She got two cups down from the cabinet, setting them on the counter. “He called me up a few months later, asking me if I wanted to go to a show. He had an extra ticket. It was one of those shows that everyone was talking about and I wanted to go.”
“So you just…what? Got back together with a guy who stopped calling with no explanation?”
She sighed. “Mack, you don’t understand. Yes, I agreed to go to the theatre with him that night, but not because I had any desire to attend with him, but because I wanted to see the show. I even paid three hundred dollars for my ticket. I considered the invitation similar to a friend calling me up and asking if I wanted to go hang out.”
He glared at her, wanting to understand. But…this was Eve.
“We had a good time that night. No pressure as a romantic thing. Just two friends going to the theatre. We had drinks afterwards. It was really nice to just…relax with John. He’d been so intense before, which was probably why I wasn’t upset when he’d stopped calling before.”
“So he changed?”
“Nope. Once we started seeing each other again, just as friends, he suggested that we try dating again. But I resisted. There wasn’t really any spark between us. John was nice enough, but I just…he didn’t do it for me.”
“And yet, you eventually found yourself engaged.”
She poured coffee into two mugs and handed one to him. He was feeling slightly better now. The explanation of how she hadn’t felt any spark soothed his jealousy. “Go on,” he urged, then took a long sip of coffee. It was hot and strong, exactly the way he liked it.
“Well, John’s charming and he makes a good argument. I resisted at first, but he kept on with his arguments. Finally, he popped the question. He sort of skipped over the dating part and went right to suggesting marriage.”
“And you agreed?”
Eve shrugged. “Like I said, he is convincing when he puts his mind to it. And his arguments made sense. So yes. I agreed to marry him. But…”
“What happened?’ he asked, moving closer. She didn’t love John. Never had, if he was understanding her explanation correctly.
“I got my friends together and we went out shopping for a wedding dress. We’d spent the whole day looking and finally, I found the dress that I wanted to get married in.” She smiled at the memory. “It was long and skimmed along my figure. The beading on the dress was exceptional. It even had a matching veil. Everything was just…perfect.”
“Eve, what happened?” he asked, taking her hand. He needed the connection to her now.
“I went to his apartment.”
“You weren’t living together?”
She shook her head. “No. At the time, I thought that living together before marriage was wrong.”
He grinned. “What have we been doing over the past few days?”
A blush stole up her cheeks and she shrugged one shoulder. “Exactly. Anyway, John had given me a key, trying to convince me to move in with him. He argued that we’d save a lot of money and we could get to know each other faster. No need to wait until after the wedding and all that stuff.”
“And?”
“I used my key to open the door, walked to the bedroom, and found him in bed.”
He waited, but when she didn’t continue, he squeezed her hand. “I’m guessing that he wasn’t taking a nap.”
“Nope. He was…he was having sex with his law partner. Mike is a nice guy and…” She took a deep breath. “Well, suffice it to say, I walked out, leaving the ring he’d given me on the kitchen counter.” She shook her head. “I think the ring was about as fake as our relationship.” She took a sip of coffee. “For a long time, I felt betrayed. He’d cheated on me. It didn’t matter that it was with a man. I felt…shattered.” She looked at him then. “And then you came along. You made me feel sexy again. Pretty.”
He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “Eve, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”
His words, spoken with such sincerity and power, healed the wound that had been festering in her soul. “Why?” she asked, blatantly needing reassurance.
“Because you have the best ass I’ve ever seen,” his hands dropped to that part of her anatomy. She laughed, but he turned serious. “Because you care. Not about yourself, but about everyone. You go out of your way to help two little boys that the rest of the town tended to write off. You give a job to a woman who was laid off, even though you had no clue if she could do the job. You risk your heart every day. Hell, your very presence here demonstrates how generous you are. You swooped in here and took over Cynthia’s business. Without your help, Cynthia would have had to close down, lose customers and sales, and the staff would have been without an income for the past several weeks.”
“That’s just…”
“Don’t you dare diminish what you’ve done and who you are! You asked me why I thought you were beautiful and I’m telling you. I think you’re incredibly beautiful on the inside and that’s where it counts, Eve.” His hand tangled in her hair. “But if you want to hear why I think you’re beautiful on the outside,” he smiled and anticipation rolled through Eve.
“Well, I can do that too!” he warned only moments before he spun her around. Lifting her into his arms, she squealed, “I’m too heavy! Put me down!”
Mack only laughed. “Honey, I lugged a mountain lion around the forest a few days ago. Do you really think that you can compete with that?” And then he plunked her down on the bed, looming over her. All laughter was gone now as his hands slid up and down her legs. “Seriously Eve, you’re so beautiful and sexy that you take my breath away. I’m constantly distracted when you’re around because I’m too busy looking at you.”
“You don’t really look at my butt, do you?” she asked, wiggling to pull him closer.
“Every chance I get,” he promised.
Eve froze, horrified. But when he started unbuttoning her satin nightshirt, the worry disappeared. Especially when his hands smoothed the soft material out of the way, exposing one breast. His mouth immediately captured the hard peak, swirling his tongue around and around, causing Eve to groan even as her fingers dove into his hair to hold him in place.
“You have to stop…” She gasped when he scraped his teeth against her nipple
“What were you going to tell me I needed to stop?” he asked.
She laughed, but at that moment, he exposed her other breast and pinched her nipple ever so gently.
“Nothing! Anything!” she breathed, closing her eyes and arching into his touch. “Please! Anything!”
He chuckled and even that sound sent her need higher. It was like a sharp ache now and she wanted him to keep going, make her feel the way that only he could make her feel.
Squeezing her legs around his hips, she couldn’t stop the eager noises that his tender ministrations elicited. So when he stood up to take his jeans off, she sat up as well, determined to take control of this situation.
“Mack, you have…,” she wanted to say something about his body, about how incredible he looked. But the words failed her as she watched him toss his jeans away. He was so strong and powerful, and that erection was…too tempting! So often, Mack took control of their lovemaking. But this time, she wanted to be in control.
Sliding off of the bed, she ran gentle fingers over his chest, exploring and enjoying every curve and indentation. Where her fingers went, her mouth followed. He felt and tasted incredible! She wanted more and this wasn’t enough!
Eve’s hands slid lower still, gliding over his abdominal muscles, smiling when he hissed at her touch. And then her hands moved lower still. She looked up the line of his body into his eyes as her fingers trailed lower and lower. When her fingers wrapped around his erection, she could feel his body tightening with anticipation. Slowly, her lips curled into a smile.
Mack wanted to push Eve back onto the bed, but what she was doing felt incredible! Another moment, he promised himself, looking into her pretty eyes as she smiled seduc
tively up at him. As her fingers curled around his shaft, he wanted her to tighten her grip. But the light, exploratory touch felt awesome too!
He was too focused on what she was doing at the moment that he couldn’t stop her from bending over so her mouth could…. The heat of her mouth closed over his shaft and he closed his eyes for a moment, fighting back the passion that surged through his veins. When she did that, Mack was lost! Completely and totally lost! The warmth, the wet heat…he didn’t want her to stop! Damn, he couldn’t pull her away!
Too fast, she brought him right to the edge and he almost lost control. Pulling back, he shook his head, laughing when she tried to pull him back to her mouth.
“Another time,” he promised. “I need to be inside of you when I climax, Eve,” he explained, then lifted her up and laid her back down on the bed. She still wore her panties, but the satin nightshirt was gone. He didn’t remember taking it off her, so it must have slipped off while she’d been…hell, he couldn’t even say the words in his mind because he’d lose control!
He grabbed a condom from the bedside table where he’d stored a box last night right before he’d slipped into bed and pulled her into his arms. Rolling the condom down his length, he watched as she slid her underwear off, tossing them to the side.
“Now, Mack!” she urged.
He thought about slowing down, of reciprocating her efforts. But that’s when she let her fingers slide up her stomach. He suspected that the movement was accidental and not intended to be seductive, but Mack couldn’t hold back.
Pulling her closer to the edge of the bed, he positioned himself right at her opening. “You have no idea how hot you are, do you?” he asked, then kissed her before she could respond. At the same time, he pressed into her core, groaning at the way her body adjusted to his slow invasion. She was so tight and so wet! He wanted to just…pressing into her gently, he heard her gasp and looked down to make sure he hadn’t hurt her. She dug her nails into his hip, pulling him in for another thrust so he continued, thrusting slowly at first. Then faster and faster, feeling her body tighten around him as she got closer to her release.
Mack was just about to reach down to help her out, knowing that he was on the edge of losing control, when she screamed, thrashing as her body rocked with release!
“I love you!” she gasped. “I love you! I love you!”
Her words sent him over the edge and he could barely breathe as the pleasure washed over him. Her wiggling helped as well and he loved how out of control she was. Growling, he held her close as the aftershocks of pleasure surged through them.
When it was all over, he could barely breathe. He pulled her in closer, savoring the warmth of her body and the way her arms wrapped around his neck. Mack loved the way she touched him, the soft, caresses along his back. Damn, was there anything about Eve that he didn’t like?
And then it struck him. Lifting his head, he looked down into her eyes, shocked and…touched.
“You love me!”
She froze and her eyes popped open. “I…what?”
His shock turned to a heat wave of tenderness and he lowered his head, kissing her gently. “You love me,” he repeated gleefully.
She continued to stare up at him and he could see the gears turning in her head, trying to figure out a rational explanation. He threw back his head and laughed. “You love me, Eve. Stop trying to figure out a way to un-say it.”
Glancing at the clock, he chuckled. “Besides, we have about fifteen minutes before we need to head out to pick up Cynthia,” he told her. Before releasing her, he kissed her gently and thoroughly. “It’s okay, Eve. We’ll figure this out. Will you trust me?”
He walked into the bathroom to throw out the condom, then came back to pull her into the shower with him. “Come along, love. We need to hurry if we’re going to be on time.”
Thirty minutes later, Eve sat next to Mack in his Bronco, staring out the window and wondering what to say. She’d admitted that she loved him during the height of passion. And now what? Was there anything one could say after something like that?
Her cell phone rang and Eve glanced at the name. Megan! Uh oh. What had she done?
“Are you going to answer that?” Mack asked, his aviator glasses shielding his eyes from her view. Which meant she had no idea what he was thinking.
“Eve?” he prompted when she still didn’t answer the ringing phone.
Unfortunately, it flipped over to voice mail before she could decide to answer it. She waited a long moment, staring at her phone. Sure enough, the voice mail icon popped up, indicating that Megan had some information about the house.
Good grief! Her plan had been to settle down in Minneville and enjoy an affair with Mack for as long as it lasted. And then start the healing process. She hadn’t counted on telling him, in outrageously adamant terms, that she was in love with him.
And yet, earlier, he’d told her how he thought she was beautiful, and called her ‘love’. That was something, wasn’t it?
Thankfully, the traffic eased as they approached the airport on the other side of Denver. It was a well, laid out airport, so it was relatively easy to find a parking space. Unfortunately, they were a bit late and had to rush to meet Cynthia.
They made it just as Cynthia stepped through the security area. Eve stopped short, eyeing her friend, who had obviously been crying since her eyes were red and her skin blotchy. But that wasn’t the only change!
Cynthia was one of those naturally slender women, tall, leggy, and blond. She was the kind of woman others hated because Cynthia made it look so easy. Eve adored her and knew she was good hearted. Eve also knew that Cynthia’s past hadn’t been easy.
Eve raced to Cynthia’s side and took her hands, giving them a comforting squeeze. There was a very slight swelling of her belly and…her breasts were huge! “You’re pregnant?” Eve whispered, awed and amazed, excited and…more than slightly jealous!
Cynthia laughed, hiccupped, then enveloped her friend in her arms. “I’m so glad to see you!” she gushed.
Eve returned the hug warmly, wondering what was going on in her friend’s life. She saw Mack standing back a bit, giving them a moment. When Cynthia finally pulled back, Eve realized that Cyn was crying once again. “Honey! What’s wrong? You said that your mother was better!”
“She is,” Cynthia replied, pulling a tissue out of her purse to dab her eyes. “I’m a mess but…well, I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.” She sniffed a few more times, then took a deep breath. “Yep. All fine. And yes, I’m pregnant. Almost three months along now.”
She beamed and Eve wondered what was going on. “Well, let’s get home so you can tell me all about it.”
They walked out and Cynthia gushed about the latest photographs that Eve had posted for sale on her website. “I’ve spread the word with anyone who would listen about your photos!”
“That’s great! I received a message from my distribution manager that she’d sent several photos to Florida recently. I hadn’t made the connection between the sales and your word of mouth advertising.”
Mack followed behind the pair, putting the pieces together. Cynthia was tall and blond, almost too thin at times and with abundant curves up top, but slender everywhere else. She had a warm smile for anyone who walked into her bar, but was much more reserved than Eve, who was eagerly effusive. Eve was short with dark curls, a lot more curves on the bottom and not so much on top, and about as vivacious as one could be. Cynthia was beautiful in a smooth, California-girl kind of way, while Eve had a lot more bounce to everything she did.
The term opposites had probably been created just to define these two women. And yet, they were fast friends. Eve had dropped her whole life to come and take care of Cynthia’s business. And Mack knew that Cynthia worked behind the scenes to help out several of the residents around town, but hated for anyone to know what she’d done. In that sense, Cynthia and Eve were alike. They both liked to take care of people, although they did it in different ways.
Interesting. Fascinating, in fact.
His cell phone rang and, because of all the trouble happening in town lately, he picked it up, answering immediately. “Sheriff Jones.”
“Mack, this is Megan at the realtor’s office. How are you doing today?”
Mack nodded as he slid his sunglasses on. “Fine. Everything okay, Megan?”
Eve whipped around, staring up at him, her mouth forming an O of surprise. The three of them stopped while he listened to Megan. He thought back to the phone call Eve hadn’t answered on the way over here and a few more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. He didn’t have proof of this particular puzzle piece, but he had a gut feeling that he was right.
He even cocked an eyebrow in Eve’s direction, silently asking her if she knew what he was hearing.
When her soft, pale skin turned a lovely shade of pink, he knew that he was right.
“No. Not at this time, Megan. I’m keeping the property. I haven’t even started renovations on it.” He continued to watch Eve’s expression and wanted to laugh with relief. She’d said she loved him this morning, although it was somewhat under duress. And now, he’d just discovered that his lovely little woman wanted to settle here in Minneville! She wanted to buy a house!
Damn, he was…thrilled. And determined!
Time to have a serious talk, he thought. “Right. Thanks for the call. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.” With that, he ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket. “Ready?” he prompted.
They headed to the baggage claim. Because of their slow progress, Cynthia’s bags were already waiting for them. Mack lifted the bag effortlessly and nodded for the ladies to head out of the airport.
Cynthia and Eve chose to sit in the back, wanting to catch up. Mack drove, listening to the pair. They were cute, finishing each other’s sentences, and Mack wondered how long they’d been friends.
When they pulled into the parking lot of The Bull Frog, he hefted Cynthia’s suitcase out of the back of his truck and carried it up the stairs to her apartment.
Taming Mack (Sinful Nights Book 3) Page 12