Love's Freedom

by Misty Wright

  She shook her head. Only in getting her to go out with him, but intimacy wise, which she knew he was referring to, he hadn't.

  "If anything, I'm disappointed that you hadn't initiated more," she said.

  He was glad she said that, because if he went any slower with her, he would be going backwards.

  "Dinner. Tonight. I'll pick you up at seven. I just want to go home, shower and change." He leaned down and put his mouth by her ear and whispered, "And all the things that Julie said are bullshit."

  She smiled and nodded. He must've known that her sister wouldn't be far away. He turned his head and kissed her cheek softly before he stood up straight. "I'll see you in an hour." He slid a long finger down her soft cheek as his eyes met her gaze. "Wear something elegant."

  "Okay," she said, feeling heat flush in her cheeks. He turned and left.

  Evangeline finished with the arrangement before she left the back room. Her sister had already left, which must have meant she was still angry. When she got home, Julie had already told Tito that she was going out with Mark for dinner and an argument had ensued between them. She should have known that Julie had listened in.

  "I'm not 12. I'm going," she said, turning away from him after he told her she couldn't go. She went down to her room to find something to wear.

  "I want you home by eleven."

  "I'll come home when I want!" she shouted back at him before slamming the door. She hauled clothes out of her closet, flinging them on the bed. Well, she'd had it. She was going to look for an apartment of her own, first thing tomorrow.

  When Mark showed up an hour later, Tito was waiting for him on the porch. He was leaning lazily against a rail post wearing a white tank top and jeans, with his arms folded across his chest. It made his muscles bulge in all the right places. He was a nice-looking man; the whole family was with their dark looks. Evangeline was the only one in the bunch who had green eyes. Mark figured it was from her mother, because the rest of them had dark brown eyes, darker than his own.

  "She's defying her family because of you." He straightened himself as he accused him.

  "She's 19, Tito. That makes her legal in this country and I've done nothing to provoke her," Mark said, undisturbed. "I've already told you all that I won't disrespect her."

  "She's young in a lot of ways," Tito countered.

  "Those are the words of a brother who doesn't want her to grow up."

  "She's screaming at me." He waved an arm toward the door. "She never yells at me. You did this."

  "No, I didn't. She's pissed off because Julie and she had a fight earlier. Maybe if you quit listening to the antics of her sister and listened to Evangeline for once, you would understand her side a little more."

  "So now you're an expert on my family?" He was hedging for a fight.

  "No, but I've seen Julie belittle Evangeline; today, in fact. Now, you can blame me all you want because I couldn't care less, but maybe look at the whole picture out of fairness."

  Tito seemed to drop his defensiveness for a moment. "They really had a fight?"

  Mark nodded. "I want to take Evangeline to dinner," he said. "I'll have her home early. I've got to go to early practice tomorrow morning at five."

  Tito settled a bit more. "You mean what you said about her, right?"

  "I did. I like Evangeline. I don't want to hurt her."

  Tito walked over to the front door and pulled it open. "Evangeline, your date is here!" he hollered into the house. Then he turned back to Mark. "If you do hurt her, I don't give a shit how famous and rich you are. I'll bust you in half."

  Mark grinned. "Fair enough."

  *

  Janine glanced at his watch. "I swear to god, He's been late more frequently this past month than we have been in our whole lives. I'm ready to start chewing on this chair, I'm so famished."

  "Settle down, Janine," Jennifer said with laughter in her voice. "I see the car." She nodded toward the big windows in front of the restaurant as the Porsche cruised into a parking spot.

  Janine breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his wife. "I'd be lost without you."

  "You'd be a mess," she corrected with a laugh.

  "I was." His eyes went down to her chest appreciatively. "I'm going to lick every inch of that gorgeous body later."

  She flushed. "Promises," she said.

  After two years of marriage, he still couldn't get enough of her. When their plane landed, he had gone right home and found her soaking in the tub. He had stripped naked and ravished her for over an hour straight. Since she had Shane, her breasts had grown fuller, along with her hips. Her curves were nice before, but now she was completely flawless. He forbade her to wear a bikini in public because he couldn't hide the erection he'd get from her in it. Even now, just thinking about her and him together made him hard with want. He also didn't appreciate other men drooling over her.

  "I want you," he said.

  Her eyes widened while she was taking a sip from her water glass and she coughed. He chuckled.

  "My God, Janine," she said in a whisper, "I can barely walk after that welcome you gave me earlier."

  "A small detail." He grinned deviously. "I'm not done."

  She shook her head at him but her green eyes darkened under her thick lashes. "You are a devil. Can't you go a week without me?"

  "I can't help it," he said, setting his pale eyes on her. "You're so sexy. I'm as hot as fuck for you right now."

  Even after all the time they had spent together, her heart could still leap when he spoke to her like that. "Janine, behaves yourself or I'll have some trouble concentrating on tonight. I want to make Evangeline feel comfortable."

  Just then, Mark came in the front door with Evangeline on his arm.

  "Oh, look at her, Janine, she is so pretty." Evangeline was wearing a knee-length, pale green empire-waist dress. She had pulled her long hair up so it was piled stylishly on top of her head. "She certainly doesn't look like she's from a middle-class neighborhood now."

  "No," Janine agreed with a grin, "she looks like a million bucks."

  "Do you think he's serious about her?" Jennifer asked. She really liked Evangeline, and she knew already that they could be really good friends.

  Janine lifted his hand and Mark spotted them.

  "Yeah, I think Mark's getting in deep with her. She's all he talks about."

  "I think it's sweet. I've never seen him so protective of a woman before."

  "The boys have stopped teasing him because he gets angry when they tease him about her."

  "Really?" That was a surprise because Mark had a great sense of humor. Rarely did any of them see anything different from him.

  "He's sensitive when she's concerned and he's only been chasing her for a few weeks," Janine whispered out of the side of his mouth as the couple approached.

  Mark bent down and kissed Jennifer's cheek after he helped Evangeline into her seat. "You are gorgeous. I'm surprised that he keeps you locked at home."

  "I have a toddler who keeps me locked at home."

  "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. He's threatened guys for looking at you," Mark said, sitting down next to Evangeline.

  She swung her head around to look at her husband. "Is that true?"

  "No," he lied, shooting Mark a warning glance. "If you want to take that route, Mark-"

  "How's Shane?" Mark asked Jennifer, cutting him off.

  Janine chuckled.

  "Nice to see you again, Evangeline," Jennifer said ignoring both of the men.

  "You, too."

  "How's business?"

  "Really good. I have to work this Sunday to catch up on orders. We're far behind."

  "I feel like I can't catch up either, but I'll need to take some time off soon," said Jennifer.

  Janine brought his eyes to his wife. "Why? Are they overworking you? Are you ill?" he said with sudden concern. She had never mentioned anything to him about this, and they were as close as a couple could get.

  "Not yet,
" she said, looking up at him resisting a smile at his concern. A light of sudden understanding came into his eyes. "Really?"

  She nodded, spreading a smile across her face.

  He let out a whoop and scooped her out of her chair, swinging her around.

  Evangeline jumped, but Mark grabbed her hand. "She's pregnant, I think. Janine, put your wife down and let us know if it's true."

  Everyone in the restaurant was looking at them now. He set his wife down and announced that he was going to be a father. They all clapped, and then he ordered champagne for everyone there, which made them clap louder.

  Jennifer blushed to the roots of her hair. "He never ceases to surprise me. I should have picked a lonely back road to tell him."

  Evangeline laughed. "I'm so happy for you both."

  "Baby number two. I'm excited, maybe not as much as him, but I am," she said, smiling widely.

  "I love kids. I have four younger brothers," Janine said, taking his seat and looking at her glass of water. "It explains why you didn't want the wine," he said, pulling out his phone.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Calling Mum and Dad," he said with a grin that threatened to split his face.

  "Can't it wait?"

  "No." He chuckled as his father answered the phone.

  Evangeline really enjoyed the dinner and conversation between them all. She knew why Mark liked these two so much. Janine was just as self-assured as Mark was, but he was down-to-earth, and the same went for Jennifer. She was also insistent on bringing constant attention to Evangeline, which she appreciated. She seemed interested in everything she did, even the fact that her flower shop was hers and that she actually worked in it. It made Evangeline proud of her job.

  "Will you two stop?" Janine said. "You'll have me buying flowers for my wife every week."

  "Every day," she corrected.

  He smiled. "Darling, you are so beautiful, that flowers aren't enough."

  She looked at Evangeline. "See what I have to put up with?"

  "He's incorrigible," Evangeline said, casting him a glance and laughing.

  Mark put his arm across the back of her chair. "I bought her flowers and she still hasn't swooned at my feet," he said, looking down at her.

  "You shouldn't hold your breath," she said cheekily, returning his stare. The others laughed.

  His smile spread to a grin, but his eyes stayed on her. Evangeline's heart leapt at that look. Gosh, she was just about to swoon.

  Janine cleared his throat. "Should we leave you two some privacy?"

  Evangeline flushed and Jennifer elbowed him in the ribs.

  He gestured at Jennifer's elbow and said, "She's so tough." He then looked around the restaurant and indicated to the waiter to bring the check. "I hate to end this night, but Mark and I have an early call."

  "It was a lot of fun," Evangeline said.

  "My treat," Janine said.

  "You bet it is," Mark agreed while standing up to help Evangeline out of her chair. "Next time, though, it's mine."

  "Agreed."

  *

  "I see why you love them so much," Evangeline said as Mark pulled in front of her house.

  "It is easy, isn't it?" he said, cutting the engine and turning to her. "Janine is more than just a friend. I don't know how we could have gone through our careers without each other," he said with pride.

  "I admire that. I don't have many friends because my life is devoted to our shop. I never really minded. I had Julie."

  "Julie is green with envy over you and me."

  "She's hurt, Mark."

  Of course she would defend her; he hadn't expected anything less. His eyes went to her mouth.

  "Kiss me goodnight."

  She gave him a partial smile. "And let you tease me again?"

  "I won't. I promise," he said, flicking his eyes up to hers. It was interesting that she knew that from their last kiss. Well, he never thought she was stupid, just very inexperienced.

  She leaned forward as he lowered his head. This time he did take it further and she wished she hadn't asked for it. Before she knew it, his tongue was in her mouth and she could feel his hand slide up her ribcage to the side of her breast. She pulled back.

  "Mark, I-"

  "It's fine," he said, looking down at her. "I moved too fast. I'm sorry."

  She shook her head and took his hand in her own. Then she leaned forward and kissed him while placing his hand over her breast. He groaned, taking her mouth again more roughly this time. His other hand threaded through the hair at the back of her head and knotted in her thick curls as he leaned over the middle consol to get closer to her.

  Mark was a big man, and his body could have swallowed her whole, and Christ, he wished he could at that moment. Every inch of Evangeline was soft and supple, except her breasts, which were high, firm and fit perfectly in his hands. His thumb moved over her pert nipple and she whimpered. With that small vulnerable sound came a flooding of heat to his groin. He moved his lips farther apart and applied more pressure, causing her to open her mouth more and accept him.

  She tasted like warm honey and her mouth responded to his as if she had been doing this for years. Soon, she discovered how to use her own tongue and Mark had to stop. He felt her, kissed her, and smelled that intoxicating scent she wore. It was too much. He was already so hot for her that it was painful. Reluctantly, he pulled back.

  "Evangeline, I have to stop or I'm taking you home," he said, breathing deeply.

  Her eyes went to his. "Is it like that every time?" she asked breathlessly.

  "What?"

  "Gosh, I feel so alive." She looked at his mouth again.

  "Ah, hell." He turned and got out of the car to walk around and let her out.

  "What is it?" she asked as she took his hand and got out of the car. He seemed angry.

  He didn't say anything as he walked her up to her front door.

  "It's not you," he finally said before he gave her a brief kiss and walked away without a backward glance.

  It was the first time she had seen him that way. He was always smiling or joking. He had said it wasn't her, but what was it? His mood had changed so suddenly. She waited until the car pulled away before she went in the house.

  "How was your night?" Tito asked as she walked by the living room where he was watching TV.

  "I had fun."

  He stood up and walked up to her. "I'm sorry about earlier, sis."

  "Me, too." She hugged him.

  "Mark seems decent enough. He seemed to care. I just can't stop seeing you as 12 and it's hard for us."

  She smiled. "Does that mean you like him?"

  "Let's not push it," said her brother.

  "Thanks," she said, going up on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek. "It means a lot, Tito." She turned and went down to her room.

  *

  Mark didn't call her the next day or the day after that. However, she did sit down with her brothers and her father to watch the game. Julie said she had something else to do and didn't join them. It wasn't common for her to watch hockey anyway, and she knew she was still upset with her. Julie could hold a grudge until hell froze over.

  "Don't worry, Julie will get over it," Tito said.

  Evangeline didn't say anything. She didn't know how Tito knew they were fighting, but Julie wasn't really quiet about things like that.

  Halfway through the first period, things weren't going well. Mark ended up with several penalties.

  "Wow, he seems frustrated tonight," said Tito.

  "He does?" asked Evangeline.

  Tito looked at her. "How was he the other night?"

  "He was fine," she said, not understanding what he was getting at. Well, he had been fine until he had walked her up to her front porch.

  Meanwhile, Mark was sitting in the penalty box for the third time, watching the game from behind the Plexiglass. He was being stupid and he knew it. He cast a glance sideways to the player's bench and saw Janine's look, then he nodded towa
rd the overhead screen. Mark looked up and saw their General Manager, Janine's dad, on the display, staring down at the ice with a familiar look that only he and Janine knew.

  "Fuck," he said under his breath. He was in trouble.

  Things got worse when they lost, two to nothing.

  As they made their way back to the dressing room, Janine tapped him on the leg with his hockey stick. "You're going to owe me for this, because it's going to hurt."

  "I know," Mark said, not looking forward to what was coming.

  Sure enough, when they got to the dressing room, there was Dutch. He told Cole, Mark and Janine to stick around after the other players left.

  He didn't ask what kept them late last time, but he sure as hell had no problem tearing Mark to pieces for his actions tonight. It was rare to see him so angry; usually a look was enough. Despite it all, Mark knew he deserved it. He wasn't a dirty player. He always had had a reputation for fighting, but he usually fought with honesty.

  "Cancel your date plans this weekend, you two," Dutch said, looking at Janine and Mark. Then he looked at his younger son. "Cole, you're in on this, too."

  "You're kidding me!" he said, holding out his hands. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with Mark, Dad. Why am I involved?"

  "You're in on this because it'll help you learn what not to do."

  Mark never said a word. He knew better. He was sure that if he even cleared his throat at this point, Dutch would make things worse for him.

  "Dad, I have plans for tomorrow." Cole argued.

  "Cancel them." He pointed a finger at Mark. "And you, I don't know what the hell is up your ass, but you're mine until the next game on Monday."

  "Yes, sir," he said solemnly.

  Dutch left then. Cole threw his gloves across the room. "This sucks!"

  "Hey, you wanted the draft on this team Cole; deal with it," Janine said, standing up to pull off his gear. "This is what we do. We deal with things like this together. You know Dad always made us share problems. If one team member has a problem, then we all do. It's what keeps us close. Mark suffered along with me and my mistakes when it came to Jennifer. Dad ran us through drills for two entire days."

  Cole moved his eyes to Mark. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. Ty I had a hot date."