Page 67 of The Rebel (Looking to Score 1)
“I’ll eat anything you make for me,” I say, pressing a kiss to her temple.
Eden smiles and gets to work, preheating the oven and instructing me on how to crumble the goat cheese while she works on the tomato sauce. She tells me about the origin of the dish as we cook. It’s North African, contains poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce, and can be eaten for brunch or dinner.
By the time she slides the cast iron skillet into the hot oven, I’m no longer skeptical. It’s starting to smell damn good in here.
While we were cooking, her phone rang a few times, but she ignored it, seeming annoyed. But when it vibrates against the counter again, I can’t help but be curious. I don’t want to be insecure, just want to be sure she’s okay.
“Any particular reason you’re ignoring your calls today?” I glance over at her.
She takes a deep breath. “It’s Alex. And I have nothing to say to him.”
I can’t help but wonder if he calls her often. Maybe they’re still in touch. Hell, maybe they’re well on their way to becoming best friends again, but I know I can trust Eden, so I do, putting it out of my mind.
When the food is ready, it looks amazing, bubbling sauce with soft-cooked eggs that we eat with generous hunks of crusty bread.
I’m no longer thinking about her ex at all when we settle onto the couch together after our brunch. I pull Eden close, and she lets out a soft sigh.
“What should we do today?” she asks.
“I have an idea . . .” I press a kiss to the side of her neck, and she chuckles at my lame seduction attempt.
“Oh, do you now?”
“Yes.”
I lift Eden from her spot beside me and settle her onto my lap. Her knees are on either side of my hips, causing her warm center to rest right over my quickly hardening manhood.
Her eyes sink closed and she kisses me slowly, as if she wants to savor this moment between us. I’m on the exact same page. I love being here with her like this, where we don’t have to hide away or pretend we’re not involved.
Eden shifts her hips, eliciting a harsh pant from my lips. I work my hands under her shirt and lift it over her head. I’ve just filled my hands with the soft weight of her breasts when there’s a brief knock at the front door.
Her worried gaze snaps to mine. I’m about to ask her if she’s expecting someone when the door suddenly opens.
“Eden? You home?” Alex’s voice cuts through the pounding sound of my heart.
Eden tumbles from my lap, clutching her shirt to her chest as Alex rounds the corner and comes into view. He stops suddenly, pausing in the entryway as he takes us in—both of us flushed and standing beside the couch, Eden in her bra and frantically trying to cover herself.
“Alex?” She almost shouts the word. “What are you doing here?”
He raises both hands, then his eyebrows jump in surprise. “Holt?”
“You’d better start talking, Braun.” Frustration laces my voice, and I take a couple of steps closer to him.
“Security buzzed me in. Maybe they thought Eden and I still . . .”
His words bounce around in my head. It doesn’t explain why he’s here, but imagining a scenario in which the building security thought Alex was still on the list of people Eden would invite into her condo isn’t something I want to think about too hard. I’ll have that problem corrected as soon as possible, and see to it that the person responsible is terminated for negligence.
Eden ducks behind me and quickly slips on her shirt, then faces Alex. “What are you doing here?”
Alex doesn’t answer. His features twist into a scowl, and his hands tighten into fists at his sides. “So, you two are hooking up now?”
His voice is rough, as though he’s swallowed glass. Or maybe it’s just the realization that Eden and I are an item that’s a bitter pill to swallow.
“That’s none of your concern,” Eden says, straightening her posture, and I place one hand on her shoulder.
Alex scoffs. “This guy? Really, Eden?”
“Be careful, Braun,” I warn.
Something about the way Alex is looking at her sets my skin on fire. His eyes are filled with pain and regret, and something else I can’t quite put my finger on.
He shakes his head, looking down for a moment. “I always thought there was something between you two, convinced myself I was imagining it. Because, hello, Eden Wynn and Holt Rossi? Nowhere on planet Earth does that make sense. But fuck, what do I know?”
His words sting like only the truth can.
“Leave, Alex,” Eden says, her voice shaky.
I take another step closer. “Braun, I’m warning you. Listen to her or you’re going to regret this.”
