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It was easy. Her lips were right there, so close, so desirable. Eden answered that kiss weakly, her breathing still not stable, Dante wasn’t giving her any room to think. He kissed her again and again until she let go of the bedsheets and grabbed his shoulder to push him away.
“W-what are you doing...” she mumbled.
“Distracting you.”
Eden blushed. She was tired, still a bit lost and dizzy, but she couldn’t tell if it was from the nightmare or the kiss. As soon as she put enough strength into pushing him and keeping him at bay, Dante stopped. He had one hand on the headboard next to her head and the other on the mattress, still dangerously close.
“...Feeling better?” he asked.
Eden swallowed her saliva, her heart still beating like crazy, and nodded weakly. Yes, the pain was mostly gone. Indeed, he had succeeded in distracting her... She still felt like she was dreaming, though. A bit out of breath, she wiped the tears off, embarrassed to have cried in front of him.
“...Want to talk about it?” he asked.
“No.”
That was a clear and definitive answer, but to her surprise, he simply sighed and retreated. He looked... angry. Silent, but angry. Eden didn’t know what to expect but she watched him get up and walk to get a glass of water, half-naked again. She glanced to the side. He had left the gun there, at arm’s length. She kept staring at it for a long time until she opened her mouth.
“I always dream about it… of the night Adam died.”
Dante’s hand froze on the pitcher but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t seem very surprised either. Eden wasn’t sure though because she had never seen him surprised before... Instead, he calmly walked over and handed her the glass of water. Eden took it without saying a word and slowly drank it. The room was so quiet; she felt like the sounds of her own throat were embarrassingly loud. The icy water felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air, chasing the fever from that nightmare away. It took her a few long seconds to finish it and cool herself down. With trembling fingers, she put the glass down on the bedside table. Meanwhile, Dante sat down next to her, dangerously close.
Beer, who had been woken up too, crawled onto her lap, half-asleep, so Eden grabbed the pup to hug him. The dogs were becoming more of an emotional support to her than she could’ve imagined... Beer yawned but let himself be handled like a plushie, too tired to struggle. Eden took several deep breaths, trying to bring her mind back to reality. She was finally calming down, except her heart was still thumping like crazy in her chest, which she hated. She hated it even more because she couldn’t tell if it was from the nightmare or how close Dante was to her...
“Aren’t you going to ask?” she asked with a hoarse voice.
“Not really.”
Either he didn’t care enough to ask, or he didn’t want to pry into her memories. Eden sighed. It wasn’t something she wanted to relive again anyway. The memory was already painful enough and he already knew enough. His predecessor had killed Adam. Eden could see the scene play over and over when she closed her eyes.
The wet asphalt. The sound of the downpour covering everything. All the men in dark suits standing in a circle. A flash in the night. The gunshot. Adam’s body, just lying there. The young Eden, hidden around the corner, her body curled up by fear against the concrete. She had felt sick like never before when they dragged his body away. She had no choice but to run so she could puke without being found. When she had gone back, only a few minutes later, they were gone and they had taken Adam’s body with them. There was nothing left of her brother.
Sometimes, Eden was scared to close her eyes, it was as if that scene was printed with dark ink behind her eyelids. She couldn’t escape it or the darkness that troubled her every time. Eden sighed, still holding Beer against her chest, and let herself slowly fall backward on the bed.
She kept her eyes open, staring at the ceiling. With Dante laying down next to her, Eden knew he was staring at her. It was even more embarrassing that he wasn’t saying a word or asking anything. Hence, she rolled on her flank, showing her back to him and staring at the large bay window. How late was it? She had no idea. It didn’t really matter; what she feared the most was the moment she’d struggle to fall asleep again...
To her surprise, Dante moved closer and a few seconds later she felt him hugging her from behind. His large arm wrapped around her waist and she felt his torso against her back. Eden froze, too shocked to move. What was he doing? He was hugging her almost the same way she was holding Beer and she hadn’t asked for that! The bed was super large too; did he really have to stick to her like that? She was nobody’s pillow...
Yet, Eden strangely kept her protestations to herself. Something in the warmth she felt all over her back kept her mute. It was... somewhat soothing, having so much warmth against her. She swallowed her saliva, wondering if he could hear her fluttering heartbeat. In this instance, some long-forgotten feelings came from deep inside and she couldn’t recognize them. Was it comfort? A sense of security? Protection? Eden just couldn’t decide. She tried to sort out her feelings but no matter what, she just knew she didn’t feel like moving away. Dante was hugging her from behind and it wasn’t as annoying as she thought it would be. He must’ve been close enough that she could hear his breathing but she wasn’t able to say exactly how close. She allowed herself to deeply breathe in but he didn’t seem to pick up on it. She could tolerate this, but she probably wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep like this...
This situation was too close for comfort. Eden knew she wasn’t going to go back to sleep. Instead, she stared emptily at the large bay window. Chicago was strangely quiet at night. A light was lit or extinguished in a building from time to time, but that was it. There were no cars outside, no music; there was not one soul moving. It was strangely calm and peaceful...
Eden hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep. She woke up very slowly from one of those very long and restful nights that rarely come. It took her a few seconds to realize and remember where she was and with whom. As it hit her, she opened her eyes but didn’t move. Mostly because she could feel a man’s body under her. She frowned and waited for a second as she heard his slow breathing. He was asleep, right? She slowly got on her elbows. Dante was lying there; she had been sleeping with her cheek and half her upper body on his torso! Eden blushed and retreated as fast and as quietly as she could.
How did that even happen? She had fallen asleep with him hugging her, so when had they changed positions?! Eden looked around, confirming they were still alone in the room as her eyes went back to Dante. For now, his eyes were still closed. Either he was good at pretending to sleep or this was her chance to run away from this situation. Eden got to the other side of the bed, praying silently he wouldn’t hear her. Judging by the lights outside, it was still early... Eden leaned over the bed, trying to grab her legs. To her surprise, there was only one. She frowned. Had the other one rolled under the bed?
“Good morning.”
Eden froze at the deep and husky voice coming from Dante, who had just woken up. She didn’t want to look over her shoulder at Dante’s half-naked figure. She had a pretty good idea of the look in his golden eyes already...
“M-morning,” she mumbled.
Her throat was a bit dry again. And why was her heart beating so fast, so early, anyway? Moreover, he had to wake up when she was in such a stupid position, supporting her upper half with her arms, on the edge of the bed...
“Woof!”
Eden glanced to the side.
Her pups were guilty for her missing leg. She couldn’t tell if the two of them had managed to pull it away from the bed or if it had fallen. In any case, Beer was biting into the metal as if it was a toy, while Bullet was wagging his tail trying to get underneath it. Eden grumbled.
