Page 139 of Of Flesh & Bone

I'm not great at receiving gifts.It's a moment when all of the attention is on me and that's obviously not my thing.I'll take anything from this man though.I just wish he hadn't spent more money.He bought this house.I put zero dollars into it and had to fight literal battles to go halfsies on the furniture.Seriously, we had wrestling matches at checkout counters and over my laptop to see who would pay for each piece of ridiculously expensive furniture.It was a nightmare.He's obviously stronger, but I'm definitely more dirty.Nothing was off limits for me in the pursuit of typing my credit card information into the checkout screen, including hair pulling and nutsack slapping.That one gets him every time.

"Thank you but I really wish you hadn't done that.You bought me a whole house.That was the present.I bought a lingerie set."

Adam falls back onto the bed, moaning "Please, Eve.Fuck.Don't take me back to the lingerie right now.I've got so much shit to do today, and we have a game tonight.I need to stay focused."

I laugh quietly at his obvious pain.I'm glad that he enjoyed it.

"I didn't spend money on it."

I'm not sure if he's even speaking to me when he says it, so I ask, "You didn't spend money on what?"

He doesn't reply and gets up from the bed.He walks into the enormous walk-in closet that's bigger than my bedroom in our apartment and comes back out with a large wrapped square gift.I'm not sure what it is, but it doesn't appear to be heavy.I move the tray from my lap as he lays the gift on the bed in front of me.He looks anxious as he looks down at the gift and I want to take the worry from him, so I start excitedly tearing at the paper.

It's face down.A large canvas.I turn it over and tears prick my eyes instantly.It's me.A hyper realistic portrait in greyscale.Remarkable.Does he even take art?This looks like a photograph.His talent is stupefying.In the picture, I'm facing away from the creator and sitting naked with fabric bunched up around me, partially obscuring my butt but, not fully.My tattoo is on full display and it's identical to my actual tattoo.He had to have drawn this or at least been working on it before I got my tattoo, but the placement and design are perfect.I suppose that's because the original design is his.

My face is turned to the side with my chin resting on my shoulder.My hair is up in a messy tangle atop my head, just like I often wear it, but it somehow comes across as sexy rather than unkempt in the sketch.My face is turned in the direction of my hand that's holding up a...heart.In my hand is an anatomically correct human heart.I appear to be looking at it with peaceful adoration as it sits in my open palm.

I reach out and touch the heart, running my fingers across the canvas."It was mine."He makes the declaration that I have already worked out for myself.The heart is Adam's heart.Adam's heart in the palm of my hand."It's yours now.It's been you since the first time I set eyes on you.It will be yours long after its last beat."

Perfection.This moment and this drawing are absolute perfection.

The tears are flowing now.This incredible piece of art says so many things without speaking a word.I stand and kiss him, doing my best to channel every bit of love, tenderness, and adoration that I feel for this man into this one kiss.I need him to feel the things that I cannot express.The things that there are no words for.

.........................

Downstairs, the boys are sitting at the bar eating breakfast and Mulligan is perched on the floor between them, patiently awaiting his next bite of bacon.Mulligan is the first to see us descend the wide staircase.He comes up to me for a quick pet once he sees me before quickly returning to his bacon ready perch just in time for Cotton to not so slyly slip him a full slice.

"Good morning, Belle."Cal says, flashing me that mischievous grin that's ever present on his handsome face.Anytime I look at the three of them together like this, I'm forced to wonder if Eden isn't only after elite athletes and the academically gifted.I sense that they're also interested in uncommonly attractive people.

"Morning, Mason."Cotton's sleepy greeting comes through a yawn.

"Did you get any sleep?"There are dark circles under Cotton's eyes.

"Yeah.I slept great.You were right about that couch."

"Lord of Lies, Lie Hard, Lie Hard 2, Lie Hard With a Vengeance, Live Free or Lie Hard, A Good Day to Lie Hard, Lie Another Day, Never Say Lie."

I cut off Cal's rambling now that we have all thoroughly gotten the point."Okay, so he didn't sleep well.Rambling received."

"Yeah.He was supposed to take the first shift, only he went ahead and stayed up all night."Cal is speaking to me while glaring at Cotton.

"You stayed up all night?!Wait, first shift for what?"I'm trying to catch up to everything that he has said when Adam steps in to change the subject.

"We have to be at the dome by five.I left my stuff at the house.Can you guys bring it with you tonight?"

I ignore his obvious diversion and continue with my line of questioning."Why did you stay up all night on a game night, Cotton?"

Cotton rubs his face, remaining silent."We agreed to take shifts staying up and watching for that guy to come back.Cotton decided to not wake me up for my shift, so he just stayed up until I forced him to lay down around 5:00 this morning."

"Cotton, you need to go lay down.You're going to be miserable tonight if you don't."I walk over to Cotton, pulling him from the bar stool and leading him down the hall to the only bedroom with a bed.He remains silent, continuing to yawn all the way to bed and he's asleep before I make it back out of the room.

When I get back to the kitchen, Cal and Adam are speaking quietly, obviously attempting not to be overheard."Why was it necessary for the two of you to take shifts?"

Both men look in my direction, trying too hard not to look surprised.

Cal clears his throat before speaking."We just wanted to be sure that you don't have anything to worry about and you don't.All clear, all night."

"Look, I'm not sure what gave you guys the idea that I'm fragile but I'm not."Cal snort laughs and I glare at him.

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