by Parker, Ali
Tool, I thought as I swung my leg over the seat and tucked my helmet under my arm.
I hopped up onto the sidewalk as the man in the suit offered Evangeline his arm. She threaded hers through the crook of his elbow and smiled up at him as he began leading her to the wide double doors of a very lavish-looking two-story restaurant with a glass front.
I jogged over to them and called her name.
Evangeline turned, her brow furrowed in confusion, her red lips slightly parted, and memories flooded over me.
Me and Evangeline making out on my bike in her driveway at the manor in Chicago.
Me and Evangeline fooling around by the edge of the pool on a hot summer day when her father was out of town.
Me and Evangeline telling each other we loved each other when we were both a little drunk and a little high on endorphins after a night of lovemaking.
I swallowed as a smile touched her lips and recognition lit up her bright green eyes, which were just as dazzling and wild and clear as I remembered.
Like tropical oceans. A sea of green and wonder.
Chapter 6
Evangeline
Matthew pulled me in a little closer to his side when we turned toward the man who had called my name.
At first, I’d expected to turn around and see one of my father’s friends. Or perhaps someone from the party who had tried to get my phone number. Or even worse, someone from the media.
But he was none of those things.
I smiled and my cheeks hurt. “Owen McCully.”
He’d changed. A lot.
For starters, he was much bigger than I remembered. Back when we were young and dumb and under the impression that we were in love, he’d been tall and lean with a lot of filling out to do. He had very clearly done it. His shoulders were broader, his arms thick with muscle. His chest was full, and his posture was powerful. He was a man who owned the space around him and commanded respect—or fear, depending on who you were.
His auburn hair was thicker and untamed, probably due to the fact that he’d just been wearing a helmet. That did not surprise me. Owen almost always had his helmet with him because he rode everywhere he went. His jaw was more square and covered in dark stubble that dared me to reach out and stroke his cheek like I used to.
I swallowed.
There were also some things about him that were new and not necessarily positive things. His nose had been broken. Again. It was more crooked than it used to be. And there was a scar through his right eyebrow where no hair grew.
But damn him, he was still a handsome devil.
Devil being the key word there.
He looked me up and down in that same way he always used to, like a lion who had found what he wanted after months of searching. “I never thought I’d see you in this neck of the woods, Angel,” he purred.
Angel.
He’d called me Angel for as long as I’d known him. When we’d first met and he found out my name was Evangeline, he’d cocked his head to the side and said he was going to call me Eva. But then he frowned, shook his head, and said I was no Eva. So he went with Angel.
He was the only person who had ever called me that, and I liked it that way. It had become our special thing.
“I live here now,” I told him.
His dark, thick eyebrows lifted. “Oh yeah? Likewise.”
“Really? I never thought you’d leave Rhys back in Chicago.”
“I didn’t,” he said.
I cocked my head to the side curiously.
He waved his hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. You look good, Angel. Really good.”
I wished my cheeks weren’t burning so furiously, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. There were some men who just made you feel a certain way, and Owen was and always had been Kryptonite to me. He was a bad boy. Rugged. Mean. Tough.
But he also had a soft and gooey center that I knew not many people were privy to. I was one of the lucky ones who’d gotten a glimpse of it before our time together ended.
“And you’ve been staying in trouble, I see.” I nodded at his face, referencing his new scar and newly shaped nose.
He grinned and slid a hand in his jean pocket. “Me? Trouble? Never.”
I giggled.
Matthew suddenly stepped forward and let my arm fall as he offered his hand to Owen. “Hey, man. I’m Matthew. Nice to meet you.”
Owen looked from Matthew’s hand to his face, then accepted the gesture and closed his fingers around Matthew’s. “Owen McCully.”
Matthew stood back and put his hand on my lower back. “How do you two know each other?”
Owen looked to me to answer.
“Oh,” I said, trying not to smile as I recalled the memories of our times together. “We used to date. About seven years ago.”
Matthew nodded knowingly. “So you’re from Chicago, then?”
“Born and raised,” Owen said.
“Why did you move to the Big Apple? I just found myself living here after a transfer at work. I work for Evangeline’s father, actually.” Matthew flashed a cocky smile and glanced at me. I smiled politely back up at him.
Owen cleared his throat. “I needed a change. Chicago was getting a bit too small.”
“Small?” Matthew asked.
I interjected, sparing Owen from having to explain his involvement with his MC. “Owen was always meant for someplace other than Chicago. At least, that’s what I always thought.”
“You did?” Owen asked.
I nodded and dropped my gaze to the sidewalk. “I did.”
Matthew’s hand pressed more firmly into my lower back and wrapped slightly around my waist. He pulled me gently toward him and nodded at the restaurant doors. “Sorry, man, but we’d better head in. This place books up weeks in advance, and I had to do some serious schmoozing to get us a table tonight. You understand, don’t you?”
Owen took his helmet out from under his arm and let it hang by his side. “Of course. You can’t let a schmoozed-for table go to waste. Have a good night.”
I offered Owen the best smile I could and hoped he understood the feeling behind it. I wished I could stay out there and talk with him longer. But that wouldn’t be fair to Matthew, who had very clearly gone through a lot of work to make tonight happen. I appreciated his efforts, and I wanted him to know that.
But Owen McCully was a hard man for me to turn my back on.
When I did, he caught my wrist and pulled me to him, right out from under Matthew’s arm. He gazed down at me with his deep brown eyes. “Sorry, Matthew, one second?”
Matthew sighed behind me. “Of course.”
Owen smiled at me. “Can we meet for coffee sometime and catch up? I want to know what the last seven years have looked like for you.”
“I’d like that.”
“Yeah?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes. Now, you’ll have to let go of my hand so I can get back to my date.”
Owen released me and let my hand fall to my side. “I don’t have your number.”
I stepped back toward Matthew. “I guess you’ll just have to find me again. Have a good night, Owen.”
I let Matthew lead me through the doors and into the restaurant, and I didn’t look back to see if Owen was staring after me, even though I desperately wanted to.
Matthew greeted the host, who immediately brought us to a table by the window. It was a romantic little spot at a small table that was so intimate, our knees touched when we sat down. He proceeded to order us a bottle of red wine and told the host that we were going to keep the drinks menu.
Just in case.
While he spoke to the host, I rested my chin on my hand and gazed out the window to watch Owen get back on his bike.
It was the same one he’d had all those years ago.
The army-green paint looked a little faded from the sun, but everything else about it was the same. The brass accents, the matte-black motor, and exposed pieces.
When he pulled away, I
frowned.
Across the back of his leather jacket were the words “Lost Breed.”
“What’s the matter?” Matthew asked.
I shook my head and tore my gaze off of Owen, who was peeling off down the street. “Nothing. Sorry.”
Matthew studied me. “The two of you have history, huh?”
I licked my lips. “Yes. That was rude of me, wasn’t it? Indulging him like that?”
Matthew shook his head. “No. Not at all. The two of you very clearly went way back. I was the one who was rude, pulling you away like that. I was being selfish. I didn’t want to miss my chance to sit down with a woman like you in a place like this. Do you think me a bad person?”
Matthew had stolen all of my attention back with his charm. I smiled. “You aren’t a bad person, Matthew. I’m happy to be here with you. I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”
“Likewise,” he said, twisting around in his chair and craning his neck to peer over the heads of other customers in the restaurant. “Now, where’s that wine so I can perfectly time my toast to our evening and getting to know each other?”
Matthew was smooth. He’d addressed the run-in with Owen and effortlessly moved past it like a gentleman, and I appreciated that in a man.
When he spotted our server coming, he turned back toward me with a crooked grin that in turn made me smile. He had a boyish charm to him that was endearing, but also another edgier, sexier, more mysterious side.
The server poured us our wine, and he lifted his glass in a toast. “To a good evening with a new friend.”
“Cheers,” I said, and we both took a sip of the merlot. It went down as smoothly as Matthew’s lines.
I crossed one leg over the other. “So, Matthew. How long have you worked with my father? I believe you told me at the party, but I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten since then.”
“About four years now.”
“Do you like working with him?”
Matthew nodded. “I do now. At first, it was a bit overwhelming. Your father, as I’m sure you know, is a very headstrong man, and he’s ruthless when it comes to business. He has a vision for his company and his brand, and he shoots for the moon. Which I’ve learned over the last two years is the only way to have any sort of success in this day and age, especially when your project is environmental. It’s easy for the world to turn a blind eye and forget about you if you’re not making sure you’re right in their face at every turn.”
I laughed. “You’ve definitely sat in many meetings with my father. You sound just like him.”
He raised his wine glass. “I will take that as a high compliment.”
“It is.” I smiled, taking another sip of wine and watching Matthew Aero over the rim of my wine glass.
Charming indeed.
Chapter 7
Owen
She took my hand in hers and pulled me away from the crowd as the music vibrated the earth under our feet. Her laughter was lost in the air, drowned out by the screams of the crowd, the music blaring on stage, the chorus of voices, the beat of the drums, and the chords of the electric guitar.
But I knew she was laughing nevertheless.
Evangeline was always laughing when we were together.
I cast a glance over my shoulder as she stole me away, around behind the stage where nobody was allowed to enter except security and VIP personnel. Evangeline’s wealth and her last name let her get away with a lot of shit I never would have dreamed of attempting. A guy like me would go to jail for attempting the shit she got away with.
She spun me around and pushed me up against the side of the platform used for the stage. There weren’t many people back here, and now that we were out of range of the speakers, I could hear her when she whispered, “I want you right now.”
“Here?” I breathed. My cock twitched in my pants in response, and the breathless giggle that came out of her only made it worse. I swallowed. “Angel, someone will see us.”
“Since when were you the goody-good in this duo?” she asked, cocking her head to the side to give me a quizzical stare.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Since you started saying crazy shit like that.”
She tossed her head back and closed her eyes as she faced the night sky.
Good God, she was beautiful.
Too beautiful and too sweet and too clever for the likes of me.
But she turned her sights back on me, her lips curling in a naughty smile that threatened to take my legs out from under me, and she pressed her hands flat to my chest. “Then why don’t we find somewhere a little more private?”
Her hands fell to my crotch, and she rubbed my cock through my jeans.
I grabbed her wrist and pushed her away, but she refused to relent, and if I didn’t answer her soon, I knew she’d have a hand down my pants, and then I’d be done for. Seconds would pass, and she’d be on her knees, pulling my pants down.
And then all bets were off.
I’d fuck her right here and now and wouldn’t give a damn who saw us.
“Come on, baby,” she purred, hooking her thumb in my waistband and pulling me to her. “Let’s go.”
“Lead the way.”
Evangeline took my hand again and led me away from the outdoor concert at Jay Pritzker Pavilion. I hurried along behind her and cast wary looks over my shoulder to make sure no security was watching as my girl dragged me to the treeline on the outskirts of the concert property. We plunged into the darkness, and once we were shielded from view by the leaves and branches and shadow, she spun to me, gathered the front of my shirt in her hands, and pulled me in for a kiss.
She tasted like spiced rum.
I cupped her cheek in my hand and plunged my fingers into her thick dark hair to hold her in place as I walked her backward until her shoulder blades were pressed against the trunk of a tree. She smiled into our kiss and fumbled with my fly to get my jeans undone.
When she succeeded, she let out a needy little moan into my mouth and plunged her hand into my boxers to stroke my cock.
Evangeline was wearing a short black skirt and a button-up white blouse that she’d tied in a knot to shorten it and expose her flat belly and the sparkly piece of jewelry in her navel. She took my free hand and pressed it to her stomach. Then, holding my wrist, she encouraged me to run my palm down her stomach and under her skirt, where I discovered she wasn’t wearing any panties.
I broke our kiss and pressed my forehead to hers. Her eyes were closed.
“You were counting on this, weren’t you, Angel?”
She nodded.
I teased her, running my hand along the inside of her thighs and tracing the groove between her pussy and hip. Her skin was soft and smooth and firm, and she bit her bottom lip and pushed her hips toward me, silently pleading for me to give her what she wanted.
Her blue eyes fluttered open, and she stared right into my soul. “If you make me wait any longer, Owen McCully, I’m going to have to take care of myself.”
“Sounds sexy,” I purred.
She cracked a wicked smile. “Sounds like blue balls for you.”
“Fuck me,” I growled when my alarm clock started blaring obnoxiously on my nightstand.
I glared at my ceiling, full of anger and spite that morning had come at the exact moment that things were heating up in my dream.
I rolled over, slammed my hand on my alarm clock to silence it, and then went back to lay on my back and gaze at the ceiling. I was out of breath. My cock was hard as hell, and the soft graze of the blanket on top of me was enough to make me flinch.
Of course, I was already dreaming about her.
Evangeline had always had a hold on me that was incomparable to any other woman’s draw. In fact, all other women paled in comparison to her. I’d said that to Rhys once, who told me I was probably missing out on plenty of great women because I was constantly holding them up against Evangeline and what we’d had.
He was right. He always was. But it didn’t change a damn t
hing.
I still pined for her soul and her heart and her lips and her tits and her pussy. I pined for all of her. She filled something in me that nobody else would ever be able to fill, and until I saw her last night, I had resigned myself to my fate that she and I were nothing but a memory. Something to look back on with fondness and to dream about from time to time.
But, damn it all to hell, I could have sworn there was still something there when she looked at me last night. Her gaze had been full of fire, just like it used to be, and she didn’t try to hide it, even though she was clearly out on a date with another man.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. “You’re being a fool.”
Seven years was a long time. A lot had changed for both of us.
I was a different man than I used to be. I could only assume she was different too. She looked like she’d moved on with her life and followed in her father’s footsteps. They were making a difference, and the man she’d had on her arm last night probably had goals more aligned with hers.
It didn’t matter how many times I told myself she and I didn’t make sense, and I should leave it alone.
I needed to see her again. The dream only reaffirmed that.
It hadn’t been a fantasy, but rather a memory of one of my favorite nights with the girl of my dreams.
Evangeline had shown me a wild time that night at the concert. She’d sucked me off in the trees and let me fuck her against the trunk. She didn’t keep quiet, either. Anyone walking past would have known there were two lovers going at it in the trees.
I could still recall her cries when she came.
I ripped my blankets off and padded to my bathroom, where I cranked the cold water in my shower and stepped under the spray. The cold instantly made my skin prickle with goosebumps, but it chased away the lingering arousal that sat heavily in my limbs.
By the time I got dressed and had a cup of coffee, I felt almost normal, but my mind was still occupied with thoughts of Evangeline and the man she was with last night.