Walking over to Eden and Mason in one of the meeting rooms, Wyatt took a seat.
"She confirmed the information she found that she sent to the government. She also identified a couple of people who were part of the project. She doesn't know much. Apart from the fact that she thinks Doctor Hoskin is dead."
Raising his head, Eden frowned. "How would she know that?"
Shrugging, Wyatt leaned back in the chair. "Said something about him getting killed in the raid. She was sketchy on the details. Wouldn't say much. I didn't push. It's been a long day."
Taking a breath, Eden looked at his friend and asked, "You spent the entire day with her, Jobs. Do you trust her?"
Wyatt gave a long exhale. "I trust that she wasn't a part of what was really going on at Project Arma. I trust that she reported what was happening and did what she did to protect you. But I know that there's something she's not telling us."
Nodding, Wyatt didn't say anything that Eden hadn't already been thinking.
"How much longer do they need?"
"Evie's just going through the final details with Shylah. They shouldn't take long."
Standing, Eden already started moving toward the door. "I'll do some work in the back before I take her home. I appreciate your help on the matter, Jobs."
Spending another hour in the back before returning to Shylah, Eden walked in to see both women look up at him.
"Ready to head home?" Eden asked, eyes only for Shylah.
"Sure." Shylah's lips pulled into a half-smile as she moved to stand.
There was a time when Shylah would have beamed at him before moving into his arms when he entered a room.
Pushing that to the back of his mind, he turned to Evie.
Their relationship had come a long way, and she'd been through a lot.
Guilt weighed heavily on Eden for how he'd treated her at the beginning, so he worked hard now to make her feel comfortable around him.
Softening his voice, Eden gave Evie a warm smile and asked, "All good, Evie?"
Returning the smile, Evie glanced up at Eden before replying, "Shylah has been a significant help. We went through so much information. It must have been a bit of a drag for her, but she was a trooper."
Eden maintained his distance from Evie. He made an effort to ensure she felt safe. Evie was still working through a lot of stuff from her past but had come a long way.
"Thank you, Evie." Turning back to face Shylah, he walked closer to her and put his hand on the small of her back. "I'll take you home."
At the car, Eden held the door open for her before moving to his own side.
"How'd it go with Evie and Wyatt today?" Eden asked, not wanting to make the trip in silence.
"It went well. Like Evie mentioned, we worked through a lot of information." Catching Shylah watching him, Eden waited for her to say whatever was on her mind. "Evie's nice."
Pausing for a moment, Eden gave Shylah a side glance before watching the road again. "Evie's with Luca."
"I know, she told me. I could see how much she loves him by the look in her eyes when she spoke about him."
Eden frowned. "Why do you not sound happy then?"
"I am happy. It's just . . . I mean, the way you speak to her, you're just nice to her, that's all."
Sighing, Eden tried not to let the insecurity in Shylah's voice affect him. "Evie's been through a lot. I try for a gentle approach with her. I didn't always trust her, and I don't feel great about that. I'm working on being a better friend to her."
"A friend?"
"Yes."
Shylah said nothing after that. Silence filled the car for the last bit of the car trip.
Focusing on the road, Eden's eyes went to the rearview mirror. That same gray pickup truck was trailing them. The driver was good at keeping their distance, but not good enough to go unnoticed.
Throwing in a few extra turns, Eden was glad that Shylah seemed too distracted by her own thoughts to notice what he was doing.
Pulling up out front of Shylah's apartment building, he shot a quick text off to Wyatt with the truck's license plate number.
"You don't need to come up," Shylah said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
Disregarding her words, Eden stepped out of the car and circled to her side.
Shutting the door after her, he ignored her unhappy muttering that threatened some type of bodily harm against him.
Forcing down a smile, Eden walked beside Shylah as they entered her apartment building. It was an old building, and Eden hated how easy it would be for the wrong person to get in.
Once Shylah had the door unlocked, Eden stepped in first, listening for any breathing or movement. When the only sound came from him or Shylah, he moved to the side, letting Shylah enter.
"Well, sure, come right in, Eden." Shylah huffed.
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Shylah," Eden murmured, followed closely behind.
"Because you're such an expert on me these days."
"I'm not, but I wish I was."
Walking over to the table, Shylah dropped her bag before turning back and facing him.
"Eden, what's going on with us? I can't figure out where your head's at or what we're doing."
Shylah's voice was tired. Weary. Jesus, he was tired too.
Moving across the room, Eden stood in front of her. "I still feel this draw to you, Shylah."
"But you don't love me?"
The question took Eden by surprise. He didn't know how not to love the woman standing in front of him. What he felt for her bordered on obsession.
Moving his hand to cup her face, Eden searched her eyes for answers. "Where have you been, Shylah?"
There was a moment of pain mixed with uncertainty on her face before Shylah shuttered her emotions. "You didn't answer my question, Eden."
"You didn't answer mine, Shy." Hand still on her cheek, he moved it lower to caress the skin on her neck.
"I just . . . I just want us to get back to where we were."
There was nothing in this world that Eden wanted more than that. He wished that were possible every damn day. "We might never get back to where we were, Shylah."
Leaning down, Eden placed a kiss on her cheek before moving to the door.
"Lock it after me," he ordered, not turning around again before pulling the door shut.
He'd seen the glimmer of tears in her eyes and couldn't stomach witnessing that sadness on her face again.
8
Shylah glanced up from her menu to see Trent frowning down at his.
So far, he had been twenty minutes late picking her up, taken her to what appeared to be a pretentious Italian restaurant, and had failed to ask her a single question about herself.
Shylah understood that this wasn't a date, but it was also a far cry from a fun night out with a friend.
Stop being a grump, Shylah scolded herself.
She had to shake herself out of the funk she was in. It was nice that he'd asked her to spend time with him, particularly seeing as she was new in town and didn't have anyone else.
If he hadn't, she would likely be knee-deep in a bowl of chocolate malted milk balls and halfway through The Notebook feeling sorry for herself.
Putting down her menu, Shylah looked at up at Trent.
"I think I'll try the mushroom risotto," Shylah said in an over cheery tone. "What are you thinking?"
Scrunching his nose, Trent kept his gaze on the menu. "Mushroom risotto? I'm not sure if you've tried it before, but it has a very strong aroma."
Aroma? If he meant that you could smell the mushrooms in the mushroom risotto then, yes, Shylah was aware.
When his eyes eventually lifted to meet hers, Shylah simply nodded.
Slight annoyance tinged his features before he turned back to his menu.
Did he expect her to change what she was ordering?
As the waitress came over, Shylah ordered her risotto, ignoring Trent's eyes boring into her.
"I'll have the sirloin, medium rare, wit
h the red wine jus."
Of course, you will, Shylah thought, only just stopping the eye roll.
As the waitress walked away with their menus, Shylah lifted the glass of wine to her lips. Studying him from over the rim, she had to admit he wasn't all bad.
The dirty blond hair in a neat cut and bright blue eyes gave him a nice guy appearance. Boyfriend material.
He wasn't what anyone would describe as a muscular man, but he wasn't scrawny either. Most girls would probably fall all over themselves trying to get a date with the small-town doctor.
What was her problem then?
Who was she kidding, Shylah knew exactly what her problem was.
We might never get back to where we were, Shylah.
Well, screw him. She'd saved his life, and he couldn't even put a lick of effort into their relationship.
"Shylah?"
Realizing Trent had asked her something that she'd completely missed, Shylah scrambled to catch up.
"I'm sorry, Trent, what were you saying?"
Who was the rude one now?
A flash of irritation showed on his face before he quickly masked it.
"I was asking how long you dated Eden for?"
He was asking about Eden? That wasn't even something she discussed with friends. Not that she had any at this present moment in time.
"Um, not that long. Maybe a few months."
Trent's brows shot up. "Really? It got intense in that room. I assumed you two had been together long term."
It didn't feel long enough to Shylah.
A tinge of sadness hit her. She'd assumed they would be long term. Forever.
"No. Eden and I dated a couple of months, and we haven't seen each other in over a year."
"You still have feelings for him, don't you?" Thrown by the direction the conversation had taken, Shylah wasn't sure how to respond to such an intimate question. "I want to be friends, remember, Shylah? I can tell you need to talk about it. You can say whatever you want to me."
Well, that was kind of sweet. Also, kind of creepy considering she barely knew the guy.
"That's nice of you to say, Trent, but I'm okay. What Eden and I had is in the past. I might have wanted to pick it up again, but I don't think that's what he wants. We'll just see what happens, I guess."
Grateful when the waitress returned with their food, Shylah gave her a smile as she popped the plates in front of them.
Gaze drifting behind the lady, someone at the bar caught her attention.
Almost spilling her wine, she did a double take when she caught Eden's gray eyes watching her intensely.
What the heck? How did he even know she was here?
Taking a gulp of her wine to calm her nerves, Shylah tried to send him daggers with her eyes.
She would kill him. How dare he tell her he doesn't want her then follow her to a restaurant?
"Um, is everything okay with your meal, ma'am?"
Startled by the waitress's voice, Shylah turned back to her, trying for a smile.
"Oh, sorry, yes, it looks and smells fantastic."
The waitress gave Shylah an awkward smile before walking away. Giving Eden one more hard look, she turned her attention back to Trent.
His frown told Shylah he wasn't convinced either. "Are you sure everything's okay? You don't look happy."
Well, a stalker in the form of six-and-a-half feet of muscle would do that to you.
Forcing a smile, Shylah lifted her fork. "Sorry, everything's fine. It was lovely of you to organize tonight."
Looking pleased for the first time in a while, Trent smiled before turning his attention to his meal. "Great. I've been here a couple of times, and the food's always been fantastic."
Placing a spoonful of risotto in her mouth, she barely tasted it. Thoughts of Eden clouded her senses.
At the feel of a warm hand on her knee, Shylah almost jumped out of her skin. Her knee banged the bottom of the table so hard she knew she'd have a bruise.
Eyes darting across to Trent, she only just restrained herself from whacking his hand off her.
"I'm really glad you said yes," Trent murmured, looking way too personal.
Trying not to choke on the food still in her mouth, she forced herself to swallow. "I, um, need to go to the bathroom."
Ignoring the annoyed look on his face, Shylah stood, glad when his hand fell from her leg.
As she passed the coat check, a hand latched on to Shylah's arm and pulled her inside. The door shut while a big body pressed her back into the wall.
"Eden?" The room was small and full of coats. Even in the dimly lit space, there was no way she wouldn't know that it was Eden's body pressed against hers. Heat bounced off him. "What are you doing here? Are you following me?"
Eden's hand trailed from her arm down to her hip, while his other curved around her waist.
"Maybe I'm protecting you. I thought that's what we do." His fingers stroked from her hip down her thigh, leaving a trail of goosebumps. "What are you doing here with the doctor, Shy?"
"That's none of your business, Eden," Shylah scolded, her voice much less assertive than she'd intended.
Moving his hand to her inner thigh, he continued the slow strokes. "That's where you're wrong. You are my business, and I don't like his hands on you."
Lowering his head, Eden's breath was fiery on her neck. Pulling her closer, he forced her thighs to widen around his hips.
"Too bad." Her voice was too quiet and weak for her words to have any desired effect.
Raising his hand slightly, Eden's fingers started stroking the place between her thighs over the top of her underwear.
Sucking in air, tension built inside her, and a throbbing began in her core.
Shylah knew she should send Eden away. But the words never came.
"We may not be together, Shy, but make no mistake, you're mine, and I don't want others touching you." His fingers moved to the edge of her underwear, slid inside to her clit, and he restarted the stroking.
Gasping, Shylah latched onto Eden's shoulder. Afraid her legs wouldn't hold her. Mouth still above her neck, his lips lowered to touch her skin, slowly sucking, only taking breaks to speak. "Do you understand?"
Did she understand what? That she was his? She understood that long before he started this torture.
"Shylah, do you understand?" His strokes became firmer, faster. Shylah's breaths became shorter.
"Yes." The single word was wrenched from her chest as the pressure in her core built.
"Good."
His lips once again latched onto her neck, and the tortuous stroking continued. Shylah felt herself reaching a breaking point.
Pushing her chest against his, her sensitive nipples rubbed against his shirt while she simultaneously pushed her hips into his hand.
"Eden . . ." Any other words she'd intended were caught in her throat as Eden's mouth slammed onto her lips.
At her gasp, Eden's tongue immediately entered her mouth. The kiss claimed Shylah. His finger again firmed on her clit. His circular motions harder. Faster.
Not able to stop herself if she wanted to, Shylah exploded into a million pieces, her cry muffled by Eden's lips.
Coming down from the high, her limbs were weak. If he hadn't been holding her, Shylah would be a puddle on the ground.
Soaking in his strength, she anchored herself to him until she was steady enough to stand on her own. She pushed against his chest to give herself some space, Eden moved but didn't take his eyes from her.
Doing a quick body scan to ensure her clothes were all in place, she took a breath before glancing back up at Eden.
His eyes were intense. Watching her and her reaction.
Confusion swirled through Shylah's head. What the hell was going on between them? One minute they were friends. The next, he was pulling her into a coat closet and giving her a mind-blowing orgasm.
"I need to go."
"He doesn't touch you, and he doesn't go into your apartment."
It wasn't a question but a statement.
"If we're not together, Eden, you can't tell me what to do."
A slow smirk curved his lips, only infuriating Shylah further. "If he touches you again, I will throw you over my shoulder and walk all the way home like that. Got it?"
Anger boiled inside her. "You wouldn't."
Shrugging, Eden lounged back, appearing like he didn't have a care in the world. "Call my bluff."
Wishing she were brave enough to do exactly that, Shylah crossed her arms but stayed silent. She knew that Eden would do what he said.
"Your mood swings are giving me whiplash, Eden."
"I'll be watching."
Without another word, Eden left Shylah in the cramped space on her own.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Shylah then moved out of the room, relieved that no one seemed to notice her none too subtle exit from the coat closet.
Quickly using the bathroom, she checked herself in the mirror before leaving. Her cheeks were red, and her eyes too bright.
Knowing there wasn't much she could do about it, Shylah returned to the table.
The annoyance was clear to see on Trent's face.
"I was about to send out a search party." His tone was clipped. Shylah noticed his meal was almost finished, and hers most likely cold.
Yep, she was definitely the worst date around.
The guilt ate at Shylah. "I'm so sorry, Trent." Placing her napkin on her lap, Shylah planned to eat fast so she could get home as quickly as possible. "There was a long line in the bathroom and only one stall."
Always a terrible liar, this time was no exception. Disbelief was written all over Trent's face.
To his credit, he didn't call her on it. He was probably too busy regretting his decision to ask her out.
The rest of the meal passed with awkward small talk. Shylah asked questions and received curt responses. She'd probably bruised the guy's ego.
Once they ate their meals, Trent drove her the short distance back to her place in silence.
"Thanks for tonight, Trent," Shylah remarked when they were almost at her place. "It was nice to get out. I don't know many people in Marble Falls yet."
Pulling into the lot in front of the building, Trent shrugged. "It was a nice night."
Eden: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 2) Page 6