by BJ Wane
"So what was your favorite thing to do?" Carl asked her.
Sitting curled in the large recliner Nate had added to the room, she could practically feel her face light with animated pleasure as she told them about her weekend and all the fun she had. Unfortunately, Holly didn't seem to be as pleased for her good fortune and Eve was trying hard not to let Holly's sour mood spoil her fun.
"You mean other than island sex? It has to be zip lining," Eve said after a moment.
"Hey, you didn't mention sex before. Tell us about that," Mark teased her just to see her blush.
They ribbed each other openly about sex, but in a generic way and always without details. "It was fucking awesome, and that's all you need to know," Eve laughed. She knew they wanted the intimate details about as much as she wanted to give them to them. "But the zip lining came in a close second, that is after I got over being scared to go it alone."
"If you were scared, why didn't Nate go tandem with you? I'm pretty sure you can."
It took effort, but Eve managed to ignore the censure in Holly's tone when she answered, "I had to sky dive tandem with him because I didn't have the experience or certification, but all you need is guts to zip line solo, that and a tight grip. Nate gave me my choice, and I chose to go alone. Besides, he was seconds behind me after each jump and I literally fell into Dec's arms on the last one, something I didn't mind at all. You met him, Holly, so you know what I mean." She fanned herself in exaggeration but didn't hear an agreement or even a chuckle from her.
Carl sent a silent warning glare to Holly who was frowning at Eve, obviously not pleased with her remarks. When she shrugged at him in dismissal, he gave Eve the compliment she deserved. "I'm proud of you, Eve. A lot of people with disabilities wouldn't be as daring as you and it's obvious your bravado's paid off. It sounds like you had a great time."
"We did, and he's already invited me to go with them next year."
The sound of Nate calling out as he came in drowned out the sigh of irritation from Holly, but both Carl and Mark heard it and saw her irritated scowl. As Eve got up to greet him, Mark leaned over and whispered angrily, "Whatever your problem is, keep it to yourself."
"She's setting herself up to get hurt," Holly snapped. "Let's see how happy you are for her then."
One look at Eve's face and he could tell she was tense, which pissed Nate off as much as seeing her wearing those glasses again. She was relaxed, happy and carefree on the island, a side of her he hadn't seen enough of and liked a lot. One evening with Holly, her so-called best friend, and she was already looking edgy. "Send them all home," he demanded by way of a greeting, shifting the pizza boxes so he could grasp her chin and hold her face up to his when she started to turn away.
"It's just Holly, the guys are a delight. She'll come around, just give her some time. Go join them and I'll bring the plates in. It smells great."
Nate let it go, but knew Eve would soon have to see Holly as the self-centered bitch she was and he already felt for her when that realization finally dawned. "Spinach, onion and white sauce for you; meat lovers for us who know how to eat pizza."
Smiling, Eve called out, "Hey, Holly, come join me in the kitchen," hoping a few minutes of girl talk would soothe her ruffled feathers.
"I'll get the plates," Holly said when she joined her behind the counter. "In the meantime, why don't you give me a few salacious details?"
Eve grabbed a few bottles of beer from the refrigerator, glad Holly didn't sound put out anymore. "God, Holly, it was amazing. I had no idea sex in the water, in a hammock, on a chair on the beach could be so much fun, and that's not counting the orgasms Nate's new toys were responsible for while I was zip lining," she finished on a giggle.
"I met a guy in Spain and we fucked behind a tree on a nude beach one afternoon, so I know what you mean. Where were the others?" It was difficult, but Holly stifled her jealousy. Damn it, she should've been there with her. From the look on Eve's face when Nate came in, she had let all that outdoor, beach sex go to her head and was now in deeper with him, just like she'd feared would happen. "Where were they when all this fucking was going on?"
Eve opened the pizza box lids and took a large whiff of the tantalizing aromas, hiding her face behind them so she could whisper, "Oh, they were all right there, also indulging. Except in the hammock. Nate's friend, Fin, joined us that time."
"A three-way, Eve? I'm sorry, hon, but that doesn't sound like it's serious on his part. I did warn you. Didn't Fin's date mind?"
Eve put slices on the plates, pondering Holly's comment. She hadn't wondered why Nate wasn't jealous until Holly planted that seed. Uncomfortable with the thought, she quipped airily, "Not at all. Since I had Dec a few weeks ago, I let her have him to herself while Fin joined us."
It didn't sit well hearing Eve fucked the same man Holly had tried and failed to entice an invite to accompany them on their trip. It had been bad enough she'd had to vie for Eve's attention ever since she moved in next to Mark and Carl, but they had never been a threat to her relationship with Eve, even though they disliked her as much as she did them. Nate, however, had managed to do what no other man had, worm his way past Holly into Eve's life and affections. It was her own fault for staying away so long this past year. She had gotten overly confident and relied on their close, tight bond to protect Eve from men and the hurt they could inflict on someone as vulnerable as she was.
"Just don't count on being Nate's choice to accompany him again next year. Men are fickle, and once they get what they want, the desire quickly shifts to someone else."
But he's mine now, Eve thought testily as they picked up the plates and headed into the great room. She knew Holly's intentions were good, and she thought she was looking out for Eve's best interests, but for once she wished Holly would be more optimistic and supportive instead of so pessimistically negative. "Don't worry, Holly. I know exactly where I stand with Nate." Or she thought she did until her well-meaning friend's remarks raised those pesky doubts again.
Nate didn't like Eve's subdued mood when she returned with the pizza and really didn't like how quiet she was for the next hour while Nate answered Mark and Carl's questions about Belize. Holly's interest in hearing what he had to elaborate on seemed genuine, but he sensed her interest was feigned and didn't like the sly, watchful glances she kept giving Eve. By the time the guys rose to leave, he was more than ready to see the last of Holly.
"I'll walk you guys out," Nate offered, more out of the need for a breath of fresh air than out of politeness. But when he came back in a few minutes later and heard Holly, he wished he hadn't given her those few minutes alone with Eve.
Holly didn't hear Nate come in and hugged Eve, saying, "Enjoy your time with Nate while you can, hon, I wouldn't begrudge you that. Just remember, I'm always here for you, no matter what."
"Holly, let me walk you to your car." Nate's frosty tone was lost on Holly, but not on Eve, who frowned but kept quiet.
"Thanks, Nate. I'll talk to you tomorrow, hon." Grabbing her coat off the stair rail where someone must have draped it, Holly walked out into the cool night air, thinking this might be a good opportunity to show Eve just how fickle men could be. When they reached her car parked at the curb behind Nate's, she turned to him as he reached around her to open the door.
Resting her hands on his shoulders, Holly leaned into him, finding him as big and as hard as he looked, liking what she felt. "You know, Nate," she whispered seductively, "I love Eve dearly, but we both know how green she is when it comes to men and sex." Running one hand down his chest, she stopped at his crotch and squeezed his cock. "I, on the other hand, have the experience she lacks, and I think you'll find me much more… accommodating in bed."
With only the streetlamp for illumination, Nate didn't have a clear look of Holly's face, but it was enough to show the sly calculation gleaming in her dark eyes. Disgusted, he slowly removed her hands, pinning them behind her and bringing her up on her toes to look him square in the eye. With dece
ptive softness, he asked, "Is this meant to show your best friend how untrustworthy we men can be or do you really want me, Holly?"
Realizing he heard her last comment to Eve, Holly struggled to hide her panic and pull away from him. "She told me how you've shared her with your friends, so I figured you wouldn't mind if she shared you with me," she sneered.
"Well, you figured wrong. I'm with Eve, Holly, one hundred percent. You'd do best to remember that and keep your opinions on matters you know nothing about to yourself."
Turning, Nate strode angrily back up the walk to the sound of Holly speeding on squealing tires down the street. It was becoming increasingly obvious Holly had an unhealthy, possessive attachment to Eve. The question was, how far would she go to keep others away? And, more importantly, what could he do about it? He now wished he heeded Mark and Carl's concern over Eve's best friend a little sooner.
Chapter Seventeen
"No."
"Why not?" Nate sighed and looked up from the latest plans for the new riding facilities for the disabled he had picked up today. Across the room Eve was frowning at him, her nimble fingers never breaking stride as she played the piano and glared his way. For the past two days, she had been asking him to get Holly an invitation to the annual charity auction gala they were attending next weekend and he had been telling her no, an answer she wasn't taking well. The truth was he didn't want to go, let alone subject Eve to a night among the snobs of Richmond's elite society and himself to enduring more of Holly's dislikable company. Unfortunately, since his parents, as well as his friends' families, were the main hosts and contributors to the annual benefit for the burn center, the four of them decided years ago this could be one of those few obligations they didn't shun in order to keep some kind of peace between them and their parents.
"Because I want to enjoy the evening with you and we won't be able to if she's there. The woman is a pain in the ass, Eve," he told her bluntly, tired of tiptoeing around the sensitive subject of Eve's insecure friend.
"Nate, I've told you, Holly's just…"
"What?" he snapped, irritated with her refusal to see Holly for her true self. "Insecure? Let me tell you about poor, insecure Holly. Last week she wanted to show me how much more experience with sex she has than you. That's how insecure your so-called friend is." He hadn't wanted to tell her that, but it was past time Eve saw Holly wasn't the friend she thought she was. Her hands stilled on the keys as she took a deep breath to control her temper, something, he knew, she'd been doing a lot lately.
"I'm sure you misunderstood her. Holly wouldn't go behind my back that way." Cocking her head, she added, "She thinks you're going to walk away anytime now and wants to be there for me when you do."
Nate rose and strode across the room as she stood. Bracing his hands on the piano, he caged her in, glaring down at her defiant, vulnerable face. "And who are you going to believe, Eve? Me or Holly?"
Eve shoved at his shoulders and he took a step back immediately. "That's not fair. She doesn't know you like I do; all she knows is how guys in the past have come and gone so fast I didn't have a chance to get used to having them around. She was the one who stuck, who stayed when no one else did. She'll come around eventually. She'll have to, won't she, if you're planning on sticking around."
"Oh, for God's sake! Even you can't be that blind." Nate's frustration made him want to pound something. "Holly cares for no one but herself. She wants you to herself, but she doesn't want you to be happy, which she sees you are with me. 'Oh Eve, you'd just have to see it to believe it'," Nate mimicked. "How often has she made insensitive remarks like that? I can't tell you how many times I've come in and found her coat or purse tossed where you could trip over it. How often has she warned you not to expect too much from me or this relationship instead of telling you how happy she is for you? You have got to start seeing her for her true self."
"Maybe you should attend the gala without me," Eve replied stiffly. "You know I'm not comfortable in strange places, let alone around so many people."
Damn it, he swore. He knew getting angry wasn't the way to discuss Holly with Eve. Her blindness went way beyond sightlessness where Holly was concerned. Nate could tell by the wariness on her face she had at least listened to what he said even if she wasn't ready to believe Holly could be anything but the close friend she'd always been.
"Fine," he responded coolly. "If you want to pass up an opportunity to play a concert piece before an audience, one I had to pull a lot of strings to set up for you, go right ahead and bail on me."
Eve's heartbeat picked up speed as his words sank in. This benefit auction/gala wasn't her thing, but she wasn't as opposed to going as she would have been a few months ago. Nate had shown her he wasn't put out by her limitations when out in public with her and his friends would be there, so there would be a few people she knew, which would go a long way in making her more comfortable. But a chance to play concert piano in front of such a prestigious audience? That was a long ago dream she hadn't dared pursue. "What're you talking about?"
Nate much preferred the gleam of excitement that replaced her look of wary confusion. She had once told him how much she would have liked the opportunity to play as a concert pianist and this was as close as he could get for her. "There's always musical entertainment at this thing, everything from choirs and soloists to bands and small combos. You're scheduled to play for about fifteen minutes at eight o'clock in front of Richmond's elite society." Including his parents, he thought with glee. It was time they met the woman who was going to be their daughter-in-law if he had anything to do with it. "But I'll call first thing in the morning and cancel so you can spend the evening with Holly."
Playing concerto piano, even if it was a one-time thing, was something Eve couldn't turn down. Ever since meeting Nate, she'd had one fantasy after another fulfilled, but this one had taken her completely by surprise and pulled at her heartstrings more than anything else he had done for her. Forgetting their argument, she flew into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Don't you dare!" Leaning back, she asked with earnest, "You know I'd rather be with you, regardless, don't you?"
He did know that, and if he had anything to do with it, Holly was going to not only know it, but come to terms with the change in her friend's life. "Yes, Eve, but it's Holly who needs to accept that."
"I know. I really do," she reiterated. "I'll start pushing harder for her to give us some space and get out more with other people."
"You do that. In the meantime, you can make up to me by fixing dinner."
"I always fix you dinner. How's that making up?"
Nate started unbuttoning her blouse as he said, "You're going to cook dinner wearing nothing but an apron."
"You're a pervert." Eve laughed as she helped him divest her of her clothes, a sound that always lightened his mood.
"Yes, I am."
"I like that about you, Nate."
Nate grinned, resuming his seat at the counter as Eve slipped a sheer, white apron over her head and tied it behind her. Watching her move around the kitchen, locating what she needed to fix a pot of beef stew with ease, her nicely rounded ass clenching with each step, her small breasts with their erect nipples swaying softly, he knew he was done studying the new riding facility's plans for now. Adjusting his engorging cock, he knew if he lifted the front of that apron, he would see her bare labia glistening with her juices. He loved the way she responded with ease to anything sexual; in fact, he loved everything about her except the blind spot she had concerning Holly. That, he hated and worried it was going to cause her untold grief if he couldn't get her to at least step back from Holly soon.
"You're awfully quiet," Eve commented, wondering if he was still miffed over their argument. "Did you like the plans?" It was difficult concentrating on getting vegetables chopped without cutting herself and measuring spices when she was parading around naked, her body arousing uncontrollably to the feel of his eyes on her.
"Yes, they're very good. We'll be ready to st
art construction in a few months. Winter's not a good time to break ground."
Steam billowed up from the large pot when she lifted the lid and tossed the last of the vegetables in along with the meat. "I hate winter, but I have several soup recipes I like fixing. They're great for warming up after a long, cold day." Replacing the lid, she shifted to the side only to feel Nate behind her, his large body warming her bare, exposed backside, his hard, denim covered cock pressed against her ass. "Mmm, is that an appetizer?"
Nate leaned back, swatting one delectable cheek. "And possibly dessert if you're wearing nothing but that apron through dinner. Bend over." He pressed between her shoulders until she was lying over the high stool, her hands grabbing the legs, her ass perched high on tempting display. "I was right." He slapped the opposite cheek then ran his finger over her slit, finding her wet.
"About what?" Eve moaned when he spanked her several more times in rapid succession, raising a heated burn across her buttocks that fed the lust simmering as hotly as her stew.
"About how wet you are from walking around in nothing but this flimsy, see through apron." Lifting her hips off the stool, he sank into her pussy, filling her with one thrust.
Eve clutched the stool legs tighter when her upper body shifted down with the elevation of her hips. She scrambled with her feet to brace them on the rung which lifted her hips even higher. With her head now dangling straight down and her ass held up in the air, the decadent position was awkward, but oh, so exciting as it allowed for his cock to dive deep inside her, over and over. It was fast and furious, their adrenaline fueled by their argument. Her head spun with dizziness, more from the exploding pleasure ripping through her than the bouncing of her hanging head. Picturing what she looked like, what Nate looked like as he took her with such determined, ruthless intention, made her climax erupt with quick, mind numbing force.