Possibilities

by Michelle Grotewohl

  Possibilities

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2013 Michelle Grotewohl

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  * * * * *

  Chapter One

  Evelyn King drove up to her sister Vicki’s cottage and put her car in Park. She got out, walked to the side of the garage door to the code box there. After sliding the cover up, she input the 5-digit number on the backlit keypad, then slid it back down and went to her car as the garage door grumbled and began to lift.

  After pulling into the garage, she hit the button beside the back door to close it again. She grabbed one of her suitcases and opened the door to the house, which was always unlocked so anyone could get inside if they knew the number for the garage door. She knew there was also a key box hanging on the front door knob, but she found this easier.

  A few minutes later, her luggage was inside, and the groceries she’d brought with her put away. She’d chosen to sleep in the room off the kitchen, her favorite and the only one on the first floor. Sure, it connected to the kitchen by a bathroom as well as the door, but no one was here, anyway, so…

  Upstairs, there were two bedrooms, one spare and one her sister’s. Downstairs, the basement had been converted into another level, with a living area, two more bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a theater. The best thing about the basement was the fact that you could walk out of the bedrooms and be right on the beach.

  But Evie preferred the first floor bedroom, often called the Blue Room, with its pretty, peaceful China-blue paint and bed coverings. And she could only be grateful that Vicki left her vacation house open to any family that wanted to use it. Evie needed the break.

  Several months ago, on Valentine’s Day, her boyfriend of six months had taken her to her favorite restaurant for dinner. She’d expected him to ask her to marry him. He’d broken up with her instead.

  She found she wasn’t as upset as she thought she’d be, and realized she hadn’t loved him. Rather, she’d liked the idea of him: Someone to come home to every night, or cook for; to share her bed with, wake up to in the morning; to take to family get-togethers, and so on.

  Still, love or no, it hurt to know she hadn’t been what he wanted. Especially since they worked together, and she had to see him every day. He’d moved on, dating another of their co-workers at Feingold & Lockheart, a law office where Evie worked in Accounts Payable. Evie was grown up enough to be happy for him.

  Until last week, when they’d announced their engagement. It was too much. As soon as Miss ‘Too-Perky Breasts’ Accounts Receiving secretary had made the announcement, Evie had stood up and marched right into her boss’ office, letting him know she was taking her paid two weeks’ vacation time now.

  Thank god it was the beginning of June, and there was no holiday for a month, she thought as she undressed for her shower. She needed some time alone, and her sister’s “cottage” vacation home was perfect. Sun, beach, quiet time… She could think of little better.

  With a heartfelt sigh at the thought of two uninterrupted weeks of relaxation, she got into the shower and let the five wall jets and one overhead beat away her tension.

  Drake Benton pulled into the driveway of his brother, Leon’s, cottage. He smirked as he looked out the dark windshield at it. “Cottage” to most meant a small vacation home. This, he mused, was a full-sized beach house.

  Three stories, five bedrooms, five baths, beach front… Yeah, cottage was not the right word. Although it had been, when Leon had first bought the place. But they’d demo-ed the little hovel, and built this monstrosity. Thank god for it.

  Drake grabbed his duffel and locked his car. He bypassed the electric lock box on the garage- He could never remember the 5-digit code- and headed for the key box on the front door. It was far easier for him to remember the 4-letter name of the Benton’s childhood puppy.

  He used the key and unlocked the door, then put it back and re-latched the box. He wouldn’t be going anywhere over the next two weeks, anyway, except maybe to get food. He walked in and tossed his bag on the sofa, then headed to the bathroom. He’d had six cups of coffee on the way down, and his bladder was screaming at him.

  As he entered the kitchen, he saw the bathroom door was open, the light on, and he heard the shower running.

  “What the hell?” he murmured, slowing to creep closer. Someone had broken in, he thought, and was taking advantage of the fact that the house was often empty.

  He peeked in, saw the shower door was closed. It was obvious by the silhouette behind the glass that the intruder was female. With his brow lifted- half interested, half furious- he moved quietly into the bathroom and flung the shower door open.

  The woman screamed and spun, and Drake’s snarl cleared to a grin when he saw her face. “Hey, Evie, long time, no see,” he said with a smirk as his eyes grazed over her naked form.

  “Drake!” she gasped, one arm crossing over the front of her breasts while the other went to cover her lower section. “Get out!”

  “Are you sure? I could join-”

  “Out, Drake,” she said, twisting so she could point to the door without revealing too much of herself.

  Drake made a disappointed face as he closed the shower door. “Okay, but I’ll be right out here if you change your mind.”

  She waited and listened, then sighed when she heard the bathroom door latch. A second later, she jolted when it opened again. Aggravated, she opened the shower door just enough to scowl at him.

  With a faint smile, he asked, “Can I assume you took the Blue Room?”

  “Yeah,” Evie said, trying for patience though her annoyance was evident in the clipped words.

  “‘Kay. I’m gonna take the front one downstairs, then.”

  Irritation flitted through her because he was staying, but there was nothing she could say or do if he was, so… “Alright.”

  He hesitated for a moment, just because. Then he lifted a brow and closed the door. With a shake of her head, she finished her shower.

  Several minutes later, she peeked out of the bathroom, hair dripping and body wrapped in a towel. Her bedroom door was open, so she snuck over and closed it before locking it, just in case, like she’d done with the bathroom door after getting out of the shower. This was Drake Benton, after all…

  Not that he was a bad guy, she thought as she dried off and pulled on pajamas. He just liked women, and was never lacking for female company, due to his good looks and confidence that bordered on cockiness. At every family function she’d attended since Vicki met Leon over two years ago, Drake was with a different girl. Never had Evie seen the same woman twice, even at the family reunion over a three-day weekend last summer.

  She doubted she had anything to worry about, though, she mused as she looked at herself in the mirror. Drake only dated blondes, strictly, and her hair was dark brown. His dates were typically blue-eyed, occasionally green. Evie’s eyes were as dark as her hair.

  She finished brushing her hair, wishing it was straight or curly, rather than somewhere in between at wavy. Turning from the mirror, she went out to the kitchen to have a snack. It wasn’t something she normally did, but she had decided to do what she wanted on her vacation. She did enough yoga to justify it, anyway.

  While she dug out Oreos and poured herself a glass of milk, her mind drifted to the man only a fe
w feet away in a downstairs bedroom.

  Drake and she would be together for who knew how long. Could be days if he only stayed the weekend, or more than two weeks if he was here as long as she. They were different enough to make it a bit of a chore.

  Unless they found a way to get along…

  Doubtful, unfortunately.

  Not that she wanted any kind of attention from Drake. Guys like him were one-night-standers, love ‘em and leave ‘ems, champions of get in-get off-get out. He’d doubtlessly refined his skills in the bedroom, perfecting his lovemaking so a woman would fall in love with him in a few short hours.

  Now, if she were interested in going outside her comfort zone completely while on this vacation, Drake would be a perfect choice. But they’d still have to see each other at family things, and it could get weird. Not to mention the fact that her sister was married to his brother, doubling the weird factor. Still, she could imagine…

  With his dark blond hair and bold blue eyes, he was right up her alley in the looks department. His features were chiseled and masculine, almost rugged. And his body… She nearly moaned out loud remembering it: Family reunion, last summer. Everyone had been swimming, and Drake was no exception.

  When he’d come down to the pool at their hotel, Evie had nearly swallowed her tongue. She’d known he was fit, but a moment after seeing his broad, sculpted shoulders and firm chest and abs, bare and wet, glistening in the sunlight… She’d literally needed a cold shower, and had avoided being at the pool with him the rest of the weekend.

  Maybe she’d get lucky while she was here, and see him like that again.

  The basement door opened, grabbing her attention, and then the object of her daydream was right in front of her. His hair was wet, almost as if she’d conjured him from memory. But he was fully dressed, except for bare feet, something she found oddly sexy.

  “Ooh, cookies!” he said, and came to lean on the wrap-around counter across from her. He grabbed two and stuffed one whole into his mouth, causing her to lift a brow. He chewed happily, swallowed, and then took a drink of her milk.

  Evie stared at him for a minute before deciding getting mad would accomplish nothing. Instead she went to the fridge and grabbed the milk, bringing it to the counter for refills.

  He smiled his thanks and ate another cookie.

  “So, how long are you here for?” Evie asked, hoping she didn’t sound territorial.

  He smiled. “Two weeks. You?”

  Her shoulders fell despite herself. “Two weeks,” she sighed. “Well, there goes my solitude.

  “Good to see you, too,” he muttered, almost good-naturedly.

  She cringed. “Sorry. It’s not you, specifically. I just needed some alone time, and figured here between holidays would be perfect.”

  “Then we’re of a like mind. I, too, need a break from reality. We’re between jobs,” he said, reminding her he owned an architecture and construction company with Leon. “So, what are you running from?” he asked amicably, dunking his next cookie in milk.

  She started to deny it, but figured, ‘What the hell?’ “My ex.”

  He nodded. “Don’t you work together?” he asked, surprising her that he remembered.

  “Yeah,” she said slowly. “He and his new girlfriend- ‘Accounts Receiving’ Becky of the Fake Breasts- just announced their engagement.”

  He considered. “Do you miss him?”

  “No,” she scoffed honestly.

  “Are you jealous?”

  “Maybe of the fact that he’s engaged and I’m not, but not of her, certainly.”

  He swiped his hands together, wiping away cookie crumbs, and stood. “Then who cares? Besides, it’s definitely his loss. Good night.” Then he went back through the door to the basement, closing it behind him.

  Evie stared after him for a long time. ‘His loss’? Had Drake just given her a compliment? What did it mean? He’d complimented her before, telling her she looked nice or sweeping his eyes over her, but that was superficial. ‘His loss’ was… real, sincere, thoughtful.

  Confused, she cleaned up their mess and went to brush her teeth for bed.

  In the morning, Drake lay awake in bed, enjoying the fact that he didn’t have to jump right up and get ready for work. For two whole weeks, his time was his own. He could do whatever he wanted, including sleep till noon or sit and read all day.

  Of course, he was up at seven, which was the latest he’d been able to sleep since high school. But knowing that he could, and no one could tell him otherwise… That counted just as much as actually sleeping in.

  The only snag in his plan was sharing his sanctuary with Evie. Not that he minded her, personally. In fact, he found her… intriguing. Her dark hair looked impossibly soft, her equally dark eyes were at turns seductive and shy, though he doubted strongly she was aware of the first. But there were moments when those decadent orbs nearly stunned him speechless. And her body…

  He groaned out loud, remembering her last night, wet and slippery, and was glad he was alone in the basement since he’d left the bedroom door open. But it couldn’t be helped.

  Evie was, to him, the naughty librarian, his favorite form of seductress. She was sexy without trying to be, and had no idea she was doing it, which was a far cry from the women he’d dated and made it that much more effective.

  Still, she was sort of in his way, as he was in hers. He wondered why his brother hadn’t told him the house would be occupied, and decided to give Leon a call. After he dressed, he thought as he threw back the covers. Talking to his brother on the phone while wearing only boxers was just plain weird.

  He pulled on jean shorts and a dark blue t-shirt, and pulled out his cell phone. Leon answered on the second ring.

  “Hey, little brother. How’s your first day of vacation going?”

  Drake smiled. Leon called him ‘little brother’ because he was the younger of the two, but Drake was taller by an inch and wider in the shoulders. “So far, so good. Thanks for letting me stay here.”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “I just had a question.”

  “Okay…”

  “Did Vicki mention to you Evie coming up here?”

  “No. Why? You want to see her? I could have Vicki call her for you.”

  “No, it’s not that.” At least, that wasn’t why he’d asked. “She’s here.”

  A few hundred miles away, Leon was bent over a bowl of cereal, and lifted just his eyes to eyeball his wife, who stood across the room on the phone. His eyes narrowed. “She is?”

  “Yeah. She was here when I arrived last night.”

  “Oh. Hey, sorry, bro, I had no idea.”

  “It’s no big. I just wondered why you didn’t tell me, but since you didn’t know…”

  “Nope. No clue.”

  “Okay. Like I said, no big deal. This house is big enough for us both to be here and never see each other. It’s not a problem.”

  “You’re sure?”

  Drake chuckled. “What are you gonna do? Kick her out?”

  Leon laughed, too. “Of course not.”

  “Alright, then.” Drake sobered. “Don’t worry about it. Really. We’ll be fine.”

  “Alright,” Leon said on a sigh.

  To distract his brother- whom he knew was a bit of a worrier- Drake said, “So how’s married life? Have you stopped having sex yet?”

  Leon laughed, and went into a story. Drake grinned and lay back on the bed to listen.

  Upstairs, Evie was lying on her own bed, talking to her sister. “Why didn’t you tell me Drake was gonna be here?”

  “Drake’s there?”

  “Yeah. He showed up last night when I was taking a shower.”

  Vicki gasped. “Oh, he didn’t!”

  Evie didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “You know he did.”

  Vicki giggled. “Well, it’s been too long since anyone’s seen you naked, anyway.”

  “Really?” Evie said in disbelief.

  “Hell,
yes!”

  Evie sighed.

  “What do you want from me, baby sister? You need a man.”

  Something in her tone got Evie’s brain turning. “Vicki, did you do this on purpose?”

  “Do what?” Vicki asked, almost too innocently.

  “Send us both here at the same time?”

  Vicki scoffed. “Why would I do that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Evie said sarcastically. “Maybe because you’re a blissfully happy newlywed who wants everyone else as happy as she is?”

  “First of all, I am blissfully happy, so you’re right about that. But why would I put you and Drake together? You’re polar opposites.” She paused. “Or, at least, you used to be…”

  “What do you mean, used to be? We still are.”

  “In a lot of ways, yeah. But you haven’t seen him in a while. Drake’s really relaxed lately. He doesn’t party like he used to, or serial date like he used to. He’s… growing up.”

  Evie doubted Drake Benton would ever grow up enough for her liking. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  Vicki chuckled. “Believe it or not, I’m saying he has. Besides, how bad could it be if he hasn’t? He doesn’t know anyone there, and you could use some excitement.”

  “Vicki…”

  “What? All I’m saying is, he’s there to relax, you’re there to relax... What’s more relaxing than sex?”

  “Victoria!”

  “I’m just saying.”

  “Well, don’t,” Evie said with a laugh, surprised her sister would even suggest such a thing. Not because she was a prude; that was more Evie that Vicki, and neither of them, really. But Vicki knew Evie didn’t date playboys, and Drake definitely fell into that category.

  “Alright. I’m gonna go. I gotta get to work.”

  “Okay. Love you, Vick. And thanks again for the vacay spot, even if it is a little more crowded that I’d hoped.”

  Vicki laughed. “Love you, too, and you’re welcome. Just do me one small favor.”