Paradise Found: Cain (Paradise #2)(91)
“I love you. I do,” he said, kissing me. He released me and I stood before him in the slow flowing river.
“I love you as my wife. I do,” he continued, kissing me harder.
“I promise to keep you safe, never lose you again. I do. I do,” he muttered, kissing me between the vows.
And standing fully clothed in the river of Eden, I knew the only way we’d ever be lost again, was in each other.
A few weeks after Abel joined Eden2, Kursch was settled again in the apartment above my garage, but I had no bedside manner, and his wish and commands were making me ornery. Sofie eventually shooed me off to Eden2, telling me she’d see me after her classes. We were falling into a routine, and I’d never thought I’d admit it, but I loved it. Sofie was the most beautiful woman, inside and out. She took care of me, and I planned to take care of her, all the days of our life.
I was thinking these thoughts as I stood ringside and watched my two guys train. Malik was the hot head, which was confirmed as he made an illegal move and took Ray to the mat. I’d struggled with my forgiveness of them, but Sofie encouraged me. They didn’t know what they were doing, she explained, other than trying to protect her and me. It was hard to accept that others cared about me, but noticing how hard these two trained proved that they valued what I offered. Continuing to watch them struggle, Ray didn’t complain, but sprang upward with wolf-like reflexes and pounced on Malik. The two went down again and tumbled to the edge of the cage.
“Quit molesting each other. This isn’t a bromance. Fight, you f*ckers!” I yelled at the two of them.
Ray’s good nature fit his name. He chuckled, despite the serious tension inside the ring. This pissed off Malik more and he charged for the leaner man. Blond hair also fit Ray. He looked like a surfer dude, which was more fitting for our California state, but this was the Valley. The ocean was miles away. Malik was dark. His green eyes and dark hair gave him an alien look. A green strip over the center of his head intensified the oddity. He looked like he wrestled with a fairy and she tarnished him with greenery.
The two carried on, circling and grunting, when I heard my phone ring in the office. Walking the distance, I was too late to answer it, and I hoped I hadn’t missed a call from Sofie. I checked the screen. No message there. Returning to the main floor, a woman was standing outside the ring. Long reddish waves, the color of a lion’s mane, flowed down her back in delicate ripples. She wore a coat of sheep-like skin, curly and cream colored that came down to mid-thigh. Dark leggings stuck out below the short jacket and tucked into high black boots. She stood with her legs spread apart, her hands resting inside the pockets of her jacket. I could only imagine the intensity of her stare, as the two men in the ring were suddenly putting on the fight of their life.
Malik struck Ray hard, forcing his head back, but Ray recovered quickly with a swift right hook to the throat. Malik stepped back, then pounced forward in a series of one-two punches to Ray’s firm abs. Taking the beating, he grabbed Malik’s head and forced him back, then took out his legs with a sweep of his foot behind Malik’s calves. Down went the larger of the two men, that silly strip of green flopped as dust blew up into the air above the mat.
“Boys, boys, boys,” came the sweet voice of the female before me. Tender was her tone but there was a bitter edge to the sound.
“No need to put on a display. This lady isn’t interested in tramps,” she laughed without humor. Ray slowly smiled in her direction, but Malik’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. For fear that she would be the next opponent, I stepped forward to our visitor. We didn’t have many random women enter the place, but I did offer female training and self-defense classes. With her lean structure assessed from the back, I doubted she was here to train. From the bitterness in her voice, it could only be self-defense she sought.
As I stepped closer, I saw her bristle. Her back straightened and she stilled. I suddenly feared I was about to face a former one-night stand. I didn’t consider anyone a previous lover. Sofie had been the only woman I’d ever love. My own fists clenched as I came up behind this intruder. Preparing to speak, she spun on me. Blue eyes fixed me to the ground. I blinked twice as that royal color melted me. There was no doubt who she was, the coloring of the eyes was too similar.
“Evangeline,” I stuttered, hardly able to form the syllables around my younger sister’s name.
“Cain, big brother,” she snipped with dislike. Her eyes roamed over my body, as if she was assessing me. I actually shivered at the predatory glance. A wolf in sheep’s clothing came to mind as she stood in her wooly white jacket, but the ruffle of her hair reminded me again that a lioness was more like it. And she was ready to hunt me down.
“What are you doing here?” I questioned, without further greeting.
“What, no welcome home? Oh, right, that’s only for the prodigal sons,” she bit.
Taking the inquisition in a new direction, I asked a different question.
“How did you get here? Why aren’t you in school?” I asked. It was fall semester of her senior year, and Evie was barely eighteen years old.
“I quit,” she offered smugly, holding her head up proudly.
“You … what?” My fingers spread beside me and my hands twitched. Tempted to reach forward and shake her, like the child she clearly was, I took a deep breath and tried again. “How?”