Chapter 16
KIERAN
I close the door behind me, tucking my hand and the gift into my pocket. It still feels weird to be inside my room, but at least I survived the night.
It is a ridiculous feat—but one nonetheless—that I actually slept in my own home for the last four nights.
Granted, the first one was after I drank enough to get some semblance of rest in a chair in my sitting room while Rohan and Lochlan made sure I didn’t go after Eden.
The night after, I drank and dosed there alone.
And the last two nights, I wouldn’t call my restless tossing sleep really, but it’s progress.
I hated being alone in our bed, but I knew that it wasn’t feasible to keep going the way I was. I needed to reestablish some control over myself and implement a little structure.
And the only reason I was even able to was because I finally got through to her.
I knew that our chemistry was still there.
I just needed to pull it out of Eden like I did the first time we met.
I never once kept my distance from her, never stormed off when we argued, and all that space wasn’t good for either of us.
It was a relief to see how well she handled my teasing, how she gave it right back to me. And if she didn’t realize the way her body responded to me before… Well, she did now.
I knew that all she needed was one touch, one moment with her guard down and my mouth on her, and she would realize that something was drawing her to me. It’s always been there, and no one could take that away from us.
But I also know how Eden is, which meant I gave her space after. I couldn’t push too hard or she’d snap, and my progress would be undone. So I spent the last two days staying away while she processed.
The sun is starting to set, and I can’t wait any longer. As Eden has a tendency to do to me, I’ve run out of patience.
Which is why I’m heading for the patio right now, hoping I’ll find my wife out there. I’ve resolved to at least try to talk to her first, but if she tries to leave again, I’m not above making her come just so she’ll put up with my company.
It’s nowhere near the first time I’ve done it.
I pause just inside the glass doors, my chest constricting when I’m met with the sight of Eden sitting at the edge of my pool, feet in the water.
Her black boots sit beside her, and she’s wearing those tight black shorts she used to love to fight in.
Paired with the cream colored sweater, she looks so damn good I have to remind myself she’s not used to me fucking her again before I storm out there and strip her down.
I can do this. I can be…Well, not good. But close enough.
Pushing open the door, I step outside, my boots clicking along the patio’s stones. Eden’s head tips back to look at me, the golden light painting her in a way that makes my mouth fucking water. Nothing has ever been more tempting than this girl.
“I was starting to think you were avoiding me,” she calls as she straightens, looking back at the mountain peaks across from us.
I chuckle softly but don’t answer. I don’t mention that I’m glad this side of her has come out to play in case the reminder of our past sets her off. It’s a fine line of knowing how I should provoke her.
Instead, I take a seat beside her, facing her so I can stretch one leg out behind her and sling my arm over the bent knee of the other. “Why don’t you just get in the water?”
A smirk pulls at her lips as she shifts to look at me. “Because no one has broken into my room to stock it with swimwear like they have with everything else.”
I bite down on my lip to keep from laughing. I’ve argued with Eden so many times to wear something— anything— in the pool, so her comment catches me off guard.
Unable to stop myself, I answer her with a smart-arse remark of my own. “That’s because you don’t need any.” I lean back, my eyes dragging over her body before they pop back up. “No one comes out here but me.”
She scoffs. “You’ll have to try harder than that to get me naked, Kieran.”
Try harder, Kieran .
Those words give me a flash of hope.
“Are you sure about that, mo chuisle ? Because, from what I remember, you like what I can accomplish when there are no clothes between us.”
She stiffens, gaze darting away, and my brows furrow. It’s no further than she went, but as I rethink the sentence, I realize my mistake. Her nickname. While I’m far too used to using it, she doesn’t seem to react well to it.
Not wanting her to bolt, I slide her gift out of my pocket and clear my throat. She hasn’t completely withdrawn yet, but she looks on the edge of it.
“I brought you something.” I keep my tone neutral, watching to see how she’ll react. If she’ll shut down or give me another chance.
“What is it?” There’s an edge to her words that I know all too well. I need to tread carefully.
And because I’m fucked up, a thrill shoots through me at knowing that Eden’s more dangerous and difficult side is making an appearance. Now that I know she still wants me, it’s easier for me to handle—and I like how hard it is to please my girl. It makes it fucking worth it when I do.
“If you’d look at me, you’d find out.”
Her head whips toward me as she pins me with a glare that threatens to make me hard. Fuck, I love how deadly she is.
And clearly I like putting myself in harm’s way because I hold up one of her favorite blades. I don’t know where the ones from the day she went missing are, but I have her special ones in our room still. The rest are in our home armory with mine.
This one has a dark wooden handle, the grain polished to perfection, and a smooth, dark gunmetal gray blade. Along the edge of the metal, it’s engraved with small stars because of how many nights we’ve spent out on this patio beneath the open sky.
Mika has a matching one. Jude and I gifted them to the girls last Wintervale—and they loved them. Mika always has hers on her, but Eden would only wear this one around the house. She said it was too important to dirty with the guards’ blood when she went to the training grounds.
Which is why I’m lucky that it’s even still here. She hadn’t been wearing it that day.
I’ve noticed how often Eden has reached for a blade she’s not wearing, and I don’t like knowing she’s unarmed. Always willing to pull a weapon on someone is part of who Eden is, and I guess I want to give that back to her. Or maybe selfishly, I want to see more of my wife come back.
I know I’m a selfish bastard, though, so it doesn’t bother me.
Watching Eden’s face as she stares at the blade, I know I made the right choice. All the anger drains from her expression, and she reaches for the knife with a look of reverence. I place it handle first in her palm, watching her take it in just like she did the first time.
“You brought this for me?” Her voice is soft, and I weigh my words. I’m not sure if I should tell her it is hers or if that reminder will make her shut down again.
I settle on, “I thought you’d want it.”
“I do.” Those golden hazel eyes look up at me in a way I haven’t seen in so long. She’s looking at me with…affection. And damn, it makes my chest ache. “Thank you.”
Swallowing hard, I pull the other part of her gift from my pocket. “I brought a sheath for you, too.” Her gaze flicks to the black leather in my hand, but she doesn’t reach for it. “If you want something different?—“
Eden shakes her head, moving back from the pool. Turning, she drapes one leg over my still extended one, and I freeze. She’s halfway in my lap, and I’m willing my body to stay calm—not that it’s listening.
“Will you put it on me?” Her dark curls fall to the side as she cocks her head.
It should be such an innocent question, but the way she’s looking at me isn’t. Her gaze is heated as she leans back on her hands, watching me with a challenging smirk.
I’m never one to back down from a challenge, or a chance to put my hands on Eden. But I won’t make this easy on her, either.
Sliding one hand up her calf, my fingers trailing along her smooth skin, I hook it behind her knee and drag her closer. A soft gasp escapes her as I settle her between my legs, her thigh in easy reach now.
Keeping my movements tantalizingly slow and deliberate, I pull one strap of leather around her leg and buckle it along the inside of her thigh.
I brush my thumb along the sensitive skin as I watch Eden’s cheeks pink, her breaths coming in faster.
It only encourages me to take my time with that second strap that sits even higher.
As I loop the leather around her leg, I drag my knuckles a little higher until I’m brushing just shy of her core. She doesn’t move away, though. Instead, her back arches, and I have no doubt she’d let me lay her out by the pool right now and feast.
But I’d rather hear her beg for it before I give in again. I want to make her squirm, want to remind her how much she needs me. One of my favorite things is pushing Eden, and right now is no different.
Which is why I slide the second loop through its buckle at an agonizing speed. My hand squeezes her thigh as I rumble, “There.” Even I can hear how thick my accent is on that one word, laced with so much need.
It’s almost painful to extract myself, and Eden’s brows crease as I do. Her head tips back to watch me stand. “What are you doing?”
I slide my hands into my pockets. “I came to bring you your gift.” I nod at the holster on her thigh that looks fucking good. “I don’t want to interrupt any more of your evening.”
Forcing myself to turn away, I stride for the door. I have no interest in leaving, but I’m working on getting Eden to actually want me around. This is part of it.
“Kieran.” I pause at her voice, glancing back over my shoulder with a raised brow. She’s standing, backlit by the evening light, and those hazel eyes are so beautiful as she stares at me. “Do you want to have dinner together? Out here?”
I can’t stop the smile that tugs at my lips.
“I would love to.”