by Melody Anne
She hesitated as she followed him from the truck. He opened the door and they stepped inside. She took one look at the island and images of the two of them wrapped around each other, their bodies slick with sweat, their hearts beating erratically, their cries mingling in the air, played in vivid color through her mind. She was instantly aroused.
She looked at Owen and wondered why in the world she was trying to fight this. It was useless. The connection between them was too great to deny. And she wanted to forget all the pain she’d been through—she wanted to forget everything but him and what he could make her feel.
She knew her thoughts were showing in her eyes because his entire body tensed as if he was accepting an unspoken offer she’d posed. Maybe it was the trauma of their lives right now. She didn’t care.
She just wanted him.
Friends with benefits? That term existed for a reason. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. She would justify this situation in any way she could at the moment, because she desperately wanted to feel anything other than sadness or confusion.
And only Owen could bring her the pleasure she so desperately needed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Owen was most certainly giving himself credit for not running straight to Eden, lifting her onto that smooth granite counter, and ripping away her clothes. With the way she was looking first at the counter and then at him, he figured he deserved a medal for his restraint.
“Owen . . .” He could tell she was giving in to some internal battle she’d been fighting. She wanted him just as desperately as he always wanted her.
“Just say the word, and I can put us both out of our misery,” he promised. He was practically ripping off the back of a chair to keep himself from advancing on her.
Yes, he enjoyed her company, and yes, there was so much more to this woman than just a simple roll in the hay. But he’d had so little of her for so long. If they could sate their mutual needs, then maybe he could think with his heart and brain a hell of a lot more than with other body parts. Right now, though, he couldn’t look at her without wanting her, and he couldn’t even think about anything but her. That was saying a whole lot, considering they were being surrounded by fire and people intent on destroying them.
“Coming here is difficult,” she said. He found he desperately wanted her to admit she desired him as much as he did her. He needed for her to want to stay, not for him to just give her pleasure and then disappear like he’d never been there.
“I can’t keep playing games, Eden. We don’t have to figure out our entire futures, but let’s stop pretending we don’t feel something—that we don’t still need each other. Why fight the inevitable?” he asked.
“I feel guilty,” she told him.
“For what?”
“I feel guilty for wanting you when you hurt me. I’m afraid you will again,” she told him. That hit hard. “And I feel I’m betraying my dad because he needed me, and I chose you instead.”
All the fight drained from Owen as her heartbroken words seared his soul. He’d give anything to take her pain from her. He couldn’t do that, but he could tell her with surety what her father would want.
“He’d never ask you to blame yourself for his loss,” Owen assured her. “And I know I hurt you, but I promise I won’t again.” She tried to speak, but he held up his hand. “I know you don’t want to hear promises from me. I know you can’t trust me yet. But we can’t seem to keep away from each other, so why don’t we agree to forget about the past until this situation is over?”
“I’m not sure I can,” she told him.
“Let’s put it on pause for one night, then. I need you, Eden,” he said, giving her every ounce of vulnerability in him. He was broken, and only with this woman was he willing to show how much.
She opened her mouth to speak when there was a noise outside, something that made him nervous. The hair on his arms stood up, and Owen knew something was wrong—something was seriously wrong.
“Get down, Eden,” he said, his voice urgent.
She looked at him as if he’d just asked her to strip naked.
The sound of glass breaking and his wall exploding unfroze him as he jumped at Eden. She barely had time to register the danger before he was tackling her, their bodies flying through the kitchen.
He turned them, but not enough, both of them hitting the hard tile floor on their sides, their breaths exploding from them. Owen was staring at her face as her head slammed into the floor, her eyes instantly rolling back in her head.
Someone had fired a shot into his house.
He held her tight as he heard three more shots shattering his windows and destroying his walls. He didn’t give a damn about his house. All he cared about was that he might have done more damage to Eden than the shooter had been attempting.
She’d hit the floor too hard, and he nearly had a heart attack when he saw a trickle of blood dripping down her face. He wasn’t sure if it was from flying debris from the bullets or if he’d knocked her head that hard on the floor. Either way, he’d never forgive himself if she was injured.
“Eden!” he shouted as he shook her shoulders. The shooting seemed to have stopped, but whoever it was could be circling his house. He shook her again. A groan escaped her as her body began shaking. He wrapped her more tightly against him as he scooted them back, using the protection of the island that kept them out of view of the windows.
“Eden, are you okay?” Please be okay. It had happened too quickly. He hadn’t had time to think, to protect her from the impact of the ground. He rubbed his hands up and down her back, grateful when he didn’t feel anything sticky. “I need to know if you’ve been shot. I need to look at you,” he told her as he tried to pull back. She clung more tightly to him.
“Don’t let go,” she told him, and he was helpless to do anything other than obey her. He kept her cradled against his chest, one arm wrapped snugly around her while the other reached for his cell in his pocket. She didn’t say a word as he called in the attack. They’d soon be surrounded by people.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” she said, the trembling in her body beginning to ease.
“Someone has it in for me, or us, or this entire town, or maybe all of the above,” Owen said. He was furious with himself that he’d once again allowed danger to get so close to her.
There was silence for the next few moments. All was quiet outside. The shooter had to have known he’d call for help, and they had to know his brother Declan would catch them in seconds if they were still near.
“I think they’re gone,” he told her. She pulled back the slightest bit so she could look at him. He was surprised to find such courage in her eyes.
“I’m sorry I fell apart,” she said.
He looked at her incredulously. “What are you talking about?” he asked.
“I froze,” she admitted.
“Eden, anyone would freeze. I froze,” he said.
“Not for long enough to make a difference,” she told him. “If I would’ve been in charge of us getting to safety, we’d both be toast right now.” She reached up and rested her slim fingers against his cheek. Owen felt as if he’d died and gone to heaven. There was such trust and love in her eyes. He prayed he wasn’t just seeing what he wanted—desperately needed—to see.
“We don’t know what we’re capable of until we’re faced with our deepest fears. You can easily say that’s what you’d do and that’s what would happen, but I know you, Eden, and I know you’re stronger than you think you are.” Her eyes brightened at his words as she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his.
Damn, he loved her, loved her so much that it was almost too powerful for him to contain. He wouldn’t live without her. Too much time had already gone by with them apart.
“You’ve run your hands over every inch of my body,” she said with a chuckle as he rubbed his palm down her calf. He looked up.
“I was . . . just caressing you,” he said slowly.
“I need to make sure you’re okay,” he said as he brought his hand back up and rested it on her lower back.
“How about you?” she asked.
“What about me?”
“Maybe I need to rub you all over to make sure there aren’t injuries,” she said, her hand slipping from his cheek and running across his shoulder and down his arm.
Owen flipped so quickly onto his back, it brought out another giggle in her.
“Examine away. There’s definitely a shooting pain right near my zipper,” he told her, all thoughts of the attack wiped from his mind just that quickly.
Eden laughed, really laughed, this time as she moved her hand past his palm, then up the underside of his arm and down his rib cage. Owen found himself holding his breath as she neared that bulge he’d just mentioned. But her fingertips danced just on the other side of his ache, smoothing down the top of his thigh, making his body jump.
Owen was about to grab her hand and place it exactly where he wanted it, but then he heard the crunch of gravel as a car whipped up his driveway. There was a screech of tires, and within three seconds his door was demolished as it was kicked in.
Eden’s face washed of color as she gripped him tightly, all thoughts of foreplay gone. He was going to kill someone—a certain someone.
“Owen,” Eden said in a hoarse whisper. He held up his hand, stopping her.
“My brother’s here,” he grumbled. “Perfect timing, as always.” It was only seconds before Declan was with them.
“Are you both okay?” Declan asked.
“A little bruised,” Owen answered when Eden didn’t say anything. “We’re good here. You can take off,” Owen said. “But thanks for coming so quickly.”
Declan didn’t take the hint. “Get off your ass. Let’s take a look outside,” Declan told him.
Owen let out a frustrated sigh. Eden was going to pull back the second he let her go. Declan didn’t move. Owen gave up as he reluctantly pulled himself from Eden’s arms.
“I’ll be back,” he said, his voice low and husky. He was shocked speechless when she gave him a tentative smile, then . . . winked at him.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Declan hauled him to his feet and practically dragged him away. Owen smiled as he realized Eden wasn’t going anywhere. Their night was just beginning.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Declan might have been the first to arrive, but by the time Owen and Declan stepped outside, Owen could hear another car racing down his driveway. It squealed to a halt, and the driver and passenger doors flew open as Kian and Arden jumped from the vehicle, their eyes looking wild.
“What in the hell is happening around here?” Arden yelled.
He looked Owen over from head to foot before seeming satisfied that his brother hadn’t been harmed.
“Seriously?” Kian said, moving closer as he really gave Owen the once-over. He wasn’t as willing to take a quick look. Owen wasn’t letting his brother examine him, though.
“I’m fine,” he told them.
His phone rang and he wanted to ignore it, but he knew better. He didn’t even need to look at the caller ID to know who was calling.
“Hey, sis,” he said.
“You were shot at!” Dakota cried. He held the phone away from his ear. She’d found out fast, dang it.
“News travels quickly when you don’t want it to,” he said with what he hoped was a nonchalant chuckle.
“This isn’t funny, Owen. What in the hell is happening in my hometown?” she demanded. “Ace and I are on the way there now.”
“I thought Ace was already here fighting the fire,” Owen told her.
“He’s been doing the afternoon drops, so thankfully he was home. I don’t think I could drive right now, I’m so dang upset.” His sister wasn’t an overly dramatic person, so he felt utterly subdued as he heard the tears in her voice.
“I promise you I’m okay. I don’t know what happened, but our brothers are here, and we’re going to figure it out,” he assured her.
“I’m scared, Owen. It’s obvious someone is targeting you directly,” she said.
“And Eden,” he told her. “But I’m being careful. I promise you. I’m keeping her safe.”
“You better keep both of you safe. I love you, and if something happened to you, I’d . . .” Dakota’s words broke off as a sob ripped out of her.
“I love you too, sis,” he assured her. “Nothing will happen to any of us. But these bastards are going to be caught, and they will pay.”
“I’ll feel better when I get there,” she said. “I need to see with my own eyes that you’re okay.”
“I know,” he told her.
“Stay put. I’ll be there in forty minutes,” she told him. It took another couple of minutes, but Owen finally managed to get his sister to hang up. Then he turned and looked at Kian, Arden, and Declan, who all appeared just as worried as Dakota had sounded.
“Why are they targeting you?” Kian asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe because Eden’s investigating this thing?” Owen suggested.
They moved away from the house and stayed together as they searched his property. There wasn’t a sign of anyone around. They enlarged their perimeter, looking for even the smallest of clues.
“I think this has to do with a hell of a lot more than Eden,” Arden said.
“Yeah, because they were deliberately trying to set you up. But with this shooting, it seems they’re growing impatient and not even trying to hide the fact they want you gone. That scares the shit out of me,” Kian said.
“It should scare you. Desperate criminals are unpredictable,” Declan said. He was gazing into the distance, and Owen was sure his brother had found something.
They followed Declan, and sure enough, they found the casings of rifle bullets.
“They have long-range rifles. These aren’t amateurs,” Declan said as he pulled out a plastic bag and carefully stowed the casings as he looked at them through the plastic.
“They’re bound to mess up soon, and then we’ll have them,” Owen said.
“I know they will, but I don’t want it to be too late at that point,” Declan said, obviously frustrated he hadn’t already solved this case.
“It’s already too late,” Owen told him. “Lives have been taken.”
“I know that, brother,” Declan told him. “But right now your life matters the most to me.”
“We’re family. We take care of each other,” Arden said.
“I’ve seen too much death from this already. I can’t handle seeing you in my ER again,” Kian said.
“Then let’s stop these assholes,” Owen insisted.
“You think there’s more than one?” Kian asked.
“Yeah, I think there’s a bunch of them,” Owen said.
“If we get the ringleader, we get them all,” Declan said.
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Arden said.
“I’ll find this guy. Enough of my men have been hurt already. I can’t sit back and let it keep happening,” Owen insisted.
“You know it doesn’t always have to be you saving the world,” Arden told him. “You have family here who’d do anything for you. Let us help you. Let someone else be the hero this time. You should grab Eden and get the hell out of town.”
“I’m not sure I know how to sit back and take help,” Owen admitted. “But I sure as hell know I won’t run.” His brothers nodded. They knew that was an empty suggestion. None of them were capable of running from a fight.
Kian smiled as he looked toward the front of Owen’s house. They’d searched the entire perimeter and were back where they started.
“Well, we’ll start by fixing that door. It looks pretty bad,” Kian said.
“That wasn’t the bad guys. That was our brother dearest,” Owen said as he sent a lopside
d grin Declan’s way.
“I didn’t know if they’d breached your house, and I wasn’t going to sit there and knock on the door,” Declan said, shifting on his feet.
“Yeah, I’d have done the same if it were you who’d been shot at,” Owen admitted.
Declan laughed. “You couldn’t have broken down my door like that,” he said, arrogance shining in his eyes. “My house is a damn fortress.”
“Oh, we’d have gotten in,” Arden said with a laugh.
“Not as easy as I got in here,” Declan said.
“I haven’t ever needed a fortress before. I hate that our town has become this crazy,” Owen said.
“We’re going to fix it,” Kian said. “We’ll do it together.”
Owen didn’t know how to accept the offer of help very easily. But he did know he loved his brothers more than he loved himself. His family meant the world to him. He included Eden in that tally of family members.
They’d get to the bottom of this, and maybe at the end of the day he’d be able to accept help. He wasn’t sure. He knew for damn sure he could accept some help fixing the front door. He had a woman to get back to. The sooner he got the door fixed and assured his family he was okay, the sooner he could finish what he and Eden had begun before they’d been so rudely interrupted.
That thought put a smile on his face even in the midst of all that was happening. And that proved to him how right it was for him to be with Eden. She truly was a ray of sunshine in a hell of a lot of darkness.
He’d been a fool once. Once was enough.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Eden’s fear had quickly dissipated. But the fear had made her realize they weren’t all that safe. Someone was after them, and they might not have a tomorrow. That thought made her want to be with Owen. It might be foolish, and she might get broken again, but she needed him. She needed him to make this pain and fear go away.
She cleaned up in the kitchen while she waited for him and his brothers to finish repairing the door. She’d been about to straddle Owen when Declan had literally smashed his way inside. She was glad they’d been interrupted, though, because it gave her time to realize this was exactly what she wanted to do.