Chapter 26

Gentle kisses tickle the back of my neck, lulling me out of a deep sleep. I release a sleepy groan, alerting Eden to my consciousness.

The arm around my waist squeezes me tighter so I'm flush against his front. Pumping his hips slightly, his morning wood drags against my bare arse, making my own cock stir. I push back against him, and his dick slides between my cheeks, eliciting a horny moan from me. Twisting my head over my shoulder to catch his lips, we share a few lazy kisses before I inch away.

"Why'd you stop?" Eden asks, eyebrows drawn together. His hips still involuntarily grinding against my bum.

"I have morning breath."

"We were lucky if we got to brush our teeth once a day in captivity. I don't care," he jokes.

My blood runs cold. I quickly turn away from him because, like a candle being blown out, my light mood is shadowed by darkness.

We've talked about what happened a lot since we escaped, but sometimes, it throws me off kilter. I'm reminded of how little control we had while chained up like dogs. I felt filthy and cold most of the time, and it makes my skin crawl thinking about it now.

It doesn't help that the people who did this to us are still at large. The only person in prison and paying for the crimes against us is Jeremy, and for some reason, that makes me feel a mix of guilt and relief.

Caroline, the lead detective on our case, all but admitted what we had thought all along. Jeremy was initially trafficked and after years of abuse, was forced to work with them and commit these crimes against his own will. I should be mad at him. I know Eden is. But I shot Jeremy. I committed a violent act that could've killed him. These contradicting feelings I have towards him often keep me up at night.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the mood."

"It's ok. We have to talk about this to process it. It caught me off guard, that's all."

"Of course, I'll be more tactful when I bring it up in the future, though."

I twist around so we're face to face and kiss him lightly.

"Thank you," I whisper.

Eden's hand trails up my neck until it reaches my ear. He gives it a light pinch and then gently strokes my lobe. His obsession with my ears is still very much a thing. I close my eyes and hum, expelling my remaining anxiety.

We lay like that for several minutes, and when I open my eyes, Eden's expression makes my heart contract. He slams his eyes shut, knowing he's been caught, snuggles into my chest, and starts making some bizarre cutesy sounds that I've never heard him make before while wiggling like a fish out of water.

"Eden, what on earth are you doing?" I chuckle.

Pulling his head up to look at me with a wide grin, I have no clue what he's about to say.

"I can't explain it. Sometimes, I look at you and just want to squeeze you until you pop."

"Sorry, excuse me. You want to pop me?"

"No, it's not like that. You know when you see a puppy, and it's so cute you want to smother it with love. That feeling."

"Oh, cute aggression." I laugh, carding my fingers through his straight hair. Eden leans into my touch, practically purring. How is this big-ass man so bloody wholesome?

"There's a name for it?"

"Yep, I have a similar feeling towards you. But it's more like I want to be impossibly close to you. I want to climb under your skin and wear you like a suit."

Eden grimaces at me, but the side of his mouth twitches into a smile.

"Too far?"

"Never." Rumbling laughter travels through the king-size bed.

He gives me a quick peck before swinging his legs off the side and climbing out.

"Where do you think you're going?" I ask, already missing his body heat.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we plan to have a naked Sunday in bed together, and it involved bacon sarnies and cuppas?"

"We did."

I love that he remembers.

"Great, let's tick that one off then."

Eden leans across the mattress to give me one more heated kiss, and I almost drag him back into bed before he manages to wrestle himself away.

* * *

After enjoying our breakfast and morning brews in bed, we brush our teeth, grab a quick shower together and snuggle back up. One thing leads to another and before long, we're indulging in some deliciously slow Sunday morning sex.

Eden's dozing on my chest as I idly play with his hair while reading a book on my Kindle. It's mid-afternoon, and my stomach rumbles, dragging Eden out of his slumber.

"Was that your stomach?" he sleepily asks.

"Yep, I could do with a snack."

He laughs, rubbing my belly and asks, "Why didn't you shove me off?"

"Hell no, I love it when you're all cuddly and shit."

Eden lays back down and twines his legs around mine so I can't move. I abandon my Kindle and smother him back, pressing frantic kisses all over his face.

My phone starts ringing, so I give him a light push, encouraging him to move off me.

"No," Eden protests, squeezing me tighter.

I slip my hand down his crack and prod at his tender hole, making him squirm and loosen his grip on me.

"Ha, that got you to move."

"Yep, my hole is well and truly spent after last night and this morning. You're bottoming next."

"That's fine with me. Can you pass me my phone? It's on my side."

He stretches, letting out a dramatic groan as he grabs my phone.

"Your side, huh?" Eden places it in my hand with a smug grin.

I playfully stick my tongue out and answer the phone.

"Hello."

"Hello, Kai, this is DI Caroline Shaw."

His hand trails up my inner thigh, teasing me, but I swat him away.

"Hello, Caroline, how are you?" I stutter.

Eden's eyes widen, and he sits up sharp. I do the same, leaning against the headboard and covering my naked body with the duvet. Something about speaking to a detective naked and half-hard feels morally incorrect.

"I'm good, thank you. More importantly, how are you?"Her gentle voice loosens some of the tension trapped in my shoulders.

"I'm alright. Getting there."

"Ok, good. I'm sorry to call you at the weekend, but I have some news that I think you'll want to hear. Are you alone right now?"

"I'm with Eden."

Eden's eyebrows scrunch together, and he takes my hand, lightly tracing my knuckles.

"Oh good, I was going to call him next."

"One sec, let me put you on loudspeaker."

Caroline and Eden say hello and ask how each other is, and then there's heavy silence for a few beats. My stomach swirls with anticipation, and I can see equal amounts of anxiety on Eden's face.

"As you already know, Luca is in custody."

"Who's Luca?" I interrupt her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That would be Jeremy to you. At first, he wouldn't tell us his real name, but he's actually called Luca Taylor. When Jeremy was taken, they changed his name and gave him a new passport like they did with you."

"Oh, ok," I mumble.

There's so much we don't know about who Jeremy/Luca was before his abduction and what made him do what he did. But hearing his real name and realising he was as much a victim as us makes my stomach stir with guilt.

Caroline continues, "Luca has been instrumental in the investigation and has given us lots of information about the other people in the organisation. But to clarify, he will still face serious charges."

Eden moves closer and kisses the side of my head. My heart beats twice as fast as I try to process everything she's telling us. Caroline's silent as she waits for one of us to respond.

"Ok, and what about the others?" Eden finally asks.

"With the information Luca gave us, we have managed to make an arrest of a man who goes by the name of Peter Harrow, who we believe is one of the men who abducted you."

Eden sighs in relief, but it's not nearly enough to make me feel safe. Dr Evil is still out there. He's the one who murdered Devlin and called the shots. That bastard and the head of the organisation should be locked up, as well as his security.

"What's happened to Dr Evil?" my voice wavers. Knowing who I mean, she doesn't question the ridiculous nickname we gave our abductor.

"Unfortunately, we lost track of him at the Spanish border. After that, our leads went cold. But I promise you, Kai, we are still looking for him. When we find him, the charges he's facing mean he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars."

I let out a frustrated huff, and my nose stings with the urge to cry.

"I'm sorry I don't have more news, but hopefully, we can get more information from Peter that will lead us to the higher-level people in the organisation."

"It's ok. Thank you for everything you've done so far. I mean it."

"You're welcome. Anyway, I'll leave you both to it. If you think of anything else or have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me directly."

I stare at the phone in my hand, struggling to organise my thoughts and feelings. There's a heavy weight around my neck and shoulders, phantom memories of the chain that once sat there.

"Thanks, Caroline. We'll let you know if anything comes up. Take care, bye." Eden manages to say.

"Goodbye."

Looking down at my phone, a tear crashes onto the screen. Eden gently pries the phone from my hand and tips my chin up. His eyes are cloudy with tears, too.

"Baby, are you ok?"

"I don't know. I should be happy, right? Pete and Jeremy are behind bars, but knowing Dr Evil has just swanned out of the country makes me so fucking angry."

I grind my teeth, and my hands vibrate in my lap. Eden frames my face with his hands and tries to catch my eyes, but I look away.

"Kai, look at me, please?"

Forcing my eyes on him and releasing a heavy sigh, I unravel.

"I know you're mad. I am, too. He deserves to pay for what he did to us, but unfortunately, the slimy bastard escaped, and being angry about that isn't going to change that."

An unexpected chuckle creeps out of me.

"What?" Eden smiles, looking slightly confused.

"Dr Evil was a slimy bastard, wasn't he?" I smirk.

"The slimiest of slimy bastards."

Eden uses his thumbs to brush away my tears, and a snorting laugh escapes me, making Eden chuckle, too. Once our laughter subsides, another deep emotion hits me, but it's not sadness this time. It's gratitude.

"Thank you, honey."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"For everything. For going after me, being patient, and loving me at my worst. For all of it."

"Kai, if that was your worst, then my god, I'm the luckiest man alive. Because you, as you are right now, are perfect. You're more than enough. And it's not one-sided. I've been equally tormented, and you've stood by me."

Images of him waking up screaming, covered in sweat, come to the front of my mind, and I can't stop the sob that slips out. I'm a jumble of intense and uncontrollable emotions. I climb onto his lap and bury my face into the crook of his neck, needing to be closer than ever.

"I love you," I croak through my tears.

Eden pulls back so he can look at my face and the remaining cracks in my heart seal as I see genuine love beaming back at me.

"Baby, we survived." He smiles as a single tear trails down his rugged face.

Despite the odds being against us and dealing with the aftermath of our mental health, we somehow managed to make it to this point. Surviving isn't always going to be pretty, but every sweet word, kiss, and moment spent building a life with Eden proves it was absolutely worth it.

"You're right, we survived," I firmly reply.

And for the first time, I believe it.