Most men looked straight through her.
Except Eden.
After Eden had returned that afternoon and dropped the bombshell that he still loved her, he'd suggested they go out to eat. On a date.
Shylah's stomach had been doing somersaults ever since. They'd done little more than fight since she got to Marble Falls. She didn't know if she could flick back to the old Shylah. The Shylah and Eden Shylah.
One thing was still the same at least, she still thought Eden was miles out of her league. Whenever she'd gone out with him in the past, she'd always been hypersensitive about what others thought.
Were they wondering why someone as good looking as him was dating someone as plain as her?
"Stop it."
Shylah startled at Eden's voice.
Turning her head, she saw him leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed over his massive chest. The stance made the muscles in his arms appear even bigger.
Like he needed that.
"Stop what?"
"Judging yourself. Putting yourself down. Whatever critical, untrue thoughts you have running through your head. You're beautiful." Pushing off the frame, Eden walked to the bed and picked up her jacket. Helping her into it, a shiver cursed down Shylah's spine as his hands brushed against her sensitive skin. Dropping a kiss on her shoulder before straightening, Eden put a hand on the small of Shylah's back. "Ready to go?"
No. "Yes."
Shylah didn't know why she was so nervous. She was being ridiculous. She'd dated the guy for months a little over a year ago.
They'd already had sex since she'd been back. There was no reason to be shy. She needed to snap out of it.
Following Eden to his truck, they started heading into town.
Recognizing for the first time how far out he lived, she turned her head to ask Eden about it. "What made you want to live so far from town?"
"The peace and quiet," Eden said without hesitation. "No one close by to just pop over for no good reason. If I see people, it's because I choose to."
Cocking her head sideways, she studied his profile. "You make it sound like you hate people."
"I don't hate people. The world has just shown me time and again that people are assholes." There was no anger in Eden's voice as he spoke.
Not able to hold back the laugh, Shylah couldn't quite work out if Eden was joking. "Not everyone's an asshole, Eden."
Taking his eyes off the road for a moment to look at Shylah, she could see there was no humor in his expression. "Remember what I told you about my brother?"
"I remember you telling me he died in a robbery."
"And then my parents became distant, so I effectively lost them too. I was pretty much on my own for a while there. A few years later, I met you and had a great team around me. I was genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. But in one day, one conversation, I lost you, I lost my commander, and I found out everything I put my faith in was corrupt. I lost faith in people that day. So, when I came here, I didn't want to be around people."
Shylah placed her hand on Eden's leg. "I'm so sorry, Eden." And she was. She hated hearing the pain in his voice.
"My team, my brothers, they were the only thing that got me through. They didn't give up on me no matter how much of a jerk I was. And trust me when I say, I haven't been the best company these last few months."
Fidgeting with a piece of cotton that had loosened from her dress, guilt hit Shylah hard. "I'm really sorry I didn't come find you sooner. I really felt like it was the right thing to do. Like I couldn't bear to have you find out everything. I needed to recover first. I think it came back to me feeling undeserving of you. If I didn't think I was good enough whole, why would you want me damaged."
"You're not damaged, Shy. You're the only thing I want in this world, injured or not," Eden growled. Reaching his hand over, he gave her thigh a squeeze. "And you're here now, Shy. That's what matters."
Placing her hand on top of his, Shylah smiled, feeling like the luckiest woman to have found Eden.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Shylah was glad to see it wasn't the same one she'd gone to with Trent. Being a small town, it occurred to her it was a possibility. Now she felt dumb for even thinking it.
Instead, Eden led Shylah into a small Chinese restaurant. When they got to the table, Eden pulled out her chair for her before she sat down.
"Mm, the smell of Chinese food always makes me ten times hungrier."
"I remember," Eden said, the menu sitting in front of him, but eyes only for Shylah. "Still have an obsession with pork buns?"
"God, I haven't had one of those in months. Let's order ten." Just the mention of her favorite food had her stomach growling.
"Done."
"And some dumplings. Oh, and some basil chicken," Shylah continued, hungrier by the second.
The smile that stretched across Eden's face caused Shylah's stomach to flip.
"With fried ice cream for dessert," he continued for her.
Shylah wouldn't be surprised if saliva dribbled from her mouth right then and there. "I've missed you."
The smile dropped from Eden's face. "You have no idea."
After they placed their order, the food didn't take long to arrive. Shylah was quick to dig in, not caring if she came across like a starved homeless person.
The pork buns were just as good as she remembered. Halfway through their meal, Eden's phone started ringing. Turning it over, he ignored the first few rings. On the third, he picked it up.
"Eagle, what is it?" Falling silent as he listened to Mason, Shylah noticed Eden's muscles tense before his gaze lifted to hers. "We'll be there in ten."
As he hung up his phone, a nervous tension crept into Shylah's shoulders. "What is it?"
"Someone attacked Kye while he was locking up at Marble."
Shylah didn't move or say anything for a moment. Who would be dumb enough to attack one of the guys? They were lethal, even on their worst day.
Eden stood and reached for Shylah's chair, placing a hand on her elbow as he helped her stand. "What's Kye going to do with the guy?"
"He got away."
"He got away?" Shylah repeated, louder than she'd intended. Someone attacked Kye and was fast and strong enough to get away? Jeepers.
Eden made quick work of the trip to Marble. It felt strange walking into the building at night. The street was too dark and too quiet.
Walking inside, all seven other men stood in the large front area, Evie under Luca's arm.
"What happened?" Eden asked as he walked up to the group, holding Shylah's hand in his.
Kye had a scratch on his forehead, but other than that, no one would guess anything had happened. "I was closing up the front door when I heard footsteps. I didn't think anything of it until they got closer. Too close. When I turned, a guy was standing there."
"Did you recognize him?" Oliver asked.
"Never seen him before. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and he was scruffy and dirty. Sort of looked homeless, but strong." Kye hesitated for a moment before adding, "He also had red bruises around his wrists."
Shylah looked around the group to see the men sharing a look that she didn't quite understand.
"What did he want?" Wyatt questioned.
"He kept saying he needed help, but then he'd grab his head. He seemed to struggle on a psychological level. Kept pulling his hair, scratching his skin. He was agitated. When he banged his head with his fists, I tried to grab his arms, but he shoved me. Hard. That's how I hit my head."
"He shoved you hard enough that you fell backward?" Eden asked, his hand tightening a fraction on Shylah's.
"He was strong," Kye said, holding Eden's gaze.
"Any track marks?" Luca asked from where he stood with Evie.
"Not that I could see. If he's like us though, his skin will heal quickly."
They healed quickly? That was a surprise to Shylah.
"Then he left," Kye continued. "He was damn quick. I thought about going after hi
m, but I didn't know where he would lead me."
"Smart. He could have led you back to them," Bodie said, a serious look on his face for once.
Asher shoved his hands into his pockets as he spoke. "So what now?"
"A couple of us should try to track him, see if he left a trail," Wyatt said in a commanding voice. "Evie and I can hack the nearby cameras, see if we find anything. We can catch up tomorrow and see if we have anything."
"I'll see if I can track him," Oliver said.
"I'll go too. I'll recognize him on the off chance we find something," Kye replied firmly.
The men looked around at each other, determination in their eyes.
One thing was clear, there was more going on here than Shylah knew.
18
Eden's fingers slid over the scarring on Shylah's stomach. It was clear the scar was fading, but red discoloration still tinged the wound. The scar was only small. Visible where the bullet had hit, but also where the surgery had been performed.
Eden had seen a lot worse, but seeing the scars on Shylah's body made his blood boil. The knowledge that it was due to his commander's actions, a man Eden had cared about and trusted, killed him.
Shylah's eyes slowly fluttered open, and it took her a moment to become conscious. When she was, her hand immediately reached for the blanket to cover herself.
Lightly taking hold of her wrist, Eden halted her for a moment. "Please, Shylah, I want to see."
Loosening his grip, Shylah could have pulled her hand away if she'd wanted. Instead, she relaxed, but worry stilled glazed her eyes.
"I hate it. It's all I see when I look at myself."
Shaking his head, Eden disagreed, "It's the mark of survival. A reminder of your strength."
Because this woman had strength in spades.
Raising her hand, Shylah placed it on Eden's cheek. "I was so nervous that it would bother you."
Dragging his gaze from the scarring to Shylah's face, he studied her hazel eyes. "Would I love to watch you carry my baby one day? Yes. Does the fact that you probably can't make me question whether I should be with you? Hell, no. If you want to try to get pregnant, we'll go to every specialist in the country to seek help. If it turns out you can't carry a baby, there are other ways to have children. Surrogacy. Adoption. None of that affects how I feel about you."
Shylah's hand stroked Eden's cheek. "It's surreal to me that a couple of weeks ago you hated me, and now we're talking about babies."
"I never hated you, Shylah. I don't even think I could. Even in my anger-fueled craze when I stupidly thought you might have been part of Project Arma, I was so damn mad at you, but hate never came into it."
Shylah's eyes reflected the sadness that Eden had felt. "I'll try to never hide any secrets from you again."
A laugh escaped Eden's chest. "Shy, if I suspect you're hiding a secret from me, I'm gonna lock you in a room and seduce the truth out of you."
Furrowing her brows, Shylah crossed her arms over the sheets. "Maybe I'm hiding a secret right now."
"You're not."
"How do you know?"
"Because when you lie to me, I hear your heart skip a beat and speed up," Eden said, placing his hand over her chest. "Your pupils dilate, and your eyes widen slightly. You breathe slightly faster than normal."
"That's not fair. You have abilities to tell when I'm lying, but I can't do the same for you."
"I would never lie to you, Shylah."
He sure as hell wouldn't ever lie. Lies and secrets are what got them into this mess. No fucking way was Eden going to risk history repeating itself.
Leaning down, Eden placed a kiss on Shylah's lips. "You and me, no secrets, got it?"
Face curving into a smile, Shylah nodded. "Done." Her hand ran down Eden's chest, causing him to harden. "Now, what's the plan for today."
At the mention of the day ahead, Eden's mind went back to the attack on Kye, which happened less than twenty-four hours ago.
Climbing out of bed, Eden didn't show an ounce of care that he was naked. "I was thinking we could have everyone from Marble over for a barbecue. The guys and I try to have a family social gathering at least once a month, and I haven't hosted one. It would give me a chance to talk to the guys about last night and you a chance to get to know Evie and Lexie a bit better."
Sitting up, Shylah drew the sheet up with her. "That sounds nice. I really like Evie and Lexie." Shylah cocked her head to the side. "They're quite the opposite of each other. Evie seems shy and reserved while Lexie just tends to say whatever pops into her head. I'm surprised they're friends."
Eden scoffed, "Lexie could make friends with a terrorist. Evie never stood a chance."
Giggling, Shylah stepped out of bed, dropping the sheet in the process. Eden's eyes drew to her body. She didn't realize how irresistible she was.
"Ooh, I can make my apple strudel. And custard tart." Shylah beamed, oblivious to Eden's heated gaze.
Walking around the bed, Eden pulled Shylah's naked body into his and placed a long intimate kiss on her lips. "Then we'd better get moving before I throw you back on the bed and keep you captive all day."
A flush tinged Shylah's cheeks. "That doesn't sound so terrible."
A rumble vibrated through Eden's chest before he lowered his head. Touching his lips to Shylah's, Eden deepened the kiss immediately. Shylah tasted sweet as his tongue touched hers.
She leaned her body into his, her hard nipples scraping against Eden's chest. Growling, Eden reluctantly pulled away, Shylah's disappointed groan doing nothing to calm the fire inside him.
"We need to prepare for today. I'll make the wait worth your while."
Eyes shooting up to his face, Shylah pouted her lips. "I'm gonna hold you to that, buddy."
Eden was counting on it.
After he calmed down and got dressed, Eden let everyone from Marble know the plan. He and Shylah then spent the day getting ready for that evening.
It felt very domesticated to Eden. Something he'd wanted a little over a year ago but refused to let himself think about when she disappeared.
Now, standing with his team in his backyard, Eden felt content for the first time in months.
"You look happy, man."
Turning to look at Luca beside him, Eden nodded. "Right back at you."
Laughing, Luca nodded. "Yeah, those women got us good, didn't they?"
"Prefer that to the alternative," Eden muttered, lifting a beer to his lips.
Slapping his hand on Eden's shoulder, the smile left Luca's face. "Seriously though, I'm glad you got her back. It means that we got you back. We were worried about you for a while there."
"Yeah, I was an asshole. I still feel like a dick for how I treated you and Evie."
Dick was an understatement.
"You made good, that's what counts."
Eden was lucky his friend was willing to forgive him. If roles had been reversed and someone had treated Shylah like that, he didn't know what he would have done.
"Should we talk business for a minute?" Wyatt asked, coming to stand with Eden and Luca.
Hearing Wyatt's words from their various places around the yard, the rest of the guys made their way over to stand with Wyatt, Eden, and Luca.
"Let's get business out the way so I can spend some time with my woman."
At Luca's words, Eden's eyes tracked Shylah across the lawn. She was standing with Evie and Lexie, laughing at something they said. As she turned her gaze to his, Eden winked and watched Shylah's lips curve into a shy smile.
Damn, she was stunning. And she was his.
"Evie and I hacked the local security cameras," Wyatt said, pulling Eden's attention back to the conversation at hand. "We didn't get much but were able to trace the guy to the edge of town. Then we lost him. From what we could make out, the guy looked scared out of his mind."
"Cage and I tried to track where he came from and where he might have gone," Oliver jumped in. "Didn't find much of anything, but he broke into a d
rugstore on the way to Marble and raided the pain med cabinet."
"The guy was desperate," Kye muttered. "He wanted help last night but was battling something going on in his head."
"If we're connecting this guy to the deserted warehouse, we're assuming he may have spent some of his time in those cages," Bodie said.
"So, he was likely being held prisoner, getting the next batch of the Project Arma drug forced into his body," Mason said in rage.
Eden couldn't imagine what hell that would be like. His team was lucky to receive a good version of the drug, but to be forcibly injected with something that messes with your mind?
"I'll contact the government and see if they have any more leads we can track."
"Fuck." Eden couldn't hold in the curse. "I'm going to kill those responsible when I find them."
"When we find them," Asher pointed out. "And you won't be alone in that."
* * *
Shylah picked at the food on her plate, her gaze kept drawing back to Eden.
Standing with the other guys across the lawn, she noted that they all wore intense looks on their faces. Like they were ready to battle at any moment.
They looked fierce. Lethal.
"I am in awe of you, woman. What the heck did you do to that man? He is not the same Eden of a month ago."
Shylah turned back to Lexie and Evie. Evie shook her head before she spoke, "Leave her alone, Lex. She's happy."
"Well, since she landed the great white shark, she should be happy," Lexie said, stuffing a chip in her mouth.
With a cringe, the guilt hit Shylah hard. "I hate that he was angry for so long and that you both knew him like that. That's not who he is."
"No, that's who he is with no Shylah in his life," Lexie said gently. "Your breakup did a number on him because he's been one angry nutcracker."
Evie winced. "It's true. But that's okay because you're back now."
Lexie's gaze darted to Eden then back to Shylah. "But if you even think about leaving us with Tyrannosaurus Eden again, Evie and I will personally hunt you down and drag you back here using whatever means necessary."
Eden: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 2) Page 13
