Chapter 7 : Jack Gets What He Deserves

Eden POV

Standing in front of Dante and Ryder Golden, a wash between stress, shock and lust flushes down my face. Everything is warm in my blood, everything is hectic in my mind, and yet they stand here so calm, so collected, like nothing happened.

"Hey, kitten," Dante purrs.

I shudder, having released them as quickly as I'd thrown myself at them, and Ryder grins mischievously.

"Let me come in and clean that cut," Ryder says, moving past me and into the living room.

I press my hand into his chest, eyeing the bedroom doors that are open wide enough for Jack to see, and hear, everything going on. A variety of apprehension builds in my chest. I don't need to wake Jack up right now.

"The cut is fine," I say, wiping my cheek with my wrist. The amount of blood isn't as bad as it looks: it didn't sting too bad, it just surprised me. "I can't let you come inside. If he wakes up, he will suspect something. I don't want him running to the cops."

Ryder surrenders, stepping back inline with Dante.

The tattooed brother leans against the doorway, his smile so solid but kind. "We have a lot to talk about, Eden. Mason should have never released you. We wanted to talk to you about a few things, first."

"Like what?" I swallow. My body is numb.

"We didn't want you to leave," Ryder blurts out, unapologetic. "We were thinking about your life here, with that jackass," he growls as he stares at the bedroom doors. "You shouldn't be with him."

"I know that," I admit in a submissive whisper. "But I can't kick him out. He will never leave."

"Then you should leave," Dante says. "You should leave, and come be with us."

I watch them both with wide, perplexed eyes. "You want me to be with you? With both of you?"

"I know it's complicated to consider, Eden, but we can explain it all at the penthouse. My brother and I have different mothers. We share a lot of our father's qualities, which at one point included meaningless sex and random women."

That thought makes my body abhe, but I don't know why. Dante notices, brushing my temple where I know a bruise sits from the last time I tried to make Jack leave., the same one my boss at the bank was annoyed to see the day of the robbery.

"Listen, Eden," Dante exhales, "We have never been so intrigued by a woman like we are with you."

Ryder steps in, standing practically against me, like he may jump in and kiss my lips forever. I wouldn't protest against it. I've been thinking about it since we stopped.

"That first time was fun," Dante admits. "The second time? It was impossible. I didn't think I could stop, that I could hold back from wanting you again. We need you to come be with us."

I stammer in reply. "What does that mean? I don't—I just come back with you two, and we do… what?"

"We take care of you," Ryder says, finally leaning forward to plant his lips against mine. He pulls away to add, "We take care of your every need, your every desire; whatever you want, baby."

"Just the three of us," Dante adds with a stern edge.

I pull from Ryder's hold on my hips, his attempt to kiss me tenderly edging into something a little more heated. As much as I want them right now, I would never set Jack up to witness something like that.

I'm not like him.

"What about the Donahue family?"

"Asher thought that was our first time meeting you when you ran from him at the lounge," Dante says. "No one has to know about the robbery. We can just say we met you at the hotel and that's what started this."

I shiver all over, doused in careful consideration. When he said this, I couldn't help the endless worries and questions from coming into my head. What is this exactly?

"I really liked being with you both," I admit, my face bright pink. "But look at you two. Why would you want me? I'm so ordinary."

Ryder and Dante exchange a soft, amused chuckle.

"We don't think you're ordinary at all," Ryder huffs.

Dante adds, "We know everything about you, Eden. We followed you for weeks before the heist. We made it clear you wouldn't be hurt in that heist. We already cared for you prior to our meeting."

"When we saw the bruises after you came home to find that asshole messing around behind your back, we were furious," Ryder snarls. "Even if we had never even met you yet, we wanted to protect you."

I stand still for a long, tensile moment. There's no way these words are true. I've been thrust back into my normal life, and here are these amazing, handsome, and protective men begging to drag me back to their world. I don't know their world.

I don't know them; but I want them.

"What the f*ck, Eden?"

My heart drops into my stomach. I turn to meet Jack's tired, bloodshot eyes.

"What is going on here, Eden? Are you messing around behind my back? Who are these pricks?"

Dante gently pushes me aside, Ryder taking my hand to keep me back, but I don't like the sight of what is going down right now. They're going to fight, and judging by the size difference, Dante is going to beat Jack unconscious.

"So what if she is cheating on you?" Dante snips. "You do it to her all the time."

Jack scoffs in shock. I do too, honestly.

"I can do whatever I want. She is my girlfriend. She belongs to me," Jack says rather possessively. "Eden, who are these guys? What the hell have you been doing?"

I break Ryder's grasp of my hand and move between Dante and Jack. Dante steps back, releasing control for once, but Jack moves closer to me, his nose brushing my own as he bends down to level our eyes.

"I always knew you were a whore," he says through a flexing scowl. "I'm just disappointed you wasted all that energy sucking their d*cks and not sucking mine."

I blink away heavy, rueful tears. "I hate you."

He laughs with his amusement at my misery. "I never liked you anyway. You were just an easy target to use, Eden. That's what they're doing to you. I don't know why they would bother, but when they see how weak and easily manipulated you are, they'll leave you in the dust, too."

Wiping my many tears, I cough, shaking all over. I know there hasn't been love between us in a long time, but we were in love once, or so, I thought. I just wanted to be appreciated and acknowledged, something I never got from my last foster family.

I see it now. I've chosen a narcissist just like my foster father.

They pretend to love me when it benefits them, but the minute I hurt their feelings, or make one decision they don't agree with, I'm exiled to the land of I never liked you anyway.

I know that island too well. I've been stranded there for a while.

"Enough of this," Dante barks, charging forward.

I aim to move out of their way, worried about the outcome of this exasperated breakup, but Jack doesn't seem to like that. He lunges forward, moving to slap me, but Dante is faster and catches his arm, shoving him backward before he can hurt me again.

"Come here," Ryder breathes.

He pulls me to his chestquick enough for me to watch Dante pressing his fist into Jack's temple. I flinch at the violence of it. Jack stumbles but stays upright, pulling his hand to his head.

Jack snickers a laugh like the psychopath he is. "You're both from the bank robbery, aren't you?"

I freeze at those words, but the brothers hardly seem fazed.

"I saw the footage. I was hoping you would have killed the bitch so she'd get off my back, but I guess you'll have to just wait until she disappoints you like she disappointed me," Jack cackles.

He turns his cold eyes toward me, pressed into Ryder's chest.

"I'm just surprised you're brave enough to have two at a time, Eden," Jack snickers. He taunts Dante who looks ready to punch him again if he doesn't stop. "You should have heard her when I tried to f*ck her last week. She's the biggest prude there ever is and—"

I wince, hearing the hit land and watching Jack fall to the floor in a stiff stance. He gargles on the blood in his throat but I don't get to watch for long. The Golden brothers usher me out of the apartment.

"You're coming home with us," Ryder says greedily. "You don't belong here with him."

"What about my stuff?" I pant. "My clothes and my—"

Dante slams the door behind our hasty exit. "We will buy you new stuff, Eden. Forget him and everything that he said. You're going to be treated better than that when you're with us."

I never actually answered their question before, on if I would leave with them or not, but as we climb into a sexy Mercedes, I don't feel any guilt for leaving. I settle into the back seat, Ryder cleaning my cheek and wiping away the old blood while Dante drives us into the heart of Manhattan.

After a quick elevator ride and a short shower, I settle into the penthouse where I was brought after the robbery. This place smells of masculine cigars and warm liquor. The brothers are in the living room, flicking through the television, until I walk into the room.

Dante's mouth drops while Ryder's smirks.

Unsure what to wear after my shower, I slipped into a button-down shirt from one of their many closets. It hangs just off my thighs and the sleeves reach past my wrists.

I relish being in front of their needy, salacious gazes.

"Come here, Eden," Ryder says, standing from the couch and holding his hand out for me to take.

His hand is warm pressed into mine. He pulls me off to the side, opening a door to expose a dainty little bedroom with wood furniture and a light, fluffy comforter. I stare at the lavishness of it and shiver when I feel Dante press his body into my back.

"This is for you," Dante breathes, kissing little trails down the side of my neck and shoulder.

My brow furrows. "But—I can't sleep with you two?"

Ryder chuckles. "We don't normally sleep together, Eden. We're brothers. It would be odd to do that without you in the bed as well. My room is the one we slept in before. Dante's is a little further down the hall, last door on the right."

I love the feminine touches to the bedroom, but I sulk at the idea of sleeping in here alone.

Dante's kisses become a little more pushy, mauling my throat like he wants to line it with bruising bite marks. I wouldn't protest that intent. "Don't you like the room?"

"I love it," I say, the honest truth. It really is a great gesture, and I'm surprised they did this without even knowing if I would leave with them or not. "It's beautiful, guys. I just don't want to be in here alone."

Ryder pulls me to his side, his hand brushing the hem of my shirt and stroking the front of my thigh. That taunt, mixed with Dante's lingering kisses and little nibbles against my throat, lights my core on fire.

I release a moan that's impossible to compose.

"What makes you think you're going to be alone, baby?" Ryder hums, finding my ear and latching his teeth onto it.

Dante claims the other side of my neck, licking the length of my throat with his rough, greedy tongue. "You're going to be fed up with us. You'll beg us to leave you alone."

Something tells me I won't ever want to be anywhere but here, pressed between the two of them.