Her words turned his attention and those dark, mesmerizing eyes in her direction. Years of practice reading people wasn't necessary to see the bewilderment clearly etched on his features. "By leaving, I disappointed you? You wanted me to stay and fight for what I wanted?"
This time she closed her eyes. "My emotions have been getting the best of me. I promise I'm working on it. God knows I prefer logic and control to the chaos. Other than wanting to regain some semblance of control, I don't know what I want anymore."
His caress, soft and tender, brushed over her cheek, lifting her chin until she met his gaze once again. The dark brown orbs were surrounded by tiny crinkles of amusement. Trying to understand why this man continued to show her an amazing measure of patience and understanding tested every ounce of logic she possessed. Either he was the best guy around or the stupidest. "You want me to meet your mom if I read your last signal correctly."
Instead of a smile, the corners of her mouth headed southward. This time when she looked at him, she knew, without a doubt, her face resonated with guilt. She'd seen it enough times in the mirror to know when she wore that particular mask. Maybe that was one of the things she liked…loved most about Cody. With him, no masks were needed. She could be herself. Unfortunately, she wasn't confident who that was anymore. "That's not entirely true. You deserve the truth."
"I'm almost afraid to ask what you're going to say next." He slid his thumb across her drying lips, weakening her resolve.
Summoning what little remained of her internal fortitude, she forged ahead. "My mother invited Nathan to the party on Wednesday for Mel. She wanted me to accompany him, but I told her I already had a date."
"You're seeing someone?"
The hint of jealousy in his tone warmed her all the way to her core. The beginnings of a crooked smile replaced a small portion of the guilt mask. "Seriously?"
He returned the smile. "Stupid question. Sorry. I get it now. You lied to your mother instead of telling her the truth about the situation between you and the ex."
She raised an eyebrow. "Technically, it's only a lie if I don't have a date by the party."
"You legal types." He winked. "You really want me to be your date?"
Time to close the deal. She moved from her seated position on the floor, rose to her knees, and kissed him on the cheek. "I do."
The clenching of his jaw kept her from placing this debate in the W column for a win. The momentary levity of the conversation disappeared. "Forget baseball references. Being around you reminds me of a Ping-Pong game. I'm having a tough time keeping up with the emotional swings back and forth."
He was right.
"Curves and edges. That's what you said at the reception that night. With everyone else, I've been consistent and predictable. You take every preconceived notion I have about myself and turn them upside down. You make me second guess myself and do things I'd never considered doing before. You are a bad influence, Soldier." Why was she telling him this? Damn alcohol buzz. Had to be the explanation. Might as well finish strong. "You drive me crazy. Either you want to go with me or not. Just tell me. I will respect whatever decision you make. For the love of God, stop tormenting me, though, and decide."
A moment later, he crushed her mouth with his, silencing any further remarks she might make. The pads of his fingers held her face captive in the kiss while the rest of her insides started the slow melt of desire his touch had created. If he said no and went back to Wisconsin, where in the hell would that leave her? Lost and alone and kicking myself for screwing up something so very good. If he said yes, would it be because he really wanted to be her date or just to help her save face with her mother? Ugh! Her head hurt.
Further thought vanished when he slid his tongue across her mouth, prompting her lips to part in response. The stubble on his chin faintly registered against her cheek. Forget alcohol, his touch proved stronger and far more intoxicating.
Breathless, he broke the kiss. "Now that I have your full attention. If I agree to come as your date, we must agree on terms."
She blinked several times to bring the rapid-firing neurons in her brain back into alignment. She fought to keep doubt from creeping into the hazy glow from the kiss. Maybe he was doing this only to help her save face. Dread settled low in her stomach, but the faint smile on his well-kissed lips kept her from losing all hope. "Who's playing lawyer now?"
"Learned from the best."
Her back straightened, a little more focused. "I'm listening. State your terms."
* * *
Evelyn's sexy attorney mode kicked into high gear. Maybe she was right, and he should've stood up to her this morning. Had Nathan simply stood by and let her have all the control in the relationship? Maybe he hadn't been man enough to be what she truly needed—someone who understood her yet helped her realize she could be so much more.
Kissing her had been totally impulsive, but she had a knack for bringing out his spontaneous side. Besides, he never wanted to miss an opportunity to kiss those sinfully sweet lips. Backing away enough to have a somewhat rational conversation, he captured her gaze and lifted his index finger. "First, I will pick you up and drive you to the party. No meeting there. A date means the guy picks up the girl. End of story."
"Sounds like someone is still living in the fifties, but I'll agree to the term."
One down, two to go. His middle finger joined the index finger. "Second, if anyone asks, including your mother, you introduce me as your date."
"Any particular way you'd like me to address you?" She quirked her lips into a half grin, and he could tell a bubble of laughter threatened to break through the surface.
"If it will make you feel better, rather than saying, 'this is my red hot, sexy lover, Cody,' you can instead introduce me as private, first class Cody Jenkins."
A full-on smile now adorned her beautiful face. "Private, first class Jenkins it is. Your final term?"
This would be the tough one. Lifting his ring finger to indicate number three, he took the plunge. "If the evening goes well, you, me, and the boys do a joint activity on Saturday. My choice."
"Cody…" The smile disappeared, and a look of worry creased her face.
He shook his head. "All the terms, Counselor, or no deal. I'm tired of playing pretend with you. Either you give serious consideration to me being a part of your life or we move on. I'm tired of being jerked around. As much as I care about you and think we're good together, I deserve to be more than someone you use on an as-needed basis. I'm not asking to move in. I'm not even asking for you to tell the boys how important we are to each other. I'm simply asking to spend time with you and the kids in a fun setting. If we are able to make a go of this, it will help them accept me if we've had a chance to bond."
"And if we aren't able to make a go of this, what then? You're just going to disappear from their lives and break their hearts."
He noticed she didn't add a "too" on the end of her statement. Didn't even phase him. He'd learned she wasn't good with sharing her feelings. Remembering her outburst from earlier, he amended the thought. Not good at sharing her feelings unless she had a slight buzz going on. Just because the words weren't said didn't mean they weren't true.
"Then occasionally, as my schedule allows, I will call you and see if I can take the boys out for some fun with Uncle Cody. They're cool dudes, and I like hanging out with them. This isn't high school, and I'm not an asshole. I wouldn't do that to them." He left out what he wanted to add…or you.
After several long, painful seconds of silence, she finally answered. "I agree to your terms."
"All of them?"
She nodded. "All of them."
He wasn't going to waste a victory. "Good. So, can we have brunch tomorrow? After you finish work."
"Dinner, my place. I'll cook. You'll need to leave by eight, though. The boys are due home then, and while a playdate with all of us might be fun, I'm not going to explain a romantic dinner in the house to them."
His ears perked
up at her choice of words—romantic dinner. He had no idea how far this positive swing in her mood would take him, but he intended to enjoy every second. "Five?"
"Six."
Two hours didn't give him much time to eat and then seduce her, but he'd work on his game plan and be ready. Thinking of the fun they had feeding each other while they were in Mexico, he smiled. "I'll be responsible for dessert."
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Never again. One glass of wine, either at the end of a trying day or at a social function to give her hands something to do as she mingled with colleagues or guests, had always been her max. Drinking more than that impaired her judgment and explained why she had called and ordered dinner for two from La Rosa's Italian Restaurant. The never-ending pile of work kept her attention longer than she'd planned, which meant no time for cooking the dinner she'd set up with Cody.
At least one of the senior partners had witnessed her slaving away in the office on a Sunday. That had to help her standing, right? Irritation shot through her veins. Why was working on a universally accepted day of rest necessary to impress the powers that be? All work and no play, not a good combination for anyone, success-driven or not. Belatedly, she wondered if her mother ever played. The stress didn't seem to get to her. What was her secret, and more importantly, why hadn't she ever shared it with her?
"Here's your order, ma'am. We put two complimentary slices of cheesecake in because you had to wait."
Their gesture should've appeased her, but aggravation at the direction of her thoughts kept her from voicing her appreciation. "Do you have creamer?"
"Ma'am?"
She'd noticed Cody's coffee wasn't the same dark color of hers when they shared the beverage. He liked cream in his coffee, and she wanted to make this perfect for him. Something in my life should be perfect. "White liquid you put in coffee?"
The flicker of embarrassment on the young woman's face sent the guilt mask trudging in from the dressing room of her mind. No doubt, tired of being called into service so much lately.
"Of course, ma'am. I'm sorry." The girl's hands trembled as they dropped the small containers into the carryout bags.
Evelyn released a long breath. She had to get a grip. "No, I'm sorry. The creamer request didn't make any sense without an order of coffee. I realized my friend enjoys coffee with cream, and I don't have any at my house." She handed the girl a twenty from her purse as a tip and to confirm how sorry she was for her tone.
The gesture earned her a tentative smile. "Thank you, ma'am. Enjoy your dinner."
Truthfully, she wasn't even hungry, but maybe Cody's presence would settle her jumbled nerves. Usually he's responsible for the opposite effect. A small smile at the thought of the ways Cody distracted her from her problems gave the guilt mask a much needed break.
Once at home, she sent a quick text to the boys, letting them know she'd see them at eight and that she loved them. Then, in a never-before move, she selected the Do Not Disturb setting on her phone. No interruptions from family, work, or anyone else trying to rob her of the little slice of happiness she'd found in the ruins of her life.
The table was set, food warming in the oven, wine poured, and last minute freshening up completed. All done with two minutes to spare. A couple slow breaths in and out helped center her and calm the nervous energy coursing through her body. Truth be told, she loved that feeling—similar to waiting at the top of the roller coaster for the telltale clink that would send you plummeting down the first big hill and into a series of twists and thrilling turns, leaving you breathless and begging for more. That was what Cody did to her.
She allowed herself to remember some of those first thrilling turns and twists. Though the reality of their situation was less than ideal, they'd been good together. So good. Warm tingles of pleasure radiated throughout her body, pulsing and centering deep within her core, causing her to yearn for his arrival. Maybe they'd skip the food, just as they had in India, and go straight for dessert.
Speaking of his arrival, she glanced at her watch. Six fifteen. A multitude of negative emotions swirled and replaced the tingling. It wasn't like him to be late. Not as far as she knew anyway. Grabbing the phone off the counter, the list of missed calls was filled with his name and number. Pressing the callback option, she willed her heart to slow, praying he was okay. If he survived all the evils of war only to be hurt at home…
"Evelyn, thank God. I've been trying to reach you. I thought you and your phone were connected at the hip! Why didn't you answer?"
Wave after wave of relief bathed the negative emotions in reassurance. He was okay. Why isn't he here then? "I put my phone on do not disturb as I had a hot date tonight and didn't want to be interrupted. Speaking of my hot date…where are you?" She fought hard to keep any trace of irritation out of her voice. She didn't want to argue. Not tonight. Not anymore, really, except in the course of her job.
"On my way to Wisconsin. I'm so sorry. It's my dad."
Thoughts of her father and how she'd react if anything happened to him minimized her potential irritation to zero. "What's wrong?"
"Chest pains. They called an ambulance, and I'm headed to the hospital. That's all I know."
"Your sister?"
"Must be in the hospital with a crappy signal, or she has her phone turned off out of respect for the rules. That's how she rolls. I'm sure she'll call as soon as she knows something definitive."
"I'm so sorry." And she was, for more than one reason. "I even got creamer for you to have with your coffee." She smiled at the confession. He'd reduced her to a love-sick teenager wanting to impress and please him.
"Do not disturb and creamer. I truly am a lucky man. Lucky and so sorry I'm going to miss dinner. I bet you look beautiful."
Thoughts of the matching black lace under her silk blouse and skirt heated her face. "I am matching."
"Damn. Now I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you, promise."
"Go be with your family. Please keep me posted." A stray rational thought surfaced. "When you have a minute, if you remember, email me the name of the opposing counsel in your case. I'll text you my address. I'm going to try to make this go away for your family before Wednesday."
"You're the best, Ev. I'll get it to you later tonight, barring any turn for the worse. Either way, I'll call as soon as I know something."
"Drive safe, Soldier." I need you to come home to me again.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
"Mom, we're home!" Michael called out as he and Jason made their noisy entrance into the house. Their overnight bags were dropped by the door, and Evelyn bit her tongue to prevent her first words from coming out as fussing.
Instead, she walked over and pulled them both in a hug. "I missed you. You have a good time at your dad's?"
"It was boring. Dad had some big project he had to finish up so we spent most of the weekend watching movies and eating junk food." Michael crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"I know!" Jason chimed in. "He wouldn't even play a game with us."
Evelyn hugged them tighter and knew she needed to do some damage control, especially with her older son. She knew what would make Jason feel better. "Brave knight, will you take all of your things upstairs to your rooms and grab a quick shower while I talk to your brother? When you're done, you can pick a board game and we'll all play. Sound good?"
"Yay! Thanks, Mommy. I'll even wash behind my ears."
Evelyn smiled and watched as he grabbed the bags and darted upstairs. Returning her attention to Michael, she moved to the couch and patted the cushion next to her. "Can we talk?"
He plopped down, a little farther away than she'd indicated and crossed his arms. "I know. I'm being selfish. I need to grow up and understand adults have responsibilities."
She shook her head. "Nope, not even close to what I was going to say."
He turned abruptly toward her, and she fought to not smile as his bangs fell across his eyes. Teen hairstyles these days. "What were you going to
say then?"
"I was going to say that I'm sorry. I know all of this transition has been hard on both you and your brother, especially you. Our relationship has been strained, and we both have been difficult to be around, wouldn't you agree?"
She detected a slight softening of his features. "Maybe."
"I've always been very focused on work, but I hope you know how much I love you and your brother. The divorce has shown me I need to redefine my priorities. I need you to work with me, not against me. If I promise to work on my challenges, will you stop fighting me every step of the way?"
He grinned, and his blue eyes lightened. "I dunno. Arguing is in my blood."
She laughed. "That it is, and I don't mind a good debate, but maybe we can schedule some topics for debate instead of arguing over every little thing? I have no problem helping you hone your skills. You'll make a fine attorney someday." She couldn't, didn't, want to contain the pride in her voice.
"Judge, I'm going to be a judge."
She pulled him into a big hug. "Damn straight, you are." She separated enough to look into his handsome, young face. "We good?"
"Yeah. We're good."
"Great, now get your stuff together, and let's get game night started.
* * *
"Hey, sweetheart, sorry to call so late." The truth, but the bigger truth was that Cody needed to hear the sound of her voice.
"No, it's okay. I'm glad you called. I wasn't sleeping well anyway, worrying about you and your family. How's your dad?" Evelyn's voice, thick with sleep, stirred a longing deep inside of him to be snuggled against her body, listening to her tell him about her day…about anything really.
"Mild heart attack. He has some serious blockage in a couple of the arteries leading to his heart. They're going to put some stents in tomorrow morning to alleviate the pressure. He's resting comfortably right now."
"I'm so glad it wasn't worse. I know it's not great, but…"
Remember the Night: a Heroes of the Night military romance novel Page 17