Eden laid on her bed with an ice pack on her ribcage. The bruises from the masked man's intense training session were still a violent purple-black on her tan skin, of course it'd only been a few days since they'd trained—they were meeting again tonight for their second day and she still felt like she'd shatter at his mere touch.
A sharp knock sounded on Eden's door. "Get up," her father slurred through the door. "Take my—my money and get some fuckin' food in this house."
She sighed, swung her legs off the bed and unlocked her door. Of course he was drunk at seven p.m.; he didn't have to run the club tonight, how else would he spend his free time?
He shoved a few hundreds at her. The fell to the floor. "Make yourself useful," he snarled.
"Anything you want in particular?" she said quietly, an edge to her voice.
His eyes flashed and he swayed on his feet. "I want food! I just said that! But 'course a stupid bitch like you needs tellin' twice."
She smiled. It was a poisonous type that made her already hard features contort into something beautifully sinister.
Eden walked past him, then knocked on Lily's' door. "Lil, do you want to come shopping with me? We can get ice cream," she added when Lily didn't respond.
Eden wondered if Lily was still mad, still disgusted with the words she had said about the men deserving death, but the bedroom door flung open and Lily smiled brightly. "Just give me a sec..." She disappeared back in her room and emerged wearing a pair of jeans and a hoddie. "Let's go!"
Lily ran back in the store to get a pack of gum and Eden sat on the bus bench waiting for it to come, they'd walked to the store, but it was late, night was falling rapidly and they had a lot of bags to carry. Eden stood up and moved around the bench to get a better look through the store windows to see if Lily was coming yet, after a few seconds of gazing through the shadowy windows she turned back around and directly into a man's firm chest. His hands shot out and steadied her around her shoulders. She pushed the man away, looking applauded that he'd even touched her, and a large dog barked at her legs, its teeth bared. Her eyes locked onto the large dog. She stepped back.
"No, Bear," the man said quietly and the dog's ears went back, its tongue lulled to the side, panting slightly.
She glanced up at the familiar voice and smiled feebly at Detective Yates, tucking a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear nervously, then glancing briefly behind her shoulder for Lily. Her eyes landed back on the German Shepard at Yates's knees.
"You can pet him," Detective Yates said, crouching next to the dog and scratching behind its massive ears. "He won't bite unless he feels threatened or thinks I need protecting."
Eden chewed on her lip, glanced over her shoulder again, and then crouched next to the handsome man and the large dog. She watched him pet the dog in the fading light, he looked like a carefree child when he was petting his dog. She hadn't seen that look in a lot of adults she met. "What's him name?" she asked quietly. "Bear?"
She watched his lips turn up. "He was the runt; it was supposed to be a joke. But he really is the size of a bear. Aren't you, buddy?" he said happily, patting the dogs side.
She smiled lightly and crouched slowly and patted Bear's head tentatively. "I like it—him." She scratched behind Bear's huge ears.
"How... how are you?" he asked cautiously. He gazed at her features momentarily. She was really beautiful when she smiled like that, like smiling in itself was a secret.
She shrugged, not sure why he was even asking. She hadn't meant to say anything when he was interrogating her, and now that she was in a better state of being, she doubted she'd say much of anything to him. "Okay, I guess."
"Ooooh, Ed! A dog," a voice squealed. Eden turned to look at her sister and so did Yates.
Detective Yates drew his bushy brows together and stood back up. He watched as the young girl came strolling over, bags swinging by her side. She looked the complete opposite of her sister; her features were soft, her eyes warm. She looked carefree and trusting, while her sister looked troubled and apprehensive. He looked back to Eden, her eyes were on her sister before dropping to Bear, who was licking her hand.
Lily's eyes lit up and glided over the detective before landing back on the dog. "Can I pet him?" she asked, her voice was sweet and girlish, more so than normal.
"Sure," he said, his brown eyes not leaving Eden's crouching figure.
Lily sat on the ground rather than crouching, looking between Eden and Detective Yates.
He rose a brow at the on looking girl and she blushed scarlet, her eyes dropped to the dog.
"Eden," he said quietly, eyeing her bags of groceries.
He large green eyes looked up to him and so did the eyes of Lily. "What?"
"Do you want a ride home?" his voice was low, quiet, but he wasn't actually giving her a choice; he wasn't letting them walk home or take the bus. And really, he just wanted an excuse to get close to her again.
Eden stood up, suddenly extremely nervous. "No—no, we're fine taking the bus. But thank you."
"Ed," Lily groaned, "the bus is gross."
"We take it all the time, Lily," Eden said.
"But—"
Detective Yates bent over and picked up some of the bags. "I'm driving you home," he said with a note of authority that left no room for discussion.
Eden opened and closed her mouth. Her eyes narrowed, but grabbed her bags all the same. Lily was ecstatic at being given a ride home. Eden was dreading it.
They walked, Bear only slightly in the lead and Eden and Lily following slowly behind Yates. He stopped at a black Toyota Corolla and unlocked his trunk and started putting the groceries inside. He walked around to the passenger side and held it open. Eden didn't move, but Bear did, he hopped right into the seat.
"No, Bear, backseat. Good boy." He continued to hold the door open and Eden eyed him warily before climbing in.
Lily got into the backseat with Bear and started petting him again.
Detective Yates started his car and shifted into gear, his hand brushed against Eden's knee and she jumped. He opened his mouth to apologize but Lily beat him to it.
"What's your name, Sir?"
He glanced to Eden. "Parker."
"How old are you, Parker?" Lily pressed.
"Almost twenty-six."
"Hmm. Eden's birthday's next week. She'll be eighteen. That'll make you only eight years older than her."
"Lily, stop," Eden said.
Lily smiled toothily. "But you think my sister's pretty, right, Parker?"
Yates looked sideways at Eden. Eden looked down at her hands. "You do not have to answer that," Eden said. "Please don't answer that."
Yates didn't think she was pretty. Pretty wasn't a strong enough word. She was beautiful, stunningly so. She looked more like a painting than an actually person; her tan skin, full lips, a light trace of freckles covered her small nose and slightly pink cheeks. But what made her most like a painting were her eyes. Her eyes were distant, haunted even. Her rare shy smiles didn't reach them, and it looked as if one hadn't for years.
They were at her house before long, and Lily hopped out right away. Yates looked over at Eden, confused, and even though Eden could feel his eyes on her she didn't take her head off the window and look over at him. "Thank you for the ride, Detective Yates. You really... you didn't have to do that."
"Are you gunna pop the trunk?" Lily yelled from outside.
Eden unbuckled and hopped out of the car. Yates stared for a moment at the empty seat, before unlocking the trunk with the button on his keys and getting out.
He walked to the back of his car and grabbed the majority of the groceries before either Eden or Lily could get their hands on them.
"Um... you don't have to do that either," Eden whispered as they walked to the shabby front steps, hands full of bags.
"I want to."
Eden, despite herself, blushed and ducked her head. She was used to men saying things to get what they wanted from her, and somehow she doubted Yates wanted anything at all. He was just being nice. And that was rare.
Lily opened the front door and headed for the kitchen. When Eden past the vile smelling couch, she winced and turned, Yates still standing in the doorway looking unsure. "Are you a vampire? Do I need to give you permission to enter?"
He smiled and shook his head, following her inside, the bags hitting his legs awkwardly.
Eden set her bags by Lily's on the peeling linoleum and Yates did the same. Eden looked around the kitchen, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Her house was disgusting; heaps of dirty dishes in the sink, the dirty, old stove that had slop all over it, her floor was at one point white, but was now a yellowish color, and the counters weren't any better, they were covered in trash and old food.
She hadn't thought she was able to feel embarrassed anymore. She wasn't embarrassed of stripping for grown men, but she was embarrassed and ashamed of having a kind one in her house?
"Thank you... again," she said quietly. She opened her mouth again but just then, Drew came thumping down the stairs.
"Hey, Princess," he purred through thin lips and a joint. "Want a—who the fuck is this?" His eyes narrowed into slits and he walked right up to Detective Yates—their faces mere inches apart—smirked, drew in a deep breath, took the joint from his lips, and blew out a large cloud of smoke in Yates's face. "How about you fuck off, buddy?"
Yates only tilted his head, a small smile turning up the edges of his lips. "Is that pot?" He said it innocently, though Eden could hear the condensing tone.
Yates stood up straighter, though Drew had at least three inches on him. "So what if it is? You a narc?" Drew puffed another cloud in Yates face.
Reaching into his pocket, Yates pulled out his badge and stuck it right in front of Drew's face. Drew blanched. Eden grabbed Yates's arm and dragged him back outside. Drew followed, leaning against the doorframe and watching Eden and the Detective walk back to his car with beady eyes.
"Hope you know she's a whore," Drew yelled out. "The town bike."
Eden looked down at her feet, teeth gritted. "You should go, Yates."
Yates looked from Eden to the sleazy boy on the porch. "Is that your brother?" he asked sharply.
She shook her head. "My brother's friend."
"Even a pig like that narc wouldn't want to fuck you, Princess," Drew spat.
Eden clenched her hands into fists. She scowled up at the Detective. "Please," she said. "Please, just leave."
He shook his head, he looked angry too. His eyebrows were scrunched together and his kind eyes took an edge of fury.
Eden licked her lips and glanced back down at her feet, drawing in a deep breath. She was glad her back was to Drew. She had other options, she knew that. But Yates... Yates was there. His plump lips were there, slightly parted, almost in welcome. And he was handsome, despite his rough features, his eyes were kind and falling briefly to her mouth. She inhaled and looked back to his eyes, back to his kind eyes. "I'm going to kiss you," she whispered.
And before he even registered her words, she was stretched on her tiptoes and her mouth hovered centimeters from his, her eyes open and pleading, his shocked. But then he kissed her. Really kissed her. His eyes closing instantly, and his hands running up her arms slowly, making her shiver. Her eyes closed and her hand fisted his shirt, pulling him closer; Eden had never had a kiss this nice. His mouth was warm and cautious, not demanding. His hands found her cheeks and he tilted her head back, using the angel to his advantage. Yates was good at this, she could tell. And she wanted more. The second she opened her mouth, he met her with nothing but gentleness. Her hands balled tighter in his shirt.
No man that'd ever kissed her had been welcome to do it, and no man was ever this tender with her. So why did she suddenly shove him away? She whimpered at the loss, her eyes still closed and her mouth still hovering near his.
She pushed him away too late. She pushed him away too soon.
"Was that convincing enough?" he whispered, his thumb grazing over her bottom lip.
She nodded, her eyes finally opening, and to his shock she looked sadder than he'd ever seen her. "Yeah. Thank you... that was—thank you." She pulled away from the Detective and smiled feebly. "Thank you," she said quietly, she turned to head back to her shabby house when Yates lightly grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him.
He leaned down and left a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight."
Her cheeks heated and she ducked her head, "Goodnight, Detective."
"Call me Parker," he insisted.
Their hands were still clasped. She wondered why it felt so right swallowed in his hand. She pulled her hand away then balled it in a fist.
Yates noticed, brow furrowing. "Eden, I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize."
His face darkened into something cruel when her back turned on him. His stare caught Drew. Drew stared back until Eden swept past him.
Drew slammed the door behind himself and followed her, yanking her to a stop before the stairs. "What the fuck do you think you're doing bringing that pig here?"
She glared at the fingers tightly gripping her upper arm, before finally meeting his beady, bloodshot eyes. "I'd be careful, Drew," she warned. Something about the way she said it made him drop his hand and stalk back upstairs.
Eden smiled smugly and walked back up to her room; Lily bound out of her own room and beamed at Eden in the hallway. "Who was your friend?" Lily sighed. "He was really good-looking. I mean, he did have a large nose though, but it complimented his face, right?"
"Lily, he's like thirty. And he's not my friend." Eden didn't like the doe eyed expression her sister was wearing, but she understood why, and she thought she was most likely wearing the same expression. Detective Yates was beyond attractive. And his kissing was... breathtaking. In a good way.
"He didn't take his eyes off you once. And the way he was looking at you... I wish a man would look at me like that," she said wistfully.
Eden's frowned. A "man"? Lily wished a man looked at her like that? Eden would give anything if men didn't look at her like that. With Yates being the exception... "And how exactly was he looking at me? Like I was dinner?" She doubted Detective Yates could ever have that look in his eyes, and she wanted Lily to deny it, but then again, people were surprising, maybe Yates was looking at her like everyone else.
"No! No, like he... like he thought you were the only girl he'd ever seen." Her voice was light and airy and the puppy-love look was back on her face. "It's like I wasn't even there."
"I hope he wasn't looking at you like a piece of meat," Eden snapped. "That would mean he's a pedophile." And Eden didn't want the first man she enjoyed kissing to be interested in her baby sister. And vice versa. "I'm going to bed, Lil. Goodnight."
"Night."
Eden locked her bedroom door, climbed into bed and stared up at the dark ceiling, her hand on her faintly swollen lips, smiling. She really didn't want to think about Yates liking Lily, or Lily liking him, or the fact that she was a stripper men used repetitively and Yates was a privileged cop, she wanted to think about how soft his lips were, how he tasted like mint, and smelt like coffee and aftershave and leather, she wanted to think about tender forehead kisses and his coarse hands running up her arms. She didn't want to think of training later on tonight; she wanted to fall asleep now, with this pleasant memory instead of sore muscles and fresh bruises.