“I appreciate that you don’t expect those things, by the way,” she said. “But if you ever wanted…you know you could ask me, right?”

I swallowed. “I’m good, Eden.”

My dick hardened in protest. Her words alone—”you know you could ask me, right?”—had given me an instant erection. My balls tightened. She has no idea.

I changed the subject, choosing to focus on her frumpy clothes in an attempt to bring down my hard-on. “Is this the real Eden? Fuzzy sweats? I like it.”

“You don’t know the half of it. I’m the antithesis of sexy when I’m off the clock. You can find me in jeans, Chucks, and a hoodie most of the time.” She laughed. “And I’m always cold—like, freezing no matter what temperature it is.”

I’d love to be able to warm you up right now.

I relaxed into my pillow and took in her face for a while.

She tilted her head. “So…are you gonna tell me why you’re in a bad mood tonight?”

“I’m not anymore. You always put me in a better mood.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Letting out a deep breath, I said, “It’s looking like I’m gonna have to travel to India for work. And I’m not really looking forward to it.”

I’d recently told Eden my full name and where I worked. I was no longer hiding anything from her. A part of me wanted her to come find me. The full disclosure wasn’t reciprocal, however. She still kept much of her life private.

“India? Oh my God, really? I would love to visit India. Actually, I’d love to go anywhere other than here.”

“Why can’t you?”

She hesitated then said, “My life is just not conducive to travel.”

“Why not? Money?”

She ignored my question. “How long will you be gone?”

“A few weeks.”

“Oh.” Eden looked almost depressed.

“Hey—you gonna miss me or something?”

“Can you take me with you virtually?”

“Well, India is, like, thirteen hours ahead of West Coast time. So, it’s likely that I’ll be working when you’re camming.”

A worried look washed over her face. “We’ll have to figure something out. I don’t think I could go three weeks without talking to you.”

Her words gave me pause. That’s exactly how it was for me, too. I felt like I couldn’t sleep at night without hearing her voice anymore.

What is happening between us?

She seemed to regret being so candid. “I shouldn’t have said that. Do you think it’s weird? In my line of business…I’m not supposed to be getting attached.”

“What—do I think it’s weird that you’re bonding with a faceless voice?”

“Yeah.” She laughed. “God…when you say it like that.”

“No, I don’t think it’s weird. Maybe I should think it’s weird, but I don’t, because I feel the connection, too.”

“I’ve grown so accustomed to talking to you. You’re my outlet. It’s what I look forward to at the end of each day. I feel like I can tell you things, and you won’t judge me.”

Who the fuck am I to judge you? “I have no right to judge anyone.”

“Is there a specific reason you’re saying that?” she asked.

I let out a laugh. “Plenty of reasons.”

“Well, I like that you’re not perfect. Makes me feel better about all the crazy shit I’ve done.” She winked.

Pretty sure falling hard for a cam girl is the craziest thing I’ve ever done.

Eden sighed. “This time always goes by too fast.”

“You know my offer still stands if you want to stay longer. I’ll book you the whole night.”

She almost looked like she was considering letting me do that. I could tell she didn’t want to leave me and go back to those strangers. That was weird to say, since I was virtually a stranger, too.

Then she floored me when she said, “How about if we meet here in the private room after my shift ends at midnight? But I don’t want you to pay.”

“What do you mean? I can’t let you do that.”

“The camming site lets me override payment if I choose. I like your company, Ryder. I don’t feel right making you pay when it’s me who wants to talk to you. That makes me uncomfortable. So, I’m going to have to insist on not accepting payment for anything beyond the one private chat.”

I let her words digest. This was a game changer. It was the first time I truly believed the feelings were reciprocal. She was asking me to come back after midnight because she wanted me there—not my money.

“Whatever you prefer,” I said casually, even though inside I was freaking out a little—in a good way.

She blew a breath up into her forehead, seeming tense, as if she’d been nervous to tell me what she wanted. “Okay…so, see you later?”

It pained me to have to let her go back to those vultures. “Yeah. Alright. See you then.”***I couldn’t watch the public show anymore. I didn’t want to see Eden taking her clothes off for those assholes, and I couldn’t deal with some of the disrespectful things guys said to her. If I’d known where some of them were located, I would’ve tried to hunt them down.