Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
EDEN
He shrugged. “Just stating the truth. No offense to Nona, but she’s not the woman I intend on havin’ in my bed for a good long while.
You are. Therefore your safety is totally and completely my concern, and I’ll be damned if I let you get in my way of me making sure nothing happens to you.
I’ve grown pretty fond of that sweet body of yours, baby.
Be a goddamn shame if I had to miss out on it ’cause I was doin’ jail time for ripping the lungs out of the person who threatened to harm it. ”
My heart did backflips in my chest. There was something seriously wrong with me, because instead of being incensed at his barbaric declaration, I was seriously turned on.
There was nothing I could say to that, so I didn’t bother. Facing the couch once more, I asked, “Can we just get back to the matter at hand, please?”
“Think that’d be smart,” Detective Walker declared, visibly battling his amusement and doing a piss-poor job of it. “Did he say or do anything else that stands out in your mind? Anything you think we should know?”
I thought back to the conversation between me and my brother. “He admitted to the robberies,” I told them, “but he seemed genuinely shocked when I told him about the murder. I can’t imagine why he’d admit to one crime but pretend not to have any idea about the other.”
Lincoln let out a derisive snort. “He might be stupid, but no one’s that big an idiot. The sentence that comes with a murder conviction’s a whole hell of a lot heavier.”
I shot a look in his direction. “You think I actually like defending him? I don’t, Linc.
You know how I feel about my family, but he’s a terrible liar—unlike some people.
” Lincoln and I shared snarky looks on that comment.
“Why do you think his rap sheet’s so damn long?
If I believed him, it’s because he’s telling the truth. ”
“Baby, he’s desperate. He said it himself, he’s got people on his ass gunnin’ for blood. Desperate men are capable of anything.”
“I know that, but he was still in the same clothes he’d been wearing the first time he came here, and it was obvious by the look and smell of them that he hadn’t just changed into them, but had been wearing them this whole time.”
The atmosphere in the room changed, and all three men went on red alert. “What do you mean?” Trick asked.
I resumed my seat and propped my forearms on my knees.
“He hasn’t bathed in weeks. I could tell just by looking at him.
And his clothes were damn near in tatters, stains and holes all over them like he’d been wearing them just as long.
But there wasn’t any blood. Not a speck.
How can a man who stabbed someone to death not have a single drop of blood on him? ”
Walker leaned back and rubbed at his scruffy chin in contemplation. “He could’ve changed.”
I shook my head. “No one would willingly change into those clothes. They were rank. They’re all he has. And like I said, he hasn’t bathed in forever. There was dirt and grime all over him, under his nails, but no blood.”
“Eden, sweetheart,” Trick started softly. “You know we still have to find him. I get you believe he didn’t kill anyone, and you very well might be right, but we still have to investigate.”
“I know,” I replied just as softly. “That’s why I called you. He needs to pay for everything he’s done. I’m not trying to stop that.”
“And you’ve got no idea where he’s staying?”
“None,” I answered with a shake of my head. “It’s been getting cold at night and he didn’t have a jacket, so he’s obviously got some kind of shelter, but nothing with running water.”
Trick nodded and stood. Walker did the same, stowing his pad and pen in the inside pocket of the suit jacket he’d matched with jeans and a button-down. “Okay, this is good. Thanks for calling. And if he shows back up—”
“I’ll call, don’t worry,” I said. “But I don’t think he will.
” He lifted a brow in question. “For starters, he told me the people after him were going to kill him, and I still wouldn’t give him money to help him get out of town.
Then I kinda… well, I told him I’d be calling you guys.
And when he was leaving, I told him to never come back. ”
He tilted his chin at me in understanding, and he and Detective Walker headed for the door. They both stopped to lean down and give Rocky’s head a pat before leaving me alone with Lincoln.
Damn.
I slowly turned back around, unsure what the hell to do next. He stood there in the middle of the living room like a modern-day knight in shining armor. Only his armor consisted of flannel, faded jeans, and motorcycle boots. “You got an extra pillow and blanket?”
My chin jerked back in surprise and confusion. “What? Why?”
“Your couch, darlin’.”
No less confused, I stated, “I’m not sleeping on the couch.”
He gave me a devastating grin, complete with perfectly white teeth and dimple. “No, but I am.”
My breath quickened, and my heart began to beat frantically against my ribs. “Linc, that’s not necessary. I’ll set the alarm.”
“I’m sure you will. But I’m still stayin’.”
I didn’t think I could handle him being so close for such a long time, whether I was sleeping or not. I was barely hanging on as it was. “Lincoln—”
His voice came out rough, devoid of cockiness or humor as he said, “Baby. I don’t think you get how serious the guys after your brother really are.
There’s not much that gets worse than them, and you can bet your ass you’re already on their radar, like it or not.
Please don’t argue with me. I need this.
I need to know you’re safe, and the only person I trust to keep you that way is me. ”
I couldn’t argue with that even if I wanted to, which I really didn’t. The sincerity in his eyes slayed me, and I found myself relenting. “I’ll get you a blanket and pillow.”
I struggled to admit it, even to myself, but the truth was I wanted him there.
Not only because knowing what I knew now about the men after Shep terrified me, but also because I missed him.
As hard as I tried not to, I missed him like crazy.
It had only been four days, and we barely knew each other, but there it was.
It didn’t make a damn bit of sense, but where the brain functioned on rationality, the heart was completely different, and mine was crying out for him to the point that I feared it would for a long time.
When I came back into the living room, he was standing beside the couch, kicking off his boots. Rocky was curled up in the seat of my chair, tucked in for the night.
“Here you go.” I passed him the cozy throw I usually kept at the foot of my bed and one of the many pillows I surrounded myself with at night. “You, uh, need anything else?”
That dimple popped out as he smiled. “No, baby. This is good. Thanks.”
“Okay, well….” I was stalling, trying to drag out every last second with him that I could whether it was smart or not.
“Go to bed, Edie. You need to rest.”
“Yeah. Yeah, okay,” I agreed, dazed from the smell of his cologne when he moved closer. “Rest is good.”
A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, making me ache all over. “It is.” Humor filled his voice as he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “And I’m thinkin’ you might really need it right about now.”
He leaned in close, and I could have sworn he was going to kiss me. And god, how I wanted him to. “Uh-huh.”
Instead, he shifted at the last second, his lips landing at the corner of my mouth. “Sleep good, baby.”
“You too,” I replied, doing my best to hide the sag of disappointment in my shoulders.
As I made the walk to my bedroom, I kept telling myself that this was for the best, but there was too big a part of me that wasn’t so sure about that.
Lincoln
My chest rose with a deep inhale. I’d been unconsciously counting each one since I laid eyes on her after four long days of hell.
It was as if I hadn’t taken a full one until that very moment.
I hadn’t even realized I’d been taking half breaths until I spotted her standing behind her car.
Then all the air I’d been lacking for days came rushing back into my lungs.
I lay on my back in Eden’s dark living room with an arm cocked behind my head, staring up at the shadows cast along the ceiling. The couch was surprisingly comfortable and managed to fit me perfectly, so that wasn’t what was keeping me awake.
It was the smell of her drifting from the pillow beneath my head.
It was the warmth of my surroundings, the love and pride she’d taken in every single decoration or photo in the house.
It was the soft, barely there sounds she made in her sleep that filtered down the hallway.
They might as well have been as loud as a chainsaw.
She was everywhere, in everything, buried beneath my skin so deep that I knew I’d never be able to work her out. And fuck me, but that was just fine.
For the first time in my life, I actually had a woman I wanted there, and I’d fucked it up.
Stirring from beside me caught my attention just in time to see Rocky hop off the chair, padding out of the living room and down the hall to Eden’s bedroom.
“Traitor,” I mumbled into the quiet. Then I turned onto my side and searched for sleep.
Eden
I hadn’t slept for shit.
Every time I managed to doze off, I’d have a dream about Lincoln and wake in a sweat with a persistent throb centered between my thighs.
The last time I woke, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, but I knew there was no chance of getting back to sleep. I was up for good.
With a quiet groan, I rolled to my back and bumped into something large and furry.
Pushing up onto my elbows, I looked at Rocky sprawled out on the other half of my bed. “Well hey there, little monster.”
He lifted his head and gave his tail a lazy wag before falling back down and drifting back to sleep.
Blowing out a frustrated puff of air, I threw the covers back and climbed out of bed, padding across the floor to the bathroom. I did my business, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and headed to the kitchen for some necessary coffee.
Halfway down the hall, I stopped when the light from the guest bathroom caught my attention. The door was cracked halfway open, and Lincoln was standing at the sink washing his hands… in nothing but his jeans.
The sight of the muscles in his back stretching and flexing mesmerized me, and all I could do was stare.
His whole upper body looked like it had been cut from stone.
It was pure, unadulterated perfection, and as I stood cemented to the spot, my mouth went completely dry.
My nipples tightened, and wet pooled between my legs.
Oh god. I couldn’t handle this. It was too much.
With a force of sheer will, I unglued my feet from the floor and resumed my walk to the kitchen.
On autopilot, I started the coffee to brew, all the while thinking of that night at the police station and how badly it hurt to find out the truth of what Lincoln had done.
I just didn’t think I had it in me to forgive this time.
I’d been used and humiliated too many times in my life by too many people.
As much as my heart hated the idea, this had to stop.
“Coffee, thank Christ.” Lincoln’s chest hit my back as he reached over my head to retrieve a mug from the cabinet. “Mornin’, buttercup,” he said gently in my ear. “You sleep well?”
My body broke out in goose bumps as I shifted to the side to get out from between him and the counter.
“Not really,” I muttered.
He turned and propped his hip against the granite where I’d just been standing, lifting his full mug to his lips and taking a sip. “Me either. Trying to sleep with you just feet away drove me crazy all goddamn night. I’m thinkin’ tonight—”
“I can’t do this,” I interrupted.
His coffee mug stopped midair, and his eyebrows drew together in a frown. “What?”
“This. Us,” I repeated, waving my hand between us. “I can’t do it, Lincoln. I thought maybe I could, but I was wrong. I just can’t get over what you did.”
“Edie,” he started. “If you’d just—”
“I can’t,” I said again, placing a hand over my chest and looking up at him beseechingly. “You have no idea what you did to me, how much it hurt.”
He took a single step and stopped the moment I shook my head. “Eden, I know this started wrong. But how I feel about you now….”
“I believe you,” I told him when he trailed off.
“But it doesn’t change anything.” Crap. I was going to cry again.
I kept my voice low to try and mask the pain in it.
“I’m so tired of being used and stepped on.
I’m tired of being made to feel bad about myself because of other people’s actions.
For you, it started fake and turned real.
For me, it was real the entire time. Then you ruined it. ”
“Eden, baby. Don’t do this.”
“I didn’t,” I declared. “You did. I need you to leave.”
His whole frame locked up, and his chin tilted in determination. “I told you I was gonna keep you safe.”
“The police can keep me safe. The alarm I’ll be sure to use from now on can keep me safe. And if push comes to shove, you’re only two doors down. Please don’t make me ask again. Please. If you care about me the way you claim to, do this for me and just go.”
“I can’t—”
“Just go!” I yelled, losing what little control I had on my frayed emotions.
He didn’t make me ask again. He gave me what I asked for, he and Rocky leaving a couple minutes later.
I thought that was it. I thought it was over for good.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Silly me, I didn’t realize just how serious Lincoln was when he said he wasn’t giving up.