Chapter Seventeen
Milo
The night I met Eden had been the best night of my life—until having her spread across my own bed, tucked safely in my arms, knowing she wasn’t going to disappear again.
That definitely topped it.
Last night was different from the first, but in all the best ways.
This time, I knew more about who she was, and we were both clearly more comfortable with one another.
That threw our already off the charts chemistry into the stratosphere.
I’d never experienced anything like it, physically or emotionally.
Her trust was an aphrodisiac of the highest order.
We hadn’t slept much at Comic Con, either, which meant I didn’t learn until now that Eden was as much a cuddler as I was.
I loved that about her, loved the way she tucked herself against me, even in sleep.
It felt like another layer of intimacy, a closeness that ran deeper than just the outrageously good sex.
But fuck, that part was otherworldly, as well.
I lost myself in thoughts of all the things I loved about Eden while Jiji continued to scold me until I’d smushed up his morning can of food on a plate. I refilled his water bowl, checked that the coffee pot was brewing, then hightailed it back to the bedroom.
Eden was exactly where I’d left her, but when I slipped under the covers, she rolled toward me. In the morning light, her hair gleamed as it had at Comic Con, a full palette of red and gold highlights against its usual darkness. I tucked a lock of it behind her ear.
“Good morning,” she said softly, a smile playing across her lips.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
The smile widened. “During the parts where I actually slept, yes. Very well, actually. Must have been all that exercise. Or this mattress, which is really awesome, by the way.”
“You’re welcome to sleep over anytime,” I told her as I wrapped my arms around her body and tugged her so she was curled into my chest.
“I think I’d like that,” she murmured.
“Good. Standing invitation to enjoy my awesome mattress.” I hadn’t been inside her apartment yet, but since I had Jiji to consider, sleepovers were less complicated if Eden was willing to stay at my place.
Her nose brushed slowly back and forth along my sternum. “I don’t know if my body can handle marathon sex every night, though.”
“I’m sure we could scale things back, especially if you’re spending the night regularly. The weeks since finding you again have been like prolonged foreplay.”
“You’re quite good at foreplay,” she muttered.
I laughed, stroking my hands up and down the silky skin of her back, and she nestled closer. “No pressure, Eden, but I’m more than happy to have you here whenever you’re willing, whether it involves sex, cuddling, or just sleeping. Though preferably not on the couch.”
“Now that I’ve experienced this bed, there’s no way we’re sleeping on the couch again.”
When she tilted her head to smile up at me, I tangled my fingers in her hair and kissed her. Sleepy, soft, and pliant, she purred against my lips, and I decided I could quite happily live out the rest of my days in bed with her.
Unfortunately, we each owned a business and that made it impossible to stay in bed full time, but Eden was definitely on board with sleeping over as often as possible in the days that followed.
I had to stay late for Olivia’s game night on Tuesday and Eden had Addie’s first support group on Thursday, but we managed to steal moments to ourselves even on the days she didn’t spend the night—coordinating lunch or dinner breaks, the occasional makeout session in a storage closet.
I was falling. Fast.
After a week and a half of this careful dance, Eden and I were driving to work together, joking around about the sex toy party her cousin’s friend was hosting at Garden of Delights that weekend.
“Are you going to buy anything?” I asked, glancing over to catch the flush in her cheeks.
“Is there something you’d like?”
Christ. Talk about a loaded question. I shifted in the driver’s seat, thinking I should have waited to start this conversation in a place where I could haul Eden onto my lap. She might be bold and decisive, but she was also an expert tease.
Two could play that game, if I’d been free to use my hands and mouth to coax it out of her.
“Anything you want to try out, I’m more than happy to oblige,” I told her.
“Anything at all?”
Fuck. This conversation was making it very difficult not to pull over and drag her into the back seat. “Eden, I promise you that I can work with whatever you choose.”
As we turned onto Main Street, I saw a wicked smile curve Eden’s lips, but it faded as we caught sight of road closure signs and orange traffic cones. There were at least a dozen uniformed bodies milling about, more cops than Spruce Hill’s small police department even employed.
Not a good sign.
“What the hell?” Eden muttered.
I put down my window as one of the officers I recognized walked over. “Rose, what’s going on?”
Detective Rose Hanson had known me since I was in diapers, and she’d never let me forget it—even though she was only three years older than me.
She was in Mark’s grade in school, had dated Maverick briefly before he went off to college, and was one of the smartest people I’d ever met.
When the Spruce Hill Police Department finally grew enough to support a detective position, she was the first to get promoted.
“Morning, Milo. This must be the infamous Eden?”
Eden gave a tentative smile and said, “That’s me.”
“I’m Detective Hanson. Why don’t you park over here so we can talk?” Rose said, gesturing toward a space near the barricades. “This concerns both of you, so it’s good that you’re here.”
My blood pressure skyrocketed, wondering what the hell had happened. It must be something to do with the stores, but I didn’t see or smell smoke, and if there was a break-in, why would they block off the entire street?
Eden scrambled out of the car as soon as I parked, then gripped my hand so tight I almost flinched. I tucked her against my side as Rose approached us, her expression solemn.
“We were about to call both of you, so this was good timing,” she began.
“About an hour ago, we got an anonymous tip about a bomb threat. As you might know, we don’t have those resources within the department, so we had to call in the county sheriff for assistance.
There was a backpack leaning against your building.
We shut down the perimeter, but we had to wait for their bomb squad to show up before we could take a look. ”
“A bomb threat?” Eden whispered.
Rose glanced at her and her expression softened.
“Chances are it’s nothing. Happened a couple times over at the high school in recent years, but every instance turned out to be unsubstantiated.
Usually someone who didn’t finish a project on time or forgot to study for a test called in the fake threat. ”
Though Eden looked shell-shocked, my mind went straight to that letter she’d received.
Peddler of Evil. Spruce Hill might be a small town, but most people here were pretty progressive, aside from some of the older generation.
I tried to imagine ninety-year-old Mrs. Horowitz from down the street calling in a bomb threat, but there was a likelier explanation.
“There was a letter in the mailbox a couple weeks ago,” I said quietly, “and before you tell me I’m an idiot, I realize now that I’m an idiot, because we threw it out. It had a weird, preachy flier inside about hell and repentance.”
“Who was it addressed to? Did it have a stamp, or was it just shoved in there?”
Eden answered, “It was for me, but it was addressed to ‘Peddler of Evil.’ I don’t remember it having a stamp though, do you?”
I shook my head. “No. I didn’t think of that at the time, but I’m pretty sure it was just the street address on there.”
“Unfortunately, not much we can do without seeing it, but I’d like you both to make an official statement so it’s on record.
If this little stunt is related, I want to be sure we have a full account of what’s gone on.
Rumor had it there was a third bid for the empty storefront. You know who it was, Milo?”
“No,” I said slowly, “but Jim can tell you if he’s coming to open the framing shop.”
“I’ll ask him. Hang tight, you two.”
Eden and I both nodded as a young officer who looked vaguely familiar jogged up to the three of us.
“Coast is clear. Backpack contained a modified clock radio. No explosive devices found,” he said, then directed a smile in Eden’s direction. “Officer Huxley Ford, ma’am.”
It was a testament to how shaken up she was that she didn’t even attempt to smile back.
Eden was friendly in a sincere, thoughtful kind of way that drew people to her—I imagined her success as a business owner owed quite a bit to that trait.
Customer service was second nature for her.
The tight nod she managed to give Officer Ford spoke volumes.
“Can we go inside?” she asked.
The young officer shook his head and said, “I’m afraid not, at least not yet. If you have your keys, the bomb squad wants to sweep all of the stores on this block. The owner of the place on the other side of you is on vacation, Milo, but the landlord is coming to open the door.”
Eden stayed huddled against my chest as we passed the policeman keys to both stores.
I shook hands with Rose after she promised to let me know when we could go inside and guided Eden back to the warmth of the car.
Once we were enclosed in silence, I hooked my hand around the back of her neck and clasped her against me over the center console, wrapping my other arm around her.
“You doing okay?” I murmured into her hair.
Her shoulders lifted and fell, but she said nothing, another uncharacteristic reaction that concerned me even more than a fake bomb threat.
“Eden, baby, it’ll be fine. They’ll get everything cleared away and we’ll be all set to open. In fact, we’ll probably both end up with a rush of customers because this town thrives on gossip.”
“Yeah,” she replied quietly. “Probably.”
“Eden, look at me.”
It wasn’t sharp or forceful, but that low tone of voice I used in the bedroom had an immediate effect. She straightened and met my eyes, her own swirling with uncertainty.
“Everything is going to be okay. Do you trust me?”
She nodded right away and relief swept through me. Though I didn’t like the note of defeat in her agreement, I had no idea how to reassure her. Hopefully, she’d see firsthand that this wouldn’t negatively impact her bottom line, and then she’d be back to her usual self again.
“My beautiful Eden,” I whispered.
I felt the shiver that ran along her spine, trembling under my palm. God, she enjoyed praise as much as I enjoyed giving it. Like she was made for me.
“Everything is going to be fine. I promise you that.”
Whatever it took, I would not let her down.