by Kally Ash
"You didn't ask me; I'm offering."
17
Beau reached across the armrest, searching for Evangeline’s hand. When he found it, he twined their fingers together, resting their joined hands on her knee.
“What are you thinking about?”
Glancing over at him, she said, “Something’s changed.”
“What? No, it hasn’t.” What was she talking about? Things were back to just the way they were supposed to be. She was back in his life, in his bed.
She glanced over at him briefly before looking away. “All my life, I’ve had to protect myself from being hurt both physically and emotionally. I never thought I’d make it to college, and I was prepared to keep on protecting myself from people… until I met you, Beau.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw her turn in his direction. He didn’t say anything—he wanted her to speak, to share.
“You were the one to break past my hard exterior. I shared things with you I didn’t share with anyone else. I trusted you to keep my secrets, to protect me and to love me.”
Hadn’t he done just that? “I don’t understand.”
“Then you left. And I was back to having to protect myself and defend myself against getting hurt. I never dated after you broke my heart. I just... fucked guys when I needed to.”
His fingers flexed around her hand. He didn’t like to hear about what she did for the four years they weren’t together. It wasn’t like he could judge though; he hadn’t dated other women, but he had fucked other women when the need arose.
“And now you’re back, promising me the world again.”
“I’m not going anywhere. You have to know that.”
She nodded. “You also said that last time and look what happened.”
Okay, he’d own that one. “That was on me. I was being a fucking idiot. I thought I was doing what was best for you—that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”
“What would’ve been better is telling me the truth.” She didn't say the words with any scorn or derision. She was just stating a fact.
“What does this all mean, Vee? For us?”
“I need you to understand that I can’t give one hundred percent of me to you; I just can’t. Last time, you almost broke me. If it were to happen again, I think I’d simply stop existing.”
“Okay,” he replied slowly. It was a shitty situation, but he’d take what he could get.
Evangeline nodded sharply. “Okay. I just need you to understand we’re on the same page here.”
“Does it change our arrangement in any way?”
“No, why should it?”
“So I still get to come and see you.” She nodded. “Can we maybe hang out sometime? Catch a movie? Have dinner?”
“That’s too much. If we spend extra time together, it’ll chip away at my resolve to keep my distance. I need to keep my distance with you, Beau.”
Well, he didn't like it, but he respected her wishes. She had no idea how hard he was going to work to prove he wasn’t going anywhere.
“If we’re going to continue with this relationship, we need to be honest with each other.”
“I completely agree.”
She glanced at him. “Okay, answer me this then: have you dated anyone else in the last four years?”
Beau could practically feel her fear, and he was suddenly ashamed for even entertaining the idea of dating Lisa.
“Beau?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice hoarse. Clearing his throat, he said, “Yes, I dated someone.”
She pulled her hand from his. “How long did you date?”
Blowing out a breath, he tried to focus on the traffic ahead. “We dated for six months.”
“Where did you meet?”
“At the gym. She was a private client.”
“Why were you drawn to this woman?”
Honestly, he didn’t know. At the time, his mom’s health had taken a hit and his social life was in tatters. What he needed was someone he could talk to and be intimate with. Human beings were social animals, and his needs went a lot deeper than just fucking someone.
“She reminded me of you in a way.”
Vee inhaled sharply through her nose. “Oh?”
“She was stubborn and headstrong.”
She fell silent for a moment, and he wondered if he’d said something wrong. He was just about to ask when she said, “What was her name?”
“Lisa.”
“Why could you date her and not even bother to call me for four years?”
And there it was—the question she had been trying to avoid, yet she found it led to him all along.
“I was ashamed of the way I’d treated you. What I said to you back then... I knew it would break any bonds we may have shared. I wanted to push you away because I wanted to protect you. I never thought you’d let me speak to you again, let alone let me back in your bed.”
He looked at her, trying to decipher what was going through her head before looking back at the road.
“When did you break up with Lisa?”
He licked his lips. “Three months ago.”
“Why?”
Reaching out, he took her hand again. “Because she wasn’t you. No other woman has matched up to you. You drive me insane, but I can’t not touch you and kiss you and make love to you. If I’m going to be honest, Lisa was just a convenience for me. I didn’t see myself with her long-term, and I didn’t want to give her the world like I wanted to give it to you.
“My mom was always pushing me to date because she felt guilty for forcing me to put my life on hold because of her illness. She wanted me to live my life, get married, start a family… You know, my mom still talked about you.”
“She did?” Vee asked, finally looking at him again. He nodded, lifting her hand to place a kiss on the back. “I loved her,” Vee murmured. “She was the mother I never had.”
“And she loved you like a daughter, too. If I hadn’t fucked everything up, you would’ve been her daughter-in-law by now.” Vee’s whole body seemed to stiffen at his words.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No. You just caught me by surprise.”
“We talked about marriage, back when we were in college. You told me it was a crazy idea to get married so young.”
“It was a crazy idea,” she shot back. “We would’ve fought like cats and dogs.”
“And we would’ve had the best make-up sex afterward,” he replied with a grin.
18
Evangeline pushed into her building an hour later, Beau hot on her heels. She peered at him over her shoulder as they waited for the elevator, seeing the wicked grin on his mouth.
“Don’t even think about it,” she warned, jabbing at the button to make the damn thing hurry up.
“Think about what?” he asked darkly, running his hand up her spine and cinching his fingers around the back of her neck. She shuddered and sighed, happy they were back in West Hollywood. San Diego held too many memories for her—so much so that she felt as if she were drowning in them. She still felt raw after baring her soul to him in the car. By nature, she wasn’t accustomed to putting it all out there, but she felt like Beau owed it to her…
And she owed it to herself.
For so long, she’d hidden behind her anger and disappointment, using it as a shield to protect herself from getting hurt again. Knowing the truth about what happened four years ago, she felt like it was time to peel a little of that shell off her heart and actually talk to Beau like she used to when it was just them.
“Stop overthinking it, Vee,” he said softly, the tip of his tongue darting out to lick the shell of her ear.
The elevator arrived and—thankfully—nobody got out. Beau was an immovable wall at her back as she stepped into the car. He stood a respectable distance away from her, but as soon as the doors closed, he had her pressed against the side of the car. His mouth was on hers a moment later as his hands became buried in her running shorts. He found h
er pussy already wet, and he growled as he moved his mouth to her neck, nipping and sucking.
Her hands tightened on his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. He sank a finger inside her, then another, pumping oh so slowly in and out of her.
“I know I only fucked you a few hours ago, but I need you again. Tell me we have time before you have to go to work.”
She gasped when he started circling her clit, rubbing the tiny bundle of nerves over and over again. “I have a couple of hours before I need to be there,” she managed to say, her head kicking back against the wall as Beau drew the first orgasm from her. To her immense frustration, he abruptly stopped the friction just as she was about to come.
“They say denial of orgasm makes the next one more intense.”
She was about to chew him out for being a dick when the elevator car glided to a stop, the doors opening to reveal her floor. Clearing her throat, and making sure her clothes weren’t too messed up, she stepped out and walked to her front door. She could feel his intense gaze on her back, and she took her time sliding the key into the lock. He pressed his hips into her ass so she could feel how hard he was.
She wiggled a little, then said with a smirk, “Orgasm denial makes the next one more intense.”
He growled, pushing her hands out of the way so he could unlock the door. He dragged her inside with him, shoving the door closed with his foot. His eyes were feral as he looked at her.
“Shorts and panties,” he said in a low voice. “Lose them both.”
Shimmying out of her clothes, she stared at him boldly. He practically charged at her, scooping her up into his arms and taking her into the kitchen. The granite counter was cold under her ass, and the contrast between the sky-rocketing temperature in her kitchen and that was a welcome one. Beau slid his hands up the inside of her thighs, his fingers barely brushing against where she wanted him to touch.
“You’re killing me, Beau,” she said, meaning every word. In just a few days, he’d steamrolled his way back into her life and shaken it so violently that she wasn’t sure which way was up anymore.
“Good. You’ve been driving me crazy for the past four years.”
He placed a kiss on her neck.
“You’ve been slowly killing me with memories of doing this.”
He pressed his lips to her mouth.
“I can’t lose you again.” As he spoke, he ran his fingers through her slick folds, making her throw her head back. “Tell me I have you.”
“You have me,” she whimpered. “You have me. Just fuck me.”
“Fuck me, what?”
Hissing, she said, “Please.” The word was forced from her lips, but she was rewarded for her obedience when he unzipped his jeans and shoved them down his legs. A sound—something caught between a moan and a sigh—bubbled up from her throat when Beau wrapped his hand around the base of his cock and ran his hand up and down the hard shaft.
“Like that, do you?”
She nodded, her words leaving her momentarily. Stepping forward, she watched him enter her, fill her, make her feel fucking euphoric.
“Eyes on me,” he said, jerking his hips back until just the head of his cock was still inside her. “Eyes on me.”
She looked up to find his intense stare on her face. His eyes... she could get lost looking in his eyes. Never breaking eye contact, he started to move faster and faster, his hips pistoning into her.
Bang, bang, bang!
“What the fuck was that?” Beau asked with sweat beading on his brow.
“My neighbor,” she replied breathlessly. Then more loudly, she called, “Sorry, Mrs. Crocker.”
He frowned at her for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed. Evangeline joined him, both of them falling into fits of laughter. Beau picked her up and took her into the bedroom.
“Will she hear us in here?” She shook her head. “Good.”
With her ass on the edge of the bed and her legs being supported on Beau’s broad shoulders, he began to fuck her again. The headboard slammed back into the wall with every thrust, but somehow Evangeline didn’t bother telling Beau to ease off. Her neighbor would be able to hear that from her bedroom, but somehow, she couldn’t summon the ability to care. He was claiming her and she was letting him.
Reaching down, she started to rub her clit, expecting Beau to tell her to stop. When she looked up at him though, his eyes were fixed on her fingers and his pace picked up. Spurred on by this, she rubbed a little faster, feeling herself creeping closer and closer to the edge. The orgasm caught her by surprise, sending her whole body rigid as the sensations washed over her.
“Fuck, Vee,” Beau growled, his fingers tightening on her thighs where he anchored her to his shoulders. She came again when she felt him spill inside her, both of them chasing one another’s pleasure in an unbroken loop. Beau’s head was bowed, his sharp exhales feathering across the skin of her legs.
“You feel fucking amazing when you come,” he told her, finally looking up.
“So do you,” she replied, unhooking her knees from his shoulders and massaging the feeling back into them. He helped her to stand, kissing her slowly, his hands running through her hair.
“Tell me I can see you when you finish work.”
Her brows rose. “I won’t be done until three AM.”
Kissing her again, he asked, “So? I’m going to get as much as I can before I have to drive back.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “We said no sleepovers.”
“I know. And I promise I won’t break the rules. I just want to be here when you get home tonight... tomorrow morning... whatever. Will you let me do that?”
She glanced around her apartment, wondering what in the hell he was doing.
“Please? Just this once.”
She bit her lip, nodding her head. “Okay. But what will you do?”
Shrugging, he said, “I’ll take in the sights of Hollywood.”
Evangeline was late. Like hours late. Beau had given her one more mind-blowing orgasm in the shower before letting her get dressed and leave for work. She took a deep breath in, feeling like the night was going to be a good one.
“Hey, boss,” Max said, rounding the corner from the office. “How’s it going? Did you enjoy your time off?”
“Yeah, it was fine,” she lied. It had been more than fine. “How was it here?”
“All under control—nothing to report, except…”
“Except?” She placed her keys and phone on the bar and leaned against it.
“Except... I have some news.”
“Oh?” she replied, unable to keep the grin from her face. She had a feeling she already knew what he was going to say.
“I asked her. I asked Gigi to marry me.”
“And?”
A smile stretched across his mouth, his whole face alight. “She said yes.”
Throwing her arms around him, she hugged him tightly for a moment, then let him go, stepping back and clearing her throat. “That’s amazing! Congratulations. I thought you were going to wait though.”
“I was—I had it all planned out, but last night, we’d put Erin to bed early and we were just sitting together on the couch and I was like... this is it. This is the life I want.” She nodded to show she was following. “I excused myself to get the ring, then came back and got down on one knee. She was so surprised.”
Reaching out, she squeezed his arm to try and show how happy she was for him. “That’s so great, Max. You, Gigi, and Erin are going to have a long and happy life together.”
“It won’t be just us.”
“What?”
“Gigi surprised me with some news last night too. She’s pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.”
Evangeline squealed—actually squealed like a little girl—throwing her arms around Max and hugging him properly this time. She’d obviously surprised him too because his body was tense for a moment before he relaxed into the hug.
“I’m so, so happy for
you and Gigi, Max. Really I am.”
“Thank you.”
She stepped free, unable to get the grin off her face.
“And who knows, maybe you’ll get to be this happy someday.”
She thought about Beau and how much her life had changed in just a matter of days. That’s what it had been like for Max. He’d met Gigi after only two days of being in New York, and all it had taken was a month—one month and he was head over fucking heels in love with her.
“Maybe,” she replied.
“We’re having an engagement party next weekend. I’d love it if you came.”
“Of course I will.”
“Oh, and bring Beau with you.”
“You don’t even know him,” she returned.
Max gave her a knowing grin and walked behind the bar, placing a bottle of bourbon on the top. “I met him.”
“You mean you saw him when he came in that first night.”
He shook his head, pulling two glasses next to the bourbon. She wondered what he was doing. “He came here looking for you.” Pouring one glass, he handed it to her. “And I told him where you lived.” He took the other glass of bourbon and knocked it against her own. “Cheers.”
She was dumbfounded. “You gave him my address?”
“Yeah, I did. I see how happy you are right now, so I know he didn’t fuck things up.”
“You gave him my address?” she repeated.
Max’s triumphant smile began to dim. “Oh fuck. I’m sorry, Vee. I was just trying to—”
“Max, it’s okay,” she interrupted. “It’s fine. I’m not upset.”
“You aren’t?” He blew out a breath. “Thank fuck for that. I was so worried.”
She managed a small smile. “Beau came here looking for me?”
“Yeah, he told me he had to see you. He was pretty desperate, so I cut the guy some slack.”
“Really? That’s all he said?”
“No, he also said he loved you and was going to make it up to you.”
Evangeline just digested that information. “I’m glad you did send him to my apartment.”
Max’s mouth popped open in surprise before he recovered his composure. “I’m glad to see he’s following through on his promise.”
