My alarm woke me up at 5:00am and I groaned in disgust. It was too damn early to be awake at this hour; the sun hadn't even risen yet. I rolled out of bed and my foot hit the edge of the suitcase lying on the floor.

Ouch!

I had endeavored to pack some of my things last night in an attempt to keep myself from having to wake up so early. When I received the text message from Bucky, I stopped what I was doing and laid down in the bed to read it over and over again.

His message telling me he missed me already had brought a smile to my face and a rousing feeling even lower. How did I get so lucky? I thought about it, I missed him too. Bucky had a special way about him, over the last couple of days our conversations had been so easy going and….so natural. I enjoyed his quiet humor, his teasing looks, his…

Shirtless torso…sexy smirk…pouty lips…the space on his neck that looked totally lickable…STOP EDEN!

I smiled to myself, Bucky was definitely special.

I went to the bathroom and quickly showered and decided to braid my wet hair instead of fussing with it. I threw on a comfy pair of jeans and a sweater; there was no reason to dress up for a three hour drive. I gathered the essentials from my bathroom and threw them into my travel case along with the rest of the clothes I planned on taking. Less than 30 minutes later, I was done and ready to get on the road. I rolled my suitcase to the front door and looked around my apartment once more to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything.

During the sweep of my living room, my eyes rested on the couch…the throw pillow still lying where Bucky had discarded it the night before. I remembered the husky sound of his voice when he grabbed my hand and told me to stop.

"I promise you won't get any sleep tonight if you don't"

That one sentence had kept me awake for a long time last night. At 3:00 am I had reached and grabbed my cell phone, scrolling for his name…determined to find out if he really meant it when he said he could be at my door in less than a minute. I had no doubt that he could fulfill that promise.

I turned away from the couch and went back to my suitcase and headed out the door. The parking lot for tenants is located behind the building so when I came down the stairs, I exited through the back door rather than the front.

It was a cool, crisp morning; the sun was covered by clouds. My blue SUV was parked in my designated spot not far away. I stopped and looked around….feeling like someone was there but not seeing anyone. After putting my bag in the back and lowering the hatch I looked around again. I sensed someone's eyes on me, watching me.

"Hello"

No reply. I shrugged my shoulders and dug in my purse for my car keys.

You must be losing it Eden.

I found the keys at the bottom of my purse and turned to the driver's side door to get in the car. The moment I felt the hand on my shoulder, I dropped the keys and yelped in surprise. I turned to see who the hand belonged to and came face to face with Bucky.

"Good God Bucky, you scared the shit out of me" I said, slapping his arm.

He leaned back against my car and laughed, "Sorry"

I grabbed my keys off the ground and stood up in front of him, my arms crossed…attempting to look like I was not amused by his antics.

"What are you doing up so early? And why are you out here?"

The smile disappeared and his face took on a more serious look, "I came to see you before you left."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him, "Come here"

I let him drag me closer, enjoying the feel of him sliding his hands to my waist while I let both of my mine rest gently on his chest. I felt the hard metal fingers of his left hand rubbing gently up and down my back. His blue eyes stared intently into mine, watching my reaction. His right hand left its place on my waist to trail up my back until I felt his warm fingers find the skin on the back on my neck. I leaned forward and rested my forehead on his chest, enjoying his skilled fingers on my neck.

Why hadn't I sent that text message at 3:00am? It felt so good. I was unable to hold back the low moan that escaped my lips; he just knew exactly what he was doing with his hands.

I felt him lean down and place his lips close to my ear and whisper the sexiest thing I had ever heard, "Three days"

Those words held a promise and I felt myself shiver in excitement.

I raised my head to look him in the eye and saw the heat in his eyes. I bit my lip hard and nodded. He leaned down and kissed me gently on the forehead before he stepped away from me. I opened my car door and threw my purse in the passenger seat. I slipped my keys in the ignition to start the car and then turned back around to face him.

He looked lost and alone, just like he did the first day I met him, a stranger on the bench.

"I'll text you when I get there and call you each night." I promised.

He nodded.

We both stepped forward at the same time and embraced, arms wrapping around each other. I finally had to be the one to pull away. I touched his cheek gently and with as much strength as I could muster, I turned and climbed into the SUV.

I watched him through my rear view mirror as I pulled away. He stood there alone, watching me leave.

Three days Eden…just three days.