I WANTED TO PICK HER up and shake some sense into her. Maybe then Eden would realize that this city wasn’t safe for her to venture out in alone. How the fuck does someone lose their tour anyway? And in a fucking cemetery? At night? Someone was going to lose their job when I tracked down the tour company and reported that they’d left her behind. They should lose their goddamned license too. She could have ended up dead.
At Eden’s request, Valentina got her a water, and the girls talked and introduced her to the crew. I fucked with my phone and googled night cemetery tour companies. Finally, a car honked from the curb.
“That’ll be the cab. You sure you’re good to go alone?” Valentina asked.
“I’m taking her.” When Valentina opened her mouth, I didn’t wait to find out if she was thanking me or protesting. “I’m not leaving it to chance that she gets there in one piece.”
Eden crossed her arms over her chest and pushed her tits up close to the neckline of the pink-and-white dress. Does she own any clothes that don’t make me want to strip her naked and eat her for dessert?
“I’m perfectly capable.”
“No shit, you’re perfectly capable. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve watched more than one person put their hands on you, and I’m not letting it happen again. You think someone’s gonna fuck with you if I’m walking you to your hotel? No chance.”
The horn honked again and she dropped her arms.
“Fine.” Eden turned and the skirt on her dress flared.
Lord stepped up next to me. “Man, you’re so fucked.”
I swiveled my head around to stare at him as he swigged his beer. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re gonna go down like the rest of us.” He nodded at Eden. “And that girl is going to be the one to do it. I got a feeling about her. She’s already under your skin.”
“Fuck,” I muttered before striding after her. No way was I going to let her have the cabbie leave without me.
Lord’s words dogged my every step. What is it about this girl?
The cabbie already had the cab door open and was about to help her inside when I shut the gate behind me.
“I got this, brother. Thanks.”
The cabbie, a guy on the younger side of thirty, held both hands in the air as he saw me stride toward him. “Sorry, man.”
Eden’s eyebrows were almost to her hairline when I finally slid into the seat next to her. “Was that necessary? He was being nice.”
“You can’t assume everyone is being nice. You have to be on the defensive. Life isn’t all cute kittens falling from the sky landing in big piles of cotton candy.”
I didn’t know where those words came from, but Eden’s laughter drowned out the hip-hop playing on the radio.
“Is that what you really think about me? I’m completely and totally naive and live in some kind of bubble?”
It took me less than two seconds to answer. “Yes.”
Eden crossed her arms under her tits, again making that little bit of cleavage turn into a hell of a lot more cleavage.
“Seriously? You’ve got to give me more credit than that.”
“Then don’t put yourself in situations where you’re alone in a cemetery at night in New Orleans.”
The cab driver piped up and added his own opinion. “Oh shit, you were in Lafayette at night? No fucking way, girl. That shit ain’t cool. You won’t last long ’round here if you keep that shit up.”
Eden frowned into the rearview mirror. “It was an accident, and I won’t be doing it again.”
“You’re right, because if you decide you’re going to go exploring this city at night, you’re calling me first.”
I didn’t know where the offer came from, but it was out before I could take it back. Did I want to take it back? If the alternative was Eden out wandering alone, hell no.
She laughed again, but this time it was harsher and a little fake. “Like you’re really going to make time in your schedule to help me explore anytime I want.” Eden flashed a forced smile at me. “I’ll just limit my exploration to the daytime, thanks.”
The cab driver turned into the Quarter and within a few minutes, slowed to a stop at a police barricade. “This is as far as I go.” He craned his neck around to face us through the Plexiglas window as he told her the total for the ride.
Eden slipped cash through the divider and thanked him before opening her door and stepping onto the sidewalk.
“Thanks, man,” I said.
“Keep that girl on a leash. It’d be a safer choice.”
“Only if I had a death wish.”
The cabbie’s booming chuckle faded when I slammed the door and strode after Eden, who was already fifteen feet ahead of me.
“Wait up, cupcake. I didn’t ride all the way over here for you to just walk off on your own.”
She spun around on the sidewalk and faced me. “You think I’m ridiculous. That I can’t fend for myself. I hate knowing that.”
With a grimace, I chose my words carefully. “I don’t think you’re ridiculous. I think you’ve gotten into some situations that you should’ve avoided.”
“You wish I would’ve avoided them because then you wouldn’t have to deal with me.”
She started off again but I was quicker. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against me. “Don’t start putting words in my mouth. I never said I didn’t want to deal with you. Just the fucking opposite.”
Eden’s entire body stilled, and I wasn’t even sure she was breathing until she responded. “But all I do is cause you trouble.”
I thought of the sweet taste I’d gotten of her and how fucking badly I wanted more.
“Who said I didn’t like trouble?”