We hadn’t slept much at Comic Con, either, which meant I didn’t learn until now that Eden was as much a cuddler as I was. I loved that about her, loved the way she tucked herself againstme, even in sleep. It felt like another layer of intimacy, a closeness that ran deeper than just the outrageously good sex.
But fuck, that part was otherworldly, as well.
I lost myself in thoughts of all the things I loved about Eden while Jiji continued to scold me until I’d smushed up his morning can of food on a plate. I refilled his water bowl, checked that the coffee pot was brewing, then hightailed it back to the bedroom.
Eden was exactly where I’d left her, but when I slipped under the covers, she rolled toward me. In the morning light, her hair gleamed as it had at Comic Con, a full palette of red and gold highlights against its usual darkness. I tucked a lock of it behind her ear.
“Good morning,” she said softly, a smile playing across her lips.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
The smile widened. “During the parts where I actually slept, yes. Very well, actually. Must have been all that exercise. Or this mattress, which is really awesome, by the way.”
“You’re welcome to sleep over anytime,” I told her as I wrapped my arms around her body and tugged her so she was curled into my chest.
“I think I’d like that,” she murmured.
“Good. Standing invitation to enjoy my awesome mattress.” I hadn’t been inside her apartment yet, but since I had Jiji to consider, sleepovers were less complicated if Eden was willing to stay at my place.
Her nose brushed slowly back and forth along my sternum. “I don’t know if my body can handle marathon sex every night, though.”
“I’m sure we could scale things back, especially if you’re spending the night regularly. The weeks since finding you again have been like prolonged foreplay.”
“You’re quite good at foreplay,” she muttered.
I laughed, stroking my hands up and down the silky skin of her back, and she nestled closer. “No pressure, Eden, but I’m more than happy to have you here whenever you’re willing, whether it involves sex, cuddling, or just sleeping. Though preferably not on the couch.”
“Now that I’ve experienced this bed, there’s no way we’re sleeping on the couch again.”
When she tilted her head to smile up at me, I tangled my fingers in her hair and kissed her. Sleepy, soft, and pliant, she purred against my lips, and I decided I could quite happily live out the rest of my days in bed with her.
Unfortunately, we each owned a business and that made it impossible to stay in bed full time, but Eden was definitely on board with sleeping over as often as possible in the days that followed. I had to stay late for Olivia’s game night on Tuesday and Eden had Addie’s first support group on Thursday, but we managed to steal moments to ourselves even on the days she didn’t spend the night—coordinating lunch or dinner breaks, the occasional makeout session in a storage closet.
I was falling. Fast.
After a week and a half of this careful dance, Eden and I were driving to work together, joking around about the sex toy party her cousin’s friend was hosting at Garden of Delights that weekend.
“Are you going to buy anything?” I asked, glancing over to catch the flush in her cheeks.
“Is there something you’d like?”
Christ.Talk about a loaded question. I shifted in the driver’s seat, thinking I should have waited to start this conversation in a place where I could haul Eden onto my lap. She might be bold and decisive, but she was also an expert tease.
Two could play that game, if I’d been free to use my hands and mouth to coax it out of her.
“Anything you want to try out, I’m more than happy to oblige,” I told her.
“Anything at all?”
Fuck. This conversation was making it very difficult not to pull over and drag her into the back seat. “Eden, I promise you that I can work with whatever you choose.”
As we turned onto Main Street, I saw a wicked smile curve Eden’s lips, but it faded as we caught sight of road closure signs and orange traffic cones. There were at least a dozen uniformed bodies milling about, more cops than Spruce Hill’s small police department even employed.
Not a good sign.
“What the hell?” Eden muttered.
I put down my window as one of the officers I recognized walked over. “Rose, what’s going on?”
