The waitress returned quickly with their drinks and laughed with the men, clearly enjoying their attention. Jackson could understand her friendliness. She looked to be about his age and it was easy to assume she would be irritated with the drunks and young philanderers who made up a large number of her customers. He didn’t, however, like the way her hand slid across his shoulders when she placed his drink on the table. A muscle in his arm flinched at the smirk on George’s face. The man saw too much, as brothers often do.
“You men let me know if you need anything else,” the waitress said, directing her smile at Jackson before turning to serve another table.
He was glad to have her gone.
He’d spent the majority of his college life enjoying the flirtations of women, now he was irked by them. He had become all too aware of how weak he was against fleshly desires and he never wanted to be a slave to them again. Sitting back, he listened to the conversation at his table and tried to ignore the rest of the bar. Their talk was focused on trouble they had run into on a bank run. He guessed they worked Armed Transports.
It was too soon when a pair of young females – he couldn’t bring himself to call ladies – approached their table. Jackson watched the girls sizing up each of the men at his table, deciding who would be their ticket to a good time. The golden-blond trained her eyes on Jackson.
Fortunately for her, or not, golden-blonde was not his type. Nor was desperate. Jackson was grateful when Candice and the two women she was talking with joined them; even more for Candice making it clear that the young girls were unwelcome.
Liam and Chase didn’t look as grateful for the rescue. He took another sip of his coffee to hide his amusement over their loss.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Jack,” Candice said, after her husband introduced them. “You’re spoken very highly of in my office.”
“It’s nice to know I have a good name somewhere. Where do you work?” He stood while speaking, offering his chair to Candice’s friend who had her eye on George.
Candice put her hand on her hip and glared at her husband. “William, how is it that this man is offering his chair to a woman who’s practically a stranger before you offer yours to your wife?”
Putting his hands up in surrender, Will gave his wife his seat, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Hey,” he argued. “He’s gotta do what he can to impress the ladies. I already have you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Candice said, playfully waving him off. “To answer your question, Jack, I’m a Government Lawyer. My office is the building just east of the Cell Building.”
“That’s where I must have seen you before, then,” Jackson commented. “I thought you looked familiar when George pointed you out. To be honest, I didn’t think that office was too fond of me.”
Candice smirked a little. “Well, maybe if half of the staff weren’t single ladies, then that might be true. But even so, any case you’re involved in is an easy win for us. You don’t leave any loose ends. We all appreciate it.”
“That’s Jack for you,” George teased. “Always making the rest of us look bad.”
Jackson just rolled his eyes and let the conversation drift to another topic. When he spotted Tom dancing with a woman, he lost the conversation entirely. What he could only describe as jealous anger coursed through him at the possibility of Tom bringing Evelyn to such a place. But the woman he was with now was not Evelyn. Confident. Indiscrete. Arrogant. She wasn’t anything at all like Evelyn, nor did she look the type to let Tom’s interests wander. And Tom looked rather enthralled with her.
When his eyes made it back to their table, he noticed Liam was locked on to Tom and the woman as well, and it wasn’t desire nor lust that darkened his gaze. They made eye-contact for a moment, and Liam’s intensity was gone, masterly disguised behind his previous laid-back persona. He clearly had some insight on the pair. The question was, was it just insight, or did he have a history with them?
The evening continued with minor disturbances, and Jackson relaxed and joined into the boisterous conversations around him. But as his defenses lowered, the women grew bolder. A few different girls looked like they had just worked up the courage to approach him, when he decided to leave. There was only one woman who’s interest he’d welcome, and she wasn’t present.
Chapter 5
He was waiting for Evelyn when she got out of class. Tom. Two weeks had passed since he cornered her at work, and even though she never told him what classes she was taking, there he was. Sarah. She’s the only one who would have told him anything. Strange considering her previous behavior. The girl was surely up to something.
Tom, walking straight for her, snapped her back to reality.
“Hey Evie.” Tom greeted her with a suspicious tilt to his lips.
She smiled, but if felt tight. “Good morning, Tom. What are you doing here?”
“Are you always going to sound so annoyed when you see me?” he asked, falling into step with her. “I wanted to see you. I thought that’d be easy enough for you to figure out.”
“I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized. “You surprised me is all.” And worried her.
“What are you doing tonight?” Tom asked, sounding indifferent enough.
“I plan on being home. Why?”
“It just so happens,” he began, “that I’ll be coming by this evening. Sarah invited a couple of us over. I just wanted to make you admit you’d be home before I told you.”
Evelyn grimaced. “I don’t think Sarah’s planning on me being part of that.”
“I don’t think she cares,” Tom argued. “Besides, you live there too.”
Evelyn stopped to look at him. “Listen, Tom, it’s nice that you want to include me, but I really don’t think I’d be welcome, and I really don’t mind it.”
Something in his eyes made her suddenly very nervous. When he spoke, his tone was low and forceful. “If you don’t want me there, just tell me, and I won’t go. I’m only going to see you, Evie.”
She felt her own eyes widen in surprise. “No, I didn’t…I didn’t mean to offend you. I didn’t know…I just…” She shook her head. Why couldn’t she think straight? Should she be nervous? Confused? Flattered? “I’ll be there.”
“Good. I’ll see you tonight then.” His eyes flickered over her, making her blush, before he turned and left.
As Sarah’s friends arrived, Evelyn hid in the safety of the kitchen. A rare few acknowledged her existence with a raised brow, but mostly she remained invisible.
Tom was the last to show up. His scan of the room was cut short by the few women who were present, each taking their turn hugging him tightly in greeting. Lingering touches and flirtatious smiles made their hopes of catching his attentions obvious. Each of them failed.
His jaw set a line of irritation when he didn’t see Evelyn among his friends. Sarah waited for him with a look of impish delight. Powerful strides crossed him to her quickly.
Sarah nodded Evelyn’s direction and Tom’s eyes finally spotted his target.
Standing quietly in her kitchen, Evelyn looked like the little girl he’d met eleven years ago. Tom couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed Evelyn standing there, though it was clearly what she wanted. That didn’t surprise him. She didn’t dress to attract attention, she didn’t make eye contact with anyone, and she didn’t make a sound. Their eyes only met for a moment before she smiled shyly and lowered her lashes. He smiled to himself as he watched her shift her weight nervously at his approach.
He knew how to seduce a woman, but Evie was different. It didn’t take a suggestive touch or a seductive comment to make her nervous; it was just him, and he reveled in it. He always had. When she was a child, he marveled at the calm she could cloak herself in, even as he teased her; though her hands always gave her nerves away. And that courageous fire he saw in her eyes when she came to another’s defense impressed him. He didn’t know anyone could be so powerful and yet so still in the same moment until he met her.
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br /> She was a bewitching mixture of things he’d previously known impossible to coexist. Meek but strong. Female but honest. Serene…but he could make her nervous. Now that she was a woman, he desperately wanted her for himself. He hungered to see that fire in her eyes again, but it was a new game now.
His senses awoke as he felt her tense at his closeness. He wouldn’t say anything. Not yet. Instead, he joined her in leaning against the counter and draped his arm across her shoulders. It was a casual gesture, but her response was anything but. She was nervous indeed.
Tom looked down at Evelyn, flashing a less-than-pleased look. “Everyone here is going to think you hate me if you stand like that.” He studied her for a minute. “You have no idea how to act with a man, do you?” He laughed as heat flooded her face. “Just relax, I’ll teach you. You can start by leaning into me instead of acting like the thought of touching me hurts you.”
Through her trembling, Evelyn obeyed. It would be a challenge for him to move slowly enough to not scare her away, especially with his hunger for her growing as it was. But he’d do it. She was one woman worth the work.
The others, always so slow to catch on to anything, finally noticed he’d shown his favor for her. The nasty looks from the other girls he didn’t care about. They were idiots for thinking they had a chance with him anyway. Sarah’s smug smile rubbed him a bit, but it was the other guys who were challenging his temper. More than one set of eyes laid claim to her body. Time would tell if any of them would make the mistake of trying to take what was now his.
Tiring of pretending he actually cared what the others were talking about, Tom dropped his lips to Evelyn’s ear.
“You’re beautiful today. I meant to tell you when I saw you earlier. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the first time I saw you here.” He paused to steady himself. Lust was taking over. “And don’t worry, it makes you even more attractive, how pure you are... your not knowing what to do with a man.”
Evelyn’s eyes fluttered. His words were honey and she couldn’t help but savor them.
Tom smiled wickedly at her fidgeting hands, a telltale sign of her nerves. He didn’t have to say any more, but he couldn’t stop his hand from slipping down to her hip. If she were any other woman, he’d take her to a back room that moment. But she was Evie. She was different.
Evelyn quickly realized her apartment was just their meeting place before heading out dancing. Sarah flashed a deceptively sweet smile at Tom and Evelyn while putting on her jacket. The shudder Evelyn tried to suppress wasn’t hidden from Tom, but it did surprise him. Apparently, little Evie saw Sarah for the viper she was.
“Evie, you’re coming out with us, right?” Sarah mocked in disguise.
“Sorry, not tonight. I have work early tomorrow.” Evelyn shrugged, trying to make it look like she was disappointed and that there was nothing she could do about it.
“Come on, Evie,” Tom pushed, turning his hips toward her. Her attempt to hide her panic was adorable. “Come out with us. Come out with me.”
Somehow…somehow...she stood her ground. “Honestly, I do have work tomorrow.”
“Ok, not tonight,” he conceded after a heavy silence, but he wasn’t about to let her off the hook. Instead, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. She tensed but didn’t reject him. “Evie, this is where you would hug me back.” He spoke with his lips against her ear, smiling at her obedience. “You’ll come out with me next time, won’t you?”
Evelyn tried to back away from him, but he held her tighter. He was a solid wall of warmth against her.
“I’m not letting go until you promise you’ll go dancing with me.”
She could barely breathe, and not just from the strength of his arms surrounding her. “I will,” she whispered. “I promise.”
Tom’s breath caught when he let her go. She was a vision of purity and goodness…and her eyes were on him. “Next Saturday, then.” She wouldn’t have been safe from him tonight.
She swallowed hard. “Next Saturday.”
Chapter 6
The days before the nerve-wracking Saturday flew by. Tom waited for Evelyn at the end of every class after that to walk her home, always flirting and with his arm over her shoulders. But she never invited him in. She would thank him, and he would leave looking frustrated, but determined. Always determined. There was something, still, she hadn’t figured out about him, though she couldn’t begin to know what it was.
Then Saturday came. Evelyn had work early again and was grateful Tom had work as well so he couldn’t walk her. She was nervous enough as it was. With knots in her stomach, she dressed in a black long-sleeved blouse tucked into a high-waisted, loose gray skirt that fell mid-calf, slipped into her black flats and her jacket, and set off for work.
The library was teeming with frantic undergraduates studying for mid-terms, and as she assumed it would be, her day entailed helping student after student locate their oh-so-needed but waited-until-the-last-second-to-read books. After hours of scaling ladders and finding and returning books to their shelves, her arms and feet ached. It had been a wise decision to not wear heels today. A weak sigh escaped Evelyn’s lips when she finally found a moment to rest from her weariness. What a relief it was to see that only twenty minutes of work remained…until she remembered what her evening held. Her shoulders slumped in exhaustion.
“Long day?”
“Jackson.” She never knew if the inability to steady her breathing was from being startled, or if it was just the effect he had on her.
Since their first meeting over a year ago, his face had become a familiar, and very welcome one, at the library. He wasn’t like the other students. Aside from his physicality setting him apart, he was a real gentleman. He always looked her in the eyes, though she rarely met those deep eyes with her own. After that first day, he never let her climb a ladder to retrieve his books. She had the impression he was hurt when they had met. His face would strain when he used his right arm to reach for anything, but she was too shy to ask, and he never acknowledged it. But that was long gone now.
Her mind fluttered back to a bitter storm that had blown in at the end of their last winter break. It was the sort of storm one only braved if you had to, so the library was empty. Evelyn didn’t enjoy her commute to work on such mornings. Walking the whole way in the brutal conditions would be absurd; even the short walks to and from the bus left her shivering.
The holidays never held enough work to keep Evelyn busy. She typically ended up reading the books as she re-shelved them. As a result, she added a minor degree to her education with ease. On the day of the storm, she had knocked into a full cart of books. Loneliness sounded as the scattering books echoed through the vaulted room. Kneeling down, she allowed her head to hang in discouragement, just for a moment. When she reached for one of the fallen books, her hand landed on Jackson’s. It was just one of the many times his presence startled her. He had smiled a friendly smile, sending heat through her, and made pleasant conversation as he helped pick up all the books. She wasn’t used to people helping her and she left work that day with a warmth she couldn’t explain.
“You have a tendency to sneak up on me.” She smiled up at the man. “And yes, it has been a long day. But it’s been a good day too.”
Jackson eyed her with kind suspicion. He could see that she was exhausted, but he wasn’t surprised that she didn’t complain. She never complained. “Do you at least get to go home and rest soon?”
“Yes…well, I get to go home, but I’m not sure if I’ll be getting any rest.”
Jackson leaned against the counter that she sat behind. Her stomach did a little flip. “What do you have going on that’ll keep you from resting?”
“A friend made me promise to go out dancing tonight.” She tried to hide her grimace. For a minute it looked like he was going to ask her something. She hoped he wouldn’t ask her who that friend was. The idea of admitting to Jackson that she was going out with Tom was unsettling.
“I’m sure you will have a great time. Just promise me you’ll be safe.”
“I will do my best.” Evelyn frowned. She was neglecting her job. “I’m so sorry, Jackson. I’m talking too much about myself. Is there something I can help you with?”
“No. I just wanted to say hi on my way out. Have fun tonight.” He smiled and turned to leave. Evelyn was still looking at him when he stopped and turned back. “Evelyn, please be careful tonight.”
And he left. Evelyn was left with ridiculous butterflies in her stomach from the way he had smiled at her, and blushing with embarrassment from having been caught watching him leave.
The knot in her stomach grew as she walked home, and things only got worse when she got home.
“Good, you’re home,” Sarah snapped.
What a greeting.
Sarah’s critical eye looked her up and down. “You can’t wear that, or anything you own for that matter. Come on.”
Evelyn followed her without a word and watched Sarah flip through her closet, throwing a couple pieces on the bed.
“There,” she indicated. “Pick from those.”
There was no way she could wear any of it. The tops were too low, the bottoms too short, and everything too tight!
“Oh gosh, Sarah!” Bekah materialized in the doorway. “What are you trying to do to our roommate?”
“She can’t wear what she’s got on,” Sarah argued.
Bekah rolled her eyes. “Evelyn, put on your dark grey leggings and meet me in my room. You’ll die from embarrassment if you have to wear any of this.”
Evelyn obeyed gladly.
Bekah already had a few things out for her to look at when she got to her room. They decided on a black dress that hung comfortably but tight enough to blend in with Sarah’s crowd, with a pair of black ankle boots.
Unspoken Words (Hope and a Future Book 1) Page 3