by Lauren Wood
I agreed with Joel, but it was Carlos that took my attention. His look was similar to his cousins, but with Carlos it didn’t look like a want, it looked like a need that he had every intention on getting his way.
“You flatter me Joel. I don’t think that this is Eve’s kind of scene.”
His comment offended me, even though it was dead on. “You don’t know what kind of scene I am into Carlos.”
“Well you don’t fit in here. I think you need something a little fancier, like a drink with an umbrella in it.”
Taking Joel’s shot of whiskey I downed it and asked Carlos for another. I saw the brow go up on Carlos’ face and I thought I had made myself clear. I wasn’t some weakling like he thought. I didn’t have to be handled with kid gloves, but I seemed to forget that I wasn’t a very good drinker. Never had been and by the way I was feeling, I was never going to be.
Chapter 5
Carlos
I couldn’t stop smiling like a fool. I shouldn’t be, had no real reason to be, but my lips refused to do anything else but curl upwards towards my eyes.
The woman next to me moved and I stilled like it was going to matter if I moved an iota. I didn’t want to wake her, enjoying just watching her sleep for a time. It wasn’t something that I usually did, but nothing about Eve was usual. If she had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have found myself being so protective of her. I wouldn’t have brought her upstairs to my bed and laid her down still clothed. If she was anyone else but her, I suppose I would have been feeling a whole lot better than what I was right then.
My body needed Eve, but it wasn’t the right time. I wasn’t the type to take advantage and it was easy to see that she had been far too drunk to give any kind of answer. So now she was lying next to me and I was trying to tell my body that she wasn’t for me. It was hard, every part of me was, but I knew that I was going to have to settle for just looking at her now.
When that wasn’t enough and I was agitated with the wait, I got up and decided to make her some breakfast. It was something that I never did, but wanted to do for her. I wanted her to look at me differently, even though she had tried her best to be something else, I knew that she was a gentle woman. I didn’t have much experience with her sort, but I was willing to try. She was worth it.
Getting up, I looked back one last time to the woman in my bed and felt a surge of something in my chest. I wasn’t used to feeling this way. I was used to telling the woman to leave so I could get some sleep. It didn’t matter that Eve had stolen the blanket while she slept and her knees stayed in my back half the night, I would never tell her to go away.
There was a skip to my step, another new addition that I wasn’t sure how to handle. I wanted her to want me, a feeling or desire that I never had to worry about before. What was it with her that made me feel this way? I was up before noon and had a clear head for once.
I was just getting to the small store down the road when my phone rang. I saw who it was and I sighed to myself. There was many people that I wanted to talk to, but the one on the phone wasn’t one of them. I was sure I was going to hear about last night and I didn’t want to sour my mood. After he called three times in a row, I knew that I would have to answer or he would be at my house soon.
“Joel, you are up early.”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Where is Eve, dammit!”
“I took her home last night. I don’t think you remember how drunk you were. That is why you went and laid down in the store room. What was I supposed to do, but take her home?”
“You didn’t take her home Carlos, so where is she?”
Looking back towards the apartment, I couldn’t tell if he was still out front or not. Had he went and checked on her and found her missing?
“I took her home.”
“She isn’t answering her door and I have pounded for five minutes. What did you do with her?”
“What are you getting at?”
“Did you sleep with her last night?”
I had technically, but I knew that he wasn’t worried about actual sleep. He was asking me if I had had sex with her and though I would like to have said yes, I couldn’t. I had been good and I didn’t like the reminder in the way of him trying to imply that I had.
“No, I put her to bed. She was too drunk to drive and you were passed out in the back. What was I supposed to do? If I had left her, I never would have heard the end of it.”
“She was too drunk to go with you.”
“We didn’t do anything. What kind of man do you think I am?”
I was getting more and more upset and offended by the minute. I was doing the right thing and all I was getting was shit from him. I had wanted to take her, badly, but I wasn’t into that kind of thing. She would be with me because she wanted to be. There was no other alternative to that.
“I didn’t mean it like that Carlos. I just, I don’t know. I woke up and was worried because I don’t remember much.”
“Well you need to get a hold on your drinking if you are going to take a girl like that out. What were you thinking taking her to the bar? That is not the kind of place for her. Something could have happened if I hadn’t been there. Every man in that place was watching and waiting for you to slack off, which you did.”
I was angry when I thought about what could have happened if I wouldn’t have been there. Eve had acted like she was trying to fit in, but the more she tried, the more painfully obvious it was that she was a square.
“I don’t know what happened. I started matching her shots. Who would have thought that she could put down drinks like that? As tiny as she is, I don’t know how she was still walking.”
There was a bit of admiration from me as well. I don’t know what made her want to drink in the way she did, but it was a surprise to say the least. I hadn’t expected that from her, but I wasn’t going to get sidetracked.
“Yeah I don’t know. She was pretty sloshed when we left the bar.”
“Well where are you at?”
“I’m at the corner. Why, what’s up?”
“I was going to go to your house and drink a beer.”
“No! I uh, I mean you need to get home and get some sleep. Last night is something that you are going to have to sleep off.”
There was a non-committal sound on the other side and all I could hope was that he didn’t knock or use his key to get in. I didn’t want him knowing that Eve was there. I didn’t want her to get woke up and then I wouldn’t be able to spend some time with her. I wanted to be the first thing that she saw when she woke up, not Joel.
“Alright man. I guess I am going to go home. I just wanted to make sure that she was alright. I can’t believe that I got so drunk last night.”
“Wait until you see your tab for the night.”
I chuckled before I hung up, but I wasn’t without all guilt. I knew that Joel liked Eve, a lot, but I couldn’t just stand aside when I thought I had met the girl of my dreams. She could be a good girl in the day time, but there was a wild part of her that I rather enjoyed. It was that part of her that I wanted to see more of, see where it related to the bedroom.
Going in the store, my mind was elsewhere and all I could think about food wise was some chocolate sauce and whip cream. I wanted to make Eve my dessert, but I put the items back, reminding myself that she wasn’t a girl like Cassie or the others. I was going to have to go slow, no matter how hard that was going to be.
Chapter 6
Eve
My head was killing me when I finally woke up. I opened my eyes to find that they were burning with the light. What was wrong with me? Lying back on the pillow, it was the first thing that I realized was off. It wasn’t the same feel as mine was and it smelled differently. Was I losing my mind?
Cracking my eyes open, I peeked at the pillow and saw that the pattern was all wrong. I was not in my own bed, though I wasn’t sure where I was. The light was still bur
ning my eyes and all I wanted to do was close them, but the idea that I was somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be forced me to look anyways. I had to squint through the pain, trying my best to see what it was that I was missing. Where was I and why couldn’t I remember the night before?
A look at my surroundings didn’t help me to determine where I was. It was clear that I was in a male’s house. No woman would be so bad at housekeeping. Thinking back to the last thing I remembered and the dress I was still wearing, I last remembered going out with Joel. The bike came through me memory and then the drinking. Sighing and groaning all at the same time, I went to lie back down. I was at Joel’s most likely. The fact that I still had clothes on was a good indication that nothing happened, but I couldn’t believe that I had let myself get that drunk. What was I thinking?
“Eve, are you up?”
The voice reminded me. I was thinking that I didn’t want Carlos to think that I was such a light weight. I wasn’t, but I wasn’t a very good drinker either. Between the two things, it was clear to me that I was not where I was supposed to be and my savior was actually most likely the devil.
“Yeah, um I guess I am.”
“There is breakfast ready when you are. I know that your head must be killing you.”
It was, but I wouldn’t admit that to him. “Um, where is your bathroom?”
“Second door on your left when you come out of there.”
I thanked him softly and made my way out of his warm bed and wondered if he had slept in there with me. Had I snored? I must look a mess.
The mirror told me that I was right. I did look to be a mess. My eyeliner had fallen into raccoon markings underneath my eyes and my hair was snarled up in places. It wasn’t the way I wanted anyone to see me, but the idea of Carlos seeing me that way was just too much for me.
Using his brush and washing my face, it was as good as it was going to get without a shower. I wasn’t that desperate to use his shower, not when I lived just downstairs. The thought came to me that I should have went down there to begin with, as soon as I had woke up. The only problem was that I hadn’t known that I was in my own apartment building.
Where in the world was Joel, my date at?
Chapter 7
Carlos
“How are you feeling Eve?”
She looked beautiful, all fresh faced, but she didn’t look all that happy to really see me. I was sure that she had some questions, much of the same ones that I had answered for Joel, but she didn’t say anything at first so I gave her an omelet.
“You made this?”
“Of course. I’ve been single far too long to not know how to cook by now.”
“I didn’t mean. I don’t know. You just don’t seem the type I guess.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but I was sure that it wasn’t a compliment. My type to her was something different than I was. She saw me as some biker by the way she looked at me, some criminal. Maybe part of that assessment was true, but there was more to me than that and she was the first person that I wanted to know that. I didn’t want her to think that I wasn’t worth her time.
“What type is that?”
She shrugged and took a bite. “This is really good.” The surprise wasn’t even hidden from her voice.
“So what type am I?”
Eve shook her head like she wasn’t going to answer or that she knew better than to answer. Where was the girl that told me off the other night? Now she was like a pussycat and I wanted the fiery one back. That Eve was far more fun, though there was an appeal to the innocence that she was showing now.
“I don’t know. I guess you are the kind of guy that I was warned about before I came here.”
I chuckled and asked her what that meant. I was many things, but I had never heard it described quite like that before.
“You are the bad boy type of guy. I am sure you have broken your share of hearts.”
“And beds. Don’t forget that.”
Her cheeks were flaming pink and I wished I knew what was playing in her mind. I knew where it took my mind, but I was sure that we were different. I was sure that Eve wasn’t thinking about me on top of her. Something was on her mind though to make her look at me like that.
“Are you okay?” I couldn’t help the grin that ran over my face. She looked rather delicious when she was unsure of herself like she was then.
“Yeah, I just am a little hungover is all.”
“Well eat your breakfast and it will make you feel better. Do you have a lot of writing to do today?”
“How do you know I write?”
“Joel told me about you. I have to say that he is quite taken with you.”
“Joel is a nice guy. Where is he anyways?”
I told her a quick overview of the evening and her face got a prettier shade of pink than usual. It was clear that she was embarrassed by her actions and the fact that she had went home with another man and ended up in my bed. There was a moment that I thought she was going to ask what happened, but she didn’t. Maybe she didn’t want to know.
“Sorry, I don’t know what got into me last night. I assure you that I am not usually like that.”
“I didn’t think you were Eve. That is why I took you home. You made a few passes that I didn’t think you were really genuine about. I think it was the alcohol talking.”
“What kind of passes?”
Raising my brow, I didn’t give her any reason to think that the passes she made were not of the sexual nature. I didn’t tell her that she was far too drunk to have been taken seriously, but they were there and I liked to think that was just her true desires coming out, the ones that she was afraid to make out loud. That was what I liked to think anyways.
“Well I don’t know what to say. I guess you got to see another side of me. I don’t even know what I was thinking. I am not a good drinker, never have been.”
“It’s because you can’t be a hundred pounds soaking wet. You shouldn’t be able to drink like that.”
She blushed again and oh how I liked the way she looked when she did that. The innocence in her was back and I was rather getting used to the changes. While she liked to say what was on her mind, there was a part of her that was delicate and I liked that.
“I won’t be doing that again any time soon. That much I do know. I haven’t felt this bad in a long time. Now I remember why I gave up drinking when I got out of college.”
“You went to school?” I don’t know why I was asking all of these questions. It could have been that I wanted to know, but more than likely I asked because I just wanted to hear her speak. She had the most melodic sounding voice and I could hear her talking all day.
“Yes, I went to school for accounting, but starting writing for a paper and never looked back. Now I have a dual major.”
Nodding my head, I didn’t really care what she went to school for, but I did like the idea of a girl that could hold a conversation. It was hard to get one that looked good in my world and had a brain on her. Maybe I was looking in all the wrong places and that was why I never really found what it was that I wanted. I wanted Eve. That was all I knew now.
“Did you ever go to school?”
I shook my head that I didn’t. I never saw myself as inferior or stupid, but book smarts wasn’t my thing. “I just wanted to drink and ride bikes when I was younger. I barely made it through high school because I was gone so much. I started a bike shop that did well and then I bought the bar. Now I just run them and I do pretty good without any extra schooling.”
I felt a touch defensive because I felt like she was judging me and more than anything else I just wanted her to like me. I seemed to forget that I wasn’t worried about what anyone thought. I never had been, but there was something about Eve. I wanted her to want me, but more than that, I wanted to be the one that she went to when she needed something. I wanted to be there for her.
“Not everyone needs to go to school. I am sure what you do is far more needed than what I
do. Everyone can write, so we are a dime a dozen. I love it of course, but I can’t fix anything. If I am honest, I have never even changed a tire by myself before. That’s sad, isn’t it?”
I found it cute. I liked that she needed a man. That meant that she would need me and I was totally okay with that sentiment.
“No, not at all. There is a lot of things that I can’t do. You just got to find the people that are good at what you are not.”
I was blabbing at this point. She was going to leave soon. I could feel it and I didn’t want her to. I wanted her to stay and talk to me. If it was any other woman, Eve would have already been in my bed. But she was different I was coming to find out. Eve was different than any other girl that I had dated before.
“Thank you for breakfast Carlos and bringing me here. I hate to think what would have happened if you wouldn’t have been there.”
“I would never let anything happen to you Eve, even though you do give me a hard time.”
The blush was back that I loved so much.
“I will have to pay you back, maybe with dinner one night this week or whenever you aren’t working.”
The offer was a little out of the blue for me. I didn’t see it coming, but I was quick to agree. I couldn’t think of anything that I wanted more.
“That sounds perfect Eve. Just let me know when would be good for you.”
She told me that she would let me know. I gave her my number, but we both knew that if she didn’t call, I would be coming to her house to see her. I wasn’t going to let her get away too far. Eve was going to be mine. I wasn’t sure how she was going to be mine, but she would be. That was the only thing at the moment that I was sure of.
Chapter 8
Eve
It had been a week since I had went out with Joel and ended up in Carlos’ bed. I still wasn’t sure how that happened and the more I thought about it, the more embarrassed I became. I still wasn’t sure how I had gotten into Carlos’ bed and the thought that he could have done anything still stayed with me. He didn’t, I knew that, but it could have happened and the thought bothered me immensely.