Above the Law

Chapter Eighteen

Eden followed him wordlessly up the stairs. Lily was still in school for another half hour and Eden didn't want to be home alone after whatever just happened downstairs. Parker turned the handle of her door and let himself in. She wondered briefly how he knew which door was hers, but remembered her nightly visits from the masked man.

He sat on her bed, his head in his hands.

"Leave the door open!" Chad yelled.

Eden slammed her door.

Parker's head shot up. "Is he fucking kidding me? After what we just heard?"

Eden came and stood in front of him. "What? What we just heard what?"

Parker looked at her blankly, then shook his head.

"Parker, what?"

He stood up and grabbed her face, kissing her hard on the mouth. Eden pushed her palms flat against his chest. "Don't kiss me. Not here," Eden said.

He frowned.

"I don't want to associate you with this part of my life." The hurt flashed across his face, but she ignored it. "Not because of you. Because of everyone else. Now tell me what they said that has you so freaked out."

"Eden, move in with me."

"I—what? No. Why?"

"Your dad and Fisher are working together, Eden," he said in a low voice. "That's not a good sign, and honestly, I don't think you're safe here."

Eden scoffed; this wasn't exactly news to her. "I can take care of myself. And what about Lily? If I'm not safe here she sure as hell isn't. And I would never leave her here. Have you forgotten who else practically lives here? He has a few letters in common with the Devil if that helps you out."

Parker leaned in, his voice low and deadly, "Has Drew touched you?"

"Of course he's fucking touched me!" she hissed. "He tries to fuck me anytime we're in the same room. And I am not leaving Lily alone with him. I can take care of myself. She can't." She rubbed her hands over her face and walked over to her closet, ripping it open and letting out a deep breath. "Help me pick a dress."

Parker walked over to her, placing his hand tentatively on her shoulder. She tilted her head so her cheek pressed against his knuckles. "I'm sorry I snapped at you," she said quietly. "Can we just forget about this whole thing and focus on tonight?"

"Yeah." But how could he focus on tonight when he knew what Fisher was up to? How could he focus on tonight's date with Eden when he knew Fisher had his own agenda involving her? Parker removed his hand from her shoulder and started rummaging through her dresses. He pulled out a black long-sleeved dress and handed it to Eden, followed by a long red dress. Eden raised a brow as she watched him pick her dresses from the rack and frown. "Why is everything so short and tight?"

"Because I used to be a stripper, that's why." She shut her closet. The two dresses he'd picked out were the ones she'd bought from Goodwill. Her dad gave her money to buy cocktail dresses to show his horny customers, not the modest ones Parker just picked from the shelf. She bought those herself, for herself.

Parker was watching Eden with sympathetic eyes. "Don't," she whispered.

His eyebrows shot into his hairline. "Don't what, Eden?" he said in defeat.

"Don't look at me like that."

He took a step towards her, his gaze making her cheeks burn. She looked down, but he lifted her chin and brushed his lips across hers. Her eyes fluttered closed, his warm breath tickling her skin. "You're beautiful." His lips pressed against hers and she kissed him back, her hands running through his hair and knocking his glasses askew. He didn't seem to care that his glasses were bent and she didn't seem to care that she was mixing one life with the other.