by Eden Fortae
“So I didn’t fail?”
“Oh, you failed. That helped, though. Thanks.”
Eden’s grin widened. “My pleasure! Remember that when I need the favor returned. Speaking of,” she pinched Kya’s arm, “that stunt you pulled earlier was not cool.”
“You mean, the two of you didn’t want to be alone?” She asked innocently.
“No! There’s no reason we’d need to be alone. Ever.”
Kya smirked knowingly. The urge to pinch her harder crossed her mind. The need to explain herself did, too. But what would she say? Better yet, what did Kya see? If she’d caught on, that meant things were obvious despite her efforts to show that there was nothing there.
As she prepared to ask, a boyishly handsome man with a familiar smile walked in. Spotting Kya immediately, he approached with swagger, smoothing down the front of his black blazer. He greeted Kya with the embrace of a lover. His grin, just as suggestive.
Eden turned to where she last saw the guys. Only one of them remained, glaring at them beside Kya’s father, and he looked pissed.
Warning bells wailed inside of her as Antonio approached. Seconds later, a warm hand took her by the elbow.
“Don’t,” his deep voice spoke directly into her ear.
“Look at him, Donovan,” she pointed to Antonio. His walk was smooth and controlled, but his face was lethal. “This is not going to end well. I have to get to her first.”
He tightened his grip when she tried to pull away. “Tonito knows where he is. Trust me. He might want to kill dude, but he won’t.”
“That’s not who I’m worried about.” She tried to move once more, and Donny repositioned himself so that his chest was to her back, and he was holding her tightly. For the second time that night, she stiffened. His touch brought back memories she didn’t want to have and birthed feelings she couldn’t have. She breathed through her mouth to avoid the scent of his cologne, weakening her further and tried her best to free herself.
“He loves her. He’d hurt himself before he hurts her.”
“He already hurt her, and if you let me go, I can prevent it this time.”
“I want to shield her, too.” He pressed his lips to her ear. “But would we be protecting her or prolonging her pain by not allowing her to face it?” His breath brushed across her skin like a caress. The double meaning and accented pronunciations of his words sent goosebumps crawling up her arms.
“Protecting. There is no guarantee the pain will go away if she faces it now.”
“And there is no guarantee that it won’t. She’s a fighter. That will always work in her favor because she chooses not to let pain rule her.”
That hit home and right in the heart. Eden closed her eyes, training her breathing to not reveal anything. He knew nothing. He was an outsider. He couldn’t possibly know the depth of her pain to understand.
“Ok. You can let me go now.”
“I can?”
“Yes. Now, please.”
He didn’t move or speak until they saw Kya lead Antonio outside. When Donny released Eden, he purposely stepped around her and into her path to keep her from following.
“Trust me on this. If she hasn’t already, Kya will rip him a new one. From there, what will be, will be.”
Pressure formed between her eyes. All of this was becoming increasingly frustrating.
“How do you know that? You care about her as much as I do. I see it. So how can you allow her to go through these things after she’s been through so much already?”
Donny blinked twice, shifting to place his hands in his pockets. It was as if she, too, had struck a nerve. Cooly, he looked down, then returned eye contact. “I see the strength in people. I see potential, too. Kya will overcome everything, and so will you.”
Again, channeling Yoda, that shit rocked her to her core. Making matters worse, he stood there looking delicious.
She rolled her eyes. What she felt was perilously close to defeat. “I hate that you're so good looking. Why do you have to be wise, too?”
His light brown eyes lit up as a smile spread across his face. “Say that again. A little louder, though.”
Eden pushed him out of the way successfully as Kya returned, alone. Donny was hot on her heels, and no sooner than they reached Kya, so did Vaughn. They listened in silence as Kya tried to apologize for the Antonio exchange. The other man brushed it off with a smile but excused himself to ensure she’d enjoy the rest of the evening. Kya’s relief wasn’t missed, nor was Donny’s glare.
Unfortunately, the damage was done. By closing, the light in Kya’s eyes dimmed, and she smiled less. She asked Donny to take them both home and declined Eden’s offer of company. That left Donny and Eden alone for as long as it took to reach her apartment. Both were silent. Both reflecting and concerned for Kya.
Being the gentleman that he was, Donny got out of his truck and opened the door for her. Wordlessly, he walked her up the stairs where she faced him. The streetlight to her right illuminated the left side of his face. It made his features look darker, and his eyes more alluring.
“Thank you for the ride.”
“You’re welcome. Buenas noche hermosa.” He’d walked away, and on impulse, she stilled him.
“You do that because you know it gets to me?”
He paused and turned, “Does it?”
She laughed to herself, pulling her coat tight, “Are you pretending you don’t speak to me in Spanish knowing my brain won’t pick up on what you said, but my body might?”
His smile was telling, “I’ll admit that if you can admit you have intimacy issues.”
“Not wanting to be intimate is an issue now?”
“When you cannot withstand touches that aren’t sexual, it is.”
“Right,” she looked up absently, taking note of the few stars there were, “I suppose me hugging and holding hands with my best friend doesn’t count then?”
“You just answered your own question. She’s your friend.”
“Ah. I see.” She laughed again, “You’re so close to the pie but can’t have a piece. Tempting you, am I?”
“Since we’re being honest, yes. You tempt me to make you smile, laugh, hug you until you’re annoyed, and bare it all at times. Do I look at you and think of how your voice sounds at the height of pleasure? Fuck yeah. But none of that has anything to do with the fact that you have intimacy issues.“
The goosebumps returned with a vengeance accompanied by irritation. “You’re projecting. I do not have intimacy issues, Donovan.”
He closed the distance between them, literally. The only thing separating them was Eden’s coat and his blazer. “May I kiss you?”
Momentarily stunned, she hesitated. The fierceness she prepared to unleash, stolen from here. Replacing it was fear and curiosity. Vividly she remembered the feel of his lips on her neck and barely on her lips. Would a full kiss feel the same? Or would it remind her of falsehoods and betrayal?
“Why? It won’t prove your point.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. It will answer a question or two, though.”
“Such as?”
“If this thing is just a hangover or something deeper.”
Again, she hesitated. All she had to do was deny it, and that was that.
The longer she stood silent, neither putting distance between them nor saying a word, his stare and the air around them intensified. Without her agreement or rejection, he brought his hand to her jaw. The warmth of it made her breathing hitch. Her eyes closed, taking in the feeling and surprising comfort of his touch. This felt nothing like the other times their skin made contact that evening. Wordlessly, he’d obtained consent to touch her. That quelled the fight or flight response.
More warmth touched her face. As he drew near, his breath on her skin caused her eyes to open. He was so close now. So much so that his eyes were almost out of focus. His lips hovered just above hers. His hand slid to her neck, his fingers massaging it in the process. Their lips were so close to touc
hing. A million butterflies took flight in her stomach.
“This door,” she whispered, trailing her hand along his to remove it, “is one I won’t open. You’re too good for what would come out of it.” With that, she pulled away, pushing through the door. At the last second and against her better judgment, she looked back. “Goodnight, Donovan.”
Just as she was closing the door, she heard, “Buenas noche hermosa. My broken beauty.”
SEVEN
Christian answered the door grinning. He’d been wearing one since his son was born, but this felt different.
“How is it that you’re awake at the ass crack dawn every day, and these assholes beat you here?” As he said that, he stepped back to all Donny entry, revealing Jermaine and Antonio already in attendance.
“I had something to do this morning.” He answered simply, making eye contact with Antonio briefly. Watching his cousin’s back in the streets was a job in itself. Helping him hunt down and punish those connected to the shooting was a greater task, which required dirty work and the covering of tracks. Add in his morning run and a woman he was trying not to want, and there lies the reason for his tardiness. The latter, most of all but not in the way he wanted.
“Something or someone?” Chris closed the door behind him and raised his brows, then patted Donny on the shoulder as he made his way to the stove.
“Again with this shit? Don’t you jackoffs have something better to discuss? Like you marrying la chica loca and this cabrón,” he pointed to Antonio, “having to be rescued from the precinct by a woman knee-high to an ant?”
“We clowned him for that and Kya handled him, already. He’s basically accepted that he’s whipped, so it’s not fun anymore. You, on the other hand,” Chris grinned again, moving the pan of eggs from the burner then leaned back against the opposite counter, “haven’t shown this much interest since Clara. So, out with it and spare no details.”
Ignoring them, Donny took a seat on the barstool between Antonio and Jermaine. “We gossiping now?”
“It’s not gossip when the details come from the subject,” Jay added in, his amusement displayed typically through his eyes only.
Donny shot him a glare, still a little annoyed with the way he’d looked at Eden the night of Kya’s show. “I told you. We had a one night stand after her sister’s wedding and lost contact. What more do you want to know?”
“You getting that, again?” Chris was pulling no punches. Like Jermaine, he seemed to be amused, but there was a seriousness in his question.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I know her better, now and sex wouldn’t be enough for me.”
Chris shrugged. The other two men remained silent. “So what’s the move?–cause I met her last night when she came by to meet Junior, and I feel like we’re going to end up fucking someone up because they locked her down before you.”
The idea alone struck a nerve. He knew how hard it was to get close to Eden, but that didn’t mean the thought hadn’t crossed his mind previously. The idea and his reaction to it proved a point in itself. Balling his fists on top of the granite countertop was all he could do not stand abruptly and lash out over someone who currently didn’t exist.
“No, we won’t,” he retorted slowly in an attempt to calm himself. “Just because I’m not pressing her for pussy doesn’t mean I’m leaving enough room for another motherfucker.”
Chris was smiling again, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “No harm, brother. Just asking. What’s the problem?”
Donny considered his response. These were his boys. His brothers. One of them always knew more than the others, but that ability to trust them with his thoughts was the same.
“Life hasn’t been kind to her, so she guards herself. Sometimes we’re like good friends with a deep attraction. Sometimes we’re like good friends who fell off. I don’t know if I should fall back out of respect or try to show her she’d be in good hands.”
Christian simply nodded, going back to cooking. Antonio remained silent, and Jermaine became unusually vocal.
“She sounds like trouble,” he eyed him then spared a glance at the other two suggestively, “did you know that before you claimed her? Does it change anything? Does she know where you stand? Do you?” Donny’s lack of an answer was all that was needed. “You can’t convince her of anything if you don’t know your damn self.”
Chris was smiling again, piling food on one plate. A shit-eating grin that made Donny want to punch him more than before.
“What’s it gonna be, Donovan?”
Donny narrowed his eyes, clenching his jaw, sending Christian into another bout of laughter as he walked out of the kitchen with the plate.
“This is payback for all the shit I gave him about Rina.” He acknowledged. Although the thought of decking Chris was high on his list, Eden was first. Without trying, she made it that way. Being the first thing on his mind when his eyes opened and when it strayed to dangerous places meant something. Either the stars aligned to bring them together as friends, or the spark he felt with every encounter indicated more. By the end of the day, he planned to know which.
“I’d offer to help you kill him, but you gave me shit about Kya, too.” Antonio finally spoke, casually scrolling through his phone.
At that, Donny looked up with a frown. “And if it weren’t for me supporting you, you never would have pursued her without the facade. Even though you fucked that up, de nada pendejo.”
Jermaine chuckled beside him, and Antonio half-smiled.
“You walked right into that one, Tony.”
“Yeah, fuck both of you.” He pushed off the stool, shoving his phone into his pocket. “I came to see my sister and nephew. Not your bitches.”
“You mean, you came to see if she’ll tell you how serious Kya is about that dude.”
Donny and Antonio were careful not to look at each other. However, Donny still found a way to check on his cousin from his peripherals. Like Christian, Jermaine was no longer living a life in the streets. To keep it that way, Donny and Antonio kept certain information between them. The discovery of Vaughn’s true identity was one of those things. Besides, Donny had his own reasoning for withholding information.
Just as Antonio was about to fire back, Chris walked into the kitchen, his smile nowhere in sight.“Who did you get to shadow Kya?”
“I didn’t. It’s still me for now.”
“Hmm,” was all he said, moving back to the counter and leaned against it. In the time it took him to do that, Antonio rooted himself in place.” I overheard Rina on the phone telling someone to have fun and text her when they land. Unless Julie or your parents are taking a trip, I only know of one other person she’d tell I love you. I believe our princess has fled the castle.”
Donny immediately checked the GPS app linked to her phone. Once again, he watched his cousin from the corner of his eye. Antonio was still at first. The anger and worry rolled off of him in waves. When he did move, he stormed by Chris and headed for Karrina. Christian was hot on his heels. By the time they returned, he’d confirmed the suspicion. The last location for Kya was the airport, and now her phone was off.
Jermaine was always serious, but even he had urgency in his tone. “Did she say anything?”
“Of course not. She’s too loyal for that. Either this was a sudden trip, or she’s learned to hide shit from me.”
Donny was thinking the former. Eden loved to use her plans as an excuse to avoid him. She hadn’t mentioned a trip to do so nor in passing. Unless Kya was with someone else…
Within seconds one of his hackers was responding to his text, and Antonio barely contained himself. With everything Kya had been through and the attempt on her life, it made no sense to him why she’d be so reckless. The law wasn’t any closer to finding out who was behind it, and for that reason, she should have been scared of her shadow. However, the little firecracker made it clear that she wasn’t going to cower in fear.
“She said
she wouldn’t be going to Paris for at least another month. Where the fuck could she be?! What the fuck was she thinking?!”
“Probably that she needed a break from an overbearing dick.” Karrina appeared in the doorway with the baby in her arms and a frown rivaling her brother’s. “Especially since you can’t stop mind fucking her.”
“Wanting her safe is mind fucking?” Antonio retorted in a flat but cold tone that meant he was close to snapping.
“Don’t act like that’s all you want! She told me you asked for another chance. For what, Tony? So you can get her wrapped up in you again then drop her because you’re in a bad mood? Let her go and let her be happy with someone else!”
The exact moment those words hit the air, everyone froze. Antonio’s anger spiked to the point of filling the room with heat and tension. With the possibility of Kya leaving with Vaughn thrown out there, Antonio’s fingers curled into his palm.
“Take the baby upstairs, Rina.”
“Or what? Did I strike a nerve? Can’t handle the thought of that good woman being good to someone who deserves it more than you?”
As the message popped up, Donny opened it with a quickness. So engrossed with what he was reading, he didn’t realize he was on his feet and moving toward the door until Chris said his name.
They were all looking at him.
“Darcey found flight confirmation in Kya’s email. No hotel information under her name, but she’s running Eden’s and... Vaughn’s, now. I’m going to pack and catch a flight. She should know exactly where Kya is by the time I land.”
“Where?”
“Donny! Just let her spend her birthday with her best friend, sand, sunshine, and stress-free. Please.”
“She still needs protection, Rina.” Chris countered, earning a glare.
Just as he was about to speak, he had a screenshot of all the information he needed.
“I’ll hang back, Rina. Enough to keep an eye on her so she can enjoy herself.”
Antonio grumbled, “I’ll meet you at the airport.”
“Tonito,” Donny warned, but there was no use in it. Antonio didn’t wait around and ignored all attempts to talk him down.