Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
EDEN
“Yes,” I hissed, throwing my head back as I tilted my ass to take him deeper. I looked back over my shoulder, the sight of my man taking me making me clench even tighter around him. “More, baby. Harder.”
“That’s my girl,” he grunted, his green eyes sparking with fire as he snapped his hips, driving me closer and closer to the edge. “So fuckin’ greedy for my cock.”
And I really, really was. I couldn’t get enough. No matter how many times we made love—and I’d lost count over the past couple of weeks—it was still never enough.
“Mmm, Lincoln,” I hummed, arching my back as my whole body began to tremble. “So good. Always so good.”
“Touch yourself, darlin’,” he ordered on a grunt, the sound of skin slapping against skin echoing through the room.
Doing as he commanded, I lifted one hand from the mattress where I’d been holding myself up on all fours and reached between my thighs, sliding my fingers to where we were connected, feeling his thick length moving in and out of me.
It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever experienced.
Gathering my wetness on my fingers, I drifted back down to circle my clit, rubbing in tight, hard circles in time with each of his thrusts.
That was all it took. Every muscle in my body strung tight before snapping, causing my nerve endings to explode and stars to burst from behind my eyelids as I slammed them closed and came on a cry of pure ecstasy.
Lincoln fucked me through my orgasm, pulling every last whimper and moan from me before curling himself around my back. Bracing himself with one hand on the bed beside mine, he wrapped his other arm around my waist as he buried himself deep and came on a groan against my neck.
When it finally left him, Lincoln kept hold of me and went down on the bed, positioning us on our sides so we were spooning and he was still holding onto me. “Good mornin’, baby,” he rasped into my ear, sending another shiver of pleasure throughout my body.
“It is now,” I returned, twisting my head so I could reach his lips for a kiss.
Lincoln’s whole body shook on a quiet laugh that was no less beautiful than when he laughed out loud.
His arm flexed, pulling me tighter against him as he went in for another kiss.
A moment later, he pulled out and shifted me to my back so he could hover over me.
“Go to sleep, Edie,” he said in a low, gentle voice, brushing the hair from my face.
“I gotta grab a shower and head into the office.”
After what he’d just wrung from me, drifting back to sleep most definitely wouldn’t be a problem. “Okay,” I said softly, shifting back to my side so I could watch as he climbed from the bed and padded to my bathroom in all his naked glory.
It was early, and I was still sleepy, but as I lay there, I kept my eyes open and listened as the water cut on, thinking of just how insanely happy I was.
It had been a little more than two weeks since Lincoln and I got back together officially, and every day had been like waking up in a dream.
We both worked during the days, but after, he always came to me.
We had dinner together every night—sometimes I’d cook, sometimes he’d take me out.
We’d share our days with each other over our meal.
I’d make him laugh, he’d make me smile and blush, and every night he’d take me to my bed and make love to me before we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.
It was absolutely perfect, and with every day that passed, I fell even more in love with him than I’d been the day before.
The clip of Rocky’s claws against my floor alerted me to his presences just before he hopped up onto the bed and slunk toward me.
“Morning, monster,” I said, reaching out to give his head a gentle scratch.
This was another thing I’d grown to love over the past few weeks.
Each night Lincoln stayed at my house meant Rocky stayed as well.
He’d quickly commandeered the chair in my living room as his, and he’d curl himself into it every evening as Lincoln and I stretched out on my couch and watched whatever caught our attention on the TV.
Then Lincoln would take me to bed, usually by picking me up and kissing me stupid as he carried me down the hall.
Earth-shattering sex would ensue, and once we finished, Rocky would come in and curl up in a ball at our feet.
We’d wake up hours later, and the moment he felt us shift, Rocky would jump down and go back into the living room like he was giving his mommy and daddy their private time.
Lincoln always woke up way before I had to, so we’d finish, he’d get in the shower, and as soon as the water came on, Rocky came back, and we snoozed together for a little while longer.
He turned in circles, trying to find just the right spot before finally coiling into a ball and tucking himself into my front. His little doggy snores started a minute later, and I lazily dragged my hand along his coat as sleep began to tug at me as well.
I was just beginning to drift back off when the bathroom door opened, revealing Lincoln in nothing but one of my towels wrapped around his waist. Droplets of water dripped from his hair onto his shoulders and slid down his chest, and my body cried out for him all over again.
“You know, I’m startin’ to think my dog likes you better than me.”
“That’s because he does,” I giggled.
Lincoln went about getting dressed, pulling clothes from the duffel bag he’d brought over a few nights ago so he could just dress and leave for work from here instead of having to stop at his house first. The sight of that duffel on my bedroom floor made my belly flip.
“You know,” I started nervously, “if you wanted to stash some of your stuff here, I wouldn’t mind clearing a drawer for you.”
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down after making my offer. I wasn’t sure if it was too soon for us, and he only lived two houses down, so it wasn’t like it was that inconvenient. But I found I really wanted to give him his own drawer.
Instead of getting freaked like I thought he might, Lincoln’s face split into a smile, complete with that sexy dimple, and he came back to the bed, leaning in to speak against my lips. “Works for me, buttercup. If it’s not too much, a few hangers in your closet would be appreciated too.”
God, I loved this man. There was no point in denying it. “I can definitely do that.”
“Good. I’ll bring some more stuff over tonight.”
“Awesome,” I said in a breathy whisper. Then he kissed me, long and slow, building that burn deep in my belly before pulling away so he could finish getting ready.
“You got any plans today?” he asked once he was dressed in another long-sleeved thermal that looked amazing on him and another pair of jeans.
“Finishing an edit and maybe running a few errands.”
“You go anywhere, you take Rock with you,” he said in a gentle command.
Since getting back together, Lincoln had loosened up and taken the security detail off me since we were together most of the time, but with Shep still out there, and those men still after him, Lincoln hadn’t stopped being protective.
Anywhere I went without him, I had to take Rocky as my own personal bodyguard, and I’d been ordered to call or text to let him know if I planned on leaving the house and where I was going.
I didn’t blame him for worrying—in fact, I thought it was really sweet—but that didn’t mean I wasn’t more than ready for this shit to be taken care of so I could get back to my life without having to be watched over twenty-four/seven.
“Sir, yes, sir,” I said sarcastically, lifting a hand and giving him a salute.
“Smartass,” he grumbled teasingly, grabbing his wallet from the dresser and shoving it into the back pocket of his jeans. “I’ll see you later.”
He came back for another kiss, and I lifted my head off the pillow to return it while fighting to keep the words I wanted to say so badly from bubbling past my lips.
The past couple of days had been a serious battle of wills not to let that L-word slip, for fear it was way too soon, but with each passing day, it was getting harder and harder to keep my true feelings in.
“Have a good day, honey,” I returned. “Make those bad guys wish they’d never skipped out on their bail. And if you have time, save the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from being robbed.”
“You know, your love for all things Die Hard is starting to get a little worrisome.”
“I am who I am,” I said on a shrug.
With a laugh and a wink, he finally left, and I curled myself tighter around Rocky for another hour or so of sleep before I had to get up and start my day.
“Hey Ralph, Sally,” I called out as soon as Rocky and I cleared the door into Evergreen Diner.
Sally looked up from the register and waved while her husband’s head popped up behind the passthrough.
“Well hey there, sugar. How’s things?”
“Things are good. Just stopping in to pick up some lunch. What’s good today?”
I heard his loud snort all the way from the kitchen. “Everything, girl. You already know that.”
He wasn’t wrong there. Lincoln and I had come in a few more times the past couple weeks. Each time, I’d tried something different from the menu, and each time it had been fantastic.
“All right then, one meatloaf sandwich for Linc, and one chef’s choice for me.”
“On it!” he called back, then got to work, banging spatulas and pans and making an all-out ruckus while putting my order together.
I moved down the counter with Rocky at my side and hopped up on the stool across from Sally.
“How you doin’ today, sweetheart?” she asked, leaning her forearms on the counter.
“I’m doing fantastic.”
Her face stretched into an outright beam. “I bet you are. Word’s spreading all over town, honey. Lincoln Sheppard’s over the moon for the new girl. Hand to God, no one’s ever seen him like this. He’s totally smitten.”
My entire body warmed from the inside out, and I lowered my voice like I was telling her a secret. “We talked this morning. I’m emptying a drawer for him and making room in my closet for his stuff today.”
Sally let out a giddy squeak and slapped the counter. “I knew it!” she declared triumphantly. “Knew all it’d take was the right girl comin’ along to settle that man into domestic bliss.”
“What are you out there wootin’ about, woman!” Ralph bellowed from the kitchen.
Sally stood tall, and the two started up one of their shouted conversations they were so well known for. “Eden’s makin’ room in her closet and clearin’ out a drawer for Linc!” she hollered back.
Everyone in the diner turned their attention our way, and my cheeks burned like fire as Ralph whooped loudly. “Freakin’ A! Knew he’d get wise and lock that sweet girl down! Happy for you two, Eden, girl!”
“Oh my god,” I whispered, clapping my hands over my face as a giggle burst past my lips.
“Don’t you be embarrassed, girly. People been talkin’ for weeks. Now they’ll just have confirmation of what they already suspected.”
“Whatever you say,” I told Sally with a grin and a shake of my head.
My food arrived a few minutes later, and I grabbed the handles of the plastic bag with one hand while tightening my grip on Rocky’s leash with the other. I bid my farewells to Sally and Ralph, then headed out of the diner.
I needed to get my man his lunch. Then I needed to get home and make room for his stuff.
Today was going to be a damn good day.