Page 88 of Malachi
“Yes, but me putting bruises on you is one thing — anagreed uponsomething, might I remind you,” I snapped quietly. I wasn’t mad at her. I was mad at her fucking cunt of a mother. One look at her face, and that sweet smile, told me she knew I wasn’t cross with her. She understood.
“That is a fair point, but I am okay. Truly,” she tried to reassure me.
“She deserved to be punished,” I growled low, nearly pouting with frustration.
“Oh, I gave her a piece of my mind. Don’t you worry about that,” she chuckled lightly.
“What did you do?” Ollie asked, his face lit up with interest.
“What was she mad about, anyway?” I added, my interest piqued.
“She got mad that I wouldn’t show her the house,” she answered, shrugging off my concern.
“When would she have seen the house?” I asked, confused.
“Oh, our three mothers all decided to pick up the three of us and take us to Adah’s this morning. Eden was the last one picked up and her mother basically demanded to be let into the house for a tour,” Delilah exclaimed with a huff of a laugh.
“At seven in the morning, mind you,” Ruth added with a nod.
“That was only a little after I left!” I exclaimed.
“What kind of luncheon starts at seven in the morning?” Ollie added. My sentiments exactly.
“It was apparently more of a brunch. You should have seen me when they arrived. I was barely out of bed, let alone ready to go. They had to wait ten whole minutes for me to finish getting ready, and I got my own earful at that,” Ruth responded.
“Your mother is a piece of work,” Levi grumbled, though the rest of us brothers were quick to nod along, thinking of our own mothers-in-law.
“So, what did she say when she pulled you aside?” I redirected the conversation back to Eden.
“You mean clawed her to the side,” Ollie chuckled. I shot him a look, and he at least had the decency to look apologetic.
“She told me I had better get my head back on straight and stop acting like a brat. Apparently, I had offended her and disrespected her by not allowing her into the house when they stopped by,” Eden explained.
“Tell them what you said next,” Delilah interjected excitedly.
“Well, she got mad, reminding me she was my mother, and that daughters didn’t get to just disrespect their mothers. So I remindedherI was no longer her daughter. That I am the wife of Malachi Temple, and that his word is my law. That she would do well to remember that she had no business placing any demands on me. After all, how would she feel if everyone found out she had disrespected a beloved Temple son?” She paused for effect before continuing. “And then I just walked off, like she was beneath me.”
I was stunned speechless by her audacity, and fuck all if I wasn’t turned on by her bravery.
“Damn, baby sis! Balls the size of basketballs!” Ollie chuckled.
“That’s what I said!” Delilah readily agreed.
“That’s hot as fuck, Eden,” I whispered, leaning down to kiss her lips gently, offering her a look that communicated a bit of the desire I felt.
“We can talk more about it later, and maybe I can turn you on even further,” she teased with a saucy little wink.
“Minx,” I whispered with a grin.
“Correction. Little bird,” she returned the wink, her eyes dancing with arousal that mirrored my own.
“Damn fucking right,” I all but growled in agreement.
“Where is Gideon?” Zeke asked., He and Naomi were still not in attendance.
“They won’t be coming tonight,” Levi explained with a heavy sigh.
“Why the hell not?” Ollie questioned.
