Something About Eve (An Eve Sumptor Book 1)

by Jourdyn Kelly

  “Damn it! Just go up there,” Lainey scolded herself as she sat alone in her car. She had told Jack that she was leaving two hours ago and not to wait up because she didn’t know if she would be home, thanking God that the boys were at their grandparents and wouldn’t have to hear their parents fighting. But that was in the past. What Lainey was thinking about now was Eve and how she would react to Lainey being there. She didn’t think Eve would turn her away, not when she needed a friend. So why was she too scared to get out of the damn car and go up to her apartment?

  “Coward,” she said with disgust and laid her head on the back of her seat. What would Eve do if she were in her place?

  Eve wouldn’t be afraid. She wouldn’t be sitting in the car at almost one thirty in the morning debating about what to do. She would be doing what she wanted to do. Lainey took a deep breath and made her decision.

  Eve splashed water on her face and looked in the mirror.

  “Coward,” she said to her reflection and snatched up a towel to dry her face. Why hadn’t she just kissed Lainey tonight in the office?

  She tried to tell herself that it wasn’t what Lainey needed, that kissing her would only cause problems. But she knew that wasn’t her reason. It was only an excuse so she wouldn’t have to think of how it frightened her to know how much she really wanted to kiss Lainey. Of course she had thought about the consequences, knew that in the end it would turn out badly. She just didn’t know how long she could want Lainey and have the strength to keep turning away.

  Eve shook her head and walked out of the bathroom, still naked from her shower. Picking up Adam’s shirt, she slipped it on, and went into the sitting room. With a groan, she plopped down on the couch and contemplated calling Lainey again. She pushed her hands through her hair and frowned when she heard the doorbell. The only person that it could be was Adam. Oh God, she didn’t know if she could deal with him at this hour. But it wasn’t Adam standing on the other side of the door.

  “Why are you out alone?” Eve demanded. “Especially at this time of night?”

  “Do you want me to leave?” Lainey asked. Her heart was pounding so hard. Eve’s reaction wasn’t the one she had been hoping for.

  “How did you get here?” Eve asked as she closed and locked the door.

  “I drove.”

  “Alone? Lainey, I told you not to go out without someone with you. I thought you understood.”

  “Eve, please. I’m here and I’m fine. Stop treating me like a child.”

  “I’m not,” Eve protested. “I’m sorry, Lainey. It’s just that with everything going on, I can’t help but worry. Just like I was worried when you were late tonight.”

  “I explained that,” Lainey said, angry now. How could she have known how Eve was going to react? One minute she acted as though she wanted to be with her more than anything, and now Eve seems as though she doesn’t even want her there. She probably wanted Adam to be here instead. “You said you understood.”

  “I do! I didn’t mean that. I’m just trying to tell you that I worry. That’s all. I care about you, Lainey. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “Well, I’m fine.”

  You’re pissed off, Eve thought. “What happened to you tonight?” she said aloud. “Why did you leave without telling me?”

  “I tried to telling you but you were busy.” Lainey remembered Eve clinging to Adam’s arm, lifting her lips to his.

  “You could have come to me. I’m sure I wasn’t that busy with a client that you couldn’t say goodbye to me.” Eve felt her own temper rising.

  “I didn’t say you were with a client. You were busy with Adam. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “That’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard!” Eve exclaimed in disbelief. “Is that why you’re mad? Because I was with Adam? Lainey, you know I’m seeing him, that’s not going to change.” She paused. “What makes you think he’s not here now?”

  “Because I saw you kiss him goodnight,” Lainey told her, flushing. “I’ve been here for the past two hours.”

  “You’ve been out there, alone, for the past two hours?” Eve said. “When I distinctly asked you to not be alone, to always have someone with you? What if something had happened to you?”

  “I’ve just told you that I’ve been waiting and watching for you for hours and all you are worried about is if something had happened to me?” All at once, the events of the night hit Lainey brutally and she realized that she was emotionally exhausted.

  Eve saw the weariness in Lainey’s face and her heart broke for her. Taking her coat, she noticed that Lainey had changed into Levis and a large t-shirt that made her seem younger and more fragile than ever.

  “You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t upset, and I don’t think it has everything to do with me being with Adam,” Eve said. “Lainey, tell me what happened.”

  “He left me. Jack. He left me at the gallery. Just walked out.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Eve whispered.

  “My choice of words were a little harsher,” Lainey said with a little laugh.

  “Why didn’t you come and get me?”

  “I told you why.”

  “Goddamnit, Lainey. You should have come to me. I would have been there for you. You didn’t even give me a chance.”

  Eve was right. Lainey hadn’t given her a chance and the shame of it only brought more internal fatigue.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice trembling with threatening tears. “I didn’t know what to do. When I saw you, you were smiling at Adam, kissing him. I just couldn’t handle it with everything that was going on, so I left. I went home, tried to just forget it all, but ended up fighting more with Jack.”

  “About me?” Eve asked softly.

  “Yes. And everything else.”

  “Sit down, honey.” Eve took Lainey’s arm and guided her to the couch, and sat in front of her on the coffee table. “Talk to me.”

  “It’s all the same thing, Eve. He doesn’t want me to work. He doesn’t think you’re a good influence on me. He doesn’t think I’m being a good mother.”

  “He said that? The fucking bastard,” Eve whispered vehemently. “Don’t you ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t a good mother, Lainey. I’ve seen you with your sons. What Jack said to you was just plain stupid. He only said it to make you feel bad. Do not give him that satisfaction, honey.”

  Lainey tried holding in the tears, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

  “You don’t care what he says about you?” she asked.

  “I don’t give a shit what he says about me,” Eve told her. “He doesn’t know me, and what he says is based on ignorance. But, he says what he does about you because of some asinine jealousy. He’s trying to hurt you, Lainey. He knows you’re a great mother, sweetie, and he also knows how much it means to you. If you let him, he will push your buttons until you give him what he wants.” Eve took Lainey’s hands in hers and squeezed them. “Don’t give in to him,” she said. “I know it seems to be the easiest thing right now. You’re tired of fighting and you just want it to stop. But, honey, you lose that way. You lose more of yourself, you lose self-respect and believe it or not, you lose part of him. The part that respects you and loves you for who you are.”

  Lainey just stared at Eve. “For someone who claims to know nothing about love, you sure have the right things to say.”

  Eve gave Lainey a small smile. “I’ve never been in love, Lainey, but I’ve seen how it works. I’ve seen too many people take each other for granted, or expect things that are simply not possible. I’ve seen people get hurt when they couldn’t deliver the impossible, when they were too intimidated to fight back. I won’t sit back and watch that happen to you.” Eve said it so quietly, so intensely it made Lainey frown.

  There was something more in Eve’s words, a mixture of anger and sorrow that made Lainey wonder what had happened to make Eve feel that way. Before Lainey could ask anything, Eve continued.

 
; “What was it about tonight that made him this way? Was it just the opening and your part in it? Or was there something else?”

  Lainey lowered her eyes. How could she tell Eve the truth without making her feel miserable? She could lie and tell Eve that it had just been the opening. After all, it wasn’t really a lie; she would just be leaving parts out.

  “Don’t even think about lying to me,” Eve said, taking Lainey by surprise. “You’re like an open book sometimes. Every emotion, every thought is written across your face. Tell me the truth. What did I do to provoke him?”

  There was no use in arguing with her, Lainey realized. She had had enough of arguing anyway.

  “It was the dress,” she said softly. “He didn’t understand why you bought it for me. He said that he didn’t know why you were flaunting your money, that you must have some secret agenda.”

  To Lainey’s surprise, Eve chuckled. “Secret agenda? Like what? To get you into bed with me?” They looked at each other then, their unspoken attraction growing with each second. “Do I need to buy you dresses for that, Lainey?” Eve asked softly.

  How could Lainey tell her that that was exactly what she wanted? And, she certainly didn’t need gifts to do it.

  “I’m so confused,” Lainey said touching her forehead. “I don’t know what the hell is going on in here anymore. Or here,” she added, putting a hand to her heart. Before Lainey knew it, she was crying the tears she had fought so hard to keep inside.

  “Oh, Lainey.” Eve got to her knees in front of Lainey and put her arms around her and held tight. “It’s okay, baby. Let it out.” Eve gently rubbed Lainey’s back, trying to soothe her.

  Instead of soothing, Eve was arousing. Feeling their bodies pressed against each other’s was more than either woman could take. Eve brought her hand up to Lainey’s hair and stroked softly.

  She felt Lainey’s heart pounding against her chest and closed her eyes. She knew what she was about to do would change everything, but Eve just didn’t have the strength to back away this time. She turned her face into Lainey’s neck and breathed her in.

  She smells so good, Eve thought. Gradually she backed up until her face was inches from Lainey’s. Very slowly Eve leaned in and kissed Lainey gently, sensually on the mouth, and heard Lainey moan softly. Eve kissed her again, bringing her hand to Lainey’s face and touching her cheek.

  “Do you want me to stop, Lainey?” she whispered.

  All Lainey could do was shake her head. She couldn’t believe what was happening although she’d dreamt about it since she first laid eyes on Eve. Now it was happening and Lainey was petrified and incredibly excited at the same time.

  Eve saw the fear in Lainey’s eyes, but also saw the yearning. This time, instead of the kiss Lainey was expecting, Eve licked Lainey’s lips from the bottom to the top. The sensation of Eve’s tongue made Lainey tremble and sigh with longing. Eve touched Lainey’s lips with her fingertips and looking into Lainey’s eyes, gently parted them. Moving to Lainey, she kissed her again, touching her tongue to Lainey’s. Both of them made a sound of pure pleasure at the contact and Eve moved closer, urging Lainey to give her more. Lainey deepened the kiss, boldly intertwining her tongue with Eve’s and feeling a devastating thrill of pleasure when Eve moaned in her mouth.

  Eve trailed her hand down Lainey’s arm, taking her hand in hers. Slowly, Eve brought Lainey’s trembling hand up to her breast, pressing until Lainey squeezed gently. Then Eve’s hand left Lainey’s and reached over to cup Lainey’s breast.

  Lainey gasped and backed away suddenly. The sensation was too intense. She had never felt the way she had when Eve’s hands touched her, and it was more than she could handle. “I’m sorry,” she said and stood up, walking away from Eve.

  “No. It’s okay.” Eve touched her lips with her fingers. Heart pounding, she struggled to get back in control before turning to Lainey. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of the situation.”

  “You didn’t! Please don’t think that, Eve.”

  “I did. Look, I should have known better. The moment just got the best of me.” She saw the hurt in Lainey’s eyes. “There are so many reasons why this shouldn’t happen, Lainey.”

  “Are you telling me you didn’t want this?” The pain in Lainey’s heart was too much to bear.

  “That’s not what I said,” Eve said softly. “Lainey, every time I’ve been near you, alone with you, wanting to kiss you, wanting you, I’ve stopped. If we went as far as we want to go with each other, it could only turn out terrible in the end.”

  “That’s not true,” Lainey told her.

  With tremendous effort, Eve kept herself from putting her arms around Lainey. “It is. Honey, you’re married. If we do this, you will regret it...”

  “No! I wouldn’t!”

  This time Eve did embrace her. “You will,” she promised. “You’ll start to feel guilty about what we are doing, about hurting your husband. Eventually, you’ll start to resent me and I would lose this friendship that I’ve come to cherish so much.”

  “I would never regret that, and I could never resent you.”

  “Yes, you would. It’s inevitable,” Eve said gently, and then, before Lainey could object again, “It’s late. I don’t want you to drive home alone, so you’re staying with me tonight.”

  “I’m so glad you said that. I told Jack I wasn’t coming home. I told him I would be here if the boys asked for me.”

  Eve took Lainey’s hand. “Come on. You’re exhausted. We’re going to bed. What’s wrong?”

  “I can just sleep down here on the couch,” Lainey demanded. Now that the opportunity to be with Eve had come, Lainey was terrified.

  “No, you can’t. Come on.” Eve led Lainey to her bedroom, up the platform to the bed and began the process of taking Lainey’s shoes off. “Relax, honey.”

  Lainey was torn between continuing to protest and just giving in to the need. She was exhausted, even though just being on Eve’s bed made her want Eve even more. And Eve had practically told her that nothing would happen, or should happen between them.

  “I’m going to sleep on the couch in the sitting room,” Eve said.

  “No. I can’t let you do that.”

  “Lainey, it’s okay. Do you want something more comfortable to sleep in?”

  “No, this is fine.”

  Going to her dresser, Eve took out a white silk nightshirt.

  “Just in case you change your mind,” she told Lainey as she turned down the bed and tucked Lainey in. Fighting the urge to get in with her, Eve sat on the side of the bed and pushed Lainey’s hair back with a fingertip. “Get some rest. You’ve had a long day today; hopefully you’ll sleep well. We’ll talk more in the morning. Good night.”

  “Good night. Thank you,” Lainey said even though she knew she wouldn’t be sleeping. She needed Eve too much. “Thank you, for everything.”

  Eve sank onto the couch with a sigh. She touched her lips, thinking of Lainey’s on hers. The taste of Lainey lingered on Eve’s tongue. She wouldn’t get any sleep tonight, she knew. Not with Lainey so close and wanting her the way she did. Restless, she propped her feet up and settled in for a long, sleepless night.

  “Eve?”

  Eve looked up abruptly, dropping her fingers from her mouth, and saw Lainey standing at the entryway between the bedroom and the sitting room. She had changed into the silk nightshirt and looked at Eve with a pleading desire. Eve rose from the couch fighting the battle between what she desired and the inescapable loss that she will ultimately face. And then, Eve made her decision and began kissing Lainey passionately. Lainey responded with more fervor than Eve had dared to imagine.

  Reluctantly, Eve broke the kiss and led Lainey back into the bedroom and once again climbed the steps of the platform to the bed. She turned Lainey to her, never saying a word, and began unbuttoning her own shirt. As Lainey watched, Eve ran her hands down, parting the shirt slowly, and then slipped it off her shoulders letting it fall to the floor
.

  Lainey let out small sound of pleasure as she took in the magnificence of Eve’s bare body. She had known, without doubt, that Eve would look wonderful naked, but she wasn’t prepared for the exquisite beauty. Nervously, Lainey reached up to unbutton her own shirt, but Eve stopped her.

  “Eve...”

  “Shh.” Eve put a finger to Lainey’s lips. Reaching down, she slowly unfastened the buttons of the nightshirt and slid it off. Lainey’s heart raced, and her blood pounded in her ears as Eve’s eyes roamed over her body, covered now only by the thin material of her bra and panties. And then Eve was tracing Lainey’s lips with her tongue, moving to her chin, teasing with her lips and teeth.

  Lainey angled her head when Eve got to her neck and groaned when Eve’s teeth nipped her. She put her hands in Eve’s hair, pulling her closer and felt Eve’s movements become more eager.

  “If you want to stop, just tell me,” Eve whispered her mouth close to Lainey’s ear.

  “Don’t stop,” Lainey told her, her voice hoarse with need.

  Eve nudged Lainey onto the bed and lay next to her, their bodies touching. She brought her lips to Lainey’s and kissed her deeply, letting her hands explore her trembling body. She traced the lacy edge of Lainey’s bra, loving the satiny, smooth feel of Lainey’s skin. Eve lowered her head to replace her fingers with her tongue, rolling it over the swell of Lainey’s breast, moaning when Lainey arched her back. She took the edge of the bra and lowered it, exposing Lainey’s breast, and caught the taut nipple between her teeth. Lainey cried out in ecstasy as Eve’s teeth and tongue worked wonders.