Above the Law

Chapter Fourteen

Eden pushed her hair out of her face and looked up expectantly.

The corners of Parker's mouth lifted. She smiled sleepily back. His eyes drew down to her tiny hands in her lap as though he'd never seen hands before. And suddenly his massive, coarse hands engulfed hers, massaging her palms with intent. He stared at their hands and she watched his face, not sure why seeing him so close made her so miserable. It was a long time before either spoke, before either dared to interrupt the peaceful oblivion between them.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his fingers now trailing up the inside of her forearms.

She suppressed a shiver as his fingertips explored. "Overall? Terrible."

"That's usually how some one feels after being straggled and stabbed."

She let out a dry laugh.

"And I kind of hit your head on the door frame while bringing you in," he said apologetically.

She laughed again.

His fingers ran back down to her palms. "I made breakfast. Or I attempted to, my mom taught me."

"Coffee?"

"Yes, there is coffee."

"And Bear? Where's Bear?"

Parker smiled. "Outside. Would you like me to bring him in?"

She nodded and pulled off the covers herself.

Parker untangled her feet from the sheets. "Take it easy today, alright? I stitched you up but I'm not very good at it. If they rip I'll have to do it again and I don't think you'll like that."

Parker and Eden stood at same moment, their chests inches from one another's; her breathe caught in her dry throat. She couldn't deny the fact that she was still attracted to him; her body responded to him unconsciously, but that didn't change the fact that she now bore an oddly shaped brand at the top of her spine or multiple scars. Eden ducked her head and took a small step back.

"Eden—" He closed his mouth abruptly, not sure what to say to reassure himself that the distance she put between them was unintentional. "The bathroom's right through that door. If you're not comfortable with what you're wearing you can find something else in my dresser."

"Thank you," she said sheepishly as she retreated to the bathroom.

Eden stayed in his sweatshirt, it was warm and large and as close as she'd get to having his arms around her. She was glad to find he hadn't seen her completely naked last night, even if her underwear was skimpy and practically non-existent. And seeing her dress balled in the trash, covered in blood, was also a relief; she hadn't liked the way men looked at her in it.

She made her way back into the bedroom and to his dresser. She pulled a pair of his fluffy socks from his drawer; a blush coated her cheeks and jealousy filled her heart as she revealed a box of condoms. She really didn't want to think about how many women had been laying where she had been only moments ago. She didn't want to think about all the women he had pleased, or how many women he hadn't... She shook that thought away, he of all people would see to it that women weren't sex outlets, not for his own personal pleasure... right? Doubt trickled in and she moved away from the dresser.

She walked into the small kitchen, hands toying with the hoddie strings around her neck. His back was to her as he poured two cups of coffee, but somehow he'd heard her padding silently across the wooden floors. "What do you want in your coffee?"

Eden sat herself down on a barstool and watched him work. "Milk and sugar, or creamer if you have it."

He glanced over his shoulder at her, smiling. "Thought so. When we first met you took it plain."