A Little Harmless Obsession

by Melissa Schroeder

  Her door flew open, slapping against the wall. Damn, there was going to be another hole from the doorknob.

  “Hey, May, you getting up anytime soon?” Her eighteen-year-old brother bellowed.

  She snuggled deeper beneath the covers. “Bite me, Danny. It’s my day off.”

  “Dad says you need to get up because the contractor is comin’ over.”

  “And this is important to me why?”

  “Dad took Granddad to his doctor’s appointment.”

  Crap. That was supposed to be her job this morning. Pulling down the light blue sheet she squinted at him. He was leaning against the doorjamb, munching on an apple.

  “Can’t you take care of it?” She knew the answer even before she heard it, but she thought she’d give it a try.

  “No. Dad said that you needed to deal with him because you know what he wants done.”

  The door bell rung, the dogs sent up the alarm, and May groaned. Damn, she was stuck dealing with the contractor.

  “Let him in,” she said, sitting up and stretching. “Please tell me there’s some coffee.”

  “Yeah. Dad said you had a late night and started it before he left fifteen minutes ago.”

  After he left her, she slid off the mattress and headed to the bathroom. Within five minutes, she’d pulled herself together, brushed her teeth and thrown on some clothes. She might look like death warmed over, but she would handle it.

  The murmur of voices reached her as she rounded the corner. She couldn’t distinguish between the two men, other than one was deeper, more mature. She wasn’t prepared for the sight of Evan Chambers leaning up against her kitchen counter sipping coffee.

  She came to an abrupt stop in the doorway and blinked, thinking he would disappear and it was all a dream. But there he was, joking about something with Danny.

  “Evan?”

  He jolted at the sound of her voice, a bit of his coffee spilling out of his cup onto his T-shirt. When he turned to her, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. “May? What the hell are you doing here?”

  Dying of embarrassment, that’s what. Heat filled her cheeks and she knew she was blushing. Dammit, life wasn’t fair. She wasn’t ready for this, to see him, to deal with what had happened last night. Or the way he’d left her there. She needed time to get her armor back in place before handling the sight of him. And he had the nerve to show up looking gorgeous. Wasn’t that just like a man? He looked refreshed. The blue T-shirt stretched across his well-muscled chest. The soft worn jeans hugged his hips and cupped his sex, leaving little to the imagination.

  “May?”

  She shook herself out of her thoughts. “Um, my house, bruddah.”

  “I had no idea.”

  Even hearing the disbelief in his voice didn’t convince her.

  “How many Aiona’s do you know?”

  Evan’s eyebrows knitted together as he frowned. “It isn’t like it’s an uncommon name in Hawaii. And seriously, I would’ve put it together if you had talked to me about the renovations, but I’ve never met your father. Still haven’t.”

  “You two know each other?” Danny asked. The rigidness of his posture told her he was ready to jump into the middle and demand answers. She definitely didn’t need that.

  She glanced at Evan. “Yeah. Evan is Chris’s friend.”

  Evan cocked his head to one side, studying her. “I thought we were friends.”

  She closed her eyes and rubbed her temple. “Yeah, of a sort. I need coffee.”

  After pouring and doctoring her coffee, she leaned against the opposite counter from the one Evan had claimed.

  “Did my father tell you what he wanted?”

  Evan nodded. “Yeah. Well, sort of.”

  She snorted. “That’s Dad for you.” She took another sip and then pushed away from the counter. “I’ll show you what he wants out back.”

  “I’ll help.”

  She stopped and looked her brother. The suspicious slant to his eyes made her want to sigh, but she didn’t. It’d make him even more defensive. “Danny, I think I can handle it.”

  “He’s a strange man.”

  Irritation slipped over her but she fought back the need to smack him. He wasn’t even looking at her now but was engaged in a staring showdown with Evan. God, she was getting sick of men telling her what to do. They all acted as if she were in idiot. Not in the mood for fighting egos, May stepped into his line of vision.

  Settling one hand on her hip, she said, “Listen, bra. I can take care of myself. Don’t you have a final today in American History?”

  He blinked and looked down at her. A blush crept up his cheeks, and she realized she’d embarrassed him in front of Evan. She kept forgetting he wasn’t a little boy anymore. As the youngest of the Aionas, he was just starting his adulthood, but he would always be the baby. He might have four inches on her, but she’d practically raised him. She’d be damned if he would tell her what to do.

  “Um, yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll be in my room, so call if you need me.” With one last hard stare at Evan, Danny left them alone.

  “Sorry about that. He’s at that age where testosterone surges and he does stupid things.” She turned toward the sliding glass door that led to the lanai. “But then, that describes most of the male population.”

  Evan chuckled, and just like always, her pulse scrambled. No matter what the situation, he always sounded like slow and easy sex when he laughed. After his abandonment last night, she should be able to control herself, but apparently that didn’t matter. It should have reminded her just how he viewed women. They were interchangeable in a situation like her submission.

  “No problem, May. Truthfully, I think you were a little hard on him. He’s just looking out for you.”

  She grunted as she stepped out onto the pavement of the lanai. “I’m not used to it and I don’t need it. Not this morning.”

  He brushed his fingers over her shoulder. Heat radiated from that spot. Her nerves jumped, as did her heart rate. She looked back over her shoulder at him and he yanked his hand back as if caught stealing cookies.

  “No touching.” She bit both words from behind clenched teeth.

  His gaze traveled down her body, reminding her of everything that had transpired the night before. Heat licked down her spine when one corner of his mouth kicked up.

  “You didn’t complain last night.”

  Evan didn’t cringe at the baleful look May gave him, but it was a close call. He’d told himself over and over he would never touch her again, never give in to the temptation. Hell, he’d sworn a solemn oath not to even mention it. But they were alone less than five minutes and he couldn’t resist.

  It was inevitable. That’s why he’d always kept his hands to himself. But she’d turned that corner, her eyes still drowsy from sleep, and lust had slammed into him like a hard, fast fist to the jaw. He wanted to touch, to taste, to hear her scream while she came. Again.

  From the evil expression on May’s face, she wasn’t going to put up with it.

  She stepped around him and shut the door. Grabbing him by the arm, she pulled him away from the house and into the yard.

  “Don’t even mention that in my house.”

  He knew that many people lived two lives. They had to. Prejudices about the lifestyle were common and could cost some people their jobs or even lose them friends. But still, he didn’t like the cold look in her eyes, or the dismissive tone in her voice. He knew it’d been a one-shot thing, but he wouldn’t let her deny it.

  “Are you ashamed of what you did last night?” He leaned closer, knowing he was being an ass, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. “I thought you knew what you wanted. You sure acted like it.”

  Again, a flush crept up her neck and then blossomed onto her face. “I know what I want in the bedroom.” She jerked her shoulder. “Or at least I’m trying to figure it out. What I don’t need is my teenager brother to overhear and take it the wrong way.”

  He knew th
at was true. But it didn’t stop the need clawing at his belly to hear her say it mattered. That last night had changed her life as much as it had changed his. He knew a sub’s first time wasn’t something they ever forgot and he’d initiated more than a few through the years. But last night had been different.

  The half a bottle of whiskey he’d downed the night before hadn’t helped him. He’d spent almost every fucking minute since they’d parted thinking about her, wishing he’d gained more than her pleasure. Wishing he had truly become her Dom. The need to have her submit to him and only him had scared him shitless. Possessiveness wasn’t a familiar feeling to Evan. And he damned sure never felt it for a sub.

  “I take it my father gave you enough specifics to get out here, but not enough to know exactly what he wants?”

  “Are you going to pretend that nothing happened?”

  She sighed lustily and looked at him. “What happened was just an act. You weren’t participating so much as causing my reaction. I know your rep around the club.”

  He frowned. “Well, seeing that I don’t know what this rep is, why don’t you tell me?”

  She set her coffee down on a glass patio table, crossed her arms beneath her breasts and very nearly sneered at him. “You see your performances as just that. There is no connection between you and the sub you’re working. I believe the quote I heard from one woman was that you had ice for blood.”

  That was the way Evan usually kept it, the way he preferred it. When he worked with a sub at the club, it was just that, work. It wasn’t a relationship. While he did feel some connection with whomever he was working with, it ended when he walked out of the room. He wasn’t like some of the Doms at the club who had relationships in real life with subs they’d worked with at Rough ’n Ready. He’d never even contemplated the idea before last night. And wasn’t it just his shitty luck that had him thinking it about a woman who was too damn good for him. Still, the fact she was dismissing what had happened between them last night as routine was starting to piss him off. Irrational, yes, but he really didn’t give a fuck.

  “You know better than to listen to gossip.”

  She threw her hands up in defeat. “I’m not in the mood to discuss anything about last night.”

  He wasn’t either, but he was perversely irritated that she didn’t want to. What kind of woman was she? Evan had been pretty sure before last night. He’d been sure that at some point she’d settled down with a steady man and have boring sex. Because in his mind, May wasn’t ever supposed to enjoy sex with another man. Not that he’d ever find out, or be on the receiving end, but he definitely expected her to follow the pattern. She didn’t.

  Hell, she’d shaken his world. He’d never broken in a sub who was so responsive. With the right Dom, she’d be unbelievable. Some nameless, faceless bastard who would have the right to touch her, pleasure her, fuck her.

  “What the hell are you scowling at?”

  Her question brought him out of his dark thoughts. “Nothing.” He shoved his hands in pockets of his jeans to keep from reaching out to her again. He had already tested the limits of his control. “Why don’t you tell me what your father wants?”

  She studied him for a second or two and then blew out a breath. “He wants to expand the concrete on the lanai and cover it.”

  Before he could ask her the particulars, the sliding glass door opened. A rounded man who had to be her father stepped out smiling. He wore a University of Hawaii ball cap, a dark green shirt with the same emblem and tan shorts. Like May, he was barefoot.

  “Ah, Maylea, you got started with Mr. Chambers.”

  May choked on the coffee she’d just drank. She cleared her throat. “Yeah. Evan this is my father, Daniel Aiona. Dad, Evan.”

  Daniel hurried over, a wide smile stretching his lips. He offered his hand. “Great to meet you in person. May talked about your company and the renovations you did at Dupree’s, so I decided to give you a call.”

  Evan took his offered hand and shook it, amazed at the strength behind it. Her father wasn’t old but he was slight in build. An inch taller than his daughter, Daniel showed signs of his age in a few weathered wrinkles around his mouth and eyes, telling Evan he smiled a lot. He released Evan’s hand and then slung his arm over May’s shoulders. The easiness of the action told him what he’d suspected about May’s family.

  Daniel’s genial manner would probably do a one-eighty if he knew what had transpired last night.

  “I appreciate it. That job I did for Chris brought in a lot of business.”

  “I also asked around. You have a good reputation.”

  May looked at her father, over at Evan and back to her father. “Since you’re here I’ll let you take over.”

  She tried to wiggle away, but her father’s grip tightened.

  “No, no. I need you here. Besides, I got you a date for tonight.”

  Every muscle in May’s body stilled. “A date?”

  “Yeah, your grandfather has a new doctor, smart kid.”

  She pursed her lips, a sure sign she was pissed. Evan didn’t blame her. What the hell did her father think he was doing setting her up on dates? With a fucking doctor. As if she would be interested in a doctor.

  “I’m working tonight.”

  “Did I say tonight?” Her father gave her an indulgent smile. “I meant Monday.”

  Irritation rose off her in waves so strong, Evan was amazed her father didn’t sense it. “I don’t want to go out with him.”

  The even tone in her voice had Evan cringing inwardly. Her father just smiled. “You haven’t met him. You will when you meet him.”

  Evan watched her jaw flex as she ground her teeth together, but amazingly, she didn’t smack her father upside the head. She’d curled her fingers into the palm of her hand, telling him she had seriously thought about doing it, but she restrained herself.

  “Dad—”

  Her father waved her away. “Why don’t you go make sure that brother of yours is actually studying?”

  She opened her mouth to argue, but her father turned his back on her and started talking about his plans for the lanai. With a huff, she turned on her heel and sashayed into the house, affording Evan an eyeful of her ass as she did. Because of her agitation, her swing was a bit more exaggerated than usual. It wasn’t until she closed the sliding glass door behind her that Evan realized her father was giving him detailed directions.

  Turning his attention to Mr. Aiona, Evan reminded himself that May was now off limits.

  Chapter Ten

  Evan watched the milling crowd in Rough ’n Ready, trying to decide what the hell he was doing here. It was odd, feeling like he didn’t belong in the one place he always had in the past. He’d spent more nights here than he had at his own place, but now he felt as if he were a virgin at an orgy.

  “Surprised to see you here tonight,” Micah said.

  Evan glanced at his business partner then back out onto the floor. “I don’t see why you should be.”

  “You’ve been here so little, especially on weeknights. And let’s just say that after the experience with Maylea, I’d think you’d be sniffing around her.”

  Evan tossed back the rest of his whiskey and then asked for more. As the bartender filled his glass again, he said, “You know that was a one-time thing.”

  “At first, I thought it would be. But I have to admit, you two seemed…in tune, I guess is the best way to describe it.

  Evan grunted. “Well, as you can see, I’m looking for a sub.”

  When Micah didn’t respond, Evan looked at him. He had crossed his arms over his chest and had one eyebrow raised.

  “What?”

  “Evan. What the fuck is going on in your head?”

  Good question. Evan didn’t have an answer. He’d been searching for it for several days, wondering just why the hell he couldn’t sleep anymore. Instead of answering, Evan shrugged and looked out on the floor. “Just need a break from work. Took on a new assignment, a lot of
late hours.”

  “Yeah, I heard about that. That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

  “Jesus, Micah, get off my fucking back. I don’t need this shit.”

  Evan spotted a sub he’d worked over before. Six feet tall, blond hair, blue eyed, with a slim attractive body, and she liked it rough. Just what he needed tonight.

  He tossed back the rest of his whiskey and slammed the glass down on the bar. He was feeling pleasantly buzzed…but not enough to numb the ache he had.

  “I’m off for the night.”

  Micah looked over at Susan and frowned but said nothing. Evan dismissed him from his mind as he moved through the patrons in search of his prey. When he reached her, he tapped her on the shoulder. She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. At one time, that smile had driven him crazy, stirred his blood with the anticipation of making her submit to him. This time, it left his blood cold.

  “Hey, Evan.” Her husky voice rose over the crowd. “How’re you doing tonight?”

  “Fine.” He leaned in to brush his lips over his cheek and breathed in her scent. The cloying over-the-top flowery perfume was another thing he used to like. Now he just wondered if she bathed in the damn stuff.

  “You have a partner tonight?” he asked. Evan knew that even if she did, she would dump him in a minute for him.

  She shook her head. “Nope, just got here a few minutes ago.” She cocked her head to one side and studied him. “I didn’t think I’d see you here tonight.”

  He bit back his irritation. Why did everyone act like he had disappeared off the face of the earth? “Well, I am. Ready for a round?”

  Her smiled widened, a calculating gleam sparkling in her eyes. “With you? Always.”