Eden's POVWatching Dante linger in the hallway, watching me writhe against Ryder's lap, I can see there was a reason the brothers put rules in place. He looks so wounded, even though we hadn't even done anything but kiss, the intentions were clear.I climb off Ryder and push myself into Dante's chest, waiting for his arms to extend behind my shoulders as always, but he lazily rests his hand on my hip instead. I can feel the heat of his anger."Dante, it wasn't anything," I breathe, my hands pulling for his face while he gives Ryder one of those typical, wordless stares that they only seem to understand. "Please, look at me."He finally gives in, and I have to struggle on the tips of my toes to crash my lips into his. He hardly kisses me back at first, letting my tongue brush his teeth before I feel him bite me. I pull back, more insulted than I am wounded.Dante looks through his brother, Ryder doing the same back in some weird prowess of intimidation. They're sizing each ot
Eden's POVEven though Mason was let out of the hospital a few days ago, and any dwindling tension between the brothers had since subsided after their tiff, I still find myself lying awake at night in moderate panic.No one brings up Asher in conversation, or even acknowledges that the Donahue family exists. I can't help but dream of Asher pushing his way into my dressing room and trying to get a taste of what the brothers do to me.With them, it's welcomed. In my dreams with Asher, it's terrifying.I stare at Ryder's ceiling, comfortably laid out between him and Dante in his bed. As we seem to always end up in bed together anyways, I hardly care which room it is that we find ourselves in at the end of the night. As long as we're together, I'm okay.Or so I thought.Tonight's dreams nag at me so much that I can't even fall asleep, watching the minutes tick by aimlessly on the clock behind Ryder's shoulder. When it's finally time for me to give up laying here, I inch my way
Eden's POVDante is barking at the valet to get the car here quicker while Ryder wraps me up in his coat and keeps me snuggled to his side. It was difficult to keep them from chasing after Asher when he kissed me, and the sooner we leave here, the better."Why did you go out there with him, dammit?" Dante mumbles, pacing in front of us and speaking to the concrete under his leather boots. His constant steps nag at my dizzy, alcohol-tainted mind. "It would have been fine if you just stayed with us and—""Hey, enough of that," Ryder pleads. "She was trying to diffuse the situation, okay? You and I both were ready to start a fight in the lounge before he even had the chance to kiss her.""F*ck diffusing the situation," Dante snaps. "And f*ck that overconfident prick!"I bury myself into Ryder's shoulder, the world spinning in a tequila-tainted fog. "I'm sorry.""It's not your fault," Ryder replies simply. "Dante isn't mad at you, he's just mad at Asher for trying to get under
Eden's POVI spend most of my time on the back porch. This mansion of a home is pressed right against the river, the best place to watch the sunrise, and the sunset, but it would be better if the brothers were around to watch them with me.Mason occasionally visits me in the backyard, or on the dock that protrudes out from the property, but even if Mason and I get along better nowadays, he isn't the company I would prefer."They're selling the heist object," Mason mutters again, the same excuse he's given me for about four days straight. "It takes time to find buyers and to evaluate them, just to make sure they won't get screwed over in the process.""What is it?" I ask the same question I've asked in the days prior. "What was in the box?"Mason looks off in the distance, the sun slowly setting on another, rather lonely, day. "I'm not supposed to tell you that, Eden. You should ask the brothers, and if they tell you, then it's their choice but—""They're never here," I gasp
Eden's POV"What are you doing here… J—Jack?!"My longtime boyfriend is leaning against the towering foyer of the front porch, holding a bouquet of red and white roses that look too expensive for him to afford. I step outside and shut the door behind me, seeing Mason rustle around for a gun or his phone; I don't wait to see which one he pulls first."What are you doing here?" I gasp, confused. "How did you know where—"He motions to the hoard of matching black SUVs in the driveway. "Had a little bit of help tracking you down, Eden. I just wanted to see if we could talk, sweetheart."He shoves the roses into my hands, and I want to smile at the gesture, but I can't. We've been together for years, and he still doesn't know that my favorite flowers aren't roses at all.I guess it's a bigger step than he's used to. I shouldn't defer to my standards when it comes to Jack Ward."We have nothing to talk about," I groan, setting the bouquet on the ground. "Last time we saw each o
Eden's POVI feel like I'm floating through the days. After the last time I saw the Golden brothers, just a few days ago, I still haven't snapped out of my fog of grief. I think of them at all hours of the day. Every day.They were on my mind as I returned to Grand Dominion Bank and handed Mr. Nichols my official resignation. He didn't seem surprised but shook my hand and walked me out of the bank, regardless of our history.Dante's face seeped into my mind as I applied for a waitressing job to supplement my severance from the bank that I would be receiving because of the incident. His sharp and stoic features make my core ache in yearning.I heard Ryder's childish snicker, his trademark, petulant laugh, in the kids who run through Debbie's Diner, ignoring the whims of their parents to stop messing around behind the counter.I'm glad my new job isn't very stressful or quite as susceptible to robbery, but the lack of customers gives me plenty of time to obsess over my memories
Eden's POVAsher Donahue is a strange enigma of a man. He walks fluidly like he's waltzing through the air, like the social and physical norms of this world don't dare touch him at all.That, and he's beautiful.Everything about him is beautiful, down the bone structure of his face when he presses his lips against the rim of his coffee cup, and the crooked smile he flickers when I turn my back, only to catch him staring at the back of my head like he's picturing what my eyes look like when I'm waiting on other tables.He has visited the diner every single night for the last week after he kissed me in the parking garage. Sometimes I take him up on the ride home, and sometimes I protest and walk home alone, only to feel him looming a few paces behind me.It's hard to gauge what he wants from me.When it's only us at the last few minutes of my shift, I oblige to what he wants and take a seat opposite of him at the booth he has commandeered in the last few days."Want a bite?
Dante's POV"Impossible," Ryder snarls.We trade a glance, shaking our heads as we look over a large amount of scotch in front of us. The Lamont Lounge had died down in attendance, but the only important missing person from the club just went upstairs with our arch-nemesis.I want to bow my head in defeat, but that's too f*cking easy. Way too easy, that the only honorable thing to do would be to go to his room, six-hundred-twelve, and to rip my little sex kitten off of his lap, off of her knees, or wherever that asshole has her right now in that room of his.Ryder gives the same, impressionably irritated look."She wouldn't," I breathe. "It's unlike her nature to betray.""She's not betraying us, though. Is she? She said she wanted nothing to do with us, brother." Ryder buries his scotch into his stomach and doesn't even flinch at the taste. "F*ck. But what if you're right?"Looking around this dwindling crowd, there are certainly several willing participants to help us m