by Aliyah Burke
The hell she won’t and what is the more, she didn’t tell me? Yeah, he got that, but he was holding on to the fact she’d fallen in love with him. “Where is she, Tara?”
“I’m sure you think that doctor tone will get you what you want, and for some it may. Trouble is, I have a sister who’s a doctor, and I’m used to the tone. Plus, I have one who teaches for a living and she is a master at that no-nonsense tone, so stuff it away, you don’t intimidate me.”
“I have no desire to intimidate you. I want to know where Eva is, so I can talk to her.”
Tara leaned back and watched him with flat black eyes. “I want you to understand the only reason I’m telling you anything about her is because I saw how hurt she was when you blew her off.”
“I didn’t blow her off.”
She snorted and shook her head. “Bullshit. You could have told her you were leaving the country well before you did, not calling once you there. That’s blowing her off and not truly pertinent to this discussion. I’m talking to you, and if you’re smart, you will be listening.”
Grant ground his jaw but held his silence. She had the right of it, now wasn’t the time to nitpick over the wording of what he’d done. He needed her on his side to dispense with the information he sought.
“She’s down in Orlando.”
“For?”
“Does it matter?” Condemnation lined her tone.
“No, it doesn’t.”
Tara picked up a sheet of paper and wrote something down then slid it over the desk to him. “I hear you hurt her again and I swear I will make you pay.”
“An assistant district attorney making idle threats?”
Her black eyebrow jacked up and her gaze would have made sucking on icicles feel like drinking some hot coffee. She partially rose from her seat and nailed him to the seat with nothing more than a glare. “Trust me, this is no idle threat. Yes, I’m an ADA but first and foremost, I’m a sister and I hate the fact you’ve hurt my sister.”
“Everything okay here, Ms. Monroe?”
Grant turned and saw that same security guard in the doorway.
“We’re fine, Marcus,” she replied. “He was just leaving.”
Snapping up the paper, he didn’t even bother looking at it, just got to his feet and shoved it in his pocket. “Thank you.”
“Thank me by doing the right thing. Leave her alone after you say whatever you have to get off your chest. Let her get on with her life.” She dropped her gaze to the papers in front of her making it very clear that he was no longer wanted in the office.
Holding his bag in hand, he strode out toward the waiting elevator. He passed a man approaching, dressed in a suit he knew cost more than anything he had in his closet. The impeccably clad dark-haired man raked his cold gray gaze over him then dismissed him without a second look as he flicked an imaginary piece of lint off his dark gray suit.
Grant didn’t care whether the man was rude or not. He had a woman to track down. I’m coming for you, Eva.
Chapter Twelve
“Oh, God, that feels so good,” Eva moaned.
“Glad you’re enjoying my touch.”
Her lips quirked as she tried not to smile. “Trust me, I most definitely am.” Another deep moan slid from her throat as she allowed her head to fall forward further, giving him even more access.
“You know if you move here, we would be able to do this all the time.”
Her body had no more stability than a quavering mass of a Jell-O tower. “So you’re telling me to give up living in Iowa and move down here to Florida so I can be pampered like this?”
His fingers dug into her skin, working the muscles. “Hell, yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you. What the hell do you want to be there for, anyway? It’s snowing there. Look at it here, we’re in the seventies.”
“You keep this up and we could be fifty below and I wouldn’t care.”
He laughed. “I would. Don’t know how effective I would be wearing three parkas.”
“Three? Most wear one.”
“Sweetheart, look at me. I’m not exactly built for hardy weather like that. I’m the kind of man who needs sun, not snow. The whole less is more thing, not more is necessary for survival.”
Joe moved down her back and she wanted nothing more than to sink into the chair and never climb out.
“You’re way too tense,” he said.
“I have to get back to work.” Her words were soft and slightly slurred as she tried to wrap her mind around stopping this massage. It wasn’t working and she didn’t really give a damn. This man’s touch was incredible and she wanted to allow him to finish the massage.
“You need to be on my table, so I can truly work this out for you. Come by tonight after work and I’ll give you a massage. A proper one.”
With great reluctance, she stood as his touch fell away. “Damn, you’re good.” She turned to peer at Joe. He matched her in height, but his hands were a gift from the heavens. Eva had no idea how he had gotten so strong.
He watched her with his black gaze, his tan skin showcasing his Asian heritage. “I know.” His smirk was arrogant.
“And so modest, too.”
“What’s there to be modest about? I’m very good at my job. Now, I expect you at my table no later than six.”
Her body was on board with that demand. Hell, it hadn’t wanted to leave the chair for that impromptu shoulder massage he’d provided her. She swiped her stethoscope from the back of the nearby chair and draped it around her neck. “I will be there. And thank you.”
“It’s for purely selfish reasons. I want you to stay here in Florida. I like you and so does the staff and children.”
“I love it here, but I miss my own kids. Plus, my sisters.”
“Yes, but we’re better and your sisters can come visit. Not to mention, you would grow to love the children here.”
She rolled her eyes, blew him a kiss and left the lounge to head back to the room where she was giving a lecture. Their break had finished and it was time to work once more. She thought about it. Joe had made some good points. The weather was so much nicer down here. She couldn’t deny the difference in her attitude down here. However, she hadn’t lied, it wasn’t easy for her to be without her sisters.
Their weekly get-togethers with just the three of them to catch up. Even the weekly family dinners she missed. And hell, she’d only missed one of them.
Eva smiled at a few of the people she passed by to get to the front of the room. Not much later and she was deep into her talk, thoughts of living here in the back of her mind. Everything but the information she was sharing was shoved away, no matter how temporarily.
By six, she was in Joe’s room laid out on his table. The lights were low and he had some aromatherapy candles burning. Eucalyptus and patchouli scents were rich in the air, helping her remain calm and alleviate her stress. Granted, so did the massage she currently received. The thick towel over her ass the only thing covered at the moment.
The subtle mixture of jasmine, ylang-ylang and lavender filled the air mixing with the candle scents as he poured some oil into his hands.
“So, how did the rest of your talk go?”
Her lids fluttered closed as he began to work on her back. “Really well. We got a lot accomplished today. A few more talks and I will have nothing more to share.”
“That, I doubt. Has Mr. Quintero tried to get you to stay as well?”
“He has mentioned it a few times.”
“You know you should just give in and move here.”
Her response was a grunt—it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to formulate responses when his touch was shot-putting her into a near catatonic state. The man had been gifted with magic hands, that’s all there was to it.
Her phone rang and in her euphoric state, she fumbled for it to answer. “Hello?”
“You’re not supposed to be on the phone while with me, sweetheart.” Joe’s comment wound around her as she waited for
the person on the other end to speak.
“Hello?” she asked once more.
Still no answer, so she dropped the phone to her bag and yawned, burrowing deeper into the comfortable support she rested on.
“Who was that?”
“Beats me, they didn’t say anything.”
“They knew better than to interrupt us.”
“You have no lacking in your confidence, Joe. I see this now.”
“It’s taken you this long to figure that out?”
“Maybe I was hoping it was all a trick of the mind. How do the kids put up with you?”
“They love me.” He worked a particularly nasty knot in her lower back.
“Oh, God, that feels so damn good. Don’t stop. Yes, right there, right there!”
“This is why I’m cocky,” he said. “I know precisely how damn good I am.”
“No arguments here.” If she had the energy, she’d wipe the drool from her chin. But she didn’t, and so it remained there.
They talked off and on for the remainder of her massage. When he finished, Eva had convinced herself she was nothing more than a pile of goo. Warm goo that just wanted to lie there and do nothing.
However, it wouldn’t do to spend the night sleeping on his massage table. Joe left her alone and she slipped back into her clothing. He knocked then entered once more as she tied on her shoes.
“Are you sure I don’t owe you for this?”
“Of course, you don’t. I’m here to help sway you to stay here. I don’t want you to head back this weekend.”
She hugged him briefly and kissed his cheek. “I’ll miss you, too, Joe.” Eva exited the room and made her way down the silent hall. Her phone buzzed again and she checked the screen this time.
“What’s up, Cynthia?” she asked, answering the phone to speak with the woman who manned the front desk at the hospital.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Dr. Monroe, but there’s a man here to see you. Can I tell him a time that you’ll be back?”
“I’m actually still here, Cynthia. I haven’t left yet. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right there.”
“Sure thing, I’ll tell him to wait.”
“Did he say what it was in regard to?”
“No. Won’t say anything other than he wants to see and speak to you.”
“On my way down.” Phone shoved back in her pocket, she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. She scratched the back of her neck. “Not a lot of people know I’m here. Wonder who it could be waiting for me?”
With another yawn and a readjustment on her bag, she entered the open layout of the lobby. Smiling at Cynthia, she dropped her bag by her feet. “Hey.”
“Hi, Dr. Monroe. You look so much better.”
“Oh, my God, Joe’s hands are amazing. Have you had that experience?”
She blushed and nodded. “I know—he could be so rich if he knew how to charge for his services.” Clearing her throat, she gestured with her pencil. “Your guest is sitting over there. Or he was. Maybe he left.”
“I didn’t leave.”
Eva’s heart quadrupled in speed at that deep voice floating over her skin, setting it ablaze with a passion and need, only he could create.
Grant Harrison.
She angled her body toward that decadent temptation and found herself staring into his blue gaze. “Grant,” she breathed.
“Hello, Eva.”
How the ever-loving fuck he made two simple words like that sound akin sex handed to her on a velvet blanket, she had no idea. All she knew was he’d come for her. Whatever the reason, he’d come for her.
* * * *
Grant stared down at the woman standing in front of him. Her skin glowed and had a shine to it. Correction, she had a shine to her. He wasn’t sure that change didn’t have something to do with this man, Joe, and the hands they were talking about. Biting back his jealousy, he weighed his words to make sure he didn’t fuck this up again, before he got a chance to make it better. “Eva.”
She scrunched up her face, creating that cute wrinkle between her eyes. Dammit, he wanted to kiss her. Fisting one hand, he made sure to hold his ground. Not give in to his base urges. The most important thing would be to explain his situation and figure out how to move forward. Together, as a couple. Convince her that they had something to fight for, that there was a future for them to have and not alone, but with each other.
“What are you doing here?”
And there it was. The edge in her voice. The one hiding the pain and maybe even humiliation at how he’d treated her. He didn’t focus on it, he couldn’t or there wouldn’t be any progress. “I thought we should talk. And since you didn’t seem inclined to take my calls, I figured I would come to you.”
“How’d you know where to find me?”
He debated lying for a moment but realized she and her sisters talked all the time. “Tara.”
“That bitch.”
“Everything okay, Dr. Monroe?”
Grant held her gaze and waited for her to answer the woman behind the desk.
“Yes, I’m fine. I need to talk to him for a moment.” She handed over her bag. “I’ll be back for that in a few minutes.”
“No problem. Let me know if I should call security.”
She gave Cynthia a smile and stepped away, so they could have some privacy.
“Why don’t you just have her call Joe?” Okay, that wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to be attacking her, but being calm and not acting like a jealous asshole.
“While I’m not sure where you got Joe’s name from, you’re wrong if you think he would need to rescue me. He doesn’t need to rescue me. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. And for the talking, well, I tried that remember, over Christmas? You were the one who didn’t seem inclined to do any of that. So don’t stroll in here thinking you have any say over what I do or who I may be doing it with.”
The thread holding his calm in check snapped faster than a free faller careening toward the earth. He snatched her close to him, so close when he breathed in, her chest rubbed against him. “I know about Joe because I called you and was trying to get my nerves up to talk to you when you thought you’d hung up the phone. I listened to you talking and flirting with him and the moaning that came from your rendezvous with him.” Bitterness tinged each word he forced out from behind clenched teeth.
Her skin flushed but he wasn’t sure it wasn’t from anger, or embarrassment. Perhaps a little bit of both.
“Eavesdropping should be beneath you.”
“Nothing is when it comes to you, Eva. Who is he to you?”
“He’s a masseuse. Nothing more to me, again, not that you have any say if he was more.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
Her eyes narrowed but she didn’t pull away, he took that as a good sign. However, neither did she move closer to him. Since he couldn’t read her expression, he wasn’t sure what to make of that.
“How do you figure I’m the one in the wrong?”
“Because I have a fuck lot more to say if that man is more to you than a friend. As it is, I want to plow my fist into his face.”
“How doctorly of you.” Her words fell humorless from her lips.
“I messed up.” He raked a hand through his hair. “No, let me correct that and call it what it truly was. I fucked up. I get that, Eva. But I’m here to fix my mistake.”
“A mistake? That’s what this boils down to you as? A mistake? Like one you can fix with flowers and a good fuck?”
He flushed, that had been his first thought.
She snorted. “Thought so. Listen to me, Grant, ‘I want things when I want them and not a second sooner’ Harrison. I don’t work that way. I don’t have time for little boy games. I thought you were a man who could talk about things, thought you wouldn’t use some damn excuse to avoid coming to my house for the holidays. But you did. So I’ll tell you what. Pretend you didn’t find
me here, pretend you came and there was some excuse waiting for you, I don’t know, like, I’m out of the country, and you take your ass back to Arizona or wherever the fuck you’re supposed to be right now and forget we ever met. It’s like I said on the phone. It won’t work. It never was going to. We don’t work.”
Eva wrenched away from him and walked off. She didn’t stomp, didn’t scuffle her feet, just walked as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
As if he didn’t mean a damn thing to her happiness.
For a moment, he stood there frozen to the spot as his brain tried to make sense of what just occurred. Then he shook it off and went after her. Catching up to her outside, he whirled her back to him and didn’t give her a chance to say a single word. He slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her.
During those next few seconds, he wasn’t sure if she was going to slap him but when she tilted her head to the side and moaned in the back of her throat, he knew her decision. Her tongue slipped to meet his as she wound her arms around his neck, pressing tight to him once more.
Where she belonged.
His joy was short-lived as she broke free and stepped back. “Don’t do that again.”
In the light of the parking lot, he could see her dilated pupils and chest heaving from her breathing. At her side, her fists were clenched and she moved her feet, as if she were unable to hold still. Torn between fight or flight.
He yanked his gaze back to hers. “Why not?”
“Because that’s a privilege you no longer have. Goodbye, Grant.”
He captured her wrist, trying to focus on the need to talk and not the pleasure he had from experiencing her smooth skin beneath his touch once more.
When he didn’t release her, she cocked an eyebrow. “Are you going to make me call security?”
“We need to talk, Eva.”
“Why? You made your point perfectly clear. Move on. I did.”
Those words nearly killed him and he took a deep breath. “I can’t.”
“Not that I care, why can’t you?”
He moved his thumb in small circles on her inner wrist. “Please, can we go somewhere aside from the parking lot to talk?”
