‘Six?’ Eva squeaked.
Julian walked toward the bed and sat beside her. ‘I know it’s early, but I have to go into the office. I’ve a lot going on this morning.’
‘But it’s Saturday.’
‘I know. But no rest for the wicked.’ Julian leaned in and kissed her forehead.
Eva tried to smile. That cliché wasn’t endearing when it was true. Julian Harte was wickedly sexy and he’d made a career out of it. She hated when he spoke about work. She knew realistically he had other clients. But times like last night, when they made love with moonlight shining through the window, she’d completely forgotten about his profession. It wasn’t intentional. But nothing about their closeness felt like an arrangement. Eva sighed.
‘Why don’t you stay a while? Take your time getting ready. Anthony will drop you wherever you want to go.’
Eva watched as Julian dressed in a charcoal grey suit with a white and sky blue pinstriped shirt. He transformed from deliciously rugged to sexily sophisticated in an instant. Eva shot a glance over the side of the bed. Her dress from last night lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. The thoughts of putting it back on made her feel grubby, especially compared to his polished finesse.
Julian caught her attention again and she smiled. He opened a door that led into an insanely large walk-in wardrobe, especially considering they were on a boat. White boxes of various shapes and sizes lined the back wall, floor-to-ceiling, all bearing the store logo from the day before.
‘I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of asking the staff to pack up a few items in your size.’
‘A few?’ Eva clasped her hands and held them against her top lip. ‘These are for me?’
She wrapped the sheet around her naked body and tip-toed over to take in the view.
‘I didn’t know what you would like, so I thought it best to send a variety.’
Eva spun around excitedly. ‘Wow,’ she whispered. ‘Just wow.’
‘Anything you don’t like, I can return.’
‘And anything I do…’ Eva couldn’t believe the cheeky question had passed from her lips.
Julian’s grin pulled to one side and he looked at her seriously. ‘They're yours.’
‘It’s that simple,’ Eva said, telling herself rather than asking him.
‘Yes.’
Eva slowly edged forward, enchanted by the beautiful boxes. Julian snuck his foot onto the edge of the sheet and laughed cockily when Eva screeched as the cotton jerked free from her body.
‘You don’t need this,’ he said, throwing it back toward the bed.
Eva’s hands raced to protect her modesty.
Julian laughed louder. ‘Seriously?’ You’re still playing the shy card?’ Evangeline Andrews, you are fucking adorable, do you know that?’
Julian caught her hands and forced them down to her sides. His suited body pressed against her nakedness. He kissed her gently and whispered into her mouth. ‘Take your pick, baby.’
Eva slowly pulled away from him and pushed up on her tippy toes. She reached for the highest box.
‘Just one?’ Julian asked, tilting his head bemusedly.
‘I don’t want to be greedy.’
‘But I want to spoil you. I can’t spoil you with just one box. Choose another.’
Eva pulled out a smaller box and two more from behind; she stacked them into her arms and wobbled toward the bed. Julian didn’t move. He remained leaning against the door arch, watching her.
The clothes were all tissue wrapped and smelled of a fresh summer breeze. The first, large box held an array of skinny jeans in rainbow bright colours. Eva pulled out a dark teal pair and laid them on the bed. The second box was overflowing with silky blouses and tops. One more beautiful than the next. Eva’s heart skipped as she laid a cream, embroidered camisole next to the jeans. She stared at the last box. It was notably different. Rounded edges and a black ribbon ran around all four corners and tied in a neat bow in the middle. Eva ran her finger across the silky ribbon and smiled. This box was special, she knew.
‘Not this one,’ Julian said, suddenly beside her.
Eva’s hands immediately pulled back against the safety of her body. Julian caught the box and pushed it to the side. Eva clamped her teeth on her bottom lip and tried so hard to hide her disappointment. She was right, that box was special. Too special for her.
Julian looked at his watch. ‘It’s getting late. Get dressed.’
Eva dropped her eyes to the floor for a moment but quickly shook off any evidence of upset before Julian could notice. She knew the offer to leave at her leisure had been revoked. She’d upset him. She just wasn’t sure how. Julian walked to the upper deck, and within minutes, the boat began to move.
Eva looked in the mirror. Blue-green denim emphasised her slim legs and her freshly washed face gave her a natural look that suited their sea location. She twirled a couple of times and enjoyed the height she gained from the expensive wedges. Julian had spoiled her, and while a giddy excitement bubbled in her tummy, she couldn’t fully draw her attention away from the forbidden box.
Eva craned her neck and looked up the steps to gain a limited view of the upper deck. Julian was at the back of the boat, talking to a man in a muted black suit and top hat. Anthony, she noted, with almost certainty. Eva blushed. She’d been so ravished last night, she hadn’t considered that her screams of pleasure were probably heard by Julian’s staff manning the yacht. She put her embarrassment aside, determined in her task at hand. Her conscience was banging against her temples, screaming at her not to, but she reached for the corners of the black ribbon, nonetheless. She took a deep breath and was about to pull it open when she was startled by footsteps approaching. She spun around, faced the door, and tried to look innocent.
‘Ah, good, you’re dressed,’ Julian said.
Eva’s lips jerked into an awkward smile and she nodded.
‘A perfect fit. You look lovely.’
Eva’s smile became natural. ‘Thank you.’
‘Did you have a look at the rest?’
Her fingers twitched. Did he mean the round-edged box? He could usually read her like a book; she doubted she could hide anything from him. She was glad she hadn’t opened it. He’d know, and he’d be angry. And he’d have every right to be.
‘Yes. Just a quick look. They’re all gorgeous.’
‘I’m sorry. I’m rushing you. I’ll have Anthony pack these up and you can look at the rest at home. I’ll stop by this evening to see how you got on.’
‘I’d like that,’ Eva said.
Julian kissed her cheek. ‘Don’t be long; we’re almost back at the harbour.’
He lifted her handbag off the chair next to them and passed it to her. ‘Don’t forget this. You might want to check your phone. Damn thing was ringing half the night.’
Eva sucked in her bottom lip, embarrassed that the ringing had obviously kept Julian awake. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t heard it. She was usually such a light sleeper, but last night she was practically comatose.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled meekly.
Julian laughed dryly and shook his head. ‘I don’t need an apology, but you might want to suck up to whoever was trying to get in touch all night. It could be important.’
Eva pulled out her phone and almost gasped as she stared at her screen. Fifteen missed calls, three voicemails, and eight texts - all from Nathan, except one lonely text from Shelly, hiding in the middle.
R u you around today?
Maybe we could grab a coffee?
Let me know xx
‘Ten minutes, okay?’ Julian said.
It was an order not a request. Last night’s game was over and now it was time to go back to real life. Her phone vibrated in her hand and the deliriously up-tempo ringtone filled the room. She pushed the phone against her chest and placed her palm over the speaker, trying unsuccessfully to muffle the sound. She rolled her eyes as Julian turned around.
‘Is someone bothering
you?’ he asked, the authority in his tone momentarily replaced by genuine sentiment.
Eva pleaded with her head to come up with a plausible excuse. Her mind was blank and the best she could manage was a pathetic, ‘Um.’
‘Who was that?’
Eva understood he wasn’t requesting the information, he was demanding it.
‘Just a friend.’ Shit, she wished she hadn’t said that, immediately suspecting Julian would think of last night’s conversation.
‘Just a friend?’ Julian repeated, his head lowered, but his eyes looked up.
Eva tried to strike a smile and nodded. ‘Em-hm.’
‘Aren’t you the popular one with so many friends. Or is it just one in particular all the time?’
Eva’s face reddened, and she felt the start of a headache swell between her eyes. Julian didn’t seem prepared to let this go. Was he testing her? It certainly felt like it. Her leg twitched nervously. She had no idea why she was so desperate to keep it from him, but she was. Right now, she couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than for this conversation to end.
‘It’s just someone from work. I’ll catch up with them on Monday.’
‘Nathan,’ Julian said, certain. His usual distaste for the name present. ‘Is he bothering you?’
Only because of how awkward this is, Eva thought. ‘No, of course not. Go on. I’ll follow you up in a minute.’
Julian’s eye’s narrowed, and his smile was different. He looked concerned, angry, or maybe just amused. Eva really wished she could read him as well as he could her. But he was a closed book, and it was driving her crazy.
‘Ten minutes!’ Julian reiterated and walked away.
27
Julian’s haste eased when their feet were back on land, as they walked side by side down the pier toward Julian’s waiting car. Eva’s phone rang loudly from her pocket, and she cursed herself for not putting it on silent.
‘What the fuck is this guy’s problem?’ Let me answer it.’ Julian grunted.
Eva shook her head and hit the reject call button as quickly as her shaking fingers could. Oh, my God, was Julian actually jealous? It wasn’t appropriate to smile, but she couldn’t help herself from enjoying a little drama in her head. That enjoyment quickly turned to worry, the more she thought about it. Nathan wasn’t the type to give up. Sure, Julian could scare him off for a while. She imagined if Julian was angry, he could scare anyone. But he wouldn’t actually hurt Nathan, would he? If he did, it would be all her fault. And for what? All for some game.
Eva stopped walking and stood very still. She squinted to make out Julian’s yacht anchored in the distance. Her head hurt. Maybe it was last night’s drink wearing off or maybe it was the realisation that she had no idea what in the hell she was doing. Julian confused the hell out of her, and maybe they weren’t good for each other. What would happen when Julian got bored? The game couldn’t last forever. She knew she was just a project to him. A fun little challenge. A fixer-upper. But soon, he’d give up and find the next pathetic girl to fuck silly.
Eva was disappointed with herself; she knew what she was getting herself into. But it was getting so messed up now. She was starting to lean on him. She was starting to need him. That wasn’t supposed to happen. She knew she couldn’t have him - she knew that from the start. But it didn’t make her want him any less now.
‘It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?’ Eva said in awe of the view, desperate to break the silence that had fallen over them.
‘Yes.’ Julian stood beside her but not close enough to touch. ‘I’ve been all over the world, but I always come back here.’
‘Is this a special place for you?’
‘You could say that.’
‘Why did you ever leave?’
Julian exhaled deeply and shook his head. Eva stopped asking questions. She was acutely aware that he didn’t seem to like answering them, and he rarely asked her any. The ones he did were almost always rhetorical or an observation disguised as a question.
She tried to change the subject. ‘It reminds me of a holiday with my family. Years ago…’
‘You don’t talk about your family much.’
‘There’s not much to say.’
‘Tell me about your holiday.’
Eva looked away and scraped her nails against the sides of her jeans. She didn’t know why he was interested. It wasn’t like he needed to make small talk to get her into bed. He’d already experienced her desires. He couldn’t possibly really want to know, could he? No one ever wanted to know. She hadn’t spoken about her family in ten years. But standing nestled beside him, his beautiful face watching her every move, for the first time she wanted to tell someone. She wanted to tell him.
‘It was supposed to be a family vacation, you know.’ She snorted softly, as memories stumbled around her head like reckless, drunken bodies. ‘It was supposed to be all sun, sand, and ice cream. But he fucked it up. He always did. Just this time it was worse.’
They stopped walking when they reached a circular bandstand. Julian took Eva’s hand in his and led her up low, concrete steps away from the water’s edge. He sat down, balancing on the edge of an iron railing and moved over so Eva could do the same. The shiny, pale blue roof matched the cloudless sky and sheltered them from an early morning breeze. A long time had passed before Eva spoke again.
‘He hit me first, then my sister. We hid - like we always did - but my mother couldn’t get away. He was drunk, you know.’ Eva’s voice cracked as she spoke. Julian sat still beside her. He only moved to rub soft, small circles on the bottom of her back. She sniffled hard and her face pinched like she was biting on a sour lemon.
‘His eyes did that thing where they rolled in his head. I knew he’d lost it. Really, really gone mad.’ Eva dropped her face into her hands and her shoulders shook as heavy tears dampened her face. She shook her head.
‘You don’t want to hear this. I’m sorry.’
Julian slid his finger under Eva’s chin and lifted her face just enough to meet her eyes with his. He fixed a windswept strand of hair back behind her ear and softly kissed her forehead. He didn’t say a single word.
Eva ran her fingers under her eyelashes and looked up.
‘He just kept hitting her. Even when she was on the ground. He just wouldn’t stop. She didn’t move. He left then. He always did. Probably to get more beer, but she didn’t get up this time.’
Julian nodded but remained silent.
‘I followed the ambulance. I needed to know she was still alive…but I never went inside the hospital.’
Julian took both her hands in his. ‘Did she…?’
‘What? Die…no.’ Eva stood up and slid her hands into her jeans pocket. She was cold.
‘She made it. Testified at my father’s trial the next year. He got charged with attempted murder.’
‘Jesus,’ Julian said, his thumb and index finger stroking his chin while he shook his head. ‘Is your mother okay now?’
Eva shrugged her shoulders. ‘Dunno. I haven’t seen her since.’
‘Christ, Evangeline. Why not?’
‘’Cause I can’t forgive her. She watched while my father beat me for years and she did nothing. She didn’t protect me. It just went on and on…No one has ever protected me. No one ever will.’
Julian stood up behind her. Eva felt the heat of his body rush against her, sheltering her from the wind and from the memories.
‘And you think your mother was a coward?’ he snorted.
Eva turned around to face him. Her tiny frame felt enlarged by her temper. But it was no match for his broad shoulders and heaving chest.
‘What the fuck is that supposed to mean?’ she snapped.
‘Take what you want from it.’
Eva’s whole body shook and so much hate filled her, it hurt. She banged her first on Julian’s solid chest. He didn’t flinch. He stood still and let her release her demons.
Worn out, she almost fell to the ground, but he wrapped his
arms around her and pulled her close to him, kissing her deeply.
‘You don’t know my mother,’ she said through exhausted tears.
‘That’s true. I’m not pretending to know her. But you are.’
‘Pretending? I’m not pretending. Of course, I know her. She’s my own flesh and blood.’
‘And you were just a child when you left her. Everything is different through a child’s eyes.’
‘And I suppose you would know?’
‘Yes. Yes, I would know.’ Julian’s grip tightened. ‘Don’t judge your mother for something you don’t understand. You can’t hide behind a shitty childhood for the rest of your life.’
‘You can’t save me, Julian. No one can.’
‘No one can because you don’t let them try.’
‘Stop it. Stop pretending you care about me. You don’t want to fall in love - I know that. And you know what? Neither do I. So what’s the point of all this crap?’
‘Love is overrated,’ Julian said.
‘Maybe.’ Eva was disappointed by how unconvincing her reply sounded. She never wanted a relationship. People changed and someone always ended up getting hurt. She never wanted to be that someone. But it was too late. It hurt already.
‘Let’s get one thing straight. I won’t march down the aisle wearing a monkey suit and ask you to have my babies. That’s all fantasy bollocks’
‘Bollocks?’ Eva echoed.
‘I wasn’t finished… I’m not Prince Charming, Evangeline. But I will protect you. From everyone I need to, including you.’
‘I don’t need protecting from myself.’
Julian didn’t reply.
‘I don’t, Julian. You can’t say shit like that.’
‘I just did.’
Eva folded her arms and struggled to come up with a better argument. ‘I thought you were in a hurry to get to work.’
Julian tossed his shoulders. ‘Some things are more important.’
Eva tried not to let him see the smile that lit up her face. Maybe Julian was deeper than she’d given him credit for. She sat back down on the metal railing. He followed and lifted his arm, making room for her head on his chest. A comfortable silence fell over them.
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