by Jennifer Ann
“You don’t get it.” I pull her hands from her face and thread our fingers together. “Any guy would be lucky to be with you. You’re gorgeous and sweet…sincere. When I saw you laugh at me after I screwed up a chord on stage, I knew I wanted you in my life. And I don’t want groupies. I haven’t for a long time. Can you pretend that I’m just some regular guy who’s interested in an extraordinary girl?”
“I’ll try,” she answers in a quiet voice. Her cheeks flush red. “Can we maybe try to slow it down, at least a little? Touching you really messes with my head. And I want to know more about you too.”
“Whatever you want,” I concede, running her my fingers over her hair. I’ll join a seminary if she wants, so long as I get to spend more time with her.
* * *
Over the next two weeks, Evelyn insists we continue meeting at Leona’s on her break so we’re forced to behave, knowing her dickhead employer could walk in at any minute. Each time I enter the bar I find him circling around her like a vulture, as if waiting to see if I’ll come around again. I make a point to stop and shake his hand each night, marking my territory. Piss on the bastard while you’re at it, Danny suggests.
By the sixth or seventh time, Evelyn’s completely relaxed when we’re together and I sense it won’t be long until she agrees on going out for a real date. If it doesn’t happen soon, I’m going to loose my shit. I try not to kiss her too often because the minute she makes that little noise of pleasure in her throat or pushes her tight little body into me, my mind goes to static and my dick takes the driver’s seat.
On a Thursday night as I’m taking my last bites of dinner from the pizzeria around the corner, she pushes her bare toes under my leg, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Ever since I walked in half an hour ago, I’ve been dying to peel the straps off her lacy little tank top and release her hair from the ponytail behind her head.
Eyebrows shooting up, I throw the remainder of the pizza slice on the box and reposition her legs. I move toward her, setting my hands on either side of her hips. After brushing my lips over the freckled skin on either side of her nose, I bend down for her lips. “Guess we have a little extra time to fool around,” I whisper.
Her arms lock between us, pushing me back. Though her breathing stutters when she looks down on my lips and her gaze darkens, she slowly shakes her head. “Hope asked me to cut my break short tonight. The last few days have been crazy around here.”
Releasing a deep sigh, I settle back on my side of the couch. “You’re killing me, Freckles.”
“Oh no you didn’t,” she scolds, covering her face with her hands. “No one has called me that since fifth grade.”
I lean forward and pull her hands from her face. When I catch her grinning, I lace our finger together. “Get used to it. They’re only a small part of what makes you so damn irresistible.” Her cheeks redden and I moan. “That blush thing you do doesn’t help either.”
“Like I can help it?” she asks. Her smile disappears and her shoulders slump forward. “Seriously, though, I better get back to work.”
God help me, I don’t have it in me to leave her tonight. These one hour meetings are never enough. Even going home to jerk off doesn’t sate the ever present, aching need to have her. “Stay at my place tonight. I’ll pick you up after work.”
Her eyebrows furrow.
“You can sleep in the guest room if you really want,” I say, pulling her into my arms. “I just want the chance to kiss you without worrying someone’s going to interrupt us.”
“But I don’t get done until two or three in the morning.”
“I know.”
She laughs until my expression doesn’t change and she realizes I’m dead serious. “Charlie, I can’t come stay at your house.” Then she glances down at our hands and seems to struggle with a swallow. “There’s a reason I’m avoiding being alone with you.”
Squeezing her hands, I wait for her to continue. Her honey-brown eyes draw back up to meet mine, filled with pure innocence.
She seems to cower when she whispers, “I’m…inexperienced, I guess you could say. I haven’t had sex in a really long time and the one time I did…ugh, this is so embarrassing. It was…short.”
My lips part with a quiet gasp. That was unexpected even though I knew she was way more innocent than most chicks I hook up with.
Time to show her what she’s been missing! Danny cries.
Belatedly, I realize my open disbelief is making her crouch down more. “Okay,” I say before closing my mouth. “We’ll just have to take it extra slow.”
Her hands withdraw from mine and she blushes. Looking down, her fingers play with the pile of napkins from the pizza joint. “I swear I’m not a prude. My family’s…intense. I have brothers that don’t like me dating. I had a few boyfriends over the years, but…” Her cheeks turn an even darker shade of red. “My brothers made things too difficult.”
“Evelyn,” I say, trying to make my voice soft as I tilt her chin upward with my finger. “I didn’t ask you to stay over because I want to have sex with you. I mean I do, someday if you decide you’re ready, but for now I just want to sleep with you by my side. I can’t stand it the days I don’t get to see you, and when I finally do it’s only for an hour or less. Plus I’m tired of worrying about your boss walking in. I want the time we’re together to count.”
“I don’t know. When I get home after work I’m out like a light.” Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes drift away, filled with deep thoughts. Then after a drawn out moment, her gaze snaps back to meet mine and her arms coil around my head. “Tomorrow,” she promises, her eyes dancing between mine. “I’ll stay over with you tomorrow night after you take me out for dinner if that’s what you still want. I don’t work again until Tuesday.”
I’m grinning like a fool when I meet her sweet lips for a kiss.
She’s finally letting me see her outside of this place. And she’s all mine for an entire weekend.
Chapter 13
EVELYN
The promise to spend the night at Charlie’s sits in the pit of my stomach like a lead ball. Though he was definitely shocked when I told him I didn’t have much experience, he couldn’t have been any sweeter about it. He’s surprised me more times these past two weeks than I can count and proven to be more sincere than I had hoped. I’ve fallen so hard that it scares me. I don’t know how I’ll survive this if he breaks my heart.
As I’m sweeping the floor after the last of the customers roll out, Hope pulls me aside. From the way she’s fidgeting and fighting back a smile, it’s clear there’s something she’s dying to say. “You know the madness around here has been because of you and Charlie Walker, right?”
I nearly drop the broom. I guess it was only a matter of time before her or someone else realized that’s who was coming to see me all this time, even if Nolan didn’t tell her. But what do me and Charlie have to do with the sudden rush of customers?
“Listen. It’s none of my beeswax what you and America’s Hottest Bachelor have going on, but someone must’ve leaked to the press that you’re working here. I couldn’t tell you how many people have asked if you’re his girlfriend. Someone even tried to pay me to get your name.” She tosses me a wink and laughs. “Don’t worry, I played dumb.”
My cheeks instantly warm. I did notice quite a few people staring at me the past few days and some have seemed overly friendly. If they were in my rotation, I’d check to see if they needed something and didn’t put any more thought into it. My head’s been in the clouds ever since the night Charlie nearly gave me an orgasm in the break room.
“I’m sorry,” I say, letting out a long breath. “Last week there were two girls in here that recognized me. I made them promise they wouldn’t post anything.”
Pushing her long blond hair over her shoulders, Hope laughs. “Don’t stress it. I don’t mind the business—in fact Nolan loves all the extra money it brought in without having to hire a band—but today was a complete m
adhouse and we didn’t have enough staff to keep up. I’m sure it’ll settle down eventually. If not, I guess we’ll have to hire more help.”
I pull my bottom lip in-between my teeth. Charlie seems to have started a pissing match with Nolan after the “friend” comment. If Charlie knew my boss has been flirty when he isn’t around, it seems likely Nolan would get to experience firsthand how much time Charlie invests at the boxing ring.
“So Nolan isn’t mad?”
Rolling her eyes, she shrugs. “If you want to know the truth, I think he’s jealous.” Then she takes the broom from me. “I just wanted to let you know what’s going on around here so you can prepare yourself. It’s only a matter of time before someone figures out who you are and all hell breaks loose.” After sweeping up the last of my pile, she looks up and me and winks. “Personally, I think you’re the luckiest girl in the world. Anyone can see you have that man wrapped around your little finger.”
When I head home, my head's spinning from our conversation. Ruffling my brothers’ feathers is one thing, but what if I’m forced to quit my job? What if no one else hires me because they don't want the added attention? Is it really worth becoming homeless to date Charlie?
* * *
Most of the next day, Sharlo and I watch a marathon of reality TV in our pajamas. Every time my phone dings with a text, I nearly jump out of my skin.
“Bloody hell,” Sharlo mutters, throwing a handful of popcorn my way. “We both know you’re not going to rest until you know whether or not your family’s heard. They may not live close enough to do anything daft, but you won’t relax and enjoy yourself until you’ve told them. You must call your father and brothers straight away. This isn’t the kind of thing you want them to hear from some nosy twat.”
I picture one of the old ladies at church bringing Charlie and me up to my dad during coffee hour and groan. She’s so right. Better to get it over with.
I remove myself from the comfortable spot on the couch, phone in hand. “I hate it when you’re right.”
She’s laughing as I walk up the steps toward my bedroom. Deciding Dad will be the easiest to break the news to, I call him first. It rings forever before going to voicemail.
When envisioning him slumped in a tractor thousands of miles away, unable to hear his phone, I sigh. It’s hard not to worry about him. Without Mom around to keep him on his toes, he became thick in the middle from late night affairs with Oreos and Ho-Hos, and frequent trips to the local Legion.
“Hey, Dad,” I say after the beep. “Just calling to check in. Hope the new hired guy is still pulling his weight. Love you!”
Choosing to call the least annoying of my brothers first, I call Hunter. Chances are pretty good that he’ll be on the phone with the other two in a heartbeat after I’ve told him anyway.
“Hey, Ev. What’s up?” Hunter asks. His tone is so relaxed that I can see him sitting on the porch of our farmhouse, feet resting on the railing, beer in hand. If I had called James, chances are I would’ve caught him all ramped up, preparing for a round with his little fight club. I don’t know that there’s ever a good time to break something like this to James.
“Just checking in to see how everything’s going,” I say, hoping to sound casual. “Have you seen Dad around?”
As expected, he answers with, “He’s spraying beans.”
I’m tempted to ask if he’s heard of Charlie Walker. If he hasn’t, I suppose I’d be giving him an excuse to search Charlie’s name and stumble across the truth. “Anything new going on with you guys?”
He laughs. “Why? Homesick already?”
“Is that Evelyn?” a distant voice asks from his end. “Let me talk to her.”
I wince with the sound of James’s voice now greeting me from the other end. “What’s going on?”
Before James took up boxing and bulked up more, most people thought my brothers were identical. But I’ve always been able to tell the difference in their voices, expressions, and the way they carry themselves. Sometimes I swear Hunter and our younger brother Braden are the ones who are twins in attitude alone. They both have the same confident swagger and cocky smile that makes women’s insides turn to jelly. The only difference is Hunter plays acoustic guitar while Braden flexes his muscles and shows off his Marine Corp tattoos. James, on the other hand, screams intensity in everything he does, and has zero time for the opposite sex.
As far as looks go, there’s no denying my brothers and I are siblings. We all inherited mom’s thick brown hair and fierce eyebrows as well as our dad’s narrowed nose and large brown eyes. My older sisters, however, are both blonde like dad was as a kid and were lucky enough to get his piercing blue eyes. When we were younger, I was relentlessly teased by Hunter that I was adopted because I’m the only one with freckles. For awhile, I believed him.
“Just wondering what Dad’s up to,” I tell James. “He wasn’t answering his phone.”
“You sound funny. What’s going on?” From the building severity of his voice, I can picture a scowl on his face, ready to kick someone’s ass for doing me wrong.
All at once I’m reminded of graduation night when he dragged Hunter out to Nelson’s Pit and found me in the back of a pickup truck with the boyfriend I had been secretly dating for several months. Half my graduating class watched as they pulled Chris out of there in his boxers. Of course when James knocked Chris out with one punch, I screamed loud enough to get the attention of anyone in a 5-mile radius. My face heats to record high temperatures with the memory.
With a surge of anger passing through my gut, I clutch my phone tighter. The twins nearly forced me to finally leave home so I could try to live a stress-free life. Their protective bullshit has gone on long enough. It’s bad enough they’ve scared off any guy who was ever interested in me and humiliated me that night. There’s no way I’m going to allow them to make my life in New York a living hell too. And that means keeping them in the dark about Charlie.
I laugh lightly. “Nothing’s going on,” I say, glad he can’t see the anger stewing in my expression. “Can’t a girl miss her family?”
The conversation drags on as I tell them everything they want to hear. I’m good. My roommate is awesome. My job is going well. And Brooklyn Heights is everything I hoped it would be. At least I’m not lying.
* * *
Early evening Sharlo helps me plan out what I’m going to wear for my first legit date with Charlie. He told me to dress casual, so we decide on a look that’s fun and flirty. I feel like I’m in a dream sequence by the time I’m primped and ready. Five minutes to seven when my phone buzzes with a text telling me to get in the black SUV outside our apartment, I fear I’m about to hyperventilate.
“Breathe, love,” Sharlo coos, holding me by my arms. “Everything will be o-kay.” She kisses me on the cheek before releasing me and slapping my ass. “Off you go. Make the most of your night and don’t do anything unless you’re sure you’re ready!”
Though I’m wearing flat sandals, I may as well be teetering on heels when I walk toward the tinted vehicle parked in the street. A huge, handsome as hell guy covered in tattoos appears from the driver’s side to open the back door for me. “Miss Kendall,” he greets me with a nod. “I’m Dante.”
“Hey,” I answer uneasily, offering a smile before slipping through the door.
Despite spending nearly a dozen nights with him, the sight of Charlie Walker waiting for me literally steals my breath away. In jeans and a plain black, extra snug T-shirt, he’s even sexier than he probably would be wearing a tuxedo. He’s brilliant beneath the soft glow of the interior light, each mouth-watering curve of his chest on display. My eyes flash down to the inked design on his arm, then to the massive hand connected to it. The magic hand that nearly shattered me last time we let things go too far.
Warm tingles rush through every inch of my body as I draw my gaze back up to his beautiful blue eyes. With thoughts of the Caribbean Sea, a spasm hits me between the legs. This man is going to m
ake me lose my mind.
His teeth seem extraordinarily white inside the tinted vehicle when his lips spread with a sexy smile. “Hey, Freckles. You gonna come in or what?”
“Y-yeah,” I stutter, taking a deep breath before climbing in beside him. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he answers, looking down on me with leaded eyes. His arm rests on the bench behind me, allowing us to get extra close. As the massive man in the street closes the door, I become putty against the seat with Charlie’s familiar musk. “You look great.”
“You too,” I whisper back, surprised I can find my voice.
“I want to kiss you in a bad way, but I’ve booked a private spot on my favorite rooftop bar in Manhattan. I’d hate for you to miss the great food and phenomenal view.”
Giggling, I tilt my head. “Why would a mere kiss keep us from your plans?”
His lips tickle the skin behind my ear when he leans in close. “Because we’re finally alone. Once I start, there’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to stop.”
My cheeks warm as the vehicle pulls away from the curb. I hum in agreement, even though I’m dying for another taste of his mouth. With a short chuckle, he leans down by his feet and comes back up with a large department store bag. “I got you something for this weekend.” Taking the bag, I wrinkle my nose, making him break out in a wide grin. “Trust me, I owe you this,” he says.
Inside the bag there’s a black straw hat with a wide brim. “It’s beautiful,” I say, inspecting it in my hands. Why is he giving me a hat?
“Hold up, there’s more.” After placing the hat on my head, he pulls a sunglasses case out of the bag. I finally understand his intentions when he slides the tortoise designer glasses behind my ears. “There. You’re officially unrecognizable.”
“Oh,” I say quietly. I study his handsome features from behind the darkly tinted glasses. For a brief moment I forgot about the fame thing. He’s hot, charming, and is capable of literally rocking my world with his hands and mouth, but is the madness that comes with him worth upsetting my family and my life?