Page 40 of Love Without Control

“No, no, and no,” I snapped.

“Oooh, maybe something more subtle like Draco. I think you’d definitely be in Slytherin.”

“She’s got a point,” Robert said, sounding more amused than he had a right to be. “You’re definitely a Slytherin kind of guy.” Then he winked at Eden, a conspiratorial little gesture.

“Negative on Draco,” I said, gritting my teeth, but it was mostly to keep myself from smiling.

“If you don’t want to go with one of my D names, I have some great ones that start with F. Like Fu—”

“What about Dane?” Jamie suggested, apparently the only helpful one at this fucking table.

“Dane… Dane…” I rolled the name from my mouth a few times. “That’s cool, Jamie. I like it.”

Eden made a tsking sound and shook her head, like I was missing some grand opportunity to be called Dracula.

Later, when it was time for bed, I knocked on the bathroom door that led to her room. I could practically hear her eyes rolling through the white wood. “What?”

“Can I come in?”

“If you must,” she sighed.

Sliding the door to the side, I entered to find her dressed in silky sleep shorts with a matching top in a yellow the color of butter. Tiny white flowers dotted the shiny material, and Eden suddenly looked very young.

“I’m sorry I said you looked fine earlier. You look much better than fine.”

She scoffed and turned her back to me, exposing the bare nape of her neck. I was dying to sink my teeth into the flesh there.Nope. Too young for you, remember? Not even nineteen. Does that ring a bell?

“I wasn’t fishing for compliments, Dami—Dane,” she sniffed, busying her hands by folding clothes and placing them into the top drawer. “It was a lot of change for me, and I guess I was… apprehensive.”

“You needed my approval, and I flubbed it.”

Eden whirled around, eyes narrow. “I don’t need your approval.”

With my hands in my pockets, I covered the space between us in a few slow strides, my attention never wavering from her. “Well, you have it anyway.”

She dropped her attention to the piece of clothing in her hands, folding and refolding it. “Since you’re the one that’s going to have to look at me every day for the foreseeable future, I guess that’s good.”

“Eden.” When she didn’t look up, I took the garment from her to stop her fidgeting and placed two fingers beneath her chin, lifting until our eyes locked. I willed my mouth to do what the fuck it was supposed to this time.

“The reason I fumbled around with my words earlier was because you stole my breath. I feel like the luckiest man in the world to call you my wife, Eden. You are beautiful.”

The most mesmerizing shade of pink colored her cheeks, and I could tell she was fighting a smile. “Fakewife.”

We’ll just see about that.

I took in every inch of her face, taking my sweet time as I memorized her. “You got your nose pierced,” I commented, noticing the tiny purple rhinestone nestled in the curve of her right nostril.

“Yes,” she said, lightly touching it with the pad of one finger. “I’ve always wanted one, but my mother would never let me.”

“Seriously, you look like a damn rock star.”

Eden looked up at me from beneath her dark lashes, a hint of a smile teasing her lips. “Thanks, Dillweed.”

“Christ, I think I prefer Dracula,” I muttered before pivoting to hide my amusement and walking back toward the bathroom. “See you tomorrow, Eden.”

“I could get you a cape if you want to be Dracula,” I heard her say from behind me. “Then you could swoop around the house like the Prince of Darkness.”

“Ozzy Osbourne is the Prince of Darkness, not Dracula.” The sound of her laughter followed my retort.

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