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“Oh no,” Eden smiled thinly. “I’m going to slip out the back door when I’m out of your sight. You’ll have to eat alone.”
“Oh no,” Eden smiled thinly. “I’m going to slip out the back door when I’m out of your sight. You’ll have to eat alone.”
Sterling pouted and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close again. “That would be rather mean, sweetheart. I don’t think you want to do that.”
Eden’s breath hitched in her throat, but she pretended she wasn’t bothered. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you’d miss this,” Sterling murmured before kissing her softly. “Wouldn’t you?”
Eden sucked in a deep breath, her arms around Razor tightening. The cat wiggled out of her hold, jumped on the floor and ran off, leaving Eden alone with her attractive beyond words boyfriend. “I—I don’t know,” she whispered. “Would I?”
Sterling pulled her closer, their chests flush together now that there wasn’t a cat between them. “I think you would,” he breathed against her lips, his eyes darkening slightly as he looked down into hers.
Eden shivered, the look in his eyes making her both uncomfortable yet pleasant at the same time. Uncomfortable because it reminded her of what she wanted to forget. Pleasant because it looked nothing like that look. Pleasant because it looked controlled. It looked nothing like a wild animal’s. It looked tamed.
“I think I would, too,” she found herself saying, swallowing thickly. “Miss you, I mean.”
Sterling smiled and kissed her between her brows. “You’re adorable, sweetheart. Hurry and do what you need to do so that we can eat. I’ll wait for you.”
“I just need to wash my hands,” Eden said quietly, relishing the feeling of his lips on her skin. “I should get going.”
Eden took a step back and walked off to the bathroom, closing the door behind herself. She took several deep breaths before washing her hands, drying them off and meeting Sterling back in the dining room. She took her seat, looking up into the eyes of her boyfriend.
“What, you didn’t want to sit on my lap?” Sterling asked, raising an eyebrow at her from his seat across from her. He chuckled softly and drizzled some syrup onto the French toast already on his plate.
Eden looked away, rubbing the back of her neck as pink spread across her cheeks. She knew he was just teasing, but… the hand on her thigh dug into her skin. She was so problematic, wasn’t she? Everything romantic became associated with her trauma.
“Just eat your food, Sterling,” Eden tried to sound as normal as possible, adding an eye roll as well. “Flirting twenty-four-seven isn’t always a good idea.”
Sterling g heard he slight tremor to her voice and dropped the act. He looked across at her gently, leaning forward slightly and offering her his hand. “Come sit beside me, then,” he murmured softly. “I promised to feed you, did I not? Let me fulfill it, please.”
Eden looked at him, then at his hand and slowly took it, getting up from her seat to sit on the seat next to Sterling. “I’ll just eat a little,” she said quietly. “Not too much.”
“That’s all I ask,” Sterling said softly, lifting a dry piece of the food with his fingers. He brushed it against her lips, waiting for her to open her mouth.
Cheeks bright pink, Eden opened her mouth, letting Sterling drop the piece into it. She began to chew softly, slowly, trying to ease in her stomach. She could do little. Couldn’t she?
Sterling kissed her cheek. “Thank you,” he murmured against the skin before pulling away. He took a bite of his own, lifting the sticky portion to his lips and chewing on it, then lifting another to Eden’s.
Eden shook her head, chewing on the piece, swallowing it before answering Sterling. “No, thank you,” she said. “For taking care of me.”
“Always, beautiful. I’ll always be here for you,” Sterling promised softly, pecking her on the tip of her nose quickly before taking another bite.
“Hey,” Eden scrunched her nose, wiping at it. “You got syrup on my nose.”
Sterling g chuckled as he held another piece of the food to her lips. “Sorry, E. I’ll leave some on your lips next time.”
“So you can watch me lick it off?” the words slipped out of her mouth before she could control herself. Eden immediately looked down at her lap, embarrassed.
Sterling’s eyes flashed darkly before he blinked it away. He chuckled and shook his head, hardly able to look at her clearly after that comment. She had no idea the affect her words could have on him, did she?
“Sweetheart… While I would love nothing more than to do so, or to lick it off for you, those are dangerous words,” he said, his voice holding a slight laugh as he smiled at her gently. “But you’re learning, hm? Been watching videos on how to flirt?”
Eden looked back up at him, shivering at the tone of his voice as well as the smile on his lips. That looked dangerous. For some reason, it also looked enticing. His words send a spark through her, heat exploding inside of her.
“I know how to flirt, Sterling,” Eden rolled her eyes, trying not to seem to affected by his words. He had such a smooth tongue. “It just depends on when I want to do it.”
“Oh, really? Please enlighten me someday,” Sterling chuckled, lifting another bite of French toast to her lips.
“Someday,” Eden echoed, opening her mouth and receiving the bite. She chewed slowly once more, feeling herself becoming full. “I think—I think that’s enough for me, Sterling.”
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