“I knew this day would eventually come, but I just wished it didn’t have to be when I was here. I am scared Ky, I won’t lie. I am already looking over my shoulder because of the text messages, but now I have this to deal with. All I can think about is what he will do to me if he gets to me.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” I promised through a voice thick with emotion.

Her sad eyes looked back at me, and she offered the weakest of smiles. “You can’t guarantee that Ky, no one can.”

••••

“I’ve got to go out for a bit. I’ll be back in an hour or so,” I announced without giving away too much information. I searched for my keys, phone, and wallet and eventually found them on the dining table where Eden sat with her laptop.

“Sure no worries.” Her eyes never left the screen.

I walked around the table, peering over her shoulder at the screen. “You are looking at recipes?”

She twisted in her seat and gave me a sexy as hell smirk and I swear there was a twinkle in her eye. “Yep, I think cooking will be a great distraction.”

The thought of Eden taking over my kitchen and cooking was something that I liked and my mind suddenly started playing scenarios in my head causing my dick to instantly swell.

“You are a mystery Eden Rivers.” I kissed the top of her head and rested my hands on the top of her shoulders. My fingers dug into her flesh and her neck fell to the side as I massaged her tight muscles tenderly. “Will you be okay while I’m gone?”

“Hmmm,” she hummed in response.

My ego soared knowing that my fingers turned her to putty, but I also knew the sooner I left the quicker I could get back to her. I removed my hands and grabbed the chair and turned it to face me. Her eyes opened, and she pouted.

“Make sure you call or text me if you need me. I will be no more than an hour and then I’ll be back to watch you work my kitchen.”

Her face lit up like never before. “I think I know exactly what I am going to cook, but I’ll keep it a surprise. I think you should bring some wine home.”

“I can definitely do that.” I kissed the back of her head before heading toward the door; I hesitated briefly and looked back to find her in deep thought, scribbling down something on a notepad. “I’m so sorry for everything,” I whispered into the space around me.

Detective Douglas Smith of the NYPD was not a stranger to me. He and Dad went to the academy together and Douglas soon became a firm fixture at summer barbeques and winter football games. Up until three years ago, Dad was a lead detective in the sexual assault unit along with Douglas.

“I knew it was only a matter of time before I got a visit from you.” He stood from behind his desk and shook my hand firmly when I stormed through the door of his office. “Take a seat.”

“Where is he?” I cut right to the chase.

His heavy sigh fell from his chest. “You are like family Ky. Don’t ask me this.”

“Exactly, we are family.” I knew it was an asshole move, but right at this moment my only concern was Eden, and if I had to be an asshole to get answers, so be it.

He glared at me from across the desk, and I knew I had hit a raw nerve. “Jeremy is staying with his parents. Do not fucking approach him Ky, do you hear me? Let us do our job. All you need to worry about is making sure Eden stays safe.”

“Yeah because I am so fucking good at doing that,” I scoffed in response.

“You need to stop with this fucked-up guilt you live with boy. None of this is your fault.”

I wasn’t about to get into this conversation. It was a conversation that had been attempted numerous times over the years, and it wasn’t going to change today. I stood from the seat and held my hand out for him to shake in departure. “Call me if anything changes. I need to be kept in the loop.”

••••

Mental exhaustion was a bitch of a thing. When I left Douglas’s office I drove around for a good hour, going over our conversation and trying to rationalize the information he provided. The temptation to visit Jeremy was bearing down on me. Every scenario crossed my mind—paying him off, threatening him, hurting him—but what would that really gain besides ratting out Douglas for divulging confidential information.

Jeremy’s penance would come.

Once my emotions were somewhat in check I headed back to the apartment. The moment I walked through the front door the soft hum of music floated from the kitchen. Silently I put my keys and wallet on the foyer table and moved through the apartment like a lion on the prowl.

  Eden swayed her hips along to the music; her body covered in panties, a loose fitting tank top that barely skimmed the middle of her thighs, and fucking knee high socks. She was completely oblivious that I had returned. She was a walking wet dream. I felt the rumble of a growl coming to life in the depths of my throat. My control had escaped and all I could see and focus on was the raw primal need to devour, to own, and to worship her.

"Get your ass up on the kitchen island Eden."

My demanding tone startled her. Her body twisted and her eyes darted to the four corners of the apartment desperately trying to seek me out. When her shocked expression met my heated gaze across the room, innocence dancing with intrigue dripped off her, which only fueled the raging fire within me. Her tiny hands tugged on the edge of the tee, desperately trying to hide those perfectly toned and curved thighs. Like hell.

"Eden, one last time, get up on the kitchen island."

My words hit her full force and with hips swaying, she effortlessly walked toward the counter. Dusk was imminent and the fading light pierced through the room allowing her silhouette to accentuate her curves into a perfect hourglass.

Eden pulled herself up onto the edge and faced me, legs swinging slightly, lips parted, face void of emotion. A billion scenarios filled my mind as countless words lingered on the tip of my tongue begging to be spoken.

I shrugged off my jacket as my mind swam through dangerous territory. Sitting on my kitchen counter awaiting my next move was the girl who controlled my every thought.

She couldn't say no.

She would say yes.

But I didn’t want that.

When I reached Eden, my hands fell to the bare flesh just above her knees. Her nerves were visible, and I lost all sense of reality. My hands slowly slid up her thighs, pushing the flimsy material up until I saw the first glimmer of the baby blue satin of her panties.

“Do you trust me?” I asked between rushed breaths.

“Yes.”

“Now isn’t the time to say what you think I want to hear. I want the truth.”

“I do trust you.”

Her eyes spoke louder than the words she said. They flamed back at me as my hands continued their journey. I was beyond pretending anymore. I couldn’t fight the urge to taste her, to give her everything she didn’t think a man could give her.

The hem of the tee bunched at her hips and the satin of her panties teased me. My body pushed between her legs, and she parted them without thought. My body slid between her legs like a perfectly fit glove. All I needed was to be as close as fucking possible to her. The innocence that I had witnessed only moments earlier was now replaced by something I couldn’t explain. Was it want? Need? Expectation?

My finger ran the length of her satin covered pussy. I would tease until she told me to stop. She whimpered under my touch, and her head dropped to my shoulder as I increased my pace. Her wetness grew and soon the lightness of the satin had turned into a deep blue. The sweetness of her arousal filled the air in pure fucking delight. I pushed her panties to the side and the moment my finger slid through her folds, her breathy moans filled the air and her head flew up until she gazed at me in wonderment. Fuck I wanted her. I wanted to be deep inside of her and hear her beg. But I knew I couldn’t. I had promised.