Page 48 of The Hero Within
He'd read the letters she'd written to her brother dozens of times, when he was alone on the Rim riding a job. They called to him, luring him into a world of warmth and family and belonging he hadn't felt since he was fourteen and Cane destroyed his family. They whispered to his dreams at night, tempting him with visions of her. He'd created an image in his mind, an idol of Eden McClain that was sweet and loving, and everything a secret part of him longed for.
The reality had smashed that image to pieces.
Edenwassweet. She was loving. Just not for him. No, for him she was stubborn, infuriating, hardheaded, frustrating, and brave, running headlong into danger regardless of the risk to herself. She drove him fucking crazy. She constantly argued with him. She kneweverything, even when she was wrong.
And he wanted her.
Nemesis or not. Wary ally or not.
Wanted her beneath him, wantedinsideof her.... His cock roused at the thought and Johnny swore under his breath. He couldn't get those breasts out of his mind. He could picture his hands on them, his mouth. He wanted to fuck his way into her in a way he'd never felt before.
This wassupposedto be about repaying a debt.
And right on cue, Eden called out, "Iwilleat all your bacon if you don't come up here and get it pretty damned soon. The only thing that's stopping me is the thought you're an invalid, and as a doctor I should be getting some decent food into you."
Sweet Eden McClain, my ass. Johnny growled, but he instantly felt better. He could trustthisversion of her. He could banter with her all day, as long as shit didn't get personal. "I'm not a goddamned invalid. And if you eat my breakfast, you're going to be doing all the dishes for the next few days."
"How are you going to make me?" She was transferring food to his plate, her back to him as he strode back to camp. All that hair was tangled down her back as if she'd run her hands through it. Seeing it out was rare enough he actually stopped in his tracks and blinked.
"I'm bigger than you," he pointed out, though he still felt like she'd kicked him in the gut.
The sun picked out golden strands in her honey-brown hair. He had this sudden, impulsive desire to runhishands through it.
Fuck.
"I fight dirty," she shot back, casting him a glance over her shoulder, dark lashes half obscuring those almond-shaped eyes. "Just to warn you."
You sure do."I remember."
He grabbed the plate she'd made him, glaring back at her as he shoved a mouthful of the hash she'd cooked into his mouth.
The taste of it exploded there like a punch. Johnny stiffened, chewing slowly.Jesus. He eyed the plate more carefully. Had it all been a carefully concocted lie? The truce. The joking about poisoning him....
"What's wrong?" Eden bristled, setting her hands on her hips, and he realized she hadn't deliberately burned breakfast. Not with that look on her face, like she almost dared him to say something about it....
"Nothing."You're a terrible cook. He ruthlessly shoved another mouthful of food in, forcing himself to chew. He needed the calories. And he was a Wastelander, born and bred. You didn't waste good food in the Wastelands.
Though the term "good food" might be somewhat of a misnomer. What had she done to it? There'd been salted bacon in his pack that had cost him a small fortune, though the end result was what one could term charred. Johnny swallowed. Maybe he should have told her to eat it, and taken his chances on an empty stomach.
Eden's eyes gave new meaning to the word "dangerous."
Maybe not. "We're running behind your schedule." He cast a swift glance at the sun as he ruthlessly shoveled the rest of breakfast into his mouth, chewing mechanically. "It's nearly seven."
"You needed to sleep," Eden said, though a flash of frustration crossed her brow. "So does CJ. He's starting to look a bit worn around the edges."
"And we've slept." He scraped the plate, crossing to where the boy curled up in the nest of blankets. "Time to get moving again."
Tomorrow he wouldn't be sleeping in.
No.Hewas making breakfast.
"Where'd you learn to cook?"Eden murmured, resting her head on her hand as she watched Colton stir the cornmeal for cornbread that night. Out in the dusk, birds chittered as they fluttered about in curiosity. It was early to set up camp, but Colton had taken one look at this spot and pronounced it defensible.
He wasn't budging, no matter how much she wanted to get another hour or two behind them. And CJ had backed him, collapsing with a groan on the ground, and a plea for mercy. Today had been a hard, merciless push.
Tomorrow they'd be climbing the escarpment, and end up in Confederacy territory. Butterflies whirled in her stomach at the thought. She could give CJ and Colton an earlier night.
"My mother taught me," he muttered, almost too quiet to hear. There was calmness about him in this moment, as though the action was almost meditative. Colton grabbed the fry pan and gave it a swirl, sending chopped bacon and onion sizzling around the pan. As he set the pan back on the rack, he glanced her way. "Where'd you learn to cook?"
