There were boxes and boxes of paperwork that Eve was going through. She was shredding the unimportant items and placing paperwork that he would want to keep in a large box. She'd found his grandparents’ wedding license, copies of all his aunts’ and uncles’ birth certificates, as well as his own.
“My grandfather was very cautious. He always kept copies of important documents. After he died, I found a stack of the same stuff in a deposit box at the bank.” He chuckled and got back to his job. He'd carried every piece of furniture out of all the rooms downstairs.
Eve had called around and found a local place that would reupholster the couch and two chairs in the living room. They'd picked out the new material from the patches the woman had brought with her. He'd smiled when the older woman had assumed that he and Eve were newlyweds. Then when she'd found out that it had been his grandparents’ place, she'd gone on and on about them like they'd been best friends.
The moving van had come and hauled the three large pieces away to her store the next day. Everything else downstairs was being sold, except the piano, the dining room table and chairs, and his grandfather's desk.
“Where are you going to buy everything you need to replace all this?” Eve stood around in the now empty main floor of the house, her hands on the hips of an old pair of his worn jeans. The legs were rolled up to just above her ankles. She'd become accustomed to wearing his Princeton sweatshirt and she'd found an old bandana to tie her hair up with. He found the outfit oddly appealing.
“Well, I had planned on ordering some of the stuff. I know there's an old antique store in town. Maybe we can head in and look around someday. I've got to stop by the hardware store and pick up some paint and supplies so I can get started on a few items.”
He looked down at his feet and frowned. The hardwood floors his grandfather had installed the year he built the house were in dire need of sanding and staining. Something else to add to his list.
“What?” She looked at her feet.
“Hmm, I've never sanded and stained a floor before.” He looked up at her and smiled. “Looks like we'll be learning how to do that together.
That evening after having quick turkey sandwiches, Eve went upstairs to soak in the tub. She'd taken to enjoying the bubbles every night. Carter didn't mind sleeping down the hall in the other room on the top floor. It was a little girlie for his liking, since the room used to be his mother's, but he found it comforting looking around and seeing all her things around him.
When he heard the water draining from the tub, he walked into his bathroom and started a shower. He knew the water heater could only accommodate a bath and a short shower before needing more time to heat the water.
He'd tried over the last few days to keep his distance from Eve. Every time he forgot that she'd forgotten everything, it was like opening the wound again. The frustration on her face told him everything he needed to know. She hated not remembering as much as he hated it.
Every day she was trying to push herself more, physically. She wanted to carry larger boxes, work longer hours; she'd even taken up walking with him in the mornings. He wouldn't tell her, but he'd cut his walks by half since she'd started tagging along. Still, it was nice having her along.
They used that time to talk about her past. She'd ask questions and he'd answer, filling in every little detail he could remember. The weather was growing colder and he was sure that any day now they would see snow. He'd made sure the firewood was stacked up and even spent an hour or two chopping kindling. He thought about having a fire, but then remembered the fireplace probably hadn't been used in a while. He'd better have it checked out first.
After five minutes in the shower, the water started to turn cold and he flipped off the water. Maybe while he was at the hardware store tomorrow, he'd look into a new water heater.
He'd just walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist when he heard Eve scream. Racing down the hall, he barged into the room and saw her standing half-naked on a chair. She had a shoe in one hand and was holding her towel in the other.
“What?” He looked around, trying to find what she'd screamed about. “What is it?”
“There!” She pointed to her bed. “It crawled under the bed. It was huge!” She got further up onto the chair and held the shoe close to her.
He walked over to the bed, lifted the blanket and knelt down. It was too dark to see anything.
“What is it?” He looked up at her.
“A spider. A huge spider. It had hair!” She shivered and closed her eyes.
“A spider?” He stood up slowly and dropped the blanket. Then he rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah. I forgot that you're afraid of spiders.” He started laughing and walked over to her. “Sorry, sweetie, looks like this one got away from you. I'm sure he was more afraid of you then you were of him.” He reached for her, but she recoiled.
“I am NOT getting down until you kill that monster.” She thrust the shoe in his direction.
He placed his hands on his hips and glared at her. “I'm not hunting for a spider that's probably long gone by now.”
“Well, I'm not moving until you do.” She tilted her head and he saw a flash of the old Eve there. He knew that even without her memory, she was going to win this battle. Grabbing the shoe from her, he walked over to the other side of the bed just as the small, hairless arachnid crawled out. Dropping the shoe quickly, he sufficiently squashed the thing. Looking up, he smiled at her. “There. That was easy.” He made a show of dusting his hands as he walked towards her. “Now, if you don't mind. I'd hate to see you fall off this thing and bonk your head again. I don't think your brain can take it.” He laughed.
She put her hand in his and stepped off the chair, but she must have dislodged the rug that covered the wood floors when she'd jumped up there. Instead of smoothly gliding to the floor, she ended up falling right into his chest, knocking him back a step until he tripped over her other discarded shoe and fell backwards himself. They landed on the floor with a thud, him on his back, her facing him on his chest. Their legs were tangled and his breath had been knocked out of his lungs.
“Oh, did you hit your head?” She reached up and started running her hands along the back of his skull. Any pain he felt quickly disappeared as he realized the position they were in. “You did. Oh, you have a knot at the back here.” She continued to feel his head as he looked into her face. Her hair had been brushed away from her face, which was clean, and her skin color had finally returned to its natural olive tone. Her eyes were back to their sparkly self and her lips…When he looked at them, he could just imagine how they felt and tasted. His hands had been on her back and when he moved them, he realized he was touching her bare skin. Looking down, he saw her towel was open at the back. She was still busy feeling his head for more bumps when she realized he wasn't paying attention to his injuries.
“Carter?” She started to sit up a little, then realized her towel was no longer wrapped tightly around her body. “Oh.” She lay back down on top of him. Her breasts fit perfectly against his chest. “Carter, shut your eyes. My towel has fallen off.”
He smiled and shook his head. “I think mine has fallen away, too. You shut your eyes.”
She looked down at him and even though he knew the look, there was no way he was going to let her have her way this time. “I guess we'll just have to lie here then.” The hand that was on her back started moving slowly across her soft skin.
“How do you get so soft?” He smiled and sniffed her hair that had fallen in his face. “You smell pretty good, too.”
She tried to brace herself by holding her hands on either side of his face. “I just had a bath.” She looked around. He could tell she was trying to figure out how to wrap the towel around her without exposing herself further. “Just close your eyes for a second.” She looked down at him and tried to blow her wet hair out of her face.
He shook his head. “I don't think so. Besides, I like it where I am.” He leaned up and started nibblin
g on her neck, just below her ear. She stopped moving and he thought he heard her moan. Her head dropped a little, giving him more access to her skin, which he took advantage of.
“Carter, I don't think…” She trailed off when his hands started roaming over her back. He felt her arch towards his hands and then her lips were on him as her hands went into his hair and he knew at that moment that all thoughts had left her.
She couldn't explain it if she had to, but he felt right. When his hands roamed over her naked skin, she moaned and wished he would touch her more. She felt herself vibrating as she ran her hands over his chest and arms. They were full of impressive muscles and she wanted to take in everything. He moved a little so that his leg was between hers and she started to move so that her silky skin touched his hairy leg. It felt too good to stop and soon his hands were on her hips as she glided her slick skin over his leg.
“Yes,” he moaned against her lips. “Don’t stop, don't ever stop, Eve.” She couldn't if she wanted to. She was building to something she'd forgotten about. His hands reached up and pulled the cotton away from their skin so they laid there with nothing between them now, heat to heat, and she felt her skin tingle as it met his. She ached and needed him to fill her, to touch her.
His head dipped and when his mouth covered her breast, she jumped at the contact, grabbing hold of his head to keep him close to her. He lapped at her exposed skin and she closed her eyes, tilting her head back to allow him full access.
He moved just a little again and he was sitting up, his back against the bed frame, her tucked in his lap. She felt his desire next to her heated skin and wanted more than anything to slide onto him and never stop. But he held her hips still as he lapped at her breasts slowly.
“Mmm, let me take my time. We have all the time, Eve. I want to enjoy every inch of you.” His mouth moved to her other nipple as he sucked and licked his way across her heated skin. Her hips kept moving on their own, grinding his hips as her hands held his head to her. She was feeling dizzy and breathless and wanted speed.
“Please, Carter, I can't…”
He stood in one quick motion, carrying her to the bed, and he gently moved over her as he laid her down. “No, this is one place I get to be in control.” He smiled down at her. She didn't know what he meant by that. Then he was kissing her again and she forgot everything as his hands and mouth traveled over her body. He trailed down over her ribs as he licked his way to the spot she'd been burning for him to touch. Finally, when his fingers skimmed over the heated flesh, she almost jumped off the bed.
“Easy,” he smiled up at her. “So sensitive?”
She nodded her head and grabbed his hand with hers. Pulling it back to the spot she wanted, he chuckled.
“I'm in charge, remember?” He moved her hand away and continued to trail his hand where he pleased. It took a while, but finally, he moved back to the spot she wanted and his fingers found her wet. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the rhythm he'd found as he moved over her, giving her everything she'd wanted.
He was building her up so fast that when his head dipped and his mouth touched her heated skin, she exploded with a scream. Lights flashed behind her eyes and a sharp pain exploded behind her left ear. Together the mixture was almost intoxicating, the pain with the pleasure. Was it always like this?
“More.” Carter was leaning over her now. When she looked into his eyes, she saw desire, raw and pure, in them. “I want it all,” he growled as he pushed her legs aside, settling between them as he kissed her neck and face. Then he pulled back with a jerk.
“Hang on.” He leaned over and yanked open the nightstand drawer, searching. He smiled when he pulled out a small box and shook it. “Whew.” They must have been left over from when Mitch and Sandi had stayed there last year.
She frowned as she looked at it, trying to figure out what it was. Then she realized and she couldn't help but blush. She was happy when she realized he was too busy to notice her heated face. Then he was kissing her again and all embarrassment fled, replaced with want.
When he slid slowly into her, she couldn't stop the moan as he filled her completely. Her legs wrapped around his hips as she held on to his shoulders and hips. Their bodies became slick and the cool sheets on her back clung to her as she moaned with each thrust.
She felt herself building again and wanted more than anything to take him with her this time. When she looked up at him, she noticed his dark eyes on her. He watched her and when she slowly licked her lips and looked at his mouth, his eyes closed and he swooped down to kiss her as they exploded together.
It must have been some time before she finally regained her thoughts. Their bodies had cooled and Carter's body was the only thing keeping her warm from the chill in the house. His breathing had steadied along with hers. She didn't know if he was asleep, but his hot breath on her neck felt nice.
Had she ever felt this way with another man before? He'd said they'd been engaged. How many times had they done this together? Years? Months? Somehow, she didn't think it had been like this before. She wished she could just come out and ask him. But somehow, she thought he'd avoid answering her, like he had several times about other subjects she’d brought up.
“Carter?” She rubbed her hands over his backside, enjoying the muscles she found there.
“Mmm?” He buried his face in her hair.
“Where's my engagement ring?” He was causing goose bumps on her skin and she really wished he'd pull the blanket over them or light a fire in the room.
He laughed. “Leave it to you to ask that question at a time like this.” He pulled back, resting on his elbows, looking down at her.
She shivered and frowned. “A time like what?”
He shook his head and stood up. “Eve.” He walked over and started building a fire. She didn't know how she knew it, but he was struggling with wanting to tell her something.
“What is it, Carter?” He was kneeling down, about to light the fire, but looked over his shoulder at her.
“What?” She couldn't see his face in the dark, couldn't see his eyes. “What is it you're not telling me?” She sat up and pulled the blanket over her, trying to warm up.
He turned back to his task. “Nothing. I've told you everything.” She looked at his back and knew that his moment of weakness had passed. Would she ever find out what it was he was hiding from her?
Chapter Nine
Carter watched the flames take hold of the wood. He could feel her eyes bore into his back and knew he'd almost blurted out the truth. How could he have tried to lie to her about them being engaged? It was a moment of weakness. There was no way he was going to spoil the perfect moment that had just happened. In all the years of imagining being with her, nothing had ever compared to the reality of being with her.
Looking over his shoulder, he smiled when he noticed her checking him out. Slowly, he stood and turned. Her eyes traveled over him and he felt himself growing hard again.
Eve's eyes slowly raised to meet his. He smiled and started walking towards her. “The ring is in the downstairs’ safe. It was my grandmother's. I haven't had time to come up here and get it for you, yet.” He stopped at the side of the bed and pulled the covers away from her. Then he looked down at her and marveled at how beautiful she was. Her knees were up, pushing against her chest and her arms were crossed in front of her. “Shy all of a sudden?” he smiled at her.
She shook her head. “Cold.”
“I can fix that.” He sat beside her and touched her with his fingertips. Her head fell back and her eyes slid closed. He could see her relaxing as he ran his fingers over every inch of her. Finally, she was panting when he motioned for her to lie down. She shook her head.
“You got to explore me the first time. I want to see what I've agreed to marry. You lie down. I'll explore and see if something doesn't jog my memory in the process.” He almost lost his nerve, but then she smiled at him and he became so turned on, he would have done anything she'd asked of him.
She sat next to him and ran her eyes over his naked body. “Hmmm.” She tilted her head as if she was deep in thought.
He laughed. “What?”
“Nothing pulls at my memory yet.”
“Maybe if you use one of your other senses,” he hinted.
Her eyebrows shot up in question.
“You know… sound, sight, touch, taste…”
“Yes, maybe.” She leaned over and started running her fingers over his chest. It was pure torture to sit still as her cool hands ran up and down his heated skin.
“Do you know how badly I want you right now?” His voice sounded strained. His hips came off the bed as she ran her hands down them, then lower, over his legs, as she avoiding the one place he wanted her to touch the most.
Secret Identity Page 8