Love's Freedom

by Misty Wright

  He knew after the first few minutes of meeting him that Mark was an alpha male. He was used to getting his way, and challenging Tito seconds after stepping in the house made him know it was true. He wasn't intimidated at all by them, and even in their house he walked in with an air of owning the world.

  So after brief consideration, Glen was going to take a step back and see how serious and respectful he would be with his baby sister. If he wasn't respectful of her, then he'd deal with him his way. Mark nodded in response to Glen's question about respecting their rules when it came to Evangeline.

  "I like him." Glen said out of the blue, shocking his siblings. "He has the respect to ask to take out Evangeline even though she's of legal age." He nodded to him in appreciation. "However, that doesn't mean that we won't be watching you."

  Mark's eyes went to Tito, who didn't look as enthusiastic, but he did nod in agreement.

  "Eleven, then."

  Evangeline was angry at all of them. Who gave them the right to bid on her well-being? She told them all that, stood up and left the table, but not before she told Mark that she never agreed to anything.

  "Now, what the hell did I just do?" Mark said when Evangeline got up and left abruptly. He thought she'd be happy that he had sought out her family's approval. It seemed to be the only thing holding her back from going out with him. At least, he thought it was. Janine was right; she wasn't what he was used to.

  Glen started eating again, undisturbed, while Mark looked around the table. The only one that was paying him any attention and he was grinning.

  "Well, That's as far as we go. You need to get her to forgive you. Good luck, that's the hard part. Evangeline doesn't like her life dictated to her."

  So that was it. Mark took his napkin off his lap and stood up. "Where'd she go?"

  "Her room is the last one on the left down the hall." Julie offered.

  "Thanks," he said, giving her a smile. He could always count on Julie to tell him anything.

  "Go away," Evangeline said as she was taking her earrings out of her ears and putting them in her jewelry box when she heard a knock at the door.

  "Evangeline, open up."

  It was Mark. She had expected Glen to come and apologize for treating her like a little girl. Well, she was angry with Mark, too, but her family was driving her crazy. She sighed and opened the door.

  "Do you see now?" She gestured down the hall. "This is why I didn't want you to come here. This is why I want you to leave me alone."

  "They love you. I wasn't much different when my sister brought home boyfriends."

  "Well, I'm sure you took your time airing personal things in front of him."

  He lifted his brows briefly and tilted his head in surrender. He was embarrassed for her. Glen just told him that she had never been in a serious relationship; well, basically he told him she'd never been with a man. It should have sent him packing, but honestly, he found it intriguing. She was bloody beautiful and no man had had his hands on her? No wonder with her brothers watching her every move and her sister probably telling them every time she did do something the least bit deviant. It also explained her reluctance. He was a bit aggressive when he wanted something and had obviously frightened her a little. If anything, it made him realize that he needed to be more careful. As for her being innocent, it was no consequence to him. He would have her.

  "Come to the barbeque with me. My best friend's wife is anxious to meet you. It's going to have a lot of people."

  "You could have asked me first," she said.

  "Yes, but that would have let your family think that I didn't respect you enough to seek their permission first. Besides, you would have said no, thinking that they wouldn't want you to go."

  She looked away for a moment before returning her gaze to him. She had to give him credit; he was smart, and he was right. "How did you know?"

  "It's what I would have wanted. My mother did raise a gentleman despite how antagonistic I can be. A lot of it's from my job. I won't lie; I'm arrogant, conceited and used to getting what I want. I'm highly competitive." He grinned. "When I want something, I have no qualms about going after it."

  "Like women," she said.

  He nodded. He wouldn't lie to her.

  "See, that's just it, Mark-the women. There's so many that are after you. That game just proved it. My god, I thought they were going to leap over the wall-"

  He stepped in and closed the door, cutting her off.

  "-What are you doing?" she said with wide eyes. She'd never had a man in her room, ever.

  He lifted a hand indicating for her to relax and lowered his voice.

  "Unless I misread your sister, I think that she's down the hall, listening. This is something that we don't need to share. I know I can seem a little controlling, but that's my personality. I won't disrespect you and we'll go at your pace. Also, despite what the media portrays and what you think about my attitude towards women, I am a monogamous man and only date one woman at a time. Also, I can't be accused of lying to any of them. So come with me."

  What he didn't tell her is that the last time he actually had a girlfriend, he had been about 17. Since then, he'd been with many other women. However, he told her the truth. He didn't overlap them, he just had no commitment when it came to them and they knew that.

  She narrowed her gaze suspiciously. That was really hard to believe, she thought. "There were so many of them yelling your name. Isn't that tempting for a man like you?"

  He shook his head and kept his expression serious. "Evangeline, I've had attention like that since I was 14. It's nothing new, and it gets old."

  She supposed that could happen, but she still had difficulty believing him.

  He saw her look and said, "I swear." He made the sign of the cross over his chest, "Ask my friends when you come to the barbeque with me. I do not let that affect me."

  "I never said yes." Oh, but she really wanted to go with him! It was the fact that a lot of women wanted him and he was doing his best to chase her. It was more than flattering, and she couldn't help but really like that.

  His eyes glittered. "I won't take no for an answer. I'll invite Julie and she'll make you come, just like the game."

  She laughed, letting all her irritation and worry disappear. "You are the devil!" She had to give him credit. He certainly knew how to read her sister well.

  "Come with me, sweetheart. I swear, as god as my witness, I'll behave, no matter how hard it is." His devious grin made her laugh again.

  "Somehow I don't think that word is in your vocabulary."

  "Normally, but I'm smitten." He placed his hand on his chest like his heart was hurting, "Really."

  She rolled her eyes, but still smiled. "My goodness, no female has any defense against you."

  "Is that a yes?"

  She took a deep breath. "I shouldn't."

  "But you will."

  "You are arrogant," she said, narrowing her gaze on him.

  He chuckled and held his hands out helplessly. "And I admit it. Come, please. They'll love you. Janine's my best friend and his wife wants to meet you."

  "The blond one you sat with?"

  He wanted to laugh out loud. What woman didn't know Janine by sight? He was disgustingly famous because of his movie star looks. "Yes."

  "He's married?"

  "Happily, disgustingly happily, and they have a little boy that's just about two."

  She furrowed her brow as she thought about it. Mark couldn't be that bad if his best friend was married and he liked his wife.

  "Look, Evangeline, next week I'll be gone to Pittsburg for a couple of games. I won't get to see you until the week after. I'd like to take you to meet my friends so you can get to know what type of a person I am. I have nothing to hide. Not even one skeleton in my closet."

  "Okay," she finally agreed. He had a point. To her shock, he bent down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She had to refrain from placing her hand in that spot because it tingled. Her eyes widened at th
at bold gesture and she stared up at him, but he didn't seem to think anything of it.

  "Terrific. Now come back and let me enjoy that fantastic meal someone cooked."

  "Julie and I made it."

  He groaned. "And you cook. Christ, I'm in heaven." She laughed as he opened the door and let her go out ahead of him.

  *

  "That's their house?" Evangeline had never been to this ritzy part of town where all the mansions were. It was an area just outside the city that housed acreages with large homes on it. This one seemed bigger than her whole block. Suddenly she became nervous. Well, more nervous than she had been before.

  Mark reached over and squeezed her hand as he drove up to the iron gates in front of Janine's home. He didn't release it after that. She looked down at his large hand holding hers, then back up at him. It wasn't often that a man touched her, and when Mark took it upon himself to do that, she couldn't help but enjoy the attention, especially with the words of encouragement that followed. Without saying anything, he actually knew she was unsettled about meeting his friends, and his consideration was heartwarming.

  "Don't worry about it. Once you meet them, you'll see it means nothing on which they are." They'd been sharing polite conversation up until this point and then she became silent when she spotted the mansion. He knew she was apprehensive. The size of the place could intimidate rich people.

  He rolled down his window and entered a security code on the number pad under the intercom that was window level. Immediately there was a buzzing noise and the gate opened.

  He cast her a glance as he drove up the paved drive. "Evangeline." She looked at him. "Don't be nervous," he said.

  She looked down at the simple floral print dress she wore. "I feel underdressed."

  He smirked and returned his eyes to the house. "It's unnecessary."

  She looked at him as he pulled the car up beside what looked like a Jaguar. Then she looked around thinking there wasn't one vehicle there that was worth less than a hundred thousand dollars. Normally she was confident in herself, but she was out of her comfort zone here.

  Mark knew she was feeling unsure and there was nothing he could say to make her feel better. He was hoping it would evaporate when she met his friends. He got out, walked around and opened the door for her. She got out and looked up at the beautiful yellow brick mansion.

  "This is so beautiful," she said.

  "It was Jennifer's father's place. She kept it after he died."

  "She must've loved him."

  "She did. It was unfortunate it wasn't returned."

  "What?" She stared up at him in surprise.

  He shrugged. "Pierre was a little ruthless when it came to Jennifer. He wanted to control her and actually tried to get her to marry someone else. Money and success was more important to him than his only daughter."

  "But she still chose your friend?"

  He looked down at her. "She sort of didn't have a choice. Janine is persistent and-" he paused, and smiled, "- she was pregnant with Shane."

  She flushed. "I didn't mean to pry."

  "They'd tell you themselves. It's no secret." He took her hand again. "Come, I'll introduce you."

  She liked the feel of his rough calloused hand. It showed a man that wasn't afraid of hard work, but she was surprised that playing hockey gave him hands like that. It also made her feel oddly protected. Maybe it had something to do with his size to hers. Whatever it was, she really started liking the warm feeling it gave her.

  Janine opened the door without knocking and led her through the house and the first person they ran into was Cole, Janine's little brother.

  "Be still, my beating heart," he said, and threw his hand across his chest when he set his eyes on Evangeline.

  "Don't be such a Romeo. This one is taken," Mark said with amusement. "Evangeline, this self-proclaimed stud is Janine's little brother. We got him last year, but he still has a lot to learn."

  "I am not little." He grinned, not denying the stud or learning part. "I'm taller than Janine-and you." Cole said, straightening himself beside Mark. He was several inches taller than him and less than an inch taller than his older brother.

  "By a quarter of an inch," Mark said. However, he was a wicked defenseman. He was big and brutal, besides being able to play a good game of hockey.

  "Just saying," he said in defense. Evangeline laughed.

  His eyes went back to Evangeline and he held out his arm. "I'll be happy to escort you to the pool-did you bring a swimsuit?" he said with his eyes lighting up. Her eyes widened in response.

  "Back off," Mark said, "or I'll put your head through the wall." He gave him a playful shove and tightened his grip on Evangeline's hand. There was no way he was going to tell Evangeline to bring a swimsuit because he knew she was nervous besides being conservative. Furthermore, like hell was he going to let that group of men get a look at her in a swimsuit. He knew he'd have trouble with other men gawking at her as it was. If she was wearing a swimsuit, he'd have to start hitting them.

  Cole grinned while catching his balance. "Well, honey, I guess the richest man wins," said Cole.

  "The best looking," Mark said, causing Cole to put up his fists and give him a challenging grin.

  "Don't make me embarrass you in front of Evangeline."

  "You two, stop it." She started laughing again and stepped between them. "I will not be responsible for black eyes."

  "I'm not twelve anymore, Mark. I can beat you."

  "You act like it." He gave him a challenging look, but his eyes were full of humor.

  "Both of you, stop it," came another woman's voice.

  At the sound of her voice, Evangeline turned to see a very pretty, slender, auburn-haired woman walk into the large foyer with a baby on her hip that looked to be about two years old. Right away she knew this was Janine Rush's wife. She was smiling widely.

  "I'm sorry. They may be all star athletes, but they act like school children." She walked toward Evangeline and held out her hand. "I'm Jennifer Rush."

  "Evangeline Amoretti," she said, returning her smile and taking her hand. She was wearing a pink blouse and jeans. It was probably the most typical outfit to wear to a barbeque. Evangeline was impressed. For some reason, she had had an image of Janine's wife in some sort of expensive dress with her hair up and a nanny in tow with the baby. Instead, she saw someone who was down-to-earth and friendly. Now she knew what Mark meant about her not being nervous.

  Despite it all, she was still worried because he thought so highly of her and maybe the woman wouldn't like her. However, Jennifer didn't look like some sophisticated snob, or like someone who would look down at her because she wasn't as wealthy. She wore comfortable clothing, had her long hair pulled back, and was very friendly. Best of all, she seemed genuinely glad to meet her.

  "This is Shane," she said, introducing her son. He had pale blue eyes and light blond curls that fell around his ears. "Say hi to Evangeline."

  "Hi," he said grinning.

  "Gosh, he's handsome," said Evangeline.

  "I should say. His father is the best-looking man in the league." She cast her sly smile and then flicked a glance to Mark as if she was challenging him to deny it. Mark held up his hands. "I wouldn't dream of challenging you, honey. I've seen the way you play hockey." Then he bent and kissed her on the cheek. "It seems like forever since I've seen you last."

  "It has." She turned and set her eyes back on Evangeline with a devious grin. "So don't do it again. Come on, I'll introduce you around." She glanced at Cole. "And you keep your hands to yourself."

  Cole lifted his hands in surrender but kept his steady grin.

  Jennifer shook her head. "Cole has no qualms about stealing women away from anyone, so keep him in check."

  Evangeline glanced at him and he set his pale blue eyes on her with a sloppy grin of helplessness. He was cocky and it made her laugh. "I'll keep that in mind."

  "I'll take Shane," Mark said, lifting the little boy off her hip who w
as trying desperately to reach for him while saying, "Mark, Mark."

  "I'm his uncle away from home," he said to Evangeline, hoisting the boy up on his shoulders before following them out to the back. "He's the first grandchild to Dutch and Liz, so he gets doted on tremendously."

  She was sure it had something to do with how beautiful that toddler was, too. He had dimples which was positively adorable in children.

  Evangeline stopped when they went through the double French doors to the patio out back. The backyard was gorgeous. There were beautiful flowers everywhere and there were patio lanterns hanging about, music playing, and laughter reached her ears.

  "This is amazing," she said.

  "Dutch and Janine like to do this a couple of times a year for everyone," Jennifer explained. "The men work hard, and they like the family ambience. It keeps the players and their families close. We usually have to wait until the first few games so they're settled in, but it's a tradition we'd like to keep."

  There had to be about fifty people there. Not only players, but also wives and children. It was a wonderful family setting. There were several games set up throughout the enormous yard, including a volleyball net and lawn bowling, and there were quite a few kids taking advantage of the pool. Now she knew that Mark was right: her family had nothing to worry about her here.

  "Dutch?" she asked.

  "Janine's father," Jennifer answered. "He's also the general manager of the team and," she smiled, "owns fifty one percent. I own the other half."

  "He's named after a nationality?"

  "No, his father gave him that nickname because he's blond and blue-eyed like a Dutchman. It stuck throughout his professional career. Everyone calls him Dutch. Janine is a spitting image of him. Janine's four brothers have their mother's dark hair, but Dutch's build. His real name is Jason."

  "Oh." Then, as if to answer her next question, a very tall, handsome man appeared and slipped his hand around Jennifer. His pale blue eyes were on Evangeline and it was easy to see the curiosity in them.