Then he simply left her standing in her negligee, staring at the door, with wet panties.
***
The next morning, Eden shuffled into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, but her eyes snapped open and her heart contracted at the scene laid out before her. All four of the children were seated at the dining room table with Monroe beaming at Cole as he waved a fork-skewered sausage in the air as he spoke loudly, “An then Micah turned into a big dog and…,” his word died off as Ransum burst into hysterical laughter while Peyton squealed and clapped her hands.
The scene looked so homey and comfortable that she felt like an intruder. She faltered a moment as she considered retreating to her bedroom.
“Oh good,” Monroe spoke loudly as he stood, “Mommy’s up.”
“Mama!” Peyton shrieked as both Cole and Ransum scrambled from their chairs and raced to her.
“Easy boys,” Monroe admonished as he rose to stalk toward her, “Don’t forget mommy’s still sore. Be careful.”
Both boys stopped in front of her and smiled. “We’re having pancakes. Want some,” Cole asked grabbing her hand.
“Pancakes? Yummy.”
Monroe pecked her on the cheek as if it were the most normal thing in the world before he turned Ransum and swatted Cole playfully on the backside. “Back to the table boys.”
Both boys dashed back to the table as Monroe gripped her elbow and led her to a seat. He pulled out her chair and she noticed that Micah still refused to look at her.
“Good morning, Micah.”
Finally, he tore his eyes away from his I-phone. “Morning. Umm, happy birthday.”
Monroe stilled behind her.
“Thank you.” She was touched that he remembered. Reaching out she grabbed Micah’s hand and instead of pulling it away as he typically did, he let her hold it.
“Happy birthday, mama,” Cole beamed.
“Yeah, happy birthday,” Ransum spoke around a syrupy bite of food.
Peyton clapped her hands and chanted, “Birthday, birthday, birthday!”
“Okay,” Eden laughed, “it’s just another day for me. Let’s finish our breakfast okay.”
Wordlessly Monroe leaned in from behind her and stacked a mountain of pancakes on her plate with an equally impressive mound of scrambled eggs and a pile of bacon.
She snorted, “I hope you’re not expecting me to eat all this.”
“Happy birthday,” his gaze held hers and had her feeling warm all over.
She tore her eyes away, “Uhh, thank you.”
Reclaiming his seat to her right and coincidentally at the head of the table, he simply watched her as she cut into her cakes.
“I wish I would have known sooner, we could have done something special today.”
“It’s okay. It’s just another day.”
“That’s not what you say when it’s our birthday,” Micah surprised her by setting down his i-pod to stare at her. “You tell us that our birth is significant. You say that the world is lucky to have us, and that such special beings deserve a special day.”
Her cheeks flamed. “Well you do.”
Micah looked at Monroe, “She always makes a big deal. Cake, ice cream, balloons, and presents.”
“Daddy, we didn’t get Mama a present,” Cole looked at Monroe in shock.
Eden choked on her coffee. Daddy! The children stared at her worriedly as she dabbed a napkin to her mouth, ignoring the laughter she read in Monroe’s eyes.
“We’ll have to fix that then, won’t we?”
Relieved that Monroe didn’t admonish the child for the endearment, she struggled to fight back the warm and possessive emotion the simple word called forth. She wondered for a moment if it would be like this every day if they were a true family. Pushing the thought away, she made a mental note to talk to the children about Monroe’s role in their lives. She’d also have to apologize to him for Cole’s indiscretion.
Drawing her mind back to topic she soothed, “You are my present. All of you,” she eyed each of the children in succession, “are each my own special gift and I couldn’t want for anything more.”
“Come on,” Monroe scoffed, “there’s got to be something you want.”
She looked at him and her eyes dipped to his sensual mouth. You have no idea. Suddenly, the room was too hot and a yearning so strong for the man sitting next to her shot through her system with such force that she set her fork down and tore her eyes away to fight to control her breathing.
“You can have that anytime you like, my angel.”
Her gaze slashed toward him and back just as quickly. She would not have this discussion in front of the children.
“You broke mama’s heaven.”
Monroe’s gaze jerked to Cole at the declaration before slowly returning to Eden. He could tell by the flush that stole across her cheeks that she was embarrassed by the admission. He kept his eyes riveted on her but asked, “Broke her heaven? What do you mean, Cole?”
“It’s nothing,” Eden stood but Monroe gently grabbed one of her hands and stood before pulling her into his chest. She dropped her head to stare down at Cole.
“We had a park. Mama called it our heaven and you ruined it.” Cole’s bottom lip pouted out as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Yeah!” Ransum copied his brother’s posture and stared accusingly at Monroe.
“Boys, that’s enough,” Eden whispered. Her face was titled down when Monroe used a strong finger to lift her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. Her chest tightened at the regret she saw reflected in the gorgeous, blue, depths.
“Explain.”
She rolled her eyes, feigning that the matter wasn’t that serious. “It’s nothing.”
“Explain,” he demanded more firmly.
“There was a field of wild flowers that bloomed every summer on the west end of your new site. I took the kids there every year for a picnic.” She looked down at his shirt and shrugged as if it didn’t matter, “I called it our own piece of heaven.”
“If it’s on my property then it’s yours.”
Her eyes met his, “The construction ruined the field.” Emotion clogged her throat and she was surprised to realize the place had meant so much to her, “It’s…gone.”
Monroe held her gaze and leaned forward until their faces were a breath apart. “Every angel needs a heaven. I am sorry.”
She could tell by the way it sounded that he didn’t say those three little words often. Smiling she shrugged, “It’s alright. It was just a field.”
“It’s not alright.” He turned to the boys, “Don’t worry. I’ll find mama a new heaven.”
Satisfied the boys uncrossed their arms and smiled.
“Can it have a slide?” Cole asked excitedly.
***
Two days later, Eden stood in Monroe’s office frowning at the handsome Walker that had come to present himself. Long, straight, black, hair—much like her own—tapered down to the behemoth’s waist. His shoulders were broad and his skin tone was much darker than Monroe’s, as were his eyes.
Monroe warned that he would only give her until she’d been released from the infirmary to accept their bond and he hadn’t lied. He’d imposed himself on her family and it was such a seamless transition that she hadn’t felt the need to protest. When she’d attempted to apologize to him for Cole having called him ‘daddy’, he seemed genuinely offended and asserted that he was in-fact the children’s father now.
Somewhere she’d stopped bringing up the topic of going home and was relieved when Monroe had revealed that their belongings had been brought to the estate, including her old, black, lab, Zena.
Life was getting comfortable, and while Monroe made no more attempts to sleep with her, Eden’s own need increased in intensity every day. It was difficult to be around him without aching for him, and she began to wish he’d claim her fully as he’d threatened.
“This is Leto Reigns. He’s Shy’s mate,” Monroe explained, rising from his desk a
nd circling it slowly as he typically did to stand at Eden’s side. He was uncomfortable when other males were near her.
Eden eyed Leto’s proffered hand before crossing her arms over her chest, jutting out one hip and scowling up at him. “Leto. I’ve heard of you.”
Over the past week, most of the Skin Walkers on-site had made an effort to schedule an appearance in Monroe’s office to introduce themselves. He’d claimed it was their form of acknowledging her as his mate. She had no idea the huge number of men, women, and children that resided at the estate.
“Uhhh,” Leto dropped his hand as his eyes darted from Eden to Monroe then back. He hated the smirk that tweaked Monroe’s lips. “I understand the claiming can be difficult to understand. Walkers are a rare breed, we have many…confusing customs.”
“Oh don’t get it twisted,” Eden’s eyes narrowed on him. “It’s not Walkers I have a problem with.”
Leto tensed. He understood the reaction now. Many of the women at StoneCrow had difficulty liking him due to his harsh treatment of his angel prior to his claiming. “It’s just me then.”
Eden uncrossed her arms, “I’m glad we understand each other. It’ll save us the unnecessary need for pleasantries.” She didn’t like men who mistreated women, especially women who didn’t deserve it.
Leto’s gaze jerked to Monroe and his expression darkened when the CEO’s lips turned up in a beaming grin. How in the hell the man had managed to find an angel that was so much like him was impossible to know. Damn! Life at StoneCrow was about to become fucking impossible. Unless…
Leto’s eyes slid back to Eden, “Did Monroe tell you that he knew Shy carried my scent because she carried my child days before he ever revealed the information to me. As a matter of fact he let me hunt her while I was burdened with the affliction and still under the illusion that she was Megalya.” Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Monroe’s smile fade. “You don’t have to hate me for my treatment of my angel. I detest myself enough for it, but just know that had I been provided with all the facts, things would have been handled differently.”
Eden’s jaw bunched in anger as she slowly turned to frown at Monroe. With her back to him, it was Leto’s turn to smile at the CEO.
“Leave!” Monroe commanded.
Leto stalked to the door but couldn’t help himself. Turning he smiled, “Welcome to StoneCrow, Eden. Your presence is highly needed,” his eyes flitted to Monroe, “and more highly valued then you’ll ever know.”
“Wait!” Eden turned to face him and crossed the room quickly, unaware that Monroe was mere steps behind her. Extending her hand, her delicate brows knitted. “I misjudged you Leto, and I apologize. If I too had all the facts…” she let the sentence linger.
Leto accepted her hand with a smile but shook it quickly when Monroe’s expression darkened at the mere touch of his palm to hers. “Thank you, Domina.” He exited the room quickly.
Pulling his eyes from the now closed door, Monroe allowed them to settle on Eden as she turned to glare up at him.
“Let’s get one thing straight right now!”
Shit, here it comes. He braced for it.
“If you ever even consider playing any of your well-known games with me Mr. StoneCrow, I will make sure you regret the decision.”
Before he could stop himself, Monroe reached out and collared her throat with his hand. His grip wasn’t rough, but possessive, dominant. He pulled her into him and kept his hand locked in place. “You needn’t ever worry about that angel. I’d eat a bullet before ever using or lying to you.”
She blinked up at him, “Good. I’m glad we understand each other.” He was dropping his head for a kiss when she asked, “What is a Domina?”
The corner of Monroe’s sensual mouth lifted. “It’s the title given to the mate of the Dominant Walker. They recognize my position of power and accept it. By calling you Domina they show that they accept you, as well as your place in our society.”
“My place?”
“Yes, Domina. Your place at the head of the pack and by my side.”
“Pack? Is that what you call your group? Why not family?”
“Pack was better than a murder, a brood, or a pride,” he smirked.
“I’m serious.”
He frowned. “Because until you, I didn’t know that we were people that could turn into animals and not the other way around. Mistakes were made angel, I openly admit that, but I look forward to your assistance in rectifying those mistakes and preventing further ones from happening.” A thumb caressed her jaw line. “This pack needs a Domina’s touch.”
“This family,” she corrected.
“Family,” he affirmed with a smile. “I have a gift for you.” He captured her hand and led her from the office.
She followed as he led her, down to the main floor and out of the building. A Humvee was waiting out front. King held the back door of the vehicle open and Monroe ushered her inside.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
The vehicle didn’t leave the estate. Instead, it drove down near the main gate then turned off on a dirt road that Eden was certain hadn’t previously existed. The road followed the wall onto a portion of the estate where the forest had remained untouched. Towering pines loomed overhead as the vehicle was cast into shadow. When they finally came to a stop Monroe stopped King before he could exit the vehicle.
“I’ve got it from here, King. Head back to the estate. I’ll summon you when we’re ready.”
King dipped his head and waited until they’d exited the vehicle before turning the SUV and leaving.
“Where are we going?” Eden asked again, a little nervous.
He led her down a worn path, “To your version of heaven.”
She laughed. “What?”
He pulled on her arm, urging her to walk faster. She was about to ask what he meant again when they stepped into a clearing that was out of place in the heavily treed mountainside. In the middle was a large, stone, wall that stood nearly fourteen feet high.
“What is it?”
He lifted her hand palm side up and dropped a key into it. “Here.”
Eden eyed the key and the great, stone wall before she took a tentative step forward. Monroe released her hand and watched as she walked to the structure.
Following the wall’s length she came to an arched entryway with a wrought iron gate that had an ancient looking lock. She lifted the long key from her palm and twisted it in the lock until it clicked open. Pushing the doors wide open she turned to smile excitedly at Monroe.
Wordlessly, he nodded once and that was all the encouragement she needed.
Tall perfectly trimmed hedges lined the entryway and an intricate, beautifully laid red- stone walk way led her several feet before she stepped into the most beautiful garden she’d ever seen. Gasping she lifted both hands to cover her mouth.
Several trees and hundreds of flowers in every color imaginable sprouted up from the ground in bunches and dotted the entire interior of the walled garden. It looked like something out of a fairly tale.
A wooden pergola was nestled in one corner with a picnic bench beneath while the other corner housed a fire pit centered between stone benches that looked natural in the earthy setting. The stone path branched and she followed one side, crossing by the picnic table and when she turned she was delighted to see a swing-set and slide for the children sitting in a field of soft looking pebbles.
She noticed that vines grew up and over nearly the entire expanse of the inside walls making it feel as if they were enclosed in a secret garden, and that’s what it was.
“Do you like it? I’ve dubbed it the Garden of Eden.”
Eden didn’t even realize she was crying until she turned to smile at Monroe. Her mouth gaped open and too afraid to speak she simply nodded before throwing her arms around him impulsively.
Monroe laughed and hugged her tightly. “Good, I’m glad you like it.”
Her voice was breathy
, “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Not me.”
She frowned at him in question and his eyes glittered, daring her to ask. She didn’t. Instead, she pulled back and put some distance between them before she cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed at her reaction. “The children will love it.”
“I didn’t do this for the children. I did it for you.”
Eden’s heart melted. “Thank you Monroe. No one…no one’s ever done anything like this for me before.” Her delicate brows speared down. “You didn’t have to.”
“Of course I did. Every angel needs a heaven.”
She smiled affectionately. “On the way up you said you were taking me to my version of heaven.” Her eyes swept the area, “You have to admit that being in here is anyone’s version of heaven.”
“Not mine,” he challenged again, the glittering of his eyes intensifying.
“Fine, I’ll bite. What is your version of heaven, Mr. StoneCrow?”
He lost his smile and his gaze narrowed on her. “Being in you.”
Heat flared to life in her womb. How could one man’s gaze get her so hot? His eyes slid down her frame and she swore she could feel his caress everywhere his eyes touched. She took a step toward him then stopped. I shouldn’t…
“Don’t ever do that again,” he growled.
She tilted her head quizzically.
“If your instincts are to come to me, don’t ever fight it.”
She considered his words for a moment before slowly walking to him. He didn’t move as she tentatively lifted her hands and placed them on his broad shoulders. She lifted her eyes to his. “Thank you for the beautiful gift.” Then she tiptoed and brushed her lips across his in a feather light kiss before pulling back and dropping her hands.
“That’s not all.” His words came out on a low rumble that had her heart racing.
“What?”
He still hadn’t moved. His arms hung loosely at his sides as he towered over her. “You didn’t just want to kiss me. You wanted more. You are mine Eden just as I am yours. If you want something from me…take it.”
He was right. She wanted them both naked and making love to christen her beautiful garden, but she knew it wasn’t proper. How did he know? She blushed at the inappropriate thought and was about to back up a step when his hand collared her throat. He wasn’t rough, in fact his thumb caressed gently over the pulse that was beating frantically at her throat.
Skin Walkers: Monroe Page 16