Page 130 of Chemistry: The Chemist

My father had managed to elude them for weeks now, answering their calls but making sure he wasn’t around when they visited the family’s home as of late. But, there were four birthdays, one after the other.

We didn’t have the time I thought we would to keep his condition under wraps. Everything was changing for him and fast. He’d have to face them and his reality. He wouldn’t be with us much longer.

“FUCK!”

I climbed out of the water and grabbed a towel from the warmer. It didn’t matter how much I tried over the last forty-eight hours, I couldn’t find peace. Not even thoughts of Eden soothed the aches my father’s sickness caused.

“Fuck!” A bit more defeated, a bit more defenseless, I whispered into the towel I used to pat my face.

Under the steady flow of warm water, I shed the emotions that weakened me and broadcasted my vulnerability. There were seven girls I’d need to remain level-headed for. When they crumbled, falling alongside them wasn’t an option for me. My time to lead the family had come.

No sympathy for a soldier.

I ended the shower and ambled out of the pool quarter without a single thread clinging to my skin. I’d given my housekeeper the week off because I was in no mood for human interaction, not unless their name began with an E and ended with an N.

There was a pang in my chest at the thought of her. Though I hadn’t found peace in the last forty-eight hours, she was the closest thing to it. That’s why I kept her near. Her presence just made sense in my world.

Up the stairs and in the master suite is where I found her. Sprawled across the bed I’d taken from her place, she slept without a care in the world. The ease I promised her had Eden living softly. Gently. Carefree. Just the way women were created to live.

I slid into a pair of briefs, hating the idea of waking her but I knew we’d be late if I didn’t. I wouldn’t hear the end of it from my father and I wouldn’t stop chastising myself, either. Even being on time in our family home was considered late.

In a fresh pair of briefs, I sat next to Eden on the bed. Her skin was glowing. She took her precious time oiling her body from head to toe every day. It was one of those things I could sit and watch her carry on with forever. It was slow, careful, and deliberate. Every movement. Every detail.

I pushed her hair out of her face. She’d spent the night with me and hadn’t gotten out of bed to do anything but bathe, eat, and use the toilet. I depleted her of her energy every chance I got, trying to relieve the stress that was riding on me. Between her pussy and the pool, which didn’t feel very different, I thought I’d feel better now. But, I was wrong. Nothing could soothe the pain of losing a parent. In my case, your only biological parent.

“Baby,” I whispered.

She didn’t budge, but I was certain she’d heard me.

“We have to get dressed and out of the house by five.”

“Hm?”

She maneuvered in bed, ruffling the sheets. Against her dark skin, the contrast to the white sheets was remarkable. We’d make beautiful children.

“Wake up, Choc.”

She reached over and pulled me into bed with her. I didn’t resist, because the urge was already present. I was struggling to keep my composure, but it was hardly useless. Eden would always win.

Whatever she wants. Whatever she needs.

“Just lay with me. Please. For ten minutes,” she groaned, making my heart skip a beat.

“Five.”

I wrapped her in my arms, allowing her to get five more minutes of rest. She deserved it. She’d been working me over, extracting nut from my sack for over twenty-four hours. I knew she’d need more time to recover. Time wasn’t on our side, though. We had a dinner to attend.

“Fine.” She yawned. “Seven.”

I compromised, setting the timer on my phone for seven minutes. Because I knew I wouldn’t sleep through it, I closed my eyes for a few minutes as well. As Eden’s breathing changed, mine did as well. Together, we snoozed, wrapped in each other’s warmth.

“Baby.” Choc’s voice stirred me awake.

“I’m up.”

“You’re literally asleep.” She chuckled, sleep still evident in her voice.

For the first time in days, I found a bit of peace and it was stolen minutes later by an annoying alarm and the woman who visited my dreams more often than not.

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