Page 71 of Love Without Control

Not that I didn’t have daily fantasies about various parts of Eden wrapped around my cock. Her hand. Her pussy. And let’s not forget about that goddamn smart mouth. So sweet, so luscious, and as ripe as a wild cherry. I suppressed a groan as I thought about filling her mouth while I called her my wife.

Why do I like saying that so much?

Sure, at first it was because it annoyed her, and annoying Eden was one of my favorite things to do. It made her eyes sparkle with indignation and her pretty lips purse.

And now we’re back to the mouth fantasies. Super.My cock swelled, seeking some real action after experiencing nothing except my hand for six fucking months.

I’d never wanted to get married. My mother and father’s union had been arranged by their parents because they werea good match. Which was utter bullshit. My mother had been the kindest, gentlest person on the planet, and Luca was… decidedly not.

Over the years, he’d mentioned finding appropriate matches for Fiero and me, but his pushiness had ebbed a bit after the disastrous results of Amara’s marriage. Fiero would probably end up marrying some Mafia princess to satisfy the old man. As the oldest, there was more pressure on him than me. I’d planned to resist as long as possible, never having any desire whatsoever to get involved in some farce of a marriage.

Ironically, that’s exactly the situation I found myself in now. Only, thefarcewas seeming less farcical and more…realevery day.

My wife—see how pretty that sounds?—nuzzled against my back with her nose and then kissed my spine, mumbling something in her sleep. My ears perked up. Swear to god, if she said some man’s name, I’d have to rethink my wholenot going to kill people anymorepromise. I would hunt down the person behind any name she uttered while in this bed, and I would fucking end him.

Wow. Possessive much?Damn straight I was possessive when it came to Eden, which was a foreign concept for me. I was thepump and dumpkind of guy, not the jealous, covetous type.

But the woman sleeping behind me was different. Perhaps it was just protectiveness because she was vulnerable, but I was pretty sure it was more than that. I’d been attracted to her from day one. To her bravery and sass, which I witnessed long before she’d softened and opened up to me about her nightmares.

I absolutely hated when she had those dreams, when she woke up afraid and crying, but a certain part of me—the part that made me a complete prick—liked that she turned to me. That she curled onto my lap on the veranda in the dark of night and trusted me with her secrets.

Her trust swung open some previously unknown door inside me and let loose the primal urge to shield her from any harm, including the demons inside her.

Unbeknownst to Eden, I had called Dr. Lynch after their first session. The woman then proceeded to scold me until I’d assured her I wasn’t looking for any of Eden’s private information or thoughts. I only wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could on my end. Now I occasionally checked in with the psychiatrist, though there hadn’t been much to discuss recently since Eden was doing so well.

We’d had to share some specifics with the doctor so she could better understand what her patient was going through, but we’d been vague on a lot of the information. She knew Eden had been taken by human traffickers and that we were now in hiding because not everyone involved had been caught, though she had no idea of the Mafia connection or our true identities.

Behind me, Eden let out a sigh, her warm breath gusting over my spine and raising a patch of goosebumps on my skin. My cock made his needs known—the persistent bastard—and I shifted a little, releasing Eden’s hand so I could make a necessary readjustment.

I knew the instant she woke up and realized that she’d turned me into her own personal body pillow because her breathing stalled for a second before quickening. So I decided a little teasing was in order.

“I don’t remember filling out the application to be your teddy bear, but I happily accept the position,” I said without turning over.

Her giggle had a direct line to my chest, causing a rapid staccato beat to form there. “Hush, Dark Lord,” she said, swatting my shoulder before backing away from me. I missed the feel of her warm body immediately. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all up on you like that.”

I rolled over, giving her my finest smirk. “Do you hear me complaining, Wildcat?”

Her eyes drifted down my bare torso, and I subtly pulled the sheet up around my waist since things were so…activedown below this morning. I imagined they would be for however long I’d be sleeping in Eden’s bed.

She was lying on her side, one hand tucked beneath her pillow and the other toying with the round neckline of her sleep shirt. “I must have gotten chilly during the night. I won’t make a habit of it.”

“Again, were you under the impression I’d lodged a formal complaint with the HR department?”

Her eyes rolled in a circuitous route inside their sockets. “It’s too early to be dealing with your nonsense,” she snarked, though I saw the corners of her mouth twitch. She liked our banter as much as I did.

“I need to go outside and add some gas to the generator. It’s going to be hot today, so we don’t want to go without air conditioning.”

“And I need to put my contacts in. I guess I’ll have to wear them around the house while Charlisse and Cooper are here.”

I planted my elbow on the mattress and rested the side of my face in my palm. “I’m sorry about that. Hopefully the contractors can get their house done pretty quickly.” My smile turned mischievous. “I know you like to go bare when we’re alone.”

Her pretty lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. “You’re awfully cheeky this morning.”

“I live to entertain you, Mrs. Osbourne.”

She snorted. “You live to aggravate me.”

My hair, which was now about chin length, fell over one eye, and Eden lifted her hand and tucked the errant strand behind my ear. Then she scowled, as if she hadn’t meant to do that.

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