by Lisa DeBells
Chapter Six
Mitchell
I paused at the stop-light in midtown LA, risking a quick glance across the car at her, Eden White. Passed out. All legs and long blonde hair that usually didn’t do it for me; I liked my women dark and curvy and soft, this girl was fit. I could tell she worked out by the shape of her long legs. My cock twitched. Fuck. I bit my lip. Get a grip, Stone, she’s passed out in your car; who does that in a stranger’s car? I was totally in awe of her.
Her sweet red lips pursed, reminding me of two ripe cherries. Two very edible red cherries. Her black dress rode up high, and I was so tempted to look longer. Thank fuck for the darkness of the car. I forced my eyes back to the street. This chick was way out of her league tonight. This situation was all kinds of fucked up, I shook my head. The amount of times I’d found myself in serious trouble, a lot of times Chase was with me, steering me clear and putting me back on the straight and narrow. He was a good guy; the best. But this was topping my list of seriously fucked up situations.
It was time to play, ‘What would Chase do right now?’ if he had a passed out woman in his car? I pulled my cell out of my jacket pocket; three missed calls and six text messages. Candy, Mandy, Cindy . . . Jesus Christ, I was a sex fiend. It had taken me two weeks to detox these women from my life and I wasn’t about to fall off the wagon anytime soon. There were no missed calls from Chase.
A small tittering came from the woman in my car; Eden. Even her name was sexy. Fuck, off topic again, I had a situation to attend to. Maybe I should try to rouse her. She would wake up and I would deliver her home, full stop, end of the road. “Eden, wake up.”
She didn’t even flinch. I ran my hand through my hair, tugging on the roots and groaning in frustration.
Okay. If I called Chase now he would kill me; five a.m. on a Sunday morning and he had only just flown back into town. Damn it, I was on my own. I should have just left the shop when I had the chance. Murray said he would lock up, and I am the boss, after all. I shouldn’t have to hang for clean up, but I take pride in my shop.
“Next time I’ll listen to Murray,” I muttered to myself. A pang of dismay hit me. If I did that, I never would have met her. God, she really was gorgeous and a little feisty. Not something I was used to, but I couldn’t go there now. I had to keep my head on straight and get this chick home.
Fuck. What the hell was I supposed to do, leave her on her doorstep, or ring the bell and run? Did she have housemates that would look after her in the state she was in? Boyfriend? Husband? Why the hell was she alone on the street at five a.m?
Early morning cars dotted the streets, and the light finally changed. I pressed my foot down on the gas. I wished I was on my motorbike right now; it always cleared my head of the shit that lately had been causing lack of sleep and sex. Yet now I had Sleeping Beauty passed out in my fucking car.
C’mon Mitch, pull it together. “Step by step,” I said to myself. First, get her home; she gave you the address. After that I could just drop her off and be on my fucking way, I needed sleep. The fundraiser was a massive success and right now the adrenalin I was zipping on earlier had turned to mush.
I rounded Fifty-Eighth Street. The buildings in this area weren’t high-rises at maybe ten floors tops. Wide footpaths lined with large maple trees were bursting with new leaves. Long shadows covered the sidewalk, the early rising sun slipping out behind grey rain clouds. In an hour it would be daylight and I would be home, in my bed.
I slowed my car near Eden’s number, killed the engine, and turned to her again. Her black lashes fluttered on her cheeks. Were they even real? They were so long and dark, contrasting completely with her hair.
Now what? Should I carry her, or wake her up and make her walk? Past the glass doors of her building, lights lit the inside lobby. This was a good sign. I grabbed my keys and cell phone and rounded the back of the car, opening up the passenger-side door.
The doorman of the building tipped his hat at me and was closing the gap between the building and my car. That was something you didn’t see every day. Well, he hadn’t seen the package yet and he might not like it. I gave him my best carefree smile as I tried to reassure him while I leaned in the car unclipping Eden’s seat belt. My face was so close to her throat, she stirred as I wrapped one arm behind he back and the other under her knees.
“Hey there, Sir, early morning to you.” He was tired and friendly-looking as he held the door ajar.
I pulled out the precious cargo and watched the doorman’s eyes widen upon seeing her. I adjusted Eden in my arms so that I carried her bridal style, because I could hardly throw her over my shoulder. She whisper mumbled something incoherent. I paused to look down at her, shit she was frustrating and quickly becoming a pain in my arse. At least she was semi-conscious.
“It’s been an interesting start to the day.” It was about all I could manage.
“That’s Ms. White. Is she OK, does she need a doctor?” Concerned doorman’s voice rose about eight decibels upon see her.
Great, the dude knows who she is. Good, because I’d be fucked if I could decipher what floor she’d said she was on.
“She’s drunk, man. Passed out in my shop. What floor is she on?” Split decision, I’d take her all the way. I couldn’t leave her with the doorman. He looked friendly enough but that didn’t mean I wanted him to touch her. I would be taking this precious cargo all the way tonight. Well not all the way. I started towards the apartment complex doors with Larry in hot pursuit. There was a chill in the air and I wanted to get Eden out of the cold.
“Poor girl . . . she’s not one to turn up like this. Give me your keys and I’ll park you down the street.” She was little and light as a feather.
“No need, I will take her up and be back in five minutes. What number is she, I only managed floor ten before she passed out.”
“How do I know she can trust you. Where is Miss Harper?” He took a step closer to me narrowing his dark eyes, he visibly stood taller and puffed his non-existent muscled chest out trying to intimidate me. Well that was great. Who the fuck would look after this chick if he didn’t let me up.
“Look man,” I said keeping my temper in check, I didn’t want to scare him but fuck me drunk, I was tired.
“Larry.” He lifted his chin.
I took a long calming breath. “Larry, I don't know Miss Harper, Eden was alone, tipsy, with no ride home. I’m not a weirdo okay, if you don’t trust me then just.” I paused and juggled Eden in one arm wrenching my wallet out of my back pocket with the other. “Take it and give it back to me when I leave.” I nodded my head to reassure him of my offer. “I promise to be back in five minutes.”
I didn’t think Larry could narrow his eyes and scrunch his face up an further, just when he was at breaking point of his face cracking in two he seemed to accept my suggestion as he took my wallet and tucked it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
“She lives alone. What if she gets sick? My cousin Benny got so drunk once he almost choked on his own puke. It was lucky his brother was there to sort that out.” Whoa talk about a mood swing change.
“Fuck, that’s disgusting, dude. Are you for real?” I quirked my eyebrows at him, willing him to tell me he was joking. I rolled my eyes. Looked like I would be staying a little longer than five minutes, but how the fuck was I going to explain this one? Larry had hit the button for the car to take us up. He smiled at me. “Right jacket pocket, don’t scratch it, she’s new.” I allowed him to take the keys.
“Ms. White is in the penthouse. She is a good girl.” He stood there, clucking over her. “I will let Miss Harper know to come and check on her when she gets in, they went out together tonight. What’s your name, so I can write you in on the register?”
A good girl huh? Well, Larry, tonight she was causing drunken fights, demanding tattoos and passing out in a stranger’s arms. Hardly a good girl. She must lead a double life. Who knew what she’d gotten up to before that? I walked into the car and turned bac
k to face the doors.
“The name’s Stone, Mitch Stone.” I winked at him as the doors closed and I ascended into the unknown.
********
I leaned back on the car wall. My eyes started to droop as exhaustion heavied my body. It had been a long twenty-four hours. I glimpsed myself in the car-door mirrors and the sight seized me. It was impossible to look away from her, from us. I blinked to try and wash the image of how right this woman looked in my arms. I didn’t remember ever feeling like this before; she called to me. I wanted to protect her, FUCK. That’s why I couldn’t just dump her here. It wasn’t possible for me to leave. I sucked in a deep breath, conceding defeat.
Her pale hair fanned out over my arm and shoulder. She looked so wild and innocent all at the same time. She was far prettier than any woman I had laid my eyes on. Or maybe it was just the lack of a good fuck, and I had become desperate. Any warm body would do.
Could the lack of pussy be turning me into a pussy? No way, thats just fucked up. I adjusted Eden in the cradle of my arms. She snaked her arms around my neck, and clasped her hands together while her breath nuzzled at my throat. I didn’t want to move a muscle because she looked so content. I reminded myself to breathe.
The car slowed to a stop, the doors pinged open. I walked out, unsure if anyone would greet me. Usually places like this had a hallway with several apartment doors leading off it, but there was nothing like that. I took another step and a sensor light lit the room up. A fat round table sat in the centre of the small room, a tall vase with long-stemmed calla lillies were artfully arranged in it. I knew flowers, from being a tattooist. On the right wall, a side table held letters, all of them addressed to Eden White. Seemed little Eden lived in the penthouse. I sniffed, suitably impressed, and walked down a few steps into the guts of the apartment.
An entertainer’s kitchen was to my left, dimly lit with white LED lights. I kept walking, looking for a hallway. The further I walked, the more sensor lights led my way. It was like landing a plane in the dark; just follow the lights. Maybe she was afraid of the dark.
I passed a couple of closed doors and ignored them. Several meters along the hallway was an open door; not easy to navigate with the package I had on board.
Hallelujah! A big bed. She was nothing but thorough; the lighting led my footing toward, I assumed was her room.
I eased her down onto the pillows and waited for her to wake. I mean, shit, what was I supposed to do now? I pulled the covers over her body. I took in a look around the room. Nothing unusual. King-size bed, all prettied up with lots of useless pillows; fluffy, but impractical and very girly.
A mirrored dressing table and bedside tables lined the room, early morning rays filtered into the bedroom through floor-to-ceiling windows, showing the spanning city of LA. I was impressed with the overall package.
It was going to be a gorgeous spring day. I should get in a couple of hours sleep and take off on my Harley later on. A nice long ride down E Pacific Highway was what I needed; open her up and let the power of the motor and thrill of the ride clear my head. Maybe I would keep going and shirk whatever responsibilities I had for the next two days. But instead, I would be babysitting Smashed Beauty, and when she woke I would tell her so too. She had to be the stupidest woman I’d ever met. Only a reckless delinquent would wind up how she did tonight; passed out in her own home with a stranger to look after her. I shook my head, cranky just thinking about it.
Turning up in my tattoo shop rolling drunk after four a.m., squabbling with my staff—and Minnie is not one to discuss things either—Eden’s lucky there was a desk separating them or I would have been pulling Minnie off of her.
I walked around the bed. Eden’s pale pink bedroom walls reflected the sun from all of her mirrored furniture. It was like looking through a prism of asymmetrical shapes of different colors. I started at one end of her window, pulling closed the thick material of a curtain then the other, effectively turning her bedroom into night.
I took a seat in the only chair in the room, which was roomy and surprisingly comfortable. I scrubbed up and down my face, and, resting my head on the high backrest, I threw a leg over one side of the armchair then monitored the steady form of Eden. Her breath was slow and even, caressing her full slightly open mouth. Her breathing was so hypnotic that I struggled against the drowsy darkness. I was into my twenty-fourth hour of wakefulness. I could fall asleep on a rock at this point. I would just close my eyes for a minute, then leave this totally fucked-up end to my night.
What if she doesn’t remember who I am? That mind fucking scenario never occurred to me until now. She could freak out and start some drama that I didn’t need in my life. I’d been free off drama ever since I walked away from my old life and thats the way I needed to keep it. Shit. I would let the chips falls where they may and just take any fallout. Bottom line, I ain’t leaving for shit, not until I know she is okay.
********
Peeking out from behind the kitchen door, I saw mommy, so fragile and pretty and scared. Muffled cries escaped her; she was copping it from Dad again; crying and asking him to stop, telling him that she loved him from a mouth that trickled with blood. He didn’t care; his heart was as hard as our last name. Something he lived up to exceedingly well. He must have come home drunk from the pub again, no doubt having lost all of his money on the slots. I hated him so much. I scrunched the pillow over my head and grabbed at my ratty old teddy for comfort as hot tears escaped my eyes.
I willed myself to wake up. My eyes labored against the darkness of my dream. The battle to shake it off was always lengthy. I blinked my hazy eyes open. I rubbed at the slight ache in my neck Why could I still hear the whimpering of my mother? I rubbed my eyes, and the bed with Eden on top of it came into focus, along with the events of my night. Fuck, I must have dozed off.
But she wasn’t sleeping steadily anymore. This was a woman caught up in her own nightmare. Her head thrashed from side to side, tangling her blonde mane around her face. He hands scrunched into the sheets on either side of her as she pulled on them for what; comfort, protection? The word “no” left her lips as if she were pleading with someone. Her eyes, that were so expressive earlier tonight, were scrunched together, her forehead creased as the sobs overtook her tiny frame, tremors wracked her body, then called to her mother.
I had never seen another person experience a night terror. I knew what they were. I’d had them on and off for years as a result of my childhood. You shouldn’t shake the dreamer awake; it could result in them going into shock and becoming more scared.
I leapt off the chair, hurting somewhere inside as I watched this broken, gorgeous woman relive something terrible. Knowing there was a part of her that was just as broken as me had me captivated. I had to coax her out of this gently, and gentleness was something I had never been known for.
I had been touched on some deeper level by Eden. A tiny frisson of the ice that coated my hard dark heart melted and broke away like the glacier of an iceberg.
Chapter Seven
Eden
A beautiful sound ended my nightmare, softening the memories and pain. The air returned to my lungs upon hearing the voice. I stopped screaming and whimpered for the loss. Still the voice called to me, uttered sweetly with the concern of a parent. My name on his lips delivered by a deep raspy voice like honey on toast; it was sweet and coarse, but when combined; perfection.
I finally found the strength to open my eyes. I was awake. The reality hit me, I was just as fucked up as my nightmare. Two amazing green eyes with the depth of opals were studying me, full of concern, maybe a little anger, and a lot of other emotions that I would never be able to process.
“Eden, are you okay?” The words were whispered from his lips.
What universe did I just wake up in? Someone slap me. I just had a nightmare and waking up to this absolute Adonis rendered me speechless and still dreaming.
“Remember me? Mitch, from the tattoo shop.” He was talking a mile a minut
e. “I wanted to make sure you were OK, being drunk and alone and all. Then I kinda fell asleep.” He turned his head to the chair. “My fucking neck is killing me.” He hooked a hand behind his neck, smiled sheepishly, then rolled his neck and waited.
A semi-stranger had brought me home, obviously I passed out because I didn’t remember anything other than telling him my address. He was in my house while I slept. I sit up and swing my legs off the bed to stand up, I feel like Coyote when the Roadrunner has dropped an Anvil on its head; the pounding is phenomenal. Mitchell pushed me gently back down to sit on the bed and takes my hands in his. They are warm and big, and feel safe, so I let him hold me.
“Say something, Eden.” His voice is all concerned but gruff like he’s pissed at me. I can't look him in the eye. Oh my God, I must look like a hard night on the town, I was envisioning smudged eyeliner, smeared red lipstick up the side of my face and a knotted mass of hair framing the whole hideous package. Trust me to have the hottest man alive gracing my room when I look beastly.
“I can’t even begin to process this.” My head pounded with the result of last nights drinking efforts. Pressing my hand to my forehead I closed my eyes taking in a deep breathe hoping to clear the fogginess invading my brain. “I barely remember anything past four a.m.” I whisper.
“Head hurts huh.” Damn it, why was he still here? His eyes were a brilliant green and watching me with uncertainty. My hands ran the length of my torso, mentally checking that my clothing was still intact. If I wasn’t so out of it I’m sure I would have whipped them off on a whim and ridden than man all the way to Downunder.
“Nothing happened, Eden, you’re still dressed.” I sucked in a shocked breath. His face was desolate and distant, his green eyes no longer bright and sparkly, but a darker more dangerous shade. “I’m not a sadist. I like my women willing and coherent.”
“I didn’t imply . . .”
“Like hell you didn’t. Your eyes aren’t that easy to read, Eden but your body.” He bit a full bottom lip between his perfect row of teeth like he was holding back what he was really thinking, it was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen. “Is sending me mixed messages.” Holy mother of a bad-boy, his sultry words and devil may care attitude was evident, in his stance, the way his eyes bore into mine, hell even his arms that were tattooed. This guy was trouble to my bored libido. My inner devil ran her tongue over salivating lips and clapped her hands together singing ‘Hercules, Hercules’, oh yes, we wanted a taste.