“Can you just go, please? I’m sure you want to berate me for the disrespect I’ve shown your sister, but I think my broken heart is payment enough for any hurt feelings she might have.”
The pain in her voice ripped him to shreds. Her words lacerated his heart. He knelt beside her, setting the glass down so he could slide an arm around her and press the warm washcloth into her hands. She sat stiff and motionless for a long moment. Then she lifted her head and what he saw on her face made him feel like the world’s biggest asshole.
Tears fell from her beautiful amber eyes, now sunken and red-rimmed in grief. Her lush mouth appeared pinched and pale on her ashen features. Her eyes dropped to the washcloth.
“I don’t understand.”
Her rough voice, like sandpaper lined her throat, sliced into him even more. He plucked the washcloth from her hands and gently wiped her face. Then he handed her the glass of water. “Rinse,” he said softly.
She obeyed him instantly, as if she had no will of her own. His heart broke with her pain. Rising to his feet, he set the glass on the counter, returning to lift her limp body into his arms. When she struggled weakly against his arms, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and tightened his arms around her.
“I’m sorry, Eden,” he whispered. “I believe you.”
He set her on her feet beside the bed. She stood limply, like a doll held within the circle of his arms. Anger at himself for not believing in her made his hands more gentle than usual as he carefully unzipped her dress. The silk fell to the floor and he lifted her, settling her naked body on the sheets. She shivered and he knew it wasn’t just with cold. Her pain tore at his heart.
Quickly, he yanked off his shirt, leaving his briefs on despite the fact that it had been years since he’d gotten into a bed in his underwear. Crawling in beside her, he pulled the covers around them and cuddled her close to his chest, wracking his brain for ways to comfort her and apologize for his massive stupidity. Her unnatural stillness petrified him. The beautiful amber eyes that lit his soul on fire were empty, with only the echo of a mind numbing pain visible in their formerly expressive depths. The Eden he knew…was gone. And he had never been so frightened in his life.
Something warm and wet— her tears— touched his chest. Silent droplets slid down her face, her eyes closed tightly, her mouth held stiffly. She’d closed her mind to him. He cradled her to his chest, dropping kisses all over her face and hair, whatever part of her he could reach. Tipping her head back, he kissed her lips, the taste of her tears sending pain shooting through his body.
A sob escaped her and she moved, her arms closing around him convulsively. “I d-don’t u-unders-stand how I c-could h-have fallen f-for y-you s-so f-fast,” she stuttered.
“It doesn’t matter that it happened quickly, Eden. It only matters that it did. And it matters that I feel the same.” Colin knew in his heart the quiet words he’d spoken were the truth.
She blinked at him, her tears easing. “Y-you d-do?”
He kissed her again, wiping at her tears with his thumbs. “I do.” He smiled gently. “Look in my head. You’re my mate. My thoughts are yours, love.”
Now that he concentrated, he felt the warm, tentative touch of her thoughts to his. Earlier he hadn’t been able to detect her presence in his head.
I don’t know why your brother lied to me, Eden, but I don’t believe him. I only needed a minute to organize my thoughts and shake off my shock. Then I realized that I trust you. You’re my bloodmate. I don’t know Sean and I don’t know why he would lie to me, but he did. He’s nothing to me… you, I’m falling in love with.
A long shuddering sigh shook her. He thinks what I do is worthless, that it’s some jet setter nothing job. To him, I’m always getting in trouble, doing something wrong. It all comes down to me not wanting to be part of the company. What he told you about me is what he believes. I’m a bad girl, the black sheep of the family.
I don’t care what you do for a living, Eden. I don’t care if you don’t get along with Sean. I barely know the man anyway. I don’t care if you don’t get along with Declan, although that will be stickier since he’s married to my sister. But really, he doesn’t matter to you and me, to what’s between us.
Eden’s body grew warm again. “Declan follows Sean’s lead. They all do. Whatever Diandra and Sean decree is law in the Antaeus family,” she said quietly, her voice bleak.
Colin could tell that she had given up trying to change her siblings’ minds about her. Still, he knew a little more about Declan Antaeus than he did the other members of the family. Eden’s words rang true in the sense that it was what she believed. However, it didn’t ring true when it came to what he knew about his sister’s husband. Declan made his own decisions about people. He might defer to Sean when it came to the family business, but Declan was his own man. He wouldn’t follow Sean’s lead if he didn’t believe it too. Which made him wonder just what exactly Declan believed about Eden.
Shoving aside his thoughts about the Antaeus family, Colin turned his attention to his bloodmate. “I’m sorry I flew off the handle, Eden,” he apologized. “I’ll deal with Sean and his lies later. Right now, you are my only concern.”
She tightened her arms around him. “I was delirious with happiness, and then suddenly it was ripped from me. Nothing has ever hurt this bad before.” Her voice sounded puzzled and Colin mentally kicked himself. He knew what he’d done had sucked the soul right out of her.
In general, he considered himself a nice guy, an upbeat, happy guy. Not angsty or arrogant like many men. He didn’t like to hurt people or bad mouth them. He didn’t like lying or bending the truth. He didn’t have a manipulative bone in his body. He rarely believed the worst of people, but he had tonight for a few short minutes. In the process, he had hurt the last person he would ever want to hurt.
“Eden, what happened tonight will never happen again, I promise you. You are my bloodmate. I am falling in love with you. You come before everyone else in my life now.”
A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “I believe you, Colin.” She burrowed her face into the hollow of his shoulder.
“Good.” Now, that she seemed more at ease, he wriggled his hips, working his way out of his uncomfortable briefs. He tossed them out of the bed and a little smile curled her lips. With a sigh, he settled her gently against his naked body, his hands stroking her comfortingly. “Sleep now. You’ve had little sleep and far too much excitement and emotion. I can feel how tired you are.”
She murmured something unintelligible and he watched her eyelids droop, her beautiful face growing slack as she fell asleep. While she slept, Colin mentally made a checklist. He needed to call his sister and Declan. He needed to call the airline and he needed to call Corey. He had decided to take Eden home with him.
Despite the fact that Colin hated confrontations and fighting, and he didn’t like hitting people, he would do whatever was necessary to protect his mate both physically, mentally, and emotionally. That thought fueled his determination to ensure that one thing above all others became the truth. Sean Antaeus had told his last lie about his sister.
Chapter Seven
Eden’s body burned. Usually, her dragon blood kept her pretty warm so she rarely slept with more than a sheet covering her even in the coolest weather. The heavy weight of a sheet and blanket pressed onto her, and she wondered how that had happened. Something itched her nose too. Without opening her eyes, she wriggled her nose. Something still tickled it. She took a deep breath. Sugar cookies. Who the hell was baking? Was that why it was so hot?
She drew another breath. Damn. Sugar cookies?
Her eyes popped open. The sheet and coverlet on the hotel bed covered her. However, the heat she felt didn’t come from her coverings but from the big male body that curled around hers. Colin’s head rested half on her shoulder, half on her pillow, and his blond spikes brushed against her nose. He had one long arm draped across her body, and his hand curved possessively over her naked hip.
One of his thighs nestled intimately between hers.
For a moment, Eden savored the feeling of him lying half on her. He radiated heat like an oven. She wondered if all vampires were warm like Colin. With a rush, the events of the previous night came flooding back. Now, that the thought of losing her mate on the day she had found him no longer crushed her, anger took hold.
Fucking Sean would pay for what he had said to Colin about her. Paris Hilton? She’d show him Paris Fucking Hilton! Her dragon uncurled within her, anger and adrenaline fueling the beast’s instincts. Unfortunately, the dragon then noticed Colin draped across her body. Instantly, the urge to mate became her dragon’s priority. Kicking Sean where the sun didn’t shine took a backseat to her dragon’s primal instincts.
The scent of sugar cookies overwhelmed her. Eden wondered why Colin’s body gave off the scent so strongly. He moved a little and something hard and hot dug into her hip. A wry smile tilted up the corner of her mouth. That would be why. Morning wood. Apparently, Colin dreamt of her.
Her mouth turned down. At least, she hoped he dreamed of her. With a frown, she tried to wriggle out from beneath him.
I am dreaming of you. Stop moving and let me finish.
His amused thought slid into her head and she felt a strange warm tingle there. She hadn’t noticed that little tingle the day before. Now, she was fully aware of his presence in her head.
You’re not having a wet dream, are you?
He flexed his hips and his cock pressed into her flesh. Does that feel wet to you?
Not yet, she admitted, trying to wriggle free of his grasp.
Keep moving like that and it will feel wet much sooner than expected.
Eden froze. Colin’s chuckle sounded in her head. Don’t worry, love. We have far too much to do today. There’s no time for sexual escapades. Get your ass in the shower. He reached out and lightly smacked her right buttock.
Her eyes widened. Did you just spank me?
Yes. Now get outta here or you’ll have to watch me spank the monkey.
She scooted away from him, and he laughed out loud. “I’m joking. I have phone calls to make and you probably want a shower.”
Eden grimaced. Oh, yeah. Hot water ruled when you’d been tucked up against a living furnace all night.
He flopped onto his back as she slid out of bed. “I thought that might be the case.”
“You’re not always gonna be right in this relationship, Colin, so you’d better not get used to it,” she warned.
I wouldn’t dare.
She showered quickly. When she got out, she could hear the murmur of Colin’s voice as he spoke on the phone. She brushed her teeth three times, grimacing over the fact that she’d practically spewed in front of him. Walking into the bedroom, she found him on his laptop. He looked busy except for the fact that he was naked.
“How many other naked asses have been on that chair? Don’t sit on it! Sit on a towel!” she exclaimed.
“Don’t have one,” he quipped.
She whipped off her damp towel and tossed it to him. He put it on the chair and sat back down. He looked at her with a wide grin.
“Now you’re naked. Perfect. I love it when a ploy works as it’s supposed to,” he laughed.
“You’re a crazy man.” Eden kept her voice stern, but let him see her grin.
“Crazy like a fox.” He turned off his computer. “I need to shower. You need to pack.”
“Come again?” Her eyebrows shot upward.
“You and I are booked on a flight back to the west coast this morning. I got the last two first class seats,” he told her.
“What if I don’t want to go?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“You’ll go. We’re going to my house, not your family’s.”
Eden walked over to the closet and pulled out her suitcase. Despite her words, she wasn’t going to argue with him. Both of them knew that it was time to go home.
~ * * * ~
The flight was uneventful. Both of them slept a little. During the movie, they cuddled under a blanket and masturbated each other to orgasm. Luckily, Eden had thought to grab a napkin before they started or Colin would have been a mess. Well, as much as he came, they both would have.
The dinner hour had passed and night had fallen by the time they landed. An eerie sense of entitlement welled from within Eden as they walked through the airport. Usually, she walked this concourse alone. Now, she strode along, hip to hip with Colin, one hand clasped in his, each of them with a laptop case slung over their shoulder and their free hands pulling their suitcases along behind them. She knew they looked like any other young affluent couple arriving home from a trip. And her sense that this was the life she deserved grew stronger with every brush of Colin’s hip against hers.
Instead of heading toward the line of cabs at the curb, Colin turned her toward the long term parking structure. Eden played a little game in her head trying to guess which car was his as they walked along. She’d progressed from SUVs to sports cars when suddenly he stopped. She cocked an eyebrow up at the sporty Lexus sedan in dark candy apple red.
Her mate pulled a key fob from his jacket pocket and with a blip and a flash of lights, disarmed the alarm. The trunk opened remotely. Colin stowed their suitcases there and their laptops in the backseat. When they got inside the car, he turned down the volume on the stereo. Eden’s brows rose curiously, but then he started the engine. Music blared from the speakers and she winced a little. Apparently, he liked his music played at concert level. With an apologetic smile, Colin turned the volume down further. Minutes later, they rolled out of the parking structure.
Eden watched her lover drive. He was relaxed, his fingers drumming on the leather and burlwood wrapped steering wheel in time to the music. Although she should have been angsty about coming home but not going home, excitement bubbled within her, warring with her eagerness to see where he lived. Colin had told her about his house, that it was less than a year old, in a new private community on the beach. He’d moved in just after his sister had hooked up with her brother. She wondered what it looked like.
She knew this stretch of coast highway, and his turn onto a private road marked Crimson Beach didn’t surprise her. When they reached a guardhouse, the guard obviously recognized Colin and opened the gate. Instead of driving through, Colin pulled up to the guardhouse, rolling down his window.
The guard leaned in with a smile. “Good evening, Mr. Granville. How was your business trip?” Eden noticed the man’s friendly smile and that the name tag above his badge read ‘Edward’.
“Heya, Ed. Yeah, it was a great trip.” He leaned back, gesturing toward Eden. “This is Eden Antaeus. She’s moving into my house so I’ll need a security packet for her.”
Ed tipped his cap at her. “You’ll have the packet first thing in the morning, sir. Evening, ma’am. Are you related to Mr. Granville’s new brother-in-law?”
“She’s his sister. She’ll be picking up her car tomorrow so make sure you let her in,” Colin told him.
Ed nodded solemnly. “No problem, Mr. Granville. I’ve got you on the video and I’ll make sure my day staff familiarizes themselves with her.” Ed stepped back from the car. “Have a good evening, sir, ma’am.”
Colin put the car in gear and they rolled through the gate. As he drove through the small community, Eden saw that the homes were all different sizes from cottages to mansions, some right on the beach and others not. Colin drove until they reached a row of houses that seemed like an odd mix of California modern and New England Cape Cod. Each of the medium sizes homes sat on a large lot and backed onto the beach itself.
Colin’s house stood out because the houses on either side were sprawling single level houses while his stood two stories high. Because the lots ran right out to the sand, no one had fences, but on one side of Colin’s house, she spied a six foot privacy fence that enclosed a huge patio. Because the lots were so big, the house next door wasn’t close nor did it have an upper story that w
ould allow someone to look down into Colin’s yard. The fence roused her curiosity.
The car pulled into the center of the huge double sized garage. Actually, the garage had a double sized bay and a single sized bay with enough room for two cars and water toys like a boat or jet skis. Apparently, Colin didn’t have any toys though. The garage sported a large pile of flattened packing boxes and nothing else.
Eden got out as the garage door closed. She stared at the huge empty space. Absolutely nothing about it said that this was Colin Granville’s garage. It seemed odd to her because her brothers had tools and … man stuff in their garages.
Colin opened the trunk and took out their suitcases. “Can you get the laptops? I’ll take care of these,” he said, hauling the two cases to the door.
Eden grabbed the computers out of the backseat and hurried after him. She followed him into a huge kitchen that looked out over a wrap around porch that faced the ocean. She sucked in a breath. The view was fantastic, but the room appeared just as sterile as the garage. Colin hadn’t put his stamp on it at all. She followed him through the house and up the stairs, all the while marveling at how unlived in it looked.
Colin threw open the double doors to the master suite and Eden stifled a gasp. A huge California King four-poster bed draped in blue faced a wall of windows that gave an incredible view of the Pacific Ocean. A messy trail of clothes led from the bed to the huge walk-in closet cum dressing room. Eden set the computers on a desk near the windows and looked around. The suite consisted of the huge bedroom that had an alcove on one side near the windows. The alcove held a desk, a futon, and a recliner.
Two closets opened from either side of the bathroom door. Although identical in size, one held clothes and the other had work out equipment. The bathroom had a huge shower stall with six showerheads and an enormous Jacuzzi tub. Two other doors turned out to be a small sauna and a linen closet. The long counter with double sinks was flanked by a toilet on one side and a bidet that looked like no one had ever touched it on the other.
Tales of the Darkworld 2: Hot Water Page 7