by Marie Harte
Alex nodded as Eve replied, “You’re welcome.”
Justine blinked up at them, sadness clinging to her smile. “That’s it. I’m outta here.” She turned, walking down the hall to the kitchen.
“Justine,” Alex called out.
“Yes.”
“We’ll keep an eye on Jillian.”
“She’ll be okay,” Eve added.
Her smile widened as tears flooded her large brown eyes. “Thank you.” She turned again and faded from sight.
* * * *
Alex ushered Eve up stairs and into her bedroom. He closed the door as he watched her walk to the side of the bed and sit down.
They stared at each other until a scowl wrinkled Eve’s brow. “I’m so happy you are all right, Alex. You, your body…look so good, so healthy. But, I’m confused as to why you’re here. You said we were over.”
He shrugged, crossing to her. “I changed my mind.”
“That’s it, you changed your mind. You’re a jerk.” She slapped his hand away when he tried to touch her face.
“Don’t like that answer eh?” He knelt in front of her, nudging her legs apart. He ran his hands up her flannel covered legs, stopping on her hips.
“No.”
“Okay. How about this. I love you.”
The scowl dropped from her face and her eyes became huge. “What?”
Cupping her behind, he jerked her forwards. “I love you, Evening.”
“You do?” She placed her hands on his shoulders.
“Yes, very much.” He kissed her lightly then, let her get use to the feel of his lips, the taste of his mouth. Then, slowly he slipped his tongue inside, to her warmth and savoured the sweetness that was Eve.
She pulled away, licking her lips. “You said you didn’t want me.”
“Eve, I’ve come here almost every night for the past three weeks making sure you and Noelle were safe. If I didn’t want you would I do that?”
“But I didn’t know you were doing that.” The concerned look in her eyes had him kissing the top of her cheeks. “Why did you suddenly push me away when we were at the lake house?”
His mouth compressed into a hard line. He was ashamed to admit the truth but he refused to lie to her. “Miles had used Jillian and when she told him she wouldn’t put the baby up for adoption he got mad and decided killing her would be easier. Eve,”—he locked eyes with her—“I used you to get what I wanted. I scared you, threatened you and Noelle, but that wasn’t enough for me. I then dragged you into the middle of a war and ordered you to take care of a pregnant woman and then I get you shot in the process. I’m no better than Miles, in fact I’m probably worse. I pushed you away because you deserve to have a man that will treat you better than the way I treated you.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Then I was back in the hospital, stuck in the same position, and all I could think about was getting back to you and when I couldn't, I went crazy.”
“When did you realise that you loved me?”
“When I saw you smiling at Noelle’s picture of flying turtles. I knew I cared for you before then, but it was at that moment when it hit me. I guess I was fighting it harder than I thought.”
“Why did you fight it?” she asked carefully.
“The last people that I truly loved were my parents. What I feel for you is different and strong, it goes far beyond anything I’ve ever felt before and it happened fast—I wasn’t prepared for it. You and Noelle and Dawn are a family and I haven’t belonged to a family in a long time. With my life and the things I do, I’m the last person that deserves to be part of a family.” He was babbling like a fool. “But I’ll be damned if I’m walking away from you.”
She looked angrily at him. “First off, you are nothing like Miles. You would never hurt me or Noelle. And I was only scared of you because I thought you were dead. Second, by the time you made love to me, you were already becoming part of my family.” She poked him in the chest. “I don’t just sleep around, buddy. Third, I don’t want any other man, I want you.”
He smiled at her insistent tone. But he still hadn’t got what he was after. “And?”
“And what?” she asked confused.
“I need more than you want me. I want to hear you say it.”
“Say what?” The smile was full of mischief. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about?”
He wasn’t in the mood to be teased but he liked that she wasn’t scared to do it. He sealed their bodies tight, growling her full name.
She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love you too, Alex and I want you to be a part of my family for as long as you like.”
What? He pulled back. “For as long as I like?”
“Yes. For as long as you like.” She stared at him with wide innocent eyes.
“You think I’m going to up and leave one day?”
“I hope not, but I will understand if you do. I’m not exactly normal and your work is very different. I’ll stay…” She waved her hand down her body. ”And you will…change.”
He huffed, “You don’t get it.” He lifted her back onto the bed and stood looking down at her as he took off his jacket and shirt. He bent his arm and rolled his shoulder forward.
Her breath caught when she saw his new tattoo.
“I’m not going anywhere, Eve.” A sweet smile pulled at her lips. “You’re stuck with me for the remainder of our lives, however long that may be.”
“How did you…” She gingerly traced the Sinclair medallion on his shoulder. “I only thought…”
“Does it matter how I got it or who gave it to me?” he asked.
Eve looked up at him, her fingers still tracing the symbol. “No, it doesn’t matter.”
He dropped to his knees again and tugged her back against his chest. He fastened his mouth over hers in a heated kiss. She tasted so good. Her mouth was sweeter than before, the touch of her tongue more alluring. When he finally pulled away they were both panting.
She opened the bedside drawer and pulled out the box of condoms. She gazed over at him, the top of her cheeks pink. “I assume we’re going to need these?”
Chuckling he took the box from her. “For the next little while anyways.”
Her brows pushed together. “What do you…?”
“I love you, Eve.” He cupped her face. “I want to have a family with you. I want to have family dinners and walk Noelle with you to the bus.” He dropped his voice low and kissed the side of her mouth. “I want Noelle to have a brother or a sister. But not yet, I’m content to be with you two for now and you need time to get used to me.”
He stroked her face when tears clouded her eyes. “You okay? Was that too much to dump on you at once?” His heart paused while he waited for her answer. If Eve didn’t want another baby…that was okay too. He still had her and Noelle and if that was all he ever had, it would be enough because he’d never expected to have a family to begin with.
“No not too much. I love the idea of having a family with you.”
“But.”
“Are you sure? I mean, look what I’m bringing to the table. Are you sure you want your kids to have what Noelle and I have, because it will happen. What we have doesn’t skip a generation.”
“I’m sure. And when our children begin seeing medians and, or the dead we will teach them how to deal with it.” He wiped away the tear sliding down her cheek. “You’re killing me with these tears. This isn’t what I pictured when I was driving here tonight.”
“What were you picturing then?” She stroked his chest.
“Me, throwing you on the bed and fucking your brains out while I told you how much I love you.”
Her eyes were twinkling by the time he was done. She nodded fervently. “That sounds good to me. Let’s do that. But”—she pushed him back—“No bed.”
Alex groaned as they fell back to the floor. She sealed her body against his and covered his mouth with her sweet lips. He was aching when he finally pulled away. He rem
oved her clothes in record time and stared down at her exposed body. It was flushed and swollen and ready for him. Eve didn’t hide or hold anything back, touching and kissing with as much passion as he did.
“Alex?” She ran her hand down his chest.
He pulled her hand away and kissed her wrist before pinning it to the floor.
“Soon,” he promised. There was one thing he needed to do first before he came to her. He bent his head and kissed her breast, circled her nipple with his tongue in a long slow stroke. Once he’d finished tasting her entire breast he proceeded to the other, squeezing them both gently during the process. He took his time, covering every sensitive piece of skin then moved to her stomach and legs, to her arms, back and behind. When he was satisfied that he had covered every inch of her with his hands and mouth he dipped lower to the sweet folds between her thighs. He made love to her with his mouth, drove his tongue deep, got lost in the honeyed essence of her all the while loving the way she ran her fingers into his hair, the heat of her body, the way she loved him back.
“Alex,” she cried out his name shivering. “Is it time yet?” Her hips rolled seductively.
“Yes.” He kissed her now dripping lips one more time and rose to his knees undoing his pants. He looked over her body as he covered his shaft with a condom, searching for any spot he might have missed. A possessive grin, curled his mouth. Cade’s touch was erased and replaced with his own. Eve had given him her soul when she’d said she loved him, but it still wasn’t enough. He wanted her body for his own too and the thought of another man’s hands on her drove him crazy. It didn’t matter that he was the soul on the inside, it was Cade’s body he had used to touch Eve with and that was something he couldn’t let go of.
Lifting her hips he drove forward, her body welcoming him eagerly pulling him deeper than before. He covered her mouth as she cried out and moved quickly, reducing Cade’s touch to a distant memory, moaning in pleasure at how incredibly tight she was. Something was different. Mind-numbingly fantastic but different. Eve tasted sweeter, her skin was softer, her body tighter. It was like all his senses were heightened, that Cade’s body had dulled them somehow. But now that he was back in his own body, everything was crisp and clear.
Eve dug her nails into his shoulders, as desperate as he was. Grinding his body tight against hers, Alex kissed the ultra-sensitive area under her ear. Within seconds her body clamped down on his. He grunted, allowing the pulsing of her body to coax him into coming.
* * * *
Eve rested her hand over Alex’s heart as they lay on the floor. She closed her eyes and sighed happily when she felt the strong beats. “How are you alive, Alex?”
“I asked that very question after I was merged back into my body.”
She curled her fingers and traced the bullet wound. He was alive, did it matter if he told her? No. But she wanted to know. “And?” she pushed.
“My soul didn’t die with the body because it wasn’t my actual body. Apparently the soul only dies when the body it belongs to dies. Looks like your theory was right about there being a psychic connection between body and soul.”
She placed her hand back on his chest and splayed her fingers wide. His chest was hard, the firm muscles beneath her hand was warm and comforting.
“How did you find that out?” She ran her fingers through the hair on his chest, loving the way it tickled her palm.
“Your Gran.”
Eve froze and pushed back to look at his face. “What did you say?”
“Dawn merged me.” Alex chuckled.
She was so stunned to hear Dawn had helped him that her mouth dropped open.
“Really?”
“Yes she helped me.”
Tears pooled in her eyes again. “I think that crazy old bird must like you.”
“Of course she does.” Then announced, “Though I doubt she will ever admit to it.”
Eve laughed. “When did she merge you?” She began stroking his chest again.
“A week after the shooting.” His hand covered hers.
“Oh.”
Silence. It had been a full month since that night, what had he been doing between then and now?
As though he could read her mind he said, “I had things to take care of before I could come here,” he began.
She simply nodded and waited for him to continue.
“When I was given a clean bill of health I was called in to explain what had happened the night Miles shot me.”
“What did you tell them?”
“I told them the truth. About how he’d wanted to kill Jillian because she had seen us kill Rhodes. But I also told them what I’d learnt after. How Miles was the father of Jillian’s baby. I told them that I believed he’d used the Rhodes kill as an excuse to eliminate her so his family wouldn’t find out.”
More silence.
“You spoke with the cops and members of my unit didn’t you?”
“I’m not sure, I mean I don’t think I did. I assumed I was speaking to police officers, though I did find it weird that everyone kept asking me the same questions.” She climbed onto the bed. “Which ones belonged to your unit?” She turned to find him standing next to the bed.
Alex gave her a secretive smile as he followed her onto the bed. His now naked body pinning her down. “What did you tell them?”
“What you did. Well, I told them that Cade had asked for my help because he’d believed Miles was responsible for killing his wife.” She narrowed her eyes. “Although, one group of officers didn’t quite believe what I was saying and pressed me for more information.” Her eyes widened. “Those were members of your unit. Weren’t they?”
“Could be. What did you say?”
“I told them I was there when Cade woke up in the hospital and that he came looking for me. I also told them that I had gone to see you and the reason why and that was when I met Miles.”
Alex nodded. “My CO told me about you being dragged into Miles’ line of sight. They were puzzled over why Miles had suddenly targeted you. But decided because Miles had first met you in my hospital room and because he was already acting irrationally, my CO concluded it was most likely, fear over being discovered that he had shot me and was trying to kill Jillian.”
“I also told them that Jillian, told me and Cade that Miles was the father of her baby. I felt that they should know—I was hoping it would help close the case faster.”
Alex nuzzled her ear then pushed between her legs.
“Did I say the right thing?” She heard the dreamy tone to her voice. “They aren’t going to bother Jillian are they?”
He pulled back a hand on either side of her head. “You didn’t lie, that was good. They would have known if you had.” He tangled his fingers in her hair.
“But I did lie, about Cade.”
“No. I was Cade and I did come looking for you. The rest was the truth and even if you think it wasn’t you must have been convincing enough for them to leave you alone or they would have kept you in the hospital until they were satisfied.”
“They can do that?”
Alex shrugged knowingly.
Eve shook her head. “That is scary to know. What about Jillian?” she asked. “Will they leave her alone?”
He cupped the side of her face, ran his thumb over her lower lip as he answered, “Yes. Though they will check up on her, to make sure she is doing okay.”
“Who will do that? They won’t scare her will they?”
“I volunteered.” Then, shrugging, he admitted, “I want to know she will be okay too and I thought you would want to as well.”
“Yes I do. I meant what I said to Justine. I like Jillian very much, we’ve become close.”
“I know.”
Eve lowered her eyes and toyed with the hair on his chest. “Besides answering questions, where have you been?”
With a single finger under her chin, he raised her head so she was looking into his face. “I went up north to make sure the clean-up was done
accurately. Then I went to check out the damage done to the apartment Cade”—he winked at her—“blew up. And then I was sent into the field with a new partner. They wanted to know if I can work with anyone other than Miles.”
“And can you?” She licked her lips, hoping the answer would be no, so they would have to send another set of men out to kill the guilty. “Work with another partner?”
He looked her in the eye. “It will be an adjustment, but I don’t see any problems.”
She tried to turn away before he saw her disappointment, but it was too late. “Evening. You know what I do and you know why. There are far too many people out there that enjoy hurting the innocent. I won’t stop hunting them.” He turned her face to his. “But I have asked to do less field work and more research. So I won’t be as busy as I was before. But I had to agree to go whenever a team needs extra help.”
“So you won’t be away from us that much?”
“No. I won’t be away that much.”
“Okay. I just hate what all that…hunting is doing to you.” She touched his cheek.
“Then it’s a good thing I’ll have you to heal me when I get back.”
Eve sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck when he kissed her. The kiss was so gently and loving that Eve felt her heart flip over.
He ended the kiss suddenly. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“What question?”
He gave her naughty grin “I need your help.”
“With what?” She looked up at him, amazed that he was alive and here with her, loving her.
He brushed her ear with his lip, his warm breath making her shiver. “Finding a church.”
About the Author
Nancy’s addiction for a good trash novel began in her late-teens when her grandmother gave her a bag of Harlequin Romance books. She was hooked and spent the next few years lurking in the dark corners of used bookstores searching for her next fix. Until, one marriage and two kids later, her own ideas had her jumping up at three a.m. (much to her husband’s annoyance) and typing them into her laptop. Beside her husband and children, Nancy has three passions, rearranging furniture, buying bed linens and, of course, writing. Nancy lives in Eastern Ontario with her family and two over-sized lap dogs.