Page 66 of Love Without Control

Mind made up, I smiled to myself, opened the door, and walked inside.

Chapter 21

“What’sthemostromanticthing Dane has ever done for you?” Charlisse asked, resting her chin in her hand and staring at me with stars in her eyes.

“Oh. Um. Wow, I’m not sure,” I hedged.

She gave me puppy dog eyes. “Pleeeease, Eden. I need to live vicariously through you. God knows I haven’t seen any amorous action since before Cooper was born.” Her eyebrows bobbed up and down. “I bet Dane is super romantic. I can tell by the way he looks at you.”

The way he what?Sure, he’s affectionate in front of other people, but that’s just for show, right?Then something popped into my head, and I bit my bottom lip as my thumb toyed with my wedding ring. I wasn’t able to explain why, but I’d stopped taking it off at night.

“He knows I like lilacs, so when he bakes every week, he makes me a special cupcake, or whatever dessert he’s making, with a frosting lilac on top.”

Charlisse swooned back against her chair and dramatically covered her forehead with her wrist. “Gawd, that’s so flipping sweet! Seriously, the little things are what matter most, not the big, grand gestures. It shows that his love for you is ongoing.”

I tried my best not to react with a startled look at the L-word. Pushing the corners of my mouth upward, I attempted to look like a lovestruck fool. After all, Dane and I were newlyweds. Well,pretendnewlyweds.

She got up and refilled our tea. “And I think he’ll be a great dad. He was so patient with Cooper that night the baby turtles hatched.”

A few weeks ago, Dane and I had been walking on the beach when we saw movement in one of the nests we’d previously marked. I’d immediately called Charlisse, and she’d gotten her son out of bed and brought him to the beach in his Hulk pajamas. Dane had held the boy’s hand and explained how the babies were making their way to the water to find their mom.

“He is a good guy,” I said as images of last night in the shower flitted through my brain like a slideshow.

The way his fingers cleaned my face so softly. The way his hands took their time washing and rinsing my hair. The way he didn’t look down even once.

Why the hell hadn’t I felt intimidated by that big man towering over me in the confines of the shower? Why had I, instead, felt a wave of comfort and contentment wash over me as soon as he stepped into the space, as warm as the water coursing down my back? The answer was immediate.Because he took care of you, Eden. Made you feel safe.

A genuine smile melted across my lips and loosened my jaw. Charlisse must have noticed because she squealed, “Oh my god, you’re thinking about sexy times, aren’t you?” Her voice lowered conspiratorially. “I bet Dane is amazing in bed. That deep voice and those bedroom eyes. Whew! You’re a lucky girl, Eden.”

He did have a very deep voice, but bedroom eyes? I pictured them in my head. Heavy lids, brown irides that seemed to darken when he touched my face…How would they look if he was on top of me?

With a giggle that I hoped didn’t sound as hysterical as it felt, I busied myself by dabbing at my lips with a paper napkin. “Girl,” I said, waving the napkin at her, “I can’t even tell you how good Dane is in bed.”

And that was the god’s honest truth because I had no idea. But now my curiosity was piqued. Dane’s flirt game was top-level. Would that translate to some dirty talk between the sheets?

My thighs clenched together, and I quickly turned the subject back around to Charlisse. “So, it’s been a while for you?”

Her nose crinkled. “Yeah, not many guys our age want to date a woman with a toddler. I’m thinking of getting myself a sugar daddy.” We both burst into laughter, and then she shook her head. “Who am I kidding? I always seem to pick guys who have no ambition outside of what new video game their mommy is going to buy for them next.”

I shrugged. “No one can change your choices except for you. Just make a conscious effort to choose differently.”

“You’re right,” she sighed, taking a sip of her iced tea. “Maybe I’ll try dating again when Coop is a little older. I’m too freaking tired now.”

Both our heads swiveled toward the front of her house when we heard a knock at the door. “That’s probably Dane,” I said, standing and placing my cup and our plates in the dishwasher. “Thanks for letting me hang with you while he was running his errands.”Which he was rather vague about.

“Hey, I’m happy to have an adult to converse with about something other thanfootbawwwl,” she said with a laugh as we headed to the front door.

Dane was indeed on the other side, and his concerned eyes met mine as I stood just behind Charlisse. “Hey, babe. How are you feeling?”

My friend’s head swiveled in my direction. “Are you sick?”

“No,” I laughed. “I promise I wouldn’t come over if I were. I just… didn’t sleep well last night. That’s all.” Looking back at my fake husband, I gave him a small smile. “I’m feeling good.”

Because you sat with me while I slept. Because you held my hand until I woke up this morning. Because you kept the patio door open all night so I could breathe.

Dane held out a bright-yellow bag to Charlisse. “Got this for the kid. He seems to like football, and the lady at the bookstore said this was a good one.”

She pulled out a large book with cartoon football players on the cover. It was one of those pop-up books and was completely adorable.

---