A Few Tables Away (Glenhaven #1)

by Deb Rotuno

  Dad sniffed and then nodded once. “Well, see what he plans to do. I can’t in good conscience send him back to a bad situation if I can stop it. We’ll go from there. Okay?”

  Nodding, I left the library, only to see Wes smile my way when I got back to him. “Ev’s upstairs. Aunt Leanne showed him where everything is, so I think he’s taking a shower.”

  “Okay,” I said, heading up the stairs.

  The water shut off, and I went into my room to change clothes. Having grown up with Wes around, not to mention some of his buddies roaming about the house, I always slept in shorts and a T-shirt so I could still walk around outside my room. Once I was dressed, I opened my door to see if Evan was out of the bathroom, but I came to a standstill at the sight in the guest room.

  Across the hallway, the lamp on the nightstand lit up the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Evan’s hair was still damp, sticking up in every direction like he’d just finished rubbing it with the towel. Standing in just a pair of sleep pants, he seemed to be focused on his phone. His back was to me, and even though he was lean, he wasn’t skinny. He was muscle and broad shoulders, narrowing down to his waist. His skin was smooth, a bit pale—but being from Florida, we expected everyone from outside the state to be pale.

  My mouth watered as I took in every inch of his back, his ass, his neck. There were freckles across his shoulders and a few down his back; I wanted to count them, kiss them, and claim them for myself. However, it was when he shifted a little that my breath caught in my throat.

  His scars.

  They looked like a crisscross pattern. They were thin, yet they stood out a shade darker against his skin tone, and they were raised a bit.

  Evan jumped a little when he saw me, and I was in the room before I could think twice.

  “I’m…I’m…sorry. I thought I closed the door,” he rambled softly as he reached for the T-shirt lying on the corner of the bed.

  “Mom should’ve told you that it has to click to stay closed,” I whispered, stopping him when he started to pull his shirt on. “You’re…you’re beautiful.” It was the truth, and I couldn’t stop it from escaping my lips if I tried.

  Evan looked confused, glancing down to his scars and then back to my face. But I didn’t see the scars. They were there and they were hard to miss, but they weren’t what my eyes saw. I saw definition without being bulky. I saw lean muscles and smooth skin that smelled warm and freshly showered. I smelled boy and shampoo.

  “They’re ugly, Dani…”

  Shaking my head, I met his gaze as I asked permission with my eyes. He froze but then nodded quickly, like if he held his breath, this would be over soon. Without taking my eyes from his, I moved slowly, setting my palm flat against his ribcage.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat and blinked back the tears threatening to fall, not because I could feel every single slice that had been etched permanently into his skin but because I could feel his fear. I felt it step into the room like a cloaked, hooded figure. It was a ghost standing between us. His body vibrated with it as his hands balled up into tight fists at his side in order to maintain it.

  “Evan?” I whispered, not moving a single inch. “Look at me.” Sad, wary, deep brown met my gaze, and his jaw rolled with the clench of his teeth. “These don’t make you ugly. In fact, there isn’t a single fucking thing about you that’s ugly.” I raised my eyebrows until he nodded that he’d heard me. “If I have to tell you every damn day, I will. I spew verbal vomit all the time; I’ll just add it to the mix.”

  There it was. That stunning smile that took my breath away the first time I saw it in Wes’s office. It was real, blinding me in its boyish brilliance. Coupled with the tinge of pink to his cheeks, it made him absolutely the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen.

  I hadn’t removed my hand from his side, but as I gazed up at him, I knew I was completely head over heels for him. Just…done. And as much as I wanted to blurt that out, I bit my tongue. It wasn’t the right time, and he’d just told me the story of how the scars beneath my fingers came to be. I would imagine he felt a bit…exposed. Regretfully, I pulled my hand away from his warm skin.

  With a sigh and a smile up at him, I said, “I…I wanted to thank you, Evan.”

  “For what?”

  “For trusting me enough to tell me that story tonight.” I nodded when his brow furrowed in confusion. “It was probably the hardest thing to do, but I feel honored that you chose me.”

  “I meant what I said, Dani,” he said slowly, like he didn’t understand what I was saying. “You…You’ve become important to me. I thought…maybe…if I was honest…”

  “Withholding something painful isn’t lying, baby,” I countered when he trailed off a little. “But I am…” I balled my hands up and then folded my arms, laughing a little at myself. “God, Evan, you make it so hard to stop myself from just…holding you, squeezing you, kissing you!”

  His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed, but that grin of his just made my self-control start to completely unravel. In order not to rush at him, I started to turn.

  “I’ll let you get some sleep…” I muttered, starting for the door.

  “What…Um, Dani?” he called so softly that I could barely hear him, but when I turned to face him, his face was even more fearful than before. “What if…What if I don’t want you to stop?”

  Closing my eyes, I smiled when I said, “Jesus, Evan…you need to be sure. If I hurt you, or pushed too fast, too soon…I’m willing—”

  “You won’t,” he argued gently, and it came from right in front of me.

  He’d moved closer, so when I opened my eyes, I was staring straight into smooth skin and collarbones and pec muscles. I dragged my gaze up his unbelievably attractive neck, along his sharp jaw, to his nervous gaze. Dark…so dark, and wary.

  “Though…” He huffed a laugh, looking down. “I don’t know what I’m doing, so…”

  Oh my damn…I wasn’t sure he could get any cuter, but he just had.

  Smiling, I cupped his face, making him look back up to me. “Kissing is easy, baby. It’s like…breathing.”

  He grinned. “Yeah?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I nodded, stepping closer to him, and he tossed the shirt in his hand back to the bed in order to set his hands respectfully on my waist. “You sure? There’s no turning back after this, Evan. I may have to kiss you all the time.” It was a tease, but holy shit, it was probably the damn truth too. Just standing that close to him was a rush of adrenaline and hormones and everything beautiful he carried with him.

  “I don’t want to go back.”

  Something about that whispered, firm statement sounded enormous coming from him. Like he meant us and life and his hometown. All of it. All of it in one big declaration.

  Making sure he was looking at me, I decided to copy what he’d said earlier—not once but twice he’d said it. “Evan, you’ve become very important to me too, so I’m going to ask you again…Are you sure?”

  He nodded vehemently. “Yes.”

  Smiling, I nodded with him. “Okay, then close your eyes, baby.”

  He did as I said, with complete trust, though I could feel him shudder a little beneath my touches to his face. Lord, his eyelashes were long and dark, resting against his skin. Lifting myself a bit on my toes, I slowly, softly pressed my lips to his.

  I kept everything light and slow, pressing my lips again. I wanted to show him how I felt, show him how beautiful I thought he was, so I started to move—top lip, bottom lip, turning my head just a little. I pulled back just a bit, smiling at his heavy breathing, the adorable way he licked his lips, but his eyes were still closed as he rested his forehead to mine.

  “More?” I whispered close to his mouth so he could feel me.

  “God, yes.”

  I wanted to giggle at his eagerness, but he was the one to start forward this time, and I moaned against his mouth when our lips met again. Over and over, lips tasted and teased, and I couldn’t stop myself when my ton
gue joined the dance, and when I thought he’d panic, he didn’t. He welcomed me, turning his head at the same time he flexed his hands, pulling me flush to him.

  For someone who said he didn’t know what he was doing…My toes were curling into the carpet, my hands were now slowly slipping into his hair, and my body wanted to feel every inch of him pressed against me.

  When his tongue met mine, I moaned shamelessly again, and with one last sweep of my lips across his, I pulled back in order to catch my breath.

  Those long eyelashes swept up, and his eyes were even darker than before, like warm chocolate. His chest heaved with his breathing, and he was quiet for a moment as he continued to hold me close.

  “Wow,” he said, which made me grin. “Is it always like that?”

  “Um, Evan…I’ve never been kissed like that in my life!” I said through awe and need because I wanted more, but I wouldn’t push.

  He smiled, crooked and easy, but he shook his head. “Don’t tell me about other kisses…”

  Laughing, I pressed my lips to his quickly but then pulled away. “That’s another story for another day.” When he looked at me worriedly, I added, “But I will tell you.”

  He nodded, finally reaching for his shirt and pulling it on. “Dani…what’s that mean? That kiss?”

  I knew what he was asking, so I smiled up at him. “What you want it to mean, Evan?”

  “Everything.”

  He didn’t quite meet my eyes when he said it, but my heart just about burst out of my chest with his sincerity.

  “Good,” I said, grinning at him when his eyes shot to mine. “Because it does mean everything.”

  His face reddened a bit, but he nodded with the happiest smile yet. “Good.”

  Evan

  “Pick your poison, son,” Dani’s dad said, gesturing to the kitchen counter when I came in with my things for school. “There’s plenty, so help yourself.”

  “Thanks, Pro—”

  “Daniel, son. Inside this house, I’m just…Daniel.” He corrected me gently, his lips twitching a bit above his beard, which made me smile.

  “Thanks, Daniel.”

  He nodded once before sipping his coffee. Dani, Leanne, and Aunt Tessa were sitting at the table. The two older women were chatting softly, but I could see Dani wasn’t exactly talkative in the mornings, which I found interesting. She was blindly scooping cereal into her mouth as she read a book cracked open on the table. She was dressed for school, but her eyes were still bleary, tired.

  Memories of the night before came crashing down on me. Everything about it—telling her my story, the feeling of comfort this house brought, and kissing her. My face heated with that last one. I never once thought I’d ever speak to my Library Girl, much less find myself kissing her in her own house.

  Turning to make myself a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, I had to force back the urge to do it again. I wanted it again. In fact, the fantasy of spending all day in Dani’s arms sounded like fucking heaven, but I knew it couldn’t happen. There were classes and homework, not to mention my shift at Sunset Roast.

  I took a seat between Dani and Daniel, smiling when she mumbled, “Morning, Evan.”

  She sipped coffee, going back to her book, but rested her cheek on my bicep.

  Leanne chuckled. “It’s best to give her at least to the bottom of that coffee mug, sweet pea.” When I grinned and nodded, she asked, “Did you sleep okay, honey? The room okay?”

  “Oh, yes, ma’am. It was great. Thank you.”

  “Anytime, Evan.”

  “You should’ve told ’im about the door, Mom,” Dani told her through a yawn.

  “Oh, shit…Sorry about that. You have to click it all the way for it to stay closed.”

  “Yeah, found that out, but…It’s okay.” I chuckled before taking a bite of bacon.

  Aunt Tessa giggled like a girl but leaned her elbows on the table. “Funny, I don’t hear Dani complaining one damn bit.”

  “And that’s my cue to leave,” Daniel sang sarcastically, making all the women at the table burst into laughter. He drained his coffee cup and said his goodbyes.

  Dani stood, but her lips were at my ear. “Oh, hell no. No complaints. You?”

  I shook my head but shoved eggs into my face to keep from turning to kiss her again before she left the kitchen. However, the smile on my face might stick all damn day. As I finished my breakfast, I wondered if just a kiss made me this happy, then I couldn’t imagine what I’d feel like after sex. That thought made me red in the face and my appetite completely disappear because I had no idea what I was doing. I really needed to call my brother.

  A soft kiss was pressed to my temple. “You ready?” Dani asked, suddenly back to the table.

  “Hmm?” I looked up at her but then nodded. Turning to Leanne, I said, “Thank you again.”

  “Evan, when I say anytime, I mean it. You’re welcome here whenever and however long you wish,” she replied earnestly.

  I smiled and nodded, feeling Dani slip her hand into mine and tug me out the door. I just barely was able to grab my backpack before we left Aunt Tessa and Leanne to their laughter. As soon as we were out on the front porch and the front door closed behind us, Dani’s lips were on mine. My whole body reacted instantly. My hands cupped her face, my body surged forward, and I found myself pressing her into one of the columns.

  I remembered everything she’d said the night before about kissing, and some of it was right. It was as easy as breathing, but it was consuming, it was addictive, and it was amazing. It was also making my body react to her in ways that I’d once thought embarrassing, and I almost pushed away from her, until her fingers hooked into the loopholes of my jeans to keep me close.

  I broke away from her mouth, keeping my eyes closed and dropping my forehead to hers. “Sorry. I can’t help it. You’re way too beautiful.”

  “Oh, Evan…Thank you, but this is something you never have to apologize for,” she said through a sexy giggle, and I smiled when she kissed me lightly again.

  “What was that for?” I panted, still trying to calm down, but I hadn’t moved from her arms.

  “The kiss?” she asked, and I nodded against her forehead. “Because it’s gonna be a long damn day before I can kiss you again.”

  Grinning, I chuckled, but it fell quickly. “Does this mean…”

  “Evan,” she breathed, pressing her lips to mine so softly. “You said you didn’t want to go back.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Then this…here…is everything. It means I’m yours and you’re mine. So if I want to kiss my boyfriend, I damn well will, if he’s okay with it.”

  Groaning, I kissed her again because I felt like I was dreaming. “I’ll always be okay with it, and you’re right. This’ll be a long damn day,” I moaned but regretfully pulled back to leave.

  We walked to her car, and I slid into the passenger seat, gazing over at her once she was behind the wheel. “I…I don’t know what I’m doing, Dani. You should know that. I’ve never…had a g-girlfriend.”

  “Me neither.”

  Laughing, I shook my head. “Dani, I’m serious.”

  She smirked a bit but cupped my face. “You said the same thing about kissing, baby. And trust me, you picked up on that…just fine.” She raised an eyebrow at me but placed her hand flat on my chest over my heart, which was still pounding from our kisses. “Just trust this, Evan.”

  I nodded.

  She smiled and then backed up and began the drive to school.

  Chapter Ten

  Evan

  I COULDN’T FOCUS on the notes Professor Bishop was writing at the front of the classroom. Instead, my gaze raked along tight, faded jeans and the hand slowly doodling at the top corner of her page. My brain was still scrambled from our kisses. The one from the night before in the guest room of Dani’s house, to the one this morning on her front porch, never mind the few minutes we’d lost ourselves in her car when she’d pulled into the parking lot at Edgewater.
My thoughts were consumed with her—the feel of her, the taste of her.

  Rubbing my face, I forced myself to pay attention to the front of the classroom and take notes on what the next assignment was before he released us for the day.

  He shot us a smile and wave as we left the room. Dani slipped her hand into mine as we walked across campus to the dining hall. She stayed quiet, which was a bit unusual for her, so when we were finally outside at our table under the shade, I glanced up at her.

  “You…okay?” I asked, scanning my head for something I might have done wrong.

  She smiled and nodded, dragging a fry through ketchup. “I’m…perfect. I just…I have a question for you, but I’m not sure how to ask it. Or if I should ask it.”

  Frowning at her, I took a deep breath. “Did I…Is there…”

  Suddenly, her smiling lips were on mine. “Hush. You’ve done nothing wrong, baby. I just…” She pulled back to cup my face. “What are you doing about the holidays?”

  “Oh.” I smiled a little but shrugged a shoulder. “I’m, um…I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I can avoid going home for Thanksgiving, but Christmas is a different story. The dorms close, and then there’s Faith…I don’t know. I don’t want to go, but I’m not sure I can get out of it. I’d be willing to bet my dad’s already bought that ticket.”

  “You can stay with me,” she blurted out, grimacing a little, but then she smiled when I chuckled. I loved her habit of just saying whatever she was thinking. “I’m sorry, but I just…” She sighed, her eyes sad and worried. “The thought of sending you home…”

  She dropped her gaze to the table, and her hair covered her face, so I reached up to tuck it behind her ear. I needed to see her.

  “He can’t hurt me, Dani,” I stated softly, shaking my head when she looked at me. “He can threaten and yell and say shit, but…” I shrugged a shoulder. “There’re only three people on this planet who can hurt me—my siblings and the pretty girl at this table. That’s it. He has power over me, but that’s because he signs the checks for the part of my schooling that my scholarship doesn’t cover, like books and housing. If he took that away, I don’t know what I’d do. I don’t make enough working for Wes to cover both. I have to appease my father in order to stay here.”