“I’m hungry,” she tells me with a blush. “Do you think it’s too early for breakfast?”
“Nope, if you’re hungry then let’s eat. Do you want to go out or make something?”
“Is it safe for just the two of us to go out?”
“I don’t think the coward would start with me, but I would never take that risk. There are two guys outside still, remember? I would get them to follow us.”
“I think I’ll just make something. I feel like I’m in the mood for an omelette. What do you think?”
“Works for me. I’m not a bad cook but, for some reason, omelettes always end up scrambled for me.”
“Well, in that case, prepare to be dazzled.”
“Have at it, pretty girl.”
We quietly make our way downstairs so we don’t disturb the rest of the house, only to find Eli at the kitchen table reading the paper. They stare at each other briefly before Eden begins rummaging around the fridge to find ingredients. I don’t miss the look of longing on Eli’s face before he turns back to the paper, but I don’t say anything. He’s going to have to figure this out on his own.
“Hey, man, feeling better?” I pull out the chair opposite him enjoying the view of Eden pottering around in nothing more than panties and my T-shirt. I’ve seen this girl naked more times than I can count but she has never looked sexier than she does right now.
“I’m good, thanks, and I’m sorry about yesterday.”
“Don’t sweat it. I get it.”
“Eli, I’m making omelettes, do you want one?” Eden’s voice calls and I watch as his whole body relaxes.
Guess he thought she was going to give him the cold shoulder all day. He clearly doesn’t know Eden very well and if he doesn’t pull his finger out, he never will.
“Erm, sure, thank you, Eden. What are you putting in them?”
“Well, we have cheese, mushrooms and spinach. That sound okay?”
“If you can do mine without the mushrooms and spinach then, yeah, that sounds great.”
“How does someone who eats next to no vegetables and coats almost everything in cheese, end up with a body like yours?” Her eyes widen as soon as the words leave her mouth, but Eli thankfully just takes the teasing at face value.
He stands and pulls his T-shirt up to reveal an impressive set of abs. “Yeah, I think I’m good.” He sits down and goes back to reading the paper, leaving Eden standing there with her mouth open.
“Pretty girl, if you drool into the omelette, make sure you give it to the cocky asshole over here.”
She snaps her mouth shut before flipping me off.
“So, do you have any plans today?” I ask Eli as the sounds and smells from the pan start to reach us.
“I want to head to the gym for a couple of hours but beyond that not much.”
“You want some company? I usually work out every day but with everything that’s been going on I’ve been slacking.”
“Sure, sounds good. What about Eden? Want to bring her along?”
“Nah. I’ll see if Noah wants to stay and hang out with her. If she comes, she’s going to want to work out too and she still isn’t one hundred percent. Besides, I would rather take her when she’s feeling better and watch her run circles around you guys.”
He scoffs. “Please. I’m not saying she isn’t fit but you haven’t seen me on the treadmill yet.”
“That girl is a fucking machine. The strength it takes to work the pole and perform the tricks that she did night after night is insane. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“So, you’ve known her a long time then?”
“Kind of. I had already been working at Midas a full year before Eden started. She was fresh-faced and oozed innocence. I thought they were going to eat her alive but when the music started, she morphed into this whole other persona. It was something special to watch but then she always was. She kept to herself mostly but was always friendly enough.”
Eden walks over and places a plate down in front of me and I tuck in as Eli waits for his. Screw manners, the smell alone is driving me crazy.
She brings Eli’s over just as a sleep-rumbled Noah stumbles into the room.
“I smell food.”
“I’m making omelettes. You want one?”
Her voice snaps him out of his sleep fog as he marches over to her and kisses her as if they are the only two people in the room. Bad kisser indeed. I steal a glance at Eli and notice he’s trying to look anywhere other than at the couple making out on the other side of the kitchen island. I decide to cut him some slack until he can get his head on straight.
“Hey, Eden, seeing as we are all here, why don’t you tell the guys about your club idea?”
She pulls away from Noah’s kiss and throws me a death stare. Whether that’s because she doesn’t want to discuss it or because I made her stop kissing, who knows?
“Yes, Eden, I would love an omelette.” Noah comes to sit in the chair beside mine as he waits. “So, what’s this about a club?”
“Well, um, I’ve been putting money aside over the years to open my own club one day. Now that I have access to my trust fund, I don’t really need to wait anymore. Anyway, I was thinking of opening a burlesque club.”
“Wait, isn’t a burlesque club just a fancy name for a strip club?” Noah unwisely asks, making me kick him under the table. “Motherfucker, that hurt.”
“It’s a little different from a strip club. Yes, the girls take their clothes off but it’s more seduction and suggestion than in your face. I want it to feel retro with slapstick comedy shows and jazz music. That kind of thing.”
“And are you planning to take your clothes off?”
I kick him again.
“For fuck’s sake, will you knock that shit off?”
“Well, I don’t know, Noah, maybe to start with, but I was planning on running the place and employing other women to take care of that.” She watches him with narrow eyes as he smiles, and his shoulders relax with relief. “But now that you mention it, maybe I should be up there with the other girls, showing them what I want. There is nothing sexier than having people’s eyes on me as I act out fantasies that most people don’t get to see even behind closed doors.”
I turn around and hide my smile, knowing she is playing him like she did me earlier.
“What, no way are you getting up there and taking your clothes off for a room full of strangers to ogle. I thought you were done with that now.”
“Did you? Well, you know what they say about assuming, don’t you? Besides, I miss it, just having that freedom to take my clothes off and strut around naked knowing that people want to reach out and touch me but can’t. That they will go home later with visions of me in their heads as they touch themselves.”
“Like fuck, they will.” Noah stands up and roars. “Nobody gets to see you naked but us. I’m not kidding, Eden, don’t push me.”
She walks right up to him until she’s pressed up against him without a sliver of space between them. I can’t help the proud smile that covers my face. She isn’t the least bit afraid of Noah and his gruff exterior. I love the fact that she won’t let him walk all over her or let anyone, for that matter. Physically, we might be stronger. Emotionally, Eden has us all beat hands down, which is great because she’s the glue that’s going to keep us all together.
“All right, Eden, put him out of his misery before the vein in his temple explodes,” I tell her.
“Well, he’s being an unreasonable asshole again, Mason. Who does he think he is telling me what I can and cannot do?” She stomps her foot and huffs back over to the cooker, taking her aggression out on the ingredients for Noah’s omelette while calling him names under her breath.
Even Eli cracks a smile at her antics.
“What?” Noah looks from me to Eli in confusion.
“Dude, do you know anything about women? As soon as you opened your mouth to tell her she couldn’t do something, you gave her the determination to prove you wr
ong,” Eli tells him like it’s obvious. Which it is to everyone but Noah, apparently.
“I just don’t want everyone else looking at her,” he grouses.
“But you’re okay sharing her? Some twisted logic there, buddy.”
Noah throws a coaster at his head. “It’s different. I trust you and Mason, but I don’t trust any other fucker out there. I don’t want them thinking they can put their hands on our girl or fucking jerking off to her. That shit isn’t going to fly.”
Eden walks over and puts a plate down in front of Noah with far more force than necessary. “I wasn’t actually planning on being part of the act, you butthole, not that there is a damn thing wrong with stripping or burlesque. So, I took my clothes off, big fucking deal. I worked as a cleaner before that in a cheap-ass hotel cleaning up shit-stained toilets and collecting used condoms off the floor because people knew I had to do it to keep my job. I barely made minimum wage. It was a constant battle deciding whether I should pay the rent, keep the electricity on, or eat. My first night at Midas I earned more than I had in a week at the hotel. Now tell me, what would you have done? At the hotel I had abuse hurled at me on a regular basis. I was spat at and constantly fighting off men who thought letting them grope me was part of my job description. At Midas, I had him.” She points at me, making the other two stare at me with respect. “He kept me safe.” She sighs and plonks herself down on Noah’s lap.
“I won’t be stripping. Partly because I don’t need to anymore and partly because I knew that you guys would be uncomfortable with it. Girls are always going to strip as long as guys pay for the privilege. I just want to offer a slightly different alternative. Whether you like it or not, Noah, it’s what I know and I’m damn good at it. I may as well use what I learned for something.”
She leans forward and stage whispers in his ear loud enough for us all to hear. “I will save my stripping just for you guys.” Planting a kiss on his cheek she gets up and lets him eat his omelette and makes herself one as we talk amongst ourselves.
“I actually might know of the perfect place,” Eli tells her as she walks back over with her plate in her hand. “There’s an old theatre up for sale a few miles from here. I passed it the other day when I was going for a run. I don’t know what it’s like inside, but it might be worth looking at.”
“That sounds perfect, thank you.” She pulls out a chair and sits next to him and starts devouring her omelette. We all just stare at her in shock. Taking the last bite, she looks up and swallows. “What?”
“Aren’t you worried you’re going to gain a load of weight now that you’re not eating as healthy or exercising?” Eli asks, staring at her now empty plate.
I kick him under the table making him curse but it wasn’t necessary. I could see as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. I doubt he was trying to be malicious but fucking Christ, these guys are clueless when it comes to women and I’m the one that spent eight years surrounded by only men.
She stands up and grabs her plate with one hand and uses the other to grab the hem of her T-shirt. Lifting it up to just under her breasts, she showcases a toned stomach and a skimpy pair of black panties.
“Yeah, I think I’m good.” She mimics Eli from before. She lets the T-shirt drop back into place, places her plate in the dishwasher and struts her fantastic ass back up the stairs.
Eli just sits there with his mouth open, staring at the empty space where she stood. The laughter bursts out of me, shocking myself as well as them. I laugh until I can barely catch my breath, but I finally manage to get myself under control again.
“She’s trying to kill me,” he mumbles.
“Probably, but you deserved it,” Noah answers, making me laugh all over again
“I need to get to the gym. You still want to come?” Eli asks me when I finally get myself together.
“Yeah. Noah, fancy keeping Eden occupied for a little while? I need to get a workout in.”
“Sure. We need to think about taking her out for a bit. She is going stir crazy being cooped up in here. Any suggestions?”
“She seemed interested in going to Dante’s. I thought we could take her after the shit was all sorted but if we can get some extra security maybe we could take her there for a little while.”
“Yeah, that might actually work. Malcolm knows the guys there pretty well and they have cameras everywhere. Let me make a couple of calls and see what I can arrange.”
“Sounds good.” I turn to Eli who is loading the rest of our plates into the dishwasher. “You fancy it?”
“What, a night at Dante’s with you guys?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“Maybe because I will feel like the odd man out.”
“You’ll be fine. You can’t be pissed that you don’t get to put your hands on Eden when it’s you that imposed that limit.” I hold my hand up when he goes to argue with me. “Not my business. My point is, you are going to have to get used to being around the three of us and watching our interactions. We aren’t going to hide our relationship from you.”
“Yeah, I get it. Let’s just go.”
He goes to grab his stuff, leaving me with Noah who just shakes his head.
“I thought you were the pigheaded one?”
“No, I’m the determined one who likes to get his own way. Eli is the stubborn self-saboteur.”
“Figures.” I trail up the stairs and get changed into workout clothes before saying goodbye to Eden. Eli is at the door waiting so we head straight out. Thankfully the drizzle from earlier has stopped.
“Did Noah tell you my story?”
“He told me about your stint in prison and how you got there yeah, why?”
“Just didn’t want you to be the only one that didn’t know. What’s your story?”
“Not something I want to talk about today, man.”
“Fair enough. How far is this place?”
“A twenty-minute walk but trust me, it’s quicker than trying to drive there at this time of day when everyone is commuting here, there and fucking everywhere.”
“Want to run?”
“You’re on. Loser buys the shakes.”
I take off before he finishes. I’m fit and strong but I doubt I’m faster than that shithead so if that means a little cheating so be it.
“Fucker.”
I run as fast as I can, but it isn’t long until he runs past me.
“Ha. I win.”
I shrug. I’m the one that really won. I got the girl.
Chapter Ten
EDEN
I stand out on the balcony looking into the dark river below, mesmerised by its ebb and flow when I feel arms slip around my waist startling me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump.”
“It’s okay. I was in a world of my own. I love it out here, watching the dark water, wondering what secrets it hides.”
Noah is quiet for a minute, his breath tickling my ear as he rests his head upon my shoulder. “My father killed himself. He threw himself into this very river just to escape the mess he made. He left behind two wives and a child to pick up the pieces.”
“Two wives? He was in a relationship like ours?”
“No, and therein lies the problem. He lied and cheated on them both, neither of them knowing about the other. My mother died before that came to light but Louise, his other wife, had to deal with the knowledge that the man she built a life with and grieved over wasn’t the man she thought he was. The fact that she couldn’t have children and his other wife gave him one is something that haunts her even now.”
I spin in his arms and hold him tight. “That’s messed up. I’m really sorry, Noah. How did she find out about you guys?”
“She found a box in her attic with wedding photos from my mother and father’s wedding and their wedding certificate. She tracked us down from there but by then it was just me left.”
“He left that in the attic of his other wife’s house? Jesus, it was like he wanted
to get caught.”
“Who knows? I have wracked my brain over the years trying to understand what makes a man do that, but I just don’t know.”
We stand quietly for a moment, me offering him support and him greedily absorbing it.
“Do you believe it’s possible to love more than one person at a time?” I can’t completely hide the worry in my voice.
He slips his fingers under my jaw and tilts my head back so that I’m staring into his beautiful eyes. “God, I hope so.” He places a brief kiss on my lips before pulling back. “I just don’t think he loved either of them as much as he loved himself. He lied, cheated, and left them to pick up the pieces. Those are not the actions of a man who loves wholeheartedly. It’s early days for us, Eden, but I already know I would rather chop off my own arm and beat myself with it than cause you a fraction of the pain they had to endure. If your question is really about whether or not I’m worried that you won’t be able to love me and Mason equally, I’m not.”
“You’re not?”
“Nope. I just worry that Mason has set the bar so high that I’m likely to fall flat sometimes. He is so good at anticipating your needs and whatnot and I’m, well, I’m me.”
I giggle into his chest. “Mason has known me longer, that’s all. Don’t be fooled into thinking he’s perfect. He is the most laid-back person I know, sometimes too laid-back, but he has a trigger switch and once that’s flipped it’s like the lights are on but nobody’s home. You had a little taste of it back at his place. Given his size and strength when he hulks out, he becomes the formidable force that is both awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s how he ended up in prison in the first place. He says he remembered the guy’s words and then nothing until the officer was cuffing him and the guy was dead on the floor.”
“And that is exactly what terrifies me about this whole stalker situation. If Mason gets his hands on him, things will move from bad to worse in a heartbeat. I don’t want to gain my freedom again at the expense of his.”
“We’ll work it out. If I have to sit on the fucker to hold him back, I will. But, Eden, if that stalker guy doesn’t back the fuck off, you might have to find someone to hold me back too.”
The Promise of Tomorrow: An Inheritance Novel Page 10
