Page 18 of Chaplain

The words send an unexpected swell of warmth through me. I clear my throat. "So I, uh, brought you some things earlier. Before we got...distracted."

Eden perks up. "Oh, right! Let me take a look." She hops off the couch gloriously nude. I enjoy the view as she walks away, hips swaying.

I hear the crinkle of a bag as I pull my jeans back on. Eden returns, clutching a few pieces of tech, eyes alight.

"These are awesome. I can't believe you saved them from Ronnie's destruction." She turns a motherboard over, examining it closely.

I come up behind her, sliding my hands around her bare waist. Looking at her now, face pink, hair wild, glowing with passion in her element - she's never been more beautiful.

Eden leans back into me with a happy hum. "Thank you for bringing these over. Although I must admit, they were far from the highlight of your visit."

She tilts her head up, her mouth finding the sensitive spot behind my ear that makes me groan. I tighten my grip on her hips.

"Keep that up, and I'll have to thank you properly all over again," I rasp into her hair.

Eden laughs, and the sound lights me up from the inside. I want to spend every day making her laugh like that, I realize. The thought should terrify me, but instead it just feels right.

After another heated kiss, Eden pulls back and asks, "You hungry? We could scrounge up some lunch."

My stomach rumbles in response, and she laughs. "I'll take that as a yes."

We head to the small kitchen. I lean against the counter as Eden pokes through the cabinets and fridge. "Let's see, we've got some eggs and cheese...oh, and Gabe's protein powder, he'salways trying to bulk up." She frowns. "Not too much else, though."

I come up behind her, hands trailing down her sides. "Tell you what, why don't you put a shirt on before you distract me again. I'll whip us up something."

Eden smiles and presses a quick kiss to my lips before sauntering off. I find some tortillas and salsa to add to the eggs.

I've got two plates of cheesy eggs ranchero ready by the time Eden returns. She inhales appreciatively as we sit at the small kitchen table.

"This looks amazing! Who knew you were such a cook?" She bumps my boot playfully with her bare foot under the table.

I grin and shrug. "Gotta be decent in the kitchen when you live with a bunch of guys. I can't rely on takeout and club burgers all the time."

We chat comfortably as we eat, knees pressed together under the small table. It feels strangely normal, making lunch for a beautiful girl in her apartment. It's not a scenario I ever pictured for myself, but with Eden, it feels right.

As I clean off my plate and drop it in the sink, already dreading leaving her alone again. As if reading my mind, Eden hops up on the counter, crossing her legs.

"Come here," she says, crooking a finger at me. Unable to resist, I step between her knees, hands coming to rest on her bare thighs. Eden loops her arms around my neck casually.

This is dangerous. This is where a guy like me gets comfortable. And comfort never lasts.

"If you're going to cook for me," she starts, taking my mind off the negative thought. "I feel like I should know more about you." She scoops up the last of her eggs on her fork before I talk the empty plate and add it to mine.

I nod and smile at the way her mouth closes over her fork, and her eyes slowly close with the anticipation of her next bite. "Fair enough. What do you want to know?"

She finishes chewing and leans in so close her lips are millimeters from brushing mine. "What made you join the MC?"

I lean back. It's not a hard question to answer. I've done it a million times during open sessions. But this is different. Tearing away at my armor to reveal who I am underneath the identity I carry to someone who has this much power over me feels…

Eden stops chewing. Her eyes widen as she searches mine. "That was too much, too fast. I should have started with something easier, like what's your favorite color."

Her attempt to disarm me works. I laugh and reach for the stray hairs that have dropped over her concerned eyes. "No." I shake my head as I move the soft stands to behind one perfectly blushed ear. "It's blue if you're really asking, and it wasn't too much. Just not expected.

Eden's entire face turns the same pinkish red at her ears and the eggs in my stomach turn to stone. "Eden, baby. You can ask me anything you want."

Her expression softens. "I want to know anything you're willing to share."

The way she's looking at me with those sympathetic yet admiring eyes and that soft body that is pressing harder into my knee as she shifts closer, I'd take her to the deepest part of myself and reveal every dark, twisted detail of my life before the club. I almost do when she runs her gentle finger down the line of my stubbed jaw.

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