few weeks." She snapped, impatient and tired of going over the same issue.

"Fuck, I know that Eden." He ran his hands down his face and groaned in frustration. "You can't know how fucking sorry I am. For Lissa, for not trying to make amends to you as soon as it happened. I knew almost as soon as you caught me that I had made a huge mistake. I tried talking to you after but I figured out that you had blocked me."

"What did you expect? There was no coming back from that. And honestly," she sighed, tiredly.

"Even if I hadn't blocked you, if you came at me hard to get me to talk to you; even if you came to my window with a stereo system above your head playing some love song, it wouldn't have made a difference. I was heartbroken and humiliated."

He nodded miserably, as if he knew that he had broken her but that it hurt him to hear her confirm it.

"Do you think you would've eventually given me a chance if you hadn't gotten the opportunity to move to New York?" He stared at his hands, jaw clenched.

Well, that was the million dollar sliding doors question. What would have happened if her Mom hadn't suggested that they take a spur of the moment trip to New York?

Modeling wasn't something that was on her radar at that time so she had no doubt that her path would not have organically led there. She didn't get full closure from Barron, not that she was seeking it at the time. But after a while, if he had kept up trying to make amends, would her resolve have softened?

"Honestly? I don't know."

He nodded moodily, as if he wanted to hear a different answer.

"Barron?"

He turned his head in question.

"I'm not sure how to say this, but... in a way, it was meant to happen."

He jerked up, shaking his head. "No, no. no. I was never meant to cheat on you."

"I don't mean that. I mean, the career I have, moving to New York. It was meant to happen."

"You don't regret it." he simply said, eyes like a wounded puppy.

"I hate that I lost you, I hate that the pain you caused was what set me on that trajectory. But," she gestured around the room.

"I was able to buy this house for Mom. I was able to take her on vacations she never thought she would go on. I was able to buy her a new car when her old one was on it's last legs. I'm able to visit my dad and siblings anytime I want. I can spoil them with whatever they want. I've met a lot of people that have been influential in the kind of person I am today. I've-"

"Been able to date rock stars." he gritted out, face taut with jealousy.

She set him with a hard stare. Really?

"Sorry," he muttered, though he didn't sound it. "So you're happy we broke up?"