Suddenly, the door swung open with such force it slammed into the wall, echoing down the hall. “Shit.” Jake swore loudly. Too loud. He was drunk?
As I jumped off Evan’s lap, I seriously tried not to pay any attention to the way the front of his jeans were now bulging. Good lord. That erection looked as big as it felt while I was rubbing up against it. Now I am wondering just how fast I can encourage Jake to disappear into his room.
Jake came stumbling into the living area with the little blonde girl. He was so wasted. I have never seen Jake this drunk. The poor girl had her arms wrapped around his waist while Jake had one of his huge arms draped over her shoulders. He was leaning pretty hard into her. She looked like she was about to collapse under the weight at any moment.
Evan jumped up off the couch and ran over to them, placing Jake’s right arm over his shoulders while he pulled his weight into him and off the poor girl. “Thank you,” she said gratefully as she eyed Evan’s exposed chest appreciatively. Oh, hell no.
Walking over to them, I pointed toward the hall that led to Jake’s bedroom. “Evan, can you please get him down to his room. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Sure thing, Em.” He winked at me. “Come on big guy.”
“Duuuuude, it’s pretty boy,” Jake said, slurring his words horribly. “Where’s Em?” He stumbled as he looked around trying to find me.
“She’s here, Jake. I’ll have her tuck you in as soon as we get you settled.”
“Heeeey, thanks man. You’re all kay. I mean you’re all okay. You’rrrre.....ah, fuck it.” He waved his big arm around with such force he almost knocked the both of them over. “You love her.” Evan turned to give me a nervous look. “You can’t deeeeeeny it. You sooooo loooove her. I see it. It’s allllll over your face.”
“Come on, Jake.”
I turned to the little blonde as Evan continued to wrestle Jake down the hall. “Thanks so much for bringing him home. I owe you one.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. I like him.” She took out a piece of paper and a pen and proceeded to write on it. “Here,” she said, handing it to me. “That’s my name and cell number. When he’s sobered up, have him give me a call if he wants. I’d be up to seeing him again.”
“Sure,” I said. Taking the paper from her, I glanced down at it. “Lucina. I’ll let him know.”
After walking Lucina out, I stood in the doorway of Jake’s room. Evan already had him stripped down to his boxer briefs and was heading for the bed. I was impressed with how easily Evan muscled Jake around. They were equal in height, but Jake seemed to have more muscle to him.
Grabbing a blanket off the foot of the bed, I covered Jake up. When I sat on the edge of the bed, Jake mumbled something incoherently. Gently, I ran my fingers through his sandy brown hair.
“Thank you,” I said softly, turning toward Evan. He nodded in response.
As I shifted to get off Jake’s bed, he surprised me by grabbing onto my wrist. Those caramel colored eyes snapped open and bore into mine. My heart sank when I saw fear flash across his features.
“He’s the one,” he mumbled.
“What?” I asked not quite sure I heard him correctly.
“He’s the one I’m going to lose you to.” Jake seemed very lucid all of a sudden. I was not so sure this was just the alcohol talking. As I glanced over at Evan, his whole body tensed and his lips mashed into a hard line.
“Jake, what are you talking about?”
“It’s okay, baby girl. Don’t be sad. I knew one day I’d have to let you go,” he said sadly.
My heart dropped down to my toes. I knew Jake did not have any kind of romantic feelings for me so I was not quite sure where all of this was coming from, but I tried to reassure him.
“Oh, Jake. You’ll never have to let me go,” I said with conviction. I reached out and squeezed the hand he still had wrapped around my wrist.
“Not true, sis.” He shook his head. “You’ll move out, get married, and have babies and that’s how it’s supposed to be.”
When I glanced back at Evan, he relaxed some after hearing Jake call me sis. He gave me a half smile before slipping out of the room.
“Jake, you’re going to be my best man of honor at my wedding and an uncle to my babies. You’re family. I’m never going to let you go.” He flashed me a smile that did not reach his eyes. “Get some rest, Jake.”
He let go of me. “I love you, sis,” he mumbled into the pillow.
“I love you, brother.” I kissed him on the forehead and closed his door behind me.
When I rounded the corner into the living room, I saw Evan slipping off his shoes and socks. His shirt was still hanging open and I was momentarily struck stupid by the sight of his perfectly rounded pecs and the hard planes of his abs. The man did not have those ridges that formed a six-pack, but he was well defined nonetheless. The top of that sexy V poked above the waistline of his jeans. My mouth watered just thinking about running my tongue right down to his-
“Ember,” he barked, snapping me out of my little musing.
“Sorry,” I said, biting my lip. My face heating with embarrassment at having been caught openly ogling the man.
He let out a hearty laugh that I could not help but smile at in response. “It’s all right, baby. I like having your eyes on me.” He reached up to peel his shirt off. “You have a spare pillow and blanket around?”
“What for?” I asked, sounding a bit confused.
“I thought I’d spend the night just in case you need some help with the big guy in there.” He jerked his chin toward the hall leading down to Jake’s room.
“Oh, wow. Evan, you don’t have to do that, but thanks.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I can’t consciously leave you here knowing that if that man fell out of bed, you aren’t going to be able to muscle him back in it. Now stop arguing with me and get me a pillow and blanket.” He paused for a moment. “Unless of course you have other sleeping arrangements in mind.” He waggled his brows at me.
I snorted. “I’ll be right back.”
Turning around to head towards the hall closet, my eyes bugged out of my head as I mouthed, “Oh my god.” The man’s body was utter perfection from what I have seen so far. How in the hell am I going to sleep tonight knowing that a half-naked man, who I am totally hot for, is sleeping in the next room?
As I returned to the living room, I froze on the threshold with the pillow and blanket in hand and openly stared. I take that back. He is not half naked. He is practically naked, stripped down to his black Dolce & Gabbana boxer briefs. Good lord. Was it suddenly Christmas morning? Because it sure felt like it and I was ready to unwrap him like a present.
His body was lean and muscular without an ounce of fat. What the hell was his BMI? Two? Geez, I had to start working out. Those arms of his were cut to perfection with a thick roping of veins bulging as they hung by his side. Yup, it’s official. I’m an arms girl. But, wait. Those legs of his were thick and strong with muscles flexing as he shifted from foot to foot. As nice as they were though, my eyes went right back to those arms. I wanted to see and feel those muscles straining as he suspended himself over me as he pounded-
His loud and deliberate throat clearing caught my attention. Crapola. I was caught ogling the poor man yet again. He was dangerous to my psychological health. He should come with a warning label. Warning: May cause staring, daydreaming, fantasizing, drooling, panting, increased heart rate, hot flashes, and a spike in sex drive. Do not attempt to operate anything, most of all your brain, while in his presence. I mentally slapped myself.
Walking over to him, I cautiously handed him the pillow and blanket. Taking them from me, he quickly threw them down on the couch so he could gather me up in his arms. My hands grabbed his upper arms and I almost moaned he felt so good. The feel of that hard muscle and warm, soft skin was like sensory overload.
“If you keep staring at me like that I’m liable to think you only want me for my body,” he sai
d jokingly.
I blushed furiously. “I’m so sorry. You’re just so…so…hot.”
“Never apologize for staring at me. Go ahead and ogle me. It lets me know you want me. Can I stay with you tomorrow?” I nodded unable to speak. “Good.” He released me and turned me around by my shoulders. “Now, get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning.” He spanked me on my ass sending me in the direction of my bedroom.
“Ow.” Frowning at him over my shoulder, I rubbed my right ass cheek. I stopped on the threshold of the living room and turned around. “Good night, Evan,” I said softly.
“Good night, my precious Gem.” He winked and blew me a kiss.
I literally floated down the hall to my bedroom with such a big smile on my face my cheeks were hurting. Grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste, I started brushing my teeth while staring at myself in the mirror. My eyes were wide and bright. There was color in my cheeks and even though I was trying to brush my teeth, there was a smile I just could not wipe off my face.
As I crawled into bed, I started thinking about what Jake said earlier. Is Evan the one? I started thinking about how I reacted to him. There were the butterflies in my stomach when he would speak to me. The tingle of every nerve ending when he would look at me. The clenching and unclenching of my muscles in anticipation of his touch. The pounding of my heart and the quickening of my breath when he does touch me. I never had such reactions to a man before. Shit. I was in way over my head here and it scared the hell out of me.
The following morning I woke to the sounds of a toilet flushing and movement within the apartment. Jake must be up. Worrying about how he would be feeling after such a rough night, I scrambled out of bed and made my way to the living room.
Stopping at the entrance to the open space, I was surprised to see Evan sitting at my desk instead of Jake. My camera, a few lenses of different lengths, and filters were strewn all over the surface. He was carefully examining them.
Leaning into the wall, I crossed my arms under my chest, pressing my ample breasts together. The camisole I was currently wearing put my cleavage on display fabulously. I was totally going to enjoy this.
Clearing my throat, his head snapped up. His eyes immediately roamed down my body, lingering on my chest. That gorgeous mouth of his fell open as his eyes grew wide. I stood there for several minutes letting him get his fill. With how much I had shamelessly ogled his fine form in the last twelve hours, I felt he deserved a good look.
What I did not expect was how erotic it would feel. The heat of his gaze was tangible as it roamed all over my body, leaving scorching trails on my skin. My breasts felt heavy and my nipples tightened. I resisted the urge to palm them and squeeze, though something told me that Evan would not have minded if I had.
As the ache grew within my core, I found myself rubbing my legs together desperately trying to seek any kind of relief. Holy shit. The man knew how to eye fuck. I was in serious trouble if I ever got me between the sheets. Wait, if? No, when. Definitely when.
Groaning, I pushed off the wall and made my way into the kitchen, ignoring the snickering currently coming from the direction of my desk.
“So is this where the magic happens?” he asked after he stopped laughing.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “The magic happens as soon as I step behind that camera.” I winked at him. “Hungry?”
“Starved, but I thought I would just snack on these Necco wafers here.”
Frowning, I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’d better not touch those,” I said in warning.
“So, these are yours?” he asked, pointing to the candies with a look of disgust on his face.
“Hey.” Stepping toward him, I pointed a finger at him. “Don’t be hating on my little disks of confectionary goodness.”
He chuckled. “Aren’t these for kids? What are you? Five?”
I smiled at him. “Given the way you just eye fucked me, you’d better hope I’m over the age of 18.” He threw his head back and laughed. “Though I’m pretty sure, based on the way you were staring, you’ve realized that I’m all woman.” This time I did palm my breasts and squeeze. His laugh quickly turned to a groan. “But if you really need to know, I loved them as a kid. I just never outgrew them.”
“Fair enough,” he said, focusing back on my desk. “What have you got against the white, pink, and purple ones? You don’t like girly colors?” he asked, examining the piles on my desk.
“No. Well, yeah. I guess they are girly colors, but it’s the taste of them that makes them my favorites. I save them for last.”
I turned back to the fridge and grabbed a Gatorade and then some Advil from the cabinet. “I’m going to bring this to Jake. I’ll be right back,” I said, ducking out of the kitchen and down the hall.
Jake was still out cold. Not wanting to disturb him, I left the drink and pills on his night table. Quietly rummaging through his drawers, I found a light grey t-shirt for Evan. The man had to put something on or I was never going to be able to concentrate.
Evan had all the ingredients for a fruit salad laid out on the kitchen island when I returned. He was back by my desk fiddling with Jake’s iPod.
“Here.” I tossed him the t-shirt. “Don’t look at me like that. I can’t work in the kitchen with you walking around here half naked,” I said, making my way to the fridge. Evan caught the t-shirt and continued messing with the iPod. “What are you looking for?”
“Uh, something other than heavy metal. Is that all you guys listen to?”
“Yes. It’s what Jake and I prefer especially when we’re working.” I shrugged my shoulders, placing the eggs and bacon on the counter.
Evan scrunched his face up at me. “Guess that explains why you were at Vixen’s last night,” he mumbled. “Good thing I have my iPod with me.”
He turned to make his way over to the pile of clothes by the couch and I nearly fell over when I took in the beautiful artwork on his back. I sucked in a breath. “Oh my god.”
“What?” Spinning around, he looked all around trying to find what caused such a reaction from me.
With my hand over my mouth, I walked over to him and turned him around. Running my fingers over the tattoo that took up most of his back, I felt him tense beneath my fingers. “This is…so beautiful.” Evan’s tattoo was that of a magnolia tree with bare branches except for one lonely flower. The tree was entirely done in black ink except for the flower, which was a vibrant pink. A petal from that lone flower is fluttering to the ground. The artwork shows the stages of that petal as it morphs into a pink bird flying toward the sky before the petal can hit the ground. It was beautiful but also filled with a tremendous sadness. I knew there had to be some meaning behind such a profound tattoo.
“Before you ask, I’m really not ready to talk about that,” he said quietly.
Not wanting to push him, I dropped my hand from his back. “I understand, and it’s okay. You can tell me when you’re ready.”
He slipped the t-shirt over his head then turned to face me. “Thank you,” he said, giving me a small, sad smile.
Heading back into the kitchen, the sounds of Frank Sinatra started to play through the speakers. I turned to look at Evan over my shoulder and he shrugged at me. “It was my mother’s favorite,” he said shyly. I nodded at him as I got busy cracking eggs into a bowl. It dawned on me that he said was his mother’s favorite and not is her favorite when referring to the music. Something obviously happened to his mother, and I would be willing to bet that his tattoo had something to do with her as well.
Evan and I worked well together in the kitchen. We moved around each other with a practiced grace as we easily anticipated one another’s moves. We were like an old married couple. It warmed my heart at how quickly we became comfortable with each other.
While I’m cooking the bacon, Evan comes up behind me. In his hand is a huge, ripe strawberry. He dangles it in front of my mouth, tipping my chin back, encouraging me to take a bite. As my teeth sink into the swee
t flesh of the fruit, juice runs down my chin. Before I can wipe it away, Evan moves in and drags his tongue up my chin, catching the juice. Groaning, he licks up to the corner of my mouth then drags his tongue along my bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth. My eyes roll into the back of my head as a moan escapes me.
“That’s gonna burn,” Jake shouted, causing Evan and I to jump apart. “Sorry, pretty boy, but I can’t have her burning the bacon. Ruined bacon is punishable by death in this house.”
Evan chuckled and went back to finishing the fruit salad. Reaching out, I slapped Jake on the shoulder making him wince.
“Oh, sorry. How are you feeling this morning?” I asked him.
“Like mangled dog shit.” He kissed me on the forehead. “You smell like strawberries,” he whispered in my ear, causing my cheeks to burn. “Thanks for the Gatorade and Advil. We still have that champagne? I could really use a mimosa,” Jake said, making his way around the kitchen island to one of the three barstools.
“You didn’t get enough celebrating in last night?” I teased him.
“What were you two celebrating?” Evan asked.
“I have a photo shoot on Tuesday,” I casually said, placing the plate of bacon on the kitchen island. Turning to the microwave, I reached for the bowl of scrambled eggs.
“Jesus. Listen to her. Just a photo shoot,” Jake scoffed.
I placed the bowl of eggs next to the plate of bacon before turning to grab the orange juice and champagne from the fridge.
“It wasn’t just a photo shoot to you last night,” Jake said.
Grabbing three flutes from the cabinet, I started making mimosas for us. “No. You’re right, Jake. It is a huge opportunity for us.”
“Somebody want to tell me what’s going on?” Evan asked.
“You’re little girlfriend here landed herself an exclusive deal with Soft Caress Jeans,” Jake said proudly, raising his glass to me. “Cheers,” he said, bringing the glass to his lips.
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