“Yes, a bottle of the DeLille Cellars Grand Ciel Cabernet Sauvignon, please,” Evan said with the expertise of someone who was not only familiar with their wine, but also the menu. He made ordering a bottle of wine sound incredibly sexy too.
“Excellent choice, sir. And would you care to start with some escargot or fresh Northwest oysters perhaps?”
“The pancetta wrapped jumbo prawns, please.”
“And do you know what you’d like to order, madam, or do you need more time?”
“Oh, no. I’ll have the eight ounce filet medium rare, please, with the béarnaise sauce.”
“Excellent choice. And for you sir?”
“I’ll have the twelve ounce filet medium rare also with béarnaise, please.”
“Of course. Any shareables, sir?”
“Please. The mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.”
“All excellent choices, sir.” The waiter nodded at us both before walking off.
Evan shook out his napkin and placed it in his lap.
“Have you been here before?” I asked.
“A few times,” he said, not making eye contact with me. The thought of him coming here with other women bothered me way more than it should have. As if he could sense what I was thinking, he looked me in the eye and said, “Dates mostly but nothing serious.” He leaned back in his chair. “Not until you,” he added softly.
His eyes never left mine, but watched me closely, waiting for my reaction. I fought hard to keep the look of shock off my face. Nothing serious until me? Did I just hear him correctly? So he considers what’s happening between to be serious? And here I thought I was the only one being overwhelmed with emotions and feelings that were rapidly growing.
Before I could respond, the waiter returned with our bottle of wine. Making a small production out of opening it, he filled my glass and then Evan’s before walking off.
Evan raised his glass to me. “To first dates.”
“To first dates,” I repeated, clinking my glass with his. The wine was dry with flavors of black currants, black cherries, and spices. “Mmm. This is delicious.”
“Only the best for you,” he said just as our appetizer arrived. “Ladies first.” He held the plate out to me.
“Thank you.” I took a bite and closed my eyes, moaning my appreciation at the flavor. The pancetta had a salty bacon flavor to it and the shrimp was perfectly tender and succulent. When I opened my eyes, Evan was starting at me intently. His eyes darkening.
“Gem, if you do that again, I will be dragging you to the ladies room,” he whispered. His sexual threat sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine, causing my cheeks to heat.
Closing his eyes briefly, he took a deep breath before focusing back on me. “So, tell me about your family.”
“Ah, we’re going for polite conversation,” I teased, repeating his words. “I think I’d rather take that trip to the ladies room,” I leaned in and whispered.
“Ember,” he groaned in warning, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist. I’ll behave.” I smiled and winked at him. “My family. Well, you know my dad is the famous professional photographer Malcolm Whitfield. My mom was a model. She never did anything serious, though. She ended up getting pregnant with my sister, Misty and then me. She did some catalog work for Sears and J.C. Penny and stuff like that, but she gave it all up to concentrate on her family.”
“Did you get in photography because of your dad?” He topped off our glasses with more wine.
“Yeah,” I said, smiling at the memory. “I was always interested in what my dad was doing. Before digital cameras came along, he used to let me help him in his dark room.”
“And your sister?” he asked, sounding genuinely interested.
“She’s a clone of my mother, but she was never interested in photography or modeling. She’s a financial genius and works on Wall Street now. She’s married to her job. I don’t think she’s even had a serious boyfriend. Ever.”
Evan remained quiet until our dinner arrived then he concentrated on his meal. The steak was cooked to perfection, tender, and had fantastic flavor. It did not even need the béarnaise sauce, but the sauce was just too buttery and decadent to ignore.
“I have a sister,” he blurted. I just about chocked on the piece of meat I was chewing. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just blurted it out like that.” A humorless laugh escaped him. “She’s married to a great guy, Jayson ,who’s a pharmacist. They have two boys. Aiden who is five and Caleb who is three. They live in Bellevue.”
“That’s great. So you’re an uncle?”
“Yeah. I don’t get to see them often. My sister has a relationship with our father. She doesn’t agree completely with the distance I insist on keeping between my father and me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said at a complete loss of anything better to say. “My mom is rather eccentric.” I tried to change the subject, which Evan seemed to be grateful for.
“How so?”
“She was a bit of a hippy,” I said, chuckling. “My name is Ember Skye. Can you guess why?”
“No, but that’s a beautiful name.”
“Thank you. I was born on a summer morning during a spectacular sunrise. The sky looked like it was on fire like embers burning or so my mother tells me. My sister’s got it worse.” He raised is brows at me. “It was misting out the afternoon she was born. Misty Daye is her name. I think I lucked out in comparison.” We both laughed. “I’d love for you to meet them sometime,” I said softly.
He looked up at me and smiled. “I’d like that very much,” he said as we both went back to our meals.
Once I was finished eating, I leaned back in my chair with my glass of wine in hand. Evan did the same. His eyes never leaving mine. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, he leaned forward in his seat, resting his arms on the table. “Can I ask you something?” His voice was low and serious.
“Sure,” I said. The serious look on his face had me sounding a little apprehensive even to my own ears.
“Back at the park, you kind of checked out for a minute. You want to talk about it?” he asked cautiously.
Did I want to talk about it? Not really. I did not even want to think about it, but something told me he was not going to let it go. Finishing off my glass of wine so I could bolster myself with some liquid courage, I tried to explain the jumbled emotions that were going on inside me. “When you made that comment about getting married at the park, I…”
He reached across the table and took my hand in his. “Go on,” he said, squeezing my hand lightly for encouragement.
“I could see it, Evan. I could see you standing there decked out in a tux. Our happily ever after complete with a family dog and 2.5 kids.” My eyes teared up yet again as the images I conjured up earlier flashed through my mind.
“And what’s so wrong about that, beautiful? That sounds like a little piece of heaven to me,” he said softly, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
I swallowed hard, continuing to fight the tears that were now threatening to spill over. “Both of our careers are in their infancy on the verge of taking off. What kind of future could we possibly have together? You know as well as I do the amount of travel both of us are going to be facing. There’s going to be no time for any kind of personal relationship let alone a marriage.”
“What exactly are you saying, Ember?” he asked, frowning deeply at me.
“It just got me thinking that maybe we should end this before either one of us gets in any deeper,” I said quietly.
He squeezed my hand to the point of pain. “Don’t do this, Ember,” he said, shaking his head. His eyes grew wide with panic. “Don’t,” he said, sounding angry.
“I…..shit, Evan. I can’t…” I paused not quite sure how to put my thought into words. With that our waiter approached inquiring about coffee or desert. Evan, irritated over our conversation, snapped at our waiter asking for nothing but the check. He stiffly nodded his head at
Evan and scuttled off quickly.
“Ember, you can’t end this. We’re already in way over our heads here. I won’t allow you to push me away,” he said with a fierce look in his eyes.
I released the breath I was holding in a rush. “That’s good, because I can’t. I can’t do it. As much as I think it would be in our best interests, I’m just too selfish. I want you too much to be able to let you go.”
“Well thank fuck for that,” Evan whispered.
The waiter returned and Evan released my hand and quickly settled the bill. Pulling out his cell phone, he typed out a quick text, which I assumed was for the car to return. Putting his phone down on the table, he took both of my hands in his and held on tightly. “Promise me, Ember, that you’ll see this through with me. We just need to take it one day at a time, but we owe it to ourselves to see where this takes us. Promise me, because I’ve never felt for anybody what I feel for you. And I’d be willing to bet that you feel the same,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me.
Slowly, I nodded my head. “I promise,” I said weakly, lacking the conviction I knew he wanted to hear.
Releasing my hand, he stood up and walked over to me. Pulling my chair out, he took my hand in his and led me out of the restaurant.
“Thank you for the lovely dinner,” I said.
He gave me my favorite half-dimpled smile, but it did not reach his eyes. “You’re welcome, baby.”
The black Town Car was waiting at the curb for us once again. Evan opened the rear door for me before sliding onto the seat next to me. Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, he pulled me into his side and held on tight.
It was a quiet ride back to his apartment, but there was a tension between us thanks to my admission earlier of possibly ending whatever this is between us. I was certain that the panic I saw flash in Evan’s eyes would haunt me for a long time.
As soon as we stepped into his apartment, Evan kicked the door closed, grabbed my elbow, and pushed me up against the wall. His hands grasped my head, firmly holding me in place. Gripping his biceps tightly, I could feel his thick muscles straining beneath his shirt and jacket. Not wasting another moment, he slammed his mouth down on mine, stealing my breath with a searing kiss that was all lips and tongues and teeth.
Guiding us into the apartment without breaking our kiss, we bumped into the door, the kitchen counter, and the refrigerator. We both laughed around each other’s lips at our exuberance. Running his hands down my back to the hem of my dress, he bunched it up around my hips and urged me to wrap my legs around his waist. Easily carrying me into his apartment, he dropped onto the couch with me straddling his lap.
My hands grabbed the lapels of his jacket and I shoved it up and over his shoulders. I was desperate to get his clothes off, needing to feel his warm skin against mine. As if he could sense my urgency, he sat up so he could easily and quickly remove his jacket. Before he had his jacket completely off, I was grabbing the hem of his polo and lifting it over his head, carelessly tossing it behind me.
“Need you,” he rasped, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into him.
Cupping his face in my hands while we kissed each other feverishly, he ran his hands up my thighs to the dress bunched around my hips. “Need to feel you,” he said against my lips.
Roughly, he pulled my dress up my ribs, meeting a little resistance when he got to the edge of the built-in bra. Giving the dress a sharp tug over my head, he gasped when my breasts spilled from the confines of the built in bra, leaving me sitting on his lap in nothing more than my skimpy panties and thigh highs and high heels.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked.
Glancing down his perfect pecs and taut stomach, my eyes followed his muscled V as it dipped under his waistband. My eyes came to rest on the massive erection that was now tenting the front of his dress pants. Snapping my eyes back to his, my chest rapidly rising and falling with my heavy breaths, I raised a brow and gave him a smirk. Yes, I knew exactly what I was doing to him.
His eyes turned dark and predatory as his tongue darted out to lick his plumb lower lip. He looked like he was about to eat me alive. A shiver of anticipation racked my body.
Desperate to feel his touch, I started to run my hands up my ribs to my breasts. His eyes quickly focused on the movement of my fingers. “Mine,” he growled, knocking my hands from my chest. Quickly, I placed my hands behind me to rest on his knees, thrusting my chest forward. He wasted no time wrapping his arms around my back so he could hold me suspended over his lap. Holding onto his biceps, I felt his warm mouth wrap around my nipple and suck hard. Throwing my head back, a loud moan escaped me.
“Please,” I shamelessly begged as he dragged his tongue across my chest to my other breast. Moving my hips, I tried to rub against him in any way I could, needing to relieve the ache that was building within my core. My heated blood, burning its way through my veins, roared in my ears.
“Stand,” Evan barked, gripping my waist and lifting me to my feet.
Backing up a few steps so he could rise from the couch, I restlessly ran my hands over my torso, silently begging him to take me. His eyes focused on my hands as I ran them down to the strings resting on my hips. Slowly, I pealed my panties down my legs, casually tossing them over my shoulder.
Before I could reach out to undo his belt, his deft hands were already removing it. Pushing his pants and boxer briefs to the floor at the same time, his eyes never left mine. I wanted him so badly; the need within me was almost more than I could bear.
Running his hands lightly up my legs as he straightened, he nipped the hardened peak of my nipple with his teeth as he tugged on the other with his fingers. I gasped at the bite of pain that shot straight to my core. Then his warm tongue laved each nipple in turn, soothing them. My head fell back on a moan as I ran my fingers through his silky hair.
Without warning, he fell back onto the couch. Grabbing me by the waist, he brought me down with him, encouraging me to straddle his thighs once again. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me toward him as his lips sealed over mine in an all-consuming kiss. The hardness of his arousal pressed into my lower belly. My hips began to undulate against him on their own accord. Breaking the kiss, he grabbed my face with his hands. A hungry, feral look darkened the green of his emerald eyes.
“You’re driving me crazy. Lift that glorious ass of yours up,” he rasped, patting my behind.
Getting up on my knees, I hovered over him. “Take me, Ember. Take all of me,” he whispered. Grasping the base of his erection, he made it easy for me to slowly sink down onto him inch by glorious inch until he was fully seated within me. He was deep like this, stretching me fully to the point of pain. Grabbing onto his broad shoulders, the crisp hairs of his thighs rubbed against the back of my legs as I slowly rocked against him.
Leaning into me, he trailed soft kisses over my jaw, down my neck, and back up again as he rubbed his hands restlessly over my waist and hips. “You feel so incredible,” he murmured. The way he kissed the sensitive skin just below my ear, had my internal muscles contracting around him. “Perfect. You’re so perfect, my precious Gem.” His tongue licked around my outer ear, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
I have never had such a vocal lover, having always thought it would be annoyingly distracting. Instead, I found it to be quite the opposite. His words added fuel to my fire. The growl of his voice and the heat of his mouth against my skin brought my desire to a fever pitch. Happening faster than I wanted it to, I felt the familiar pressure building deep within my core. That’s what his words did to me.
Feeling that I was close, he gripped my waist to stop my movement. Holding me in place, he began to pound into me. Suddenly frightened by the powerful explosion threatening to split me in two, I feebly tried fighting it. “Don’t fight it. Come for me, baby. Come with me.” The slight pain deep within my core as he slammed into me along with his words had me exploding around him, screaming his name as the euphoria swept through m
e.
Evan ran his hands up my back and over the tops of my shoulders. He slammed into me one final time as his hands pressed down on my shoulders holding me down on his lap. Pressing his head into the back of the couch, he squeezed his eyes shut as he found his release. Clenching his jaw, the tendons in his neck were straining against the skin as he reverently whispered my name through clenched teeth. Nothing looked as gorgeous as Evan while he was in throes of passion.
Clutching onto one another, he snuggled his face within my neck as we both slowly came down from our blissful high. I buried my nose in his soft, dark hair, inhaling his spicy, manly scent, which was stronger, more enhanced from his arousal.
After several minutes, his warm breaths slowed to normal as they softly blew against my neck. Reluctantly, I moved to get off his lap. Gathering my clothes from the floor, Evan, still gloriously naked, sat and watched from the couch with a frown marring his gorgeous face.
“Come on,” I said, throwing his boxer briefs at him. “I need you to take me home.”
His eyes grew wide as his brows shot up. “And why the fuck would I do that?”
I sighed, silently praying this was not going to turn into a fight. “We have that shoot tomorrow. I need to get some sleep tonight, and I have to go home and get my equipment ready.”
“Okay,” he said, standing up from he couch.
I frowned as I watched him walk across the living room. Okay? Just like that? He wasn’t going to….sweet Jesus! The man looked as good walking away from me as he did walking towards me. That perfectly round ass; I just wanted to bite it.
I heard his bathroom door close, snapping me back to reality, and I began to gather my things. Once everything was packed, I headed into his spare bedroom to use the bathroom there. After straightening my dress out, I ran my fingers through my messy hair.
As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, I froze. My hand came up to cover my gaping mouth as my eyes grew wide. Leaning against the wall were two frames. The first picture was my nude portrait from my show at the gallery, but how the hell did it end up in his apartment? My eyes roamed around the room as if the answer to that question was right in front of me. No wonder he only briefly showed me this room and kept me from walking into it during the little tour of his apartment.
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