“We’re not even going to talk about this?”
Eve froze him with one look. “What’s there to talk about?”
Alan stood. He had a disbelieving look on his face. “Why are you doing this?”
It was Eve’s turn to be incredulous. “Why?” she repeated, appalled. “Are you seriously asking me that question?”
He held his ground. “Yes,” he said. “I’m seriously asking you that question.”
Eve took a deep breath—not to keep her temper in check this time, but to have enough breath to tell him everything that she thought of him.
“Because you’re scum, Alan,” she said. The words sent a jolt of power sizzling through her whole body. It was exhilarating. She was on a roll now, and she had no intention of stopping. “You’re marrying me for my money. You don’t love me. You don’t trust me. You hit me.”
Alan cringed. “Shit,” he said. “I’m sorry about that, Eve. Really, I am. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I know you’re sorry,” Eve said, unfazed. “You’re a sorry son of a bitch, and I don’t want to have to see your face ever again.”
He took a step forward, and for a moment Eve thought he would jump at her, but he didn’t. He stopped and just looked at her.
“I guess you’ve shown your true colors, Eve,” he said, his voice icy.
“I guess we both have.” Eve straightened up to her full height. “Now get the fuck out of my house.”
Shockingly enough, he did. Alan packed his things quickly, and soon he was closing the front door behind him. Eve looked around her empty apartment, and then she sat down heavily on the couch and leaned back against the cushion. She exhaled slowly, blowing out all of her pent up emotions.
She had done it. She had really done it. She had kicked the pompous son of a bitch out of her apartment and out of her life. She was really taking her life back into her own hands and shaping it to what she wanted it to be. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
A few minutes later there was a knock at the front door and Lind came in. Eve smiled and stood, meeting halfway. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, and she leaned into him, kissing him briefly but oh-so-thoroughly.
“You’ve done it, darling,” Lind said, smiling brightly at her.
“I’ve done it,” Eve echoed. “I still can’t believe it.
She felt both empowered and dazed. The whole thing still felt surreal.
“And don’t worry, I’ve made sure he’ll never bother you again,” Lind informed her after a moment.
Eve frowned, suddenly worried. “Lind, what did you do?”
He laughed. “Relax, he’s still in once piece. I just let him know that if he ever showed his face again he would to answer to me and the guys.”
Eve cringed. “I almost feel sorry for him.”
Lind arched a dark eyebrow. “Really? Do you?”
Eve laughed. “No,” she admitted. “Not really.”
They kissed passionately, and Lind’s embrace soon became firmer. He picked her up like he had done once before and carried her to the bedroom.
Eve surrendered wholly to him, not even attempting to resist. Why would she? He was everything she wanted. She let him strip her and watched as he stripped naked for her. Lind Addams was a thing of beauty. Eve lost herself in his kisses and his touch, and she gave back just as much as he gave her.
They made love slowly this time, taking their time to fully savor each other. The urgency was still there, underneath it all. It always would be, because they would always long for each other. But it was tender this time. It was languid and sensual. Eve allowed Lind to transport her to another world. She let him maker her his, claim her like she had never been claimed before. She savored every sensation brought on by his touch, and she savored the feeling of his body pressed up close against her.
They took it slow this time, because they knew they could afford to. They were never allowing anything or anyone to come between them again. As for their different worlds, they would find a way to have them meet somewhere in the middle. No matter what it cost, Eve was never going to let this man out of her life ever again. She’d had her closure, but she was never going back to that glittery life that made her so miserable. From now on, she would embrace Lind’s darkness.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
The last time Lind had been sitting in this café, he had been miserable. Alec had been sitting across from him, telling him that he should really snap out of it and get Eve out of his head. Now it was Eve who sat across from him, sipping vanilla latte from a huge mug.
Lind knew all about overwhelming, all-consuming feelings, but they were generally dark ones, rough emotions like anger and pain and hatred. He knew nothing about how good feelings could also be overwhelming. He knew nothing of the bubbling joy of simply spending time with a woman whom he was in love with. He was learning about it now.
Back when he was nursing his broken heart—or rather, attempting to drown it in alcohol—Lind had dreamed about ordinary. He had dreamed about doing something absolutely meaningless with Eve, like hanging out drinking coffee. He had dreamed of an everyday life. They were shaping it now, slowly but surely, and they were doing it together.
Togetherness was also something Lind wasn’t familiar with. He was used to counting on himself and himself only. He had never had a relationship to speak of. Sexual relationships, sure. Emotional relationships? Not so much. But he was learning that, too, and he was really enjoying this learning curve.
Eve, he learned, wasn’t that much more experienced than him when it came to sharing herself on an emotional level. She had spent her life guarding herself against others, too, in a different way than he had. The result was that they were both learning, and he liked that they were both out of their element and finding their swimming fins together.
“What should we bring tonight?” Eve asked suddenly.
Lind looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“To your friend’s house. What should we bring? Do they drink wine?”
Lind shrugged. “I guess. But you really don’t have to bring anything, you know?”
“I want to,” Eve said. “It’s only polite.”
Lind grinned. “Whatever you say, princess,” he teased.
“Jerk,” she said, punching his arm playfully and instantly leaning over to sweeten the blow with a kiss.
Lind kissed her back as passionately as it was decent to do in a public place, and then he finally released her.
“Red wine is fine,” he said as an afterthought.
Eve nodded. “Good.”
Lind felt a pang of nervousness at the thought of the night that awaited them. Alec was finally out of the hospital. They had their talk and he had decided—God only knew why—to forgive Lind, as had the rest of the Diamondbacks. Once Lind finally admitted to Alec and the others that he was going to give a relationship with Eve a try, Alec had jumped at the chance. The day before, he had given Lind a call and invited him and Eve over for dinner. He claimed it had been Linda’s idea, but Lind strongly suspected Alec had not been so averse either.
A mundane occasion with a woman at his side was also something new.
“Are you nervous?” Eve asked, as if she had read his mind. Perhaps she had, in a way.
Lind grimaced. “A little,” he admitted reluctantly.
“Should I be nervous?”
“You? Why should you be nervous?”
Eve shrugged. “Well…your friend isn’t exactly the easiest person to get along with.”
Lind laughed. “Don’t mind Alec, sweetheart. It’s all an act. He’s a good guy, really.”
“Oh, that much I noticed when he ran after me to try and prevent me from getting killed despite him not liking me very much.” Eve said with a smile.
Lind sighed in relief. Eve had refused to even get on the subject of what happened with Gary for weeks. Recently, she had started to open up, and the fact that she was now beginning to
even joke about it was a very good sign.
“Are you worried they might not like you?” Lind asked, noticing the lingering tension on Eve’s face.
Her chocolate-brown eyes widened. “Now I am.”
Shit. “Sorry,” Lind offered, grinning. “Don’t worry; they’re going to love you.”
Eve took a long sip from her latte. “I hope so,” she said, frowning in the most perfect way Lind had ever seen.
He shook his head to himself. Boy, but he was hopeless. He had never been so smitten in his whole life. Everything about Eve drove him crazy. It wasn’t just her perfect body, or her golden hair, or her bottomless eyes—all of which admittedly did not hurt. It was everything about her. It was her character. It was her fierceness, her gentleness. It was her mind and her wit, both so sharp one could cut himself on them if one was not careful. It was her humor. She had plenty of it, and he loved that she made him laugh.
Not for the first time, he wondered how he had ever lived without her. He tried to imagine his everyday life without her in it, and he hated the prospect. It had only been a few weeks since Eve had kicked her abusive boyfriend out of her life, but Lind was already loving the small bits of routine they had managed to establish for themselves. He loved their brunches, for example. He loved sitting with her in cafés and having caffeine and conversations. He loved watching movies with her at night, curled up on her white couch. He loved when they slept together without doing anything else; he loved the intimacy of it. He would never admit this under torture, but he even loved going grocery shopping with her. He loved taking long walks with her, wandering aimlessly.
He loved everything about Eve Robinson, and he was never going to let her out of his life ever again. With Eve, he wasn’t the Viper. He was just Lind. He wasn’t even sure who Lind was exactly, but she was helping him figure it out. And he loved her for it.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Eve couldn’t remember the last time she had sat in café, just enjoying her time there. She thought it might have been back in college, when she would go to the cafeteria to study. Now, she had gotten back in the habit, and she was loving it. What she loved even more was that it was Lind sitting across from her, sipping black coffee.
Eve didn’t know much about overwhelming, all-consuming feelings. She had heard about them, but she had never experienced them for herself. Until now. She relished the overwhelming, all-consuming qualities of the bubbling joy brought on by simply spending time with a man she was in love with, for a change.
Back when she was trying to nurse her broken heart by attempting to drown it in work that she hated, Eve had dreamed about this kind of ordinary. She had dreamed about the everyday things. She had wanted nothing more than to do something absolutely meaningless with Lind, like hanging out drinking coffee. She had dreamed of building an everyday life with him. They were building it now, slowly but surely, and they were doing it together.
Togetherness was also something Eve wasn’t quite familiar with. She was used to being able to count on herself only. She didn’t think the relationship she’d had in the past could be counted as emotionally mature. She was learning now how to be in one, and she was enjoying this learning curve immensely.
She wasn’t surprised to discover that Lind wasn’t that much more experienced when it came to sharing himself on an emotional level. He had spent his whole life guarding himself against others. Eve had, too, albeit in a different way. The result was that they were both learning, and she liked that they were both out of their element and finding their way together.
“What should we bring tonight?” she asked, her thoughts shifting to that night’s dinner. Everyday life. She loved it.
Lind looked at her as if she had just asked him whether they should go to China. “What do you mean?”
“To your friend’s house,” she clarified. “What should we bring? Do they drink wine?”
Lind shrugged. “I guess. But you really don’t have to bring anything, you know?”
“I want to,” Eve said. “It’s only polite.”
Lind grinned. “Whatever you say, princess,” he teased.
“Jerk,” she said, punching his arm playfully and instantly leaning over to sweeten the blow with a kiss.
Lind kissed her back as passionately as it was decent to do in a public place, and then he finally released her. “Red wine is fine,” he said as an afterthought.
Eve nodded. “Good.”
She felt a pang of nervousness at the thought of the night that awaited them. Alec was finally out of the hospital. Lind had mended his relationship with him, as well as with the rest of the Diamondbacks, so much so that he had admitted to them that he and Eve were now a tentative item. As a result, Alec had invited them over to their house for dinner.
Lind shifted in his seat, and that’s when Eve realized that she may not be the only one to be anxious.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
Lind grimaced. “A little,” he admitted.
“Should I be nervous?”
“You? Why should you be nervous?”
Eve shrugged. “Well…your friend isn’t exactly the easiest person to get along with.”
Lind laughed. “Don’t mind Alec, sweetheart. It’s all an act. He’s a good guy, really.”
“Oh, that much I noticed when he ran after me to try and prevent me from getting killed despite him not liking me very much,” Eve said with a smile.
She was surprised at how easy the words came to her mouth. For weeks she had been unable to go anywhere near the subject of what had happened with Gary; the whole thing still gave her nightmares. But she knew that, in order for them to move forward, she had to force herself to move past it. So, she had begun to talk about it, and now she even found herself making jokes. She took it as a very good sign.
“Are you worried they might not like you?” Lind asked.
Her eyes widened. She hadn’t even thought about that. “Now I am.”
“Sorry,” Lind offered, grinning. “Don’t worry; they’re going to love you.”
Eve took a long sip from her latte. “I hope so,” she said, frowning worriedly.
Lind gave her a reassuring smile, and she instantly felt calmer.
God, but she was hopeless. She had never been so smitten in her whole life. Everything about Lind drove her crazy. It wasn’t just about his perfect body, or his impossibly blue eyes, or his killer smile—all of which admittedly did not hurt. It was everything about him. It was his character. It was his sensible nature, which he hid so carefully but never carefully enough. It was his hotheaded side. It was his sharp mind and his sense of humor. He had plenty of it, and it was a refreshing kind of humor that never failed to make her laugh. She loved that about him.
Not for the first time, Eve found herself wondering how she ever lived without Lind. She tried to imagine her life without him in it, and she failed. It had only been a few weeks since she had kicked Alan out of her life, but she was already loving the small bits of routine they had managed to establish for themselves. She proud of them both for doing that.
She loved their brunches together. She loved sitting with Lind in small cafés and having long conversations over a cup of caffeine. She loved watching movies with him at night, curled up together on her white couch. She loved it when they slept together without doing anything else; she loved the new intimacy of it. She even loved doing boring things like going grocery shopping with him. With Lind, even that task was never boring.
She loved everything about Lind Addams, and she was never going to let him out of her life ever again. With him, she could be herself. She wasn’t entirely sure who she was, now that her whole life was turned upside down, but Lind was helping her figure it out. And Eve loved him for it.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
According to some people, sex is overrated. According to some people, an asexual relationship is the utmost expression of self. According to some people, the level of intimacy that develops within an asexual bond i
s the highest, more profound form of love that one can experience in a lifetime.
Not according to Eve. According to Eve, the importance of sex could not be stressed enough. She made the huge, spectacular mistake of underestimating the vital importance of sex in a relationship before, and she was never going to make that miscalculation again. It was very hard to imagine life without Lind’s body. Without them lying skin to skin, flesh to flesh. Without Lind’s touch. Without his deep, passionate thrusts. Without his breathtaking kisses.
It was very hard to imagine an existence devoid of her hands running all over his glorious body. Without her nails scratching down his muscular back. Without her giving in to him so utterly and completely that it took her breath away every time.
Untouchable: A Dark Bad Boy Romance Page 39