by Haven, Rose
“It’s nice,” she said, “I’m finding my way around.”
She had a nice smile, Evan noticed. They made small talk in between her looking after the few other customers and noticed that she seemed to finally relax a bit talking to him. Once or twice, she even laughed, a light musical sound that he wanted to hear again and again. When her shift ended, he offered to stay and wait while she closed up and to make sure she made it upstairs safely. He could sense that she wanted to say no, that she almost did say no, but in the end she acquiesced.
Sally finished her closing duties and locked up the bar before heading around the side of the building to the stairway that led to her apartment.
“I’ll have to talk to Buck about putting a light up on this side,” Evan said. “You shouldn’t be walking up here in the dark.”
“You mean to tell me your town isn’t a haven of safety,” she asked him and it took him only a brief moment to realize she was teasing him.
“Look, I can keep the criminal element at bay all I want but that won’t stop you from tripping on these damn stairs and breaking your neck,” he replied.
“Well good thing I’m not a klutz,” she said, reaching the small landing at the top of the stairs. She put her key in the lock and turned but the door seemed to stick. She put her shoulder to it and gave it a shove. The door gave way and she fell forward into the dark apartment. Evan reached out quickly and wrapped his arm around her waist, hauling her up against him to steady her. Gaining her footing, Sally turned in his arms finding herself for the second time this night plastered against Evan’s chest. Her hand instinctively went up to rest against his heart and she could feel it beating as quickly as the pulse in her own ears. They stood like that for a moment, eyes locked, breath held, until Evan’s cell phone rang and broke the spell. Sally blinked quickly and stepped from his grasp into her apartment.
“Thanks for walking me home Sherriff,” she said and quickly closed the door.
Sally
Sally slumped against the door, trying to steady her pulse. Her palms were sweaty and her breathing a bit ragged.
Good Lord girl, get ahold of yourself, she thought. She locked her door and walked to the bedroom, stopping in the bathroom to turn on the shower. She quickly shed her clothes and returned to the bathroom where the steam was gathering around the edges of the mirror. She climbed under the hot spray, letting the water wash the tension from her body. She touched her breasts and remembered what it felt like to have been pressed up against Evan’s broad chest just a few moments earlier. Her nipples went hard at the thought of it. It had been a while since she’d been with a man. It’d been months since she had seen Joey before the trial, the Feds keeping her under lock and key so she couldn’t change her mind. She briefly wondered what Evan would feel like over her, under her, inside of her. A moan escaped her lips as she felt a flood of warmth pool in her lower belly.
Sally finished her shower and got out to towel herself off. She brushed her teeth and dressed for bed. She went into the living room to turn off the lights and noticed a scrap of paper on the floor near the door. Bending down to pick it up, she turned it over:
Dinner tomorrow? 7 pm.
Pick you up at 6:30.
-Evan
Her pulse jumped again at his note and she immediately began to think of excuses she could give, of reasons she couldn’t or shouldn’t go. It was hard for her to trust another person, and honestly she didn’t feel very trustworthy herself. The only man who’d ever loved her would be sitting in a jail cell for the next twenty-five years because of her. Logically she knew that she’d done the right thing. That even though Joey had been good to her, he wasn’t a good person. He’d robbed and ruined lives and he deserved what he had gotten but her role in the whole thing still left a bad taste in her mouth.
No, tomorrow she would call Evan and politely decline his offer. She wasn’t ready. Not for dinner, not for romance, and certainly not for whatever her imagination could come up with might happen after.
Evan
Evan lay awake in bed that night staring up at the ceiling, thinking about Sally. He had enjoyed talking to her, enjoyed making her laugh. He’d hoped that their conversation would take away some of her mystery and he could just let it go but, if anything, he was even more interested. And confused.
She was a walking contradiction. She seemed self-conscious and demure but the way her body molded against his in her apartment doorway belied a sexuality that simmered just beneath the surface. When their eyes had met for that brief moment he had been surprised to see a need there that matched his own and her lips had parted slightly as if waiting for…what?
He imagined what her lips would taste like if he’d kissed her, imagined her hands in his hair and the feel of her body pressed against his. The phone call that had interrupted them had probably been a blessing in disguise. Evan guarded his heart very closely and the warning signs were buzzing around his head where Sally was concerned.
Yet he was compelled to jot down the note inviting her to dinner and slip it under her door.
What if she says yes, he thought and his heart beat a little faster.
What if she says no, he thought with a hint of panic. Here he was a combat vet, business owner, and sherriff of the town and he was practically scared stupid of dinner with a little bit of a girl. He truly needed to get his shit together.
Realizing that sleep would not come easily to him tonight, he sat up and swung his legs out of bed. Throwing on a pair of jeans, a
t-shirt, and boots, Evan stepped out into the cool night air. He walked the short path from the main house to the barn and went in to check on the horses. They all stood in their stalls, some quietly chewing their hay, others asleep. He walked to the very last stall where his favorite horse, a black beast named Voodoo, stood and stroked his inky dark mane. Voodoo stood approximately seventeen hands tall and had a thickly muscled barrel chest. Evan led him out of his stall to the tack area and saddled him for a quick ride in the indoor arena attached to the stables. He mounted Voodoo and took him for several turns around the arena, starting at a slow cantor and urging him into a full gallop until Evan felt his thoughts break away and focused only on the feeling of flying that he always got when being atop his horse. He took Voodoo back down to a walk and led him back to the tack area where he took off the saddle, brushed and watered him. He secured the horse back in its stall and headed back to the house, falling onto his bed and into a deep sleep.
Sally
The next day Sally set about searching for a few odds and ends to make the apartment a bit more homey. She stopped into the antique shop and bought a vase and a painting of a sunset over the plains to put up over the couch. Next she stopped at Delilah’s Florist to pick out a pretty bunch to put into the vase and give the monotone living room some color. As she walked out of the store, she noticed Evan walking toward her, hands in his pockets. He looked like a nervous high-schooler about to ask her to prom, she thought.
“Mornin’ Sally,” Evan said with his trademark tip of the hat.
“Good morning,” she replied.
“Did you get my note,” Evan asked.
“I did,” Sally replied. She’d stayed up half the damn night thinking about that note and all the reasons she should tear it up pretend she hadn’t seen it but in the end she hadn’t been able to come up with one good one. “I’d love to have dinner with you Evan,” she heard herself say.
A slow smile spread across Evan’s handsome face and his shoulders visibly relaxed.
“Great, I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said and gave a quick wave as he headed off to the police station.
Sally spent the rest of the afternoon arranging her new purchases in the apartment and trying on one outfit after another for her date with Evan. She finally settled on a knee length yellow sundress with a white ribbon at the waist. She showered and straightened her naturally curly blonde hair, tying it back at the nape of her neck with a white satin ribbon.
&nbs
p; Though fair-complected, she had a natural rosiness to her cheeks and put a quick swipe of gloss on her full pink lips. Sliding on her soft brown cowboy boots, she stepped back to appraise her look in the mirror as a knock sounded at her door. Sally stepped into the living room and opened the door to Evan on the landing. He wore dark, snug-fitting jeans that left little to the imagination and a dark blue button down shirt that set off the grey of his eyes. He gave her a once over and softly whistled his approval.
Sally blushed and giggled at his reaction, nervously fiddling with the ribbon at her waist.
“You look quite nice too,” she stated, taking the arm that Evan offered, and stepped out onto the landing, locking the door behind her.
Evan helped Sally into his pickup and drove a few miles into another town to a small Italian restaurant with an outdoor patio.
He was a perfect gentleman, opening doors and pulling out chairs, and Sally felt surprisingly at ease in his presence. He ordered them a bottle of red wine and settled back in his chair. The night was warm and their conversation flowed. Dinner was delicious and the music from the band inside drifted out onto the patio where they sat. A slower number came on and Evan asked Sally to dance. He placed a large hand on the small of her back and pulled her against him. She settled one hand on his shoulder and laced the fingers of the other through his. They swayed in time to the music, Sally surprised at how light on his feet a guy Evan’s size could be. He twirled her around in a circle and she threw her head back laughing in delight. Evan’s head felt light and he knew it wasn’t from the wine. As the song ended and he pulled her back to rest against him, Evan leaned down and pressed his lips softly to Sally’s.
The kiss was tentative at first, like he was seeking her permission, but as she relaxed her body against his he took full possession of her mouth. Evan deepened the kiss, teasing her tongue with his and gently nipping at her bottom lip. Sally stood up on her toes and turned her head slightly, giving him more access. She felt the heat from his mouth travel from her lips to the tips of her toes and her head began to swim. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she returned his kiss in kind and her fingers curled into the front of his shirt.
Evan broke the kiss abruptly and led her from the dance floor. He dropped a $100 bill on the table and strode to the parking lot with Sally in tow. They made the fifteen minute drive back to her apartment in silence, both afraid that if they spoke the spell would be broken. Evan still had enough sense to park his truck around the back of the building where it wasn’t visible from the street. If what he had on his mind was about to happen, he didn’t want the two of them to be headline at breakfast the next morning. He helped Sally out of the truck and followed her upstairs, barely able to keep his hands to himself.
Evan
Once they were inside the small apartment, Evan spun Sally around and pressed her back against the door. He bowed his head and kissed her again, this time his tongue more demanding than before. He gently sucked at her bottom lip and ground his hips against her. A low moan bubbled up from within her as she felt his erection pressed to her belly and in one quick move, she was off her feet being carried into her small bedroom.
He set her on the floor and undid the satin ribbon at her neck and freeing her hair to fall softly over her shoulders. He slowly slid the straps of her dress down her shoulders until the light fabric fell to the floor at her feet. With a flick of his wrist, Evan freed her breasts from her bra and lowered her slowly onto the bed, lying beside her. He kissed her softly and cupped a large breast in his hand, rolling a hard nipple between his thumb and forefinger before dropping his head to draw the nipple into his mouth, slowly sucking until Sally wanted to scream. Sensing her need for him, Evan slid his hand further, over her ribs and belly, under the waistband of her lacy panties. He paused only slightly as he felt the heat radiating from her center before slipping first one, then two fingers into her wetness, stroking her deep until she began to buck under his hand.
“Please Evan,” she whimpered. “Please, I need…”
“Shhhh, not yet,” he replied, withdrawing his fingers. He slid down to the floor onto his knees while pulling her to the edge of the bed and sliding her panties down. He bent his head to her and applied firm pressure along her tender folds with his tongue, alternately licking and sucking on the tight bud at the juncture.
Casey threw her head back and drove her hands into Evan’s hair, trying to pull him up and over her but also not wanting him to stop. His tongue felt so damn good. She rolled her hips upward and moaned loudly, calling his name over and over and he sensed that her climax was near. Not wanting to end this too quickly but unable to control the building pressure in his body any longer, he stood, shed his clothes, and thrust himself, hard and thick, into her.
“Oh God Sally, you feel so good,” Evan swore.
“More, Evan, I want more of you,” she begged.
Obliging, he drove himself deeper inside her, burying himself to the hilt. His long slow strokes became quicker and harder, thrusting deeper and deeper until they both finally broke, her body squeezing him tight inside of her. Casey’s vision went momentarily black as she came and Evan collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily.
They spent the next few hours a tangle of sheets and limbs as they made love again, slowly exploring one another’s bodies, finally falling asleep in each other’s arms.
Sally
Over the next month Sally and Evan saw one another almost daily. In public they kept contact to a minimum but in private, they could barely keep their hands off each other. During this time, Sally settled further into her life in Oklahoma. She grew to love the sunrises over fields that stretched for miles and was at least acquainted with almost everyone in town. She made a few friends, liked her job, and added further touches to her apartment, making it truly a home. She was, for the first time in her life, truly happy.
Evan had taken her to his home, a huge sprawling ranch house on three hundred acres of land, complete with a barn, stables, and pastures as far as the eye could see, as well as various outbuildings scattered over the land. The house itself was massive. It was just under three thousand square feet stretched out on one floor. The kitchen had stone floors and marble counter tops with oversized appliances and a stone apron sink. Sally loved to cook for Evan in his kitchen and loved even more, his enjoyment of her dishes.
One night after dinner, as they sat on the couch in front of the large brick fireplace in Evan’s greatroom, Sally admitted to herself that she was in love with this man.
“What are you thinking about,” he asked, looking at her curiously.
Realizing that she had been smiling, Sally started to giggle. She snuggled closer to him and drew in a deep breath, filling her nose with his manly scent.
“Come on spill it,” Evan said, tipping her head toward him with a finger under her chin.
Sally looked up at him through her lashes and said quietly, “I love you Evan.”
Evan stared down at her for a moment, the corners of his mouth slowly turning up into a beaming smile.
“I love you too Sally,” he answered.
Later that night when they pulled up to the bar, Sally noticed that the light was on in her apartment.
“Hmm, that’s odd, “she said. “I don’t remember leaving that light on.”
Evan quickly exited the truck telling Sally to lock the doors behind him while he went to have a look. She watched him climb the stairs with his hand on the gun at his hip, feeling rather silly. She was sure she had just forgotten to turn the light off in her haste to get to Evan. She had walked to the police station and waited for him to finish up for the night and they took his car to the ranch. She had been so preoccupied lately.
Evan came back to the car and opened the door for her, helping her out.
“The door was locked and it doesn’t seem like anything is out of place,” he said.
“I told you, I probably just forgot to turn it off,” she replied.
Evan walked her u
pstairs and waited for her to do a walk-through of the apartment to make sure all was in order before kissing her goodnight and waiting for her to lock the door behind him. Sally washed her face and changed into her favorite oversized Mets t-shirt before climbing into bed. As she fell asleep she didn’t notice the open window where the gentle night breeze lifted the curtains in her room.
Evan
Evan drove home after dropping Sally off at her apartment, a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. Even though Sally had been sure that she had just forgotten to turn off the light and nothing had appeared out of place, Evan just felt that something was off. Call it his police training or just his instincts but his hackles were up. He made a mental note to talk to Buck tomorrow about installing a camera on the outside of the bar near the stairway and maybe changing the locks on the apartment door.
The next morning, Evan went into the office and called Buck. After getting him to agree to the camera and new locks, Evan felt slightly more at ease and was able to settle into his day. He checked in on his deputies and personally responded to some complaint calls and tried to read through an amended budget report. He had stopped in at Delilah’s to get some flowers and went to the grocery store for supplies for the evening. Tonight he would cook for Sally: steak, twice-baked potatoes and a salad. As the day wound down, he stopped at the bar and picked up Sally who was just getting off of an afternoon shift she switched to be able to have the night off.
Sally opened a bottle of white wine as Evan grilled the steaks on the large terrace, the smell of the seasoned meat making her mouth water. They ate dinner and finished the bottle of wine as the fading light of the end of summer blanketed the ranch. They carried the dishes inside and Sally set about to clean up. Once everything was put away, Evan lifted her up to sit on the counter, placing a hand on each side of her and resting his forehead against hers. She reached up and brushed a lock of dark hair from his forehead. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.