Evie’s eyes were shut and her hair flung across the pillow.
Jesus, this woman undid him.
As Evie’s walls began to tighten around him, Luca increased his pace. Dipping his head to her neck, he feasted on her damp skin.
Evie’s hips began to move, meeting him thrust by thrust. Squeezing her nipple tighter, Evie arched her back and her head flung back. Luca moved his hand from her breast to her clit, his thumb rubbing where she was most sensitive. Thrusting his hips faster again, Luca knew he only had moments left in him.
At the feel of her walls tightening around him, Evie released a cry. Thrusting deeper and harder as she came, Luca grabbed onto the sheets around them as his world exploded.
Dropping down but keeping the majority of his weight off Evie, they both stilled, Luca remaining inside her. The only sound in the room was of both of their heavy breathing and galloping heart rates.
Eventually, Luca slowly slid himself out of Evie and rolled to the side. Pulling her against his body, Luca shut his eyes and held the woman who had captured his heart.
About to drift to sleep, he was pulled back to the present as Evie attempted to push up from his body. Tightening his arms around her waist, his eyes popped open.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Evie’s body stilled. “I, um, thought I might have a shower.”
Even though her eyes were downcast, he could just make out her expression. Was that regret Luca could see? Pushing down the hurt, Luca sat up.
“You mean you’re getting the fuck out of here.” Luca couldn’t keep the anger from his voice but regretted it instantly when Evie flinched. Shit. He needed to cool it. Gentling his tone, Luca continued, “I’m sorry. Stay with me.”
Biting her lip, indecision was evident on Evie’s face. “I can’t, Luca.” Her voice withdrawn as she spoke the words.
Luca knew what she was saying. Not just that she couldn’t stay the night in the same bed as him, but that she couldn’t be what he wanted her to be. His.
“Can’t or won’t?” Turning her head away, Evie pulled the sheet up to cover herself.
“I want you, Evie, and I know you want me. You’re scared, I get it. Someone hurt you in the past. But if you don’t take a chance eventually, one day you’ll wake up and realize you could have had more. You can’t waste your life running forever.”
Evie’s eyes shuttered. “You have no idea what my life is or what I’m running from.”
Losing his patience, Luca’s voice raised again. “So, explain it to me? Goddammit, Evie, I want you to let me in. Let me help you.” Watching Evie retreat into herself and shut down, Luca stopped. He needed to go before he said something he’d regret.
Standing, he searched for his clothes.
“Luca, I’m sorry.” Turning, Luca saw sadness in her eyes. The same sadness that was tearing at his chest. “I want to let you in, I just need time.”
Once dressed, Luca gently sat on the edge of the bed. Running his hand down her cheek, a shot of pain ran through him at her small flinch. “I know, baby, and I’ll be here when you are ready. I just hope you will too.” Placing a kiss on Evie’s forehead, Luca stood. “Lock the door after me, sweetheart.”
Turning, Luca reached the front door and let himself out. He stood on the other side and waited until he heard the click of the lock before walking the short distance home.
For the first time in a long time, Luca felt real fear. Was he falling for a woman who could never love him?
A loud banging on Evie’s front door woke her. Squinting out the window, she noticed the sun was only just rising.
What was the time?
Reaching over, she grabbed her phone. It was early. Seven a.m. on a Saturday early. Who would bang on her door at seven in the morning on a Saturday?
When another bang sounded, Evie peeled herself out of bed and threw a robe around her shoulders.
Well, at least she knew it wasn’t her ex. She doubted knocking on her front door would be his style.
Heading to the door, she was halfway there when a voice sounded, almost causing Evie to stumble.
“I know you’re in there, Evie. Hurry up and open the door or I’m calling one of the guys to break it down. Hell, I’ll break it down.” Lexie’s voice was loud even for her standard.
Once she reached the door, Evie had only gotten it half-open before Lexie was pushing her way in.
In her hand she held what looked like coffee and a bag of something. Please let it be bagels.
Watching her friend walk in like she owned the place, Lexie stopped at her kitchen table. “You really need to look into a new rental, Evie. This place is falling apart, and it’s freezing in here.”
Putting her hands on her waist, Evie stared at her friend. “Lexie, what are you doing here so early?”
“Well, good morning to you too. Should I have brought a third coffee on this lovely morning?”
Rolling her eyes, Evie shut the door and walked into the kitchen. “He’s not here.” She didn’t have the energy for this today.
“Who?” Lexie’s attempt at innocence was wasted.
Sighing, Evie sat at the table. “Lexie, it’s great to see you and all, but what are you doing here so early? I was sleeping just like most normal people at this time.”
Lexie placed the bag and coffee on the table and Evie eyed the food. Reaching over, she opened the paper bag, almost salivating at the sight of the blueberry bagel.
She supposed getting out of bed this early did have some perks.
Pulling one out, she started picking at it knowing she would need her energy for the conversation she would likely have with Lexie.
“I’m here early, Evie, because I start work in less than an hour and had to see you before I started.” When Evie didn’t say anything, Lexie gave a huff. “Are you really going to make me ask? Did you bone the guy or not?”
Choking on her bagel, Evie turned to her friend. “Lexie!”
“You did, didn’t you?” When Evie didn’t respond, Lexie’s shriek almost sent Evie flying.
“Yes, yes, yes! This is great. Tell me everything, and if you leave anything out, I will know and I will hound you.” Taking a seat opposite Evie, Lexie took one of the coffees and started sipping, her eyes unwavering.
With a shrug, Evie picked up the other coffee. “There’s nothing to tell, Lex. He came over, we had sex, he left.”
“He left?”
Evie so didn’t want to talk about it. “Can we go over it another time? I really didn’t get much sleep.”
“What do you mean he left? Like he had sex with you, then just picked up his stuff and walked out?”
Squirming under Lexie’s intense scrutiny, Evie looked down at her bagel. “Not exactly. We had sex, then I went to get up. Luca didn’t like it, and he left.”
Lexie’s eyes narrowed. “You went to get up where?”
“I don’t know, to have a shower.”
Lexie’s mind seemed to be working overtime, clicking everything into place. “How soon after did you get up?”
Shit. “Straight after.”
Shooting to her feet, Lexie almost caused Evie to drop her coffee.
“What the heck, Evie? You like the guy, I know you do. You finally get close to him, and then you push him away again?”
“I did not push him away.”
“Like hell, you didn’t.” The anger in Lexie’s voice surprised Evie. “This perfect guy wants to spend the night with you, and you treat him like you just want him for what? Sex?”
“That is not true.” Placing her coffee and bagel on the table, Evie crossed her arms. “He knows that I don’t want to be in a relationship. He shouldn’t have been surprised.”
Shaking her head, Lexie looked up at the ceiling. “Lord, give me patience.”
A scratching sounded at the back door, followed by a light purring.
Spinning around, Lexie’s eyes got big. “What the heck is that?”
Rising to her f
eet, Evie moved to the door. “It’s Misty.”
“Misty?”
“The cat that comes over. I don’t know that it has an owner so, I’ve just sort of adopted it.” As the door opened and the cat walked in, Evie didn’t hesitate in bending down to pick it up. Scratching its head, she pushed her face into its fur.
The gasp from Lexie pulled her attention.
“Oh god, you’re going to turn into a lonely cat lady.” Before Evie could rebut, Lexie shook her head as she picked up her coffee and keys. “Nope, I’m not going to let it happen, we’re going out tonight.”
Evie’s eyes widened. “Where are we going?”
The sparkle in Lexie’s eyes placed fear into Evie. “Never you mind. I’ll be back around eight tonight to pick you up, and you better be wearing something sexy.”
Feeling panic rise, Evie tried to reason with her friend. “Lex, I can’t.”
“Don’t you ‘I can’t’ me. We’re friends, Evie, get it? And friends do good things for each other, so if my friend needs a night of alcohol and dancing, then that’s what she’ll get.” Walking over to Evie, Lexie placed a kiss on her head. “Well, I’m off to watch some sexy men at work for the day. Eat the second bagel, you’ll need your energy.”
Then she was gone leaving Evie wondering what had just happened.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
EVIE TRIED NOT to look out of place as Lexie pulled her into the bar. Her experience of going out on Saturday nights was limited, and Lexie was throwing her into the deep end. The place was packed. Almost all the booths on the sidewall, as well as the scattered tables, were taken. The dance floor at the front was also littered with people.
So, this is what people do on a Saturday night in Marble Falls.
Walking up to the bar Evie tugged at the bottom of her skirt. It was Lexie’s. She’d shown up at Evie’s house with a skirt, top, and matching heels, obviously having no faith in her friend’s ability to look sexy on her own.
Catching Evie in the act, Lexie turned from the bar to face her friend. “Stop. You look hot. Just relax and have fun tonight. Okay?”
Before she was able to respond, the bartender interrupted.
“What can I get for you ladies tonight?” A tall man with tattoos down his arms stood in front of them. He was attractive, in the rough biker kind of way. Definitely not Evie’s type.
“Why hello there. My girlfriend and I would like whatever drink will get us drunk fastest.” Lexie turned back to Evie, daring her to argue. “Accept it, this is happening.”
Not looking fazed at all, the bartender nodded. “You got it.” Picking up bottles, he started pouring.
Evie’s brows drew together as she turned to Lexie. “Isn’t he going to tell us what he’s making?”
“We know what he’s making, Evie. Something to make this night one to remember.”
As two glasses of blue liquid were put in front of them, apprehension crept into Evie. The bartender then grabbed two shot glasses and poured what had to have been whiskey into them. Giving Lexie a once over, he pushed the two shots next to the drinks.
“Shots are on the house.”
Lexie giggled before paying for their drinks. Picking up both shot glasses, Lexie turned to Evie and placed one in her hand.
Lifting the glass, Lexie raised her voice. “Tonight, we say fuck men, and we have a good time.”
After clinking her glass against Evie’s, Lexie tossed back her shot. Taking a more cautious approach, Evie gave the glass a sniff first. Yep, definitely whiskey.
Scrunching her eyes shut, Evie downed the shot. The hard liquor burned her throat, and she had to force herself not to gag.
“That was disgusting, Lex.” Lexie showed no sympathy. If anything, she seemed pleased with Evie’s assessment.
“Haven’t you heard the saying, Evie? The more horrid the taste, the better the drink.”
Evie was sure that was not a saying. Not bothering to argue the point, Evie picked up the mysterious blue drink. She would wait a couple of minutes before taking the plunge.
Already feeling the whiskey warming her insides, Evie knew she’d have to be careful. A lightweight when it came to drinking in high school, she was sure that had not improved by her years of abstinence.
Realizing what Lexie had said, she turned to her friend. “Why are you saying fuck boys, Lex?”
Rolling her eyes, Lexie took a big gulp of her drink. “I’m over Asher and his lies. Last night I straight out asked him what the big secret was, and do you know what he told me? That he just wasn’t a commitment guy.”
As Lexie took another big gulp of her drink, Evie started to wonder if she was the one to be worried about.
“First of all, I never said I wanted to marry the guy, just have a semi-functional relationship. Second, I can tell he’s keeping something from me, so he either needs to tell me or get lost! Anyway, let’s get drunk and dance. Maybe I’ll meet a nice guy here who wants to commit to me.”
Hooking her arm through Evie’s before she had a chance to respond, Lexie led them into the dense crowd.
“Some people have good reasons for keeping secrets, Lex. Maybe you should just give it some time, and he’ll come around.”
“Yeah, and maybe pigs will fly,” Lexie muttered, more to herself than anyone else.
Partway to the dance floor, they were stopped by two mammoth people who stepped in front of them. Make that familiar mammoth people.
Evie looked way up at Mason and Eden. They stood a good head taller than just about everyone else in the room.
Reconsidering her earlier thoughts on going slow, Evie gulped down half of whatever was in her drink, deciding the liquid confidence would do her good.
Not seeming perturbed, Lexie spoke first. “Hey, boys, what are you doing here?”
Taking a drink of his beer, Mason gave a shrug. “Not much actually. I didn’t know you guys hung out.”
Lexie kept the friendliness in her voice, but it had a bit of edge this time. “Why wouldn’t we?”
Taking another sip of her drink, Evie’s body started to feel a bit more relaxed.
Good, the alcohol was taking effect.
Looking down, she gave a frown, wondering how much alcohol it contained exactly.
“You’re different is all,” Mason said with a shrug. Evie had forgotten what the question was.
“We’re not that different, are we, Evie?” Evie’s body was pulled closer to Lexie as her arm went around Evie’s shoulder.
Evie braved a glance at Eden. Yep, staring directly at her. Taking another drink, Evie shook her head.
“See?” Lexie responded, not seeming bothered that she had to do most of the talking.
Mason gave a chuckle. “Women, I’ll never understand you guys.” Taking another swig of his beer, he continued, “Does Asher and Luca know you’re both here tonight?”
Lexie’s body stiffened next to Evie. Shit. Knowing what was coming, Evie tried to tune the conversation out as Lexie started to raise her voice at Mason.
Glancing around the bar, she again noticed how truly packed it was. Was it always this busy on a Saturday night? She wouldn’t have thought so many people could even fit in such a small room. As she started turning back to Mason, something caught her eye.
Quickly glancing around again, she tried to figure out what it was she had seen.
Then she saw it again. It was the back of a jacket. The jacket looked just like one that she’d bought for Troy all those years ago. It was custom made. She’d gotten “T.T.” for Troy Turner embroidered on the shoulder their first Christmas together.
Evie’s body chilled. It couldn’t be. How was the jacket here then? In this room?
Evie didn’t know if it was the alcohol that fueled her confidence, but she suddenly needed to know if it was him.
Turning away from her group, Evie started pushing her way through the crowd. She could just make out the jacket ahead of her. Weaving through people, she felt the knocks as she went. Her gaze remained
fixed on her target.
As she neared the person, she realized they were heading for the back exit. A voice in her head told her it would be stupid to follow, but if she didn’t, she wouldn’t know if it was actually him.
Squeezing through a couple more groups of people, Evie reached for the door. Not thinking, she pushed through.
Before she knew it, Evie found herself standing in a deserted back parking lot. There were no people around, no chatter or music, just Evie and whoever was wearing that jacket.
A shiver worked its way up Evie’s spine as the chill in her bones intensified.
What was she thinking? She shouldn’t be out here alone.
Turning back to the door, Evie wrapped her fingers around the handle. Her heart lurched as it didn’t move. Locked.
Shit. This was not good. A clattering noise from the right pulled her attention. Clenching her jaw, Evie took a step away. On her second step, laughter starting from that same direction.
Double shit. Teeth now chattering Evie froze on the spot. Troy. It sounded just like Troy.
Her brain told her to run, but she couldn’t get her legs to function. Evie knew she should scream, make noise, anything, but the connection between her brain and body seemed lost.
Then a shadow started walking out from behind a tree. Evie’s breath stopped as she could do nothing but stand and watch. A lightheaded feeling came over her.
Just as she was unsure whether her legs would keep her upright, the door behind her banged open. Turning her head, she saw Eden’s large form walk through the open doorway.
Spotting Evie, he gave her a once over before glancing around the parking lot. A murderous look came over his face.
Evie took another step back, not sure what she should be more afraid of.
Keeping the door open with one foot, Eden reached for her arm with the other.
Still frozen, she stumbled at his pull but forced her feet to move. Placing Evie into the crook of his arm in a protective gesture, Eden glanced up and fixed his gaze on the very spot she had just heard the laughter originate from. The shadow of a man that had just been there, now absent.
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