Page 93 of Eden's Joker

She’s lying in bed, leafing through a book, the candlelight coloring her skin golden and making it glow.

“Finally,” she says as she sees me standing there. “What took you so long?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” I say. “I wanted to be here hours ago.”

She slides off the bed and walks to me, takes both my hands in hers and gives me one of those sweet kisses only she knows how to give.

“I wanted you here hours ago too,” she says. “Now let's take a bath.”

“Whatever you want,” I say.

She smirks at that then leads me to the bathroom where yet more candles are glowing. The clawfoot bath in the center of the room is already half full of water. She opens the hot water to fill it up all the way then turns to me.

“Good thing I had the plumbing taken care of in this house, huh?” I say as I watch her do it.

“Yes, you do plan for everything, don’t you?” she says. “Where does the water come from, anyway? This being the desert and all.”

I shrug. “An underground reservoir that has to be refilled all the time. It’s not ideal. But let’s not talk about the utilities.”

She smiles and walks over to me, slides off my cut and pulls my shirt over my head. My boots and jeans are next, followed by my boxers. There’s something so sublimely good about having the woman you love take care of you. And now it’s my turn.

I take my time undoing the buttons of her dress,which she must’ve mended at some point while she’s been here, because I distinctly remember tearing this dress off her once upon a time. Back when I still tried to convince myself I could hurt her. Back when I thought she’d be a vehicle to my peace in a whole different way than it turned out she was. I like this way better.

Her skin is like brushed gold, shadows playing across her belly and perfect breasts. Her beauty is mesmerizing and for a few seconds it’s all I can think about.

Until she turns off the water and leads me into the water. Then the softness of her skin and the perfect weight of her body as she nestles into me in the tub is all I can think about.

In a minute, I’ll have to know how good she’d feel with my cock inside her. But right now, I’m happy just holding her as we float in the water, her hair tickling my chest, her hands holding my arms over her belly, stars twinkling in the dark indigo sky outside the open window.

“This has gotta be heaven,” I hear myself say. And I’m not for dumb romantic nonsense. But with her, it just comes out and feels natural.

She turns her head up and looks at me.

“Nope, not heaven, just Eden,” she says and grins. “And this is right here on earth because you made the right choice today.”

I grin at her too. “Good thing I did too. Because I’dnever make it into heaven after I died and that’s where you’d be.”

She squeezes my arms. “Let’s not talk about dying, especially since it almost happened today.”

“You’re right,” I say and hug her tighter. “I don’t ever want to lose you.”

“Ditto,” she says.

“I mean it, Eden,” I say. “I never knew what I wanted until I met you. You’ve given me everything I never knew I needed. But I did. You’re the daughter of my worst enemy, but exactly the piece that’s been missing from my life. I still can’t wrap my mind around that.”

She tenses in my arms and looks at me like maybe I said the wrong thing. The peaceful forest in her eyes seems to be caught in a great big storm right now. That’s not what I wanted at all. I wanted to tell her something else.

“I love you, Eden, with everything I have,” I say, happy to see sunshine in her eyes again. “You helped me find my soul again after I thought I didn’t have it anymore. I know we started this on a lie, but loving you is the only truth I truly know.”

“We have come a long way, haven’t we?” she says dreamily.

I nod, mesmerized by the movement of her lips as she speaks.

“I love you too, with all my heart. With everythingI am. And I wouldn’t have our story play out in any other way,” she says.

I cock an eyebrow at her, questioning this statement.

“I mean it,” she says. “You had demons chasing you and I’m glad I helped you deal with them.”

---