Lincoln grinned and lazily brought his champagne glass to his lips. “We’ll just have to turn the heat up.”
Eveline cocked her head to the side. “Oh, it’s gonna be hot alright. But you do realize that means tassels, right?”
“Tassels?” he said in a puzzled voice before taking a sip of his drink.
“Nipple tassels,” Eveline explained tartly. “For the topless barmen and waitresses,” she added while Lincoln choked and spluttered on his drink and Julia snorted with tears in her eyes. “I was kinda counting on the cool temperature to keep things, you know, nice and perky.”
Lincoln’s bark of laughter echoed across the room.
A warm feeling surged inside Eveline at the uninhibited sound. She grinned, happily ignoring the angry stares of the senator and his wife, and the dumbfounded expressions of the people who’d overheard their conversation.
Oh, we’re gonna be the talk of the ball, alright.
“I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE you did that,” Lincoln chuckled.
Eveline looked up from where she was taking her shoes off. She grimaced. “Was it too much?”
Lincoln shook his head and held his hand out. Eveline twined her fingers through his and followed him as he headed onto the hotel’s private beach.
An hour had passed since Lincoln had come face to face with his father in the hotel ballroom. The rage he’d felt at the time had long since faded, erased by the presence of the woman at his side and her bold admission.
More than the fact that Eveline wasn’t afraid of standing up for herself and her business in a roomful of incredibly powerful people. More than the fact that she’d shown more grit than many of the men in Lincoln’s circle as she faced down his father. More than the fact than Lincoln knew nearly every male under sixty in that ballroom would have killed to be in his shoes and at Eveline’s side. Lincoln was grateful to her for one thing and one thing only: she’d made him forget that he was angry.
No one had ever done that before, not even his sister Julia.
“What are you thinking?” Eveline murmured as they strolled along the beach, their bare feet sinking in the soft, pale sand while surf crashed gently onto the shore to their right.
“I’m thinking that I can’t believe my stepmother is a client of Le Secret,” Lincoln muttered.
Eveline maintained a diplomatic silence.
Lincoln glanced at her curiously. “Were there other people in the ballroom? Men and women who are clients of Le Secret?”
Eveline flashed a grin at him. “My lips are sealed.”
Lincoln chuckled.
The hotel noise and lights faded behind them. Soon, the only sounds were the swaying fronds of palm trees and the rhythmic lullaby of the ocean meeting land, and the only light that of the stars glittering like diamonds in the velvety darkness above them.
“This is nice,” Eveline said quietly. She gazed up at the vast, shimmering sky, a dreamy expression on her face.
Lincoln slowed, his pulse suddenly racing as awareness slowly bloomed inside him.
Eveline paused up ahead and looked at him curiously over her shoulder when he stopped and tugged on her hand. “Linc? What’s—”
Lincoln pulled Eveline close and swallowed the rest of her words with his mouth, his hands rising to cradle her face gently while he plundered her soft lips.
He knew why his heart was beating so fast. It wasn’t desire that was filling his mind and body with heat and need.
He was falling in love with Eveline Claude.
No. Lincoln blinked as his soul finally told him what it had known for a while. Too late.
Eveline moaned below him, unaware of the staggering self-revelation resonating deep in his very marrow. She clutched his shoulders and rose on her toes to clash her tongue with his in a blistering mating dance, following where he led.
A different heat flooded Lincoln then. One that made his cock throb and harden with a hunger he knew only Eveline could assuage.
He tugged on the straps of Eveline’s dress and freed her luscious breasts. A groan rumbled out of him as he dipped his head and closed his mouth on her left nipple. He licked and sucked the hard nub, his left hand dropping to fondle and play with her right one.
“Linc!” Eveline gasped.
Lincoln knew she was mindful of the fact that they were outside. He raised his head and glanced in the direction of the hotel.
“No one’s going to come, Evie,” he murmured, looking down at her. “It’s just you, me, and the stars.” He ran a finger lightly down her left cheek.
She stared at him, her face flushed and her eyes gleaming under the starlight. Lincoln swallowed a curse when his gaze dropped to her heaving chest and hard nipples.
Eveline took a step back, unzipped the gown, and wriggled out of it.
“Fuck, Evie,” Lincoln said thickly, his rock-hard dick doing press-ups behind his zipper when he realized she’d gone commando under the dress.
“I’ve always wanted to have sex in the ocean,” Eveline mumbled feverishly. She tugged her lower lip sexily between her teeth and started undressing him with a haste that made him chuckle.
By the time they were both naked, Lincoln’s breaths were coming hard and fast too.
“Shit,” Eveline said suddenly. Her gaze shifted from Lincoln’s aroused shaft to his face, her expression falling comically. “Condom. We haven’t got one.”
Lincoln flashed a smile at her and leaned down to pick his dress pants. He removed a square foil from a pocket and waved it at Eveline. “Ta-da!”
Eveline laughed. “Oh my! I do love a man who’s prepared for any eventuality.”
Lincoln’s pulse stuttered. He stilled. “Do you?” he said quietly.
Eveline’s eyes grew hooded. She watched him for a silent moment. “I do,” she finally said. “Here, let me.”
She took the condom from Lincoln before he could fully process the meaning behind her words, dropped to her knees, and kissed the sensitive head of his cock.
Lincoln hissed as Eveline slowly sheathed his trembling length with the rubber. He lifted her in his arms, carried her into the warm sea, and was inside her in under thirty seconds.
CHAPTER 18
EVELINE BLINKED SLOWLY. “WHAT?”
Victor Kline grimaced and opened the file in front of him.
“The Hudson Group is willing to grant you a six-month lease for the plot in Ginza. We received this from Lincoln Hudson’s secretary this morning. Hence why I called you in.” The lawyer paused. “This can only mean that he wants you off his land afterward.”
Eveline’s heart thudded erratically in her chest as the lawyer removed a contract and slid it across the table. She picked it up with trembling hands and scanned the contents.
A week had passed since the charity ball in Hawaii. Although Eveline was painfully conscious Lincoln would soon be leaving Tokyo to return to New York and that they were nearing the end of the agreement they’d come to that first night at his penthouse, Lincoln had never broached the subject of what he intended to do with the plot in Ginza and they’d carried on seeing each other as normal.
Or fucking each other as normal.
Eveline gritted her teeth as she stared at the words printed on the paperwork in her hands.
Lincoln hadn’t actually broken any promises. He’d done exactly what he’d said he would do. He’d enjoyed the services of an escort from Le Secret for a month, had never coerced her into having sex with him, and had made his final decision in a cold and professional manner.
Considering she could be just as ruthless in her business dealings, Eveline knew she shouldn’t be surprised by the contract he’d had delivered to her lawyers.
Except she was. Not just surprised, but angry.
Lincoln Hudson had made her break every rule she’d ever set for herself when it came to her relationships with men. He’d smashed through her self-control, charmed her out of her panties, fucked her like she’d never been fucked before, and exposed every aspect of the
real her to his probing eyes in the four weeks they’d been seeing each other. And after what had happened between them in Hawaii and the way he’d made love to her that night at the beach, Eveline thought Lincoln had also shown her the real him.
Because for one insane moment, it had sounded very much like Lincoln had asked her if she loved him.
It was only now, as pain slowly crushed her heart and numbed her body, that Eveline realized the answer she’d unconsciously given him under that star-filled sky was the truth.
She was in love with Lincoln. Had been in love with him probably since the night he took her to Le Secret and made love to her for the first time.
For once, Eveline truly believed she’d found a man who could be her match, both in and out of the bedroom. Someone who could infuriate her just as easily as he could make her laugh. Someone who could challenge her and make her feel things she’s never felt before. Yearn for things she’d never wished for before. It looked like she’d been horribly wrong.
Her fingers clenched on the contract.
Lincoln had given her no inkling when she’d left his bed that morning that he’d already decided what to do about the plot in Ginza. The fact that he’d known how this would affect her and lied by deliberate omission made her sick to her stomach.
Shit, the guy deserves an Oscar for his performance.
“Eveline?”
Eveline startled and looked up at Kline.
He was watching her with a faint frown. “We still can still appeal this. And our case against the Nagatos is pretty strong. I think we stand an excellent chance of getting your money back from the original deal.”
Eveline swallowed. For the first time in her life, she truly didn’t care about the money.
“I—” She stopped, cleared the lump in her throat, and carefully slid the contract back to the lawyer. “Thanks, Victor. Can you or Malcolm keep me updated?”
“Sure,” Kline murmured. His frown deepened as she rose to her feet and headed for the door. “Hey, are you okay?”
Eveline paused and looked at him over her shoulder. “Yes,” she lied. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you look like you’re about to cry,” Kline said bluntly.
Eveline sniffed, straightened to her full height, and slipped her sunglasses down onto her nose. “It’s just allergies.”
She exited the conference room and headed briskly for the elevators. It wasn’t until she’d walked through the rain pouring over Tokyo and reached her car that she realized her cheeks were wet for another reason entirely. She dropped her head against the steering wheel and muffled the sobs threatening to spill out of her before reaching for her cell, raindrops dripping off her hair and splashing onto the screen. She took a shuddering breath and hit a number on fast dial.
“Can I come over?” she mumbled when the call connected.
LINCOLN RANG EVELINE’S BUZZER. Though he could hear the faint sound of the rain and squall sweeping over Tokyo from the typhoon coming in off the Pacific, there was only silence from inside the condo. He waited a minute and pressed the buzzer again.
Eveline had told him she’d be home that night when she’d left his penthouse in the morning. He’d texted her late in the afternoon to tell her he was taking her out for dinner but never received a reply.
Which was a pity considering what he’d intended for them tonight. He’d had to make some last-minute arrangements in view of the weather, but it was still going to be pretty special.
A bout of nervousness darted through Lincoln at the thought of what he’d planned to say to Eveline that evening. He frowned faintly as he stared at the door and rang the buzzer one more time. There was no response.
Where is she?
Lincoln slipped his cell out of his pocket, brought up Eveline’s number, and pressed the call button. His frown deepened when it failed to connect. He brought up another number and dialed it. Relief flashed through him when the second call went through.
“Yuki? This is Lincoln. I’m trying to get hold of Eveline. Is she still at Le Secret?”
Silence echoed across the connection.
Unease dawned inside Lincoln for the first time that evening. “Yuki?”
Yuki sighed at the other end of the line. “Well, this is awkward,” she said coolly. “The answer to your question is no, Eveline isn’t here right now.”
Lincoln tensed at her tone. “What’s wrong? And where is she?”
Yuki drew a sharp breath. “Seriously, you’re asking me that? After what you did?” she said, her voice rising in disbelief.
Lincoln’s mouth went dry. Something was very wrong.
“What the hell are you talking about, Yuki?” he said, his tone harsher than he’d intended.
Yuki muttered something rude under her breath. “Jeez, I know Eveline comes across as a cold, calculating bitch at times, but even she was surprised by that contract.”
Lincoln’s pulse stuttered. “What contract?” he mumbled between numb lips.
“The one Barnaby sent to Brooks & Kline this morning. About the Hudson Group granting Le Secret a six-month lease for the land in Ginza.”
Blood roared in Lincoln’s ears. “Fuck!” he whispered hoarsely after a shocked pause.
“Pretty sure that’s what Eveline said too when she read the damn thing,” Yuki said acerbically.
Lincoln’s heart pounded like crazy as he stared blindly at Eveline’s front door. “Look, can I put you on hold for a second?!”
“What do you mean, put me on hold? Hey, don’t you dare—” Yuki’s outraged voice disappeared as Lincoln brought up another number and stabbed the call button with his thumb.
“Well, hello there, Master,” Barnaby said drily when the call connected.
“Barnaby,” Lincoln said between gritted teeth while he fought to control the storm of emotions raging through him, “what did you send Eveline’s lawyers this morning?”
“I sent them the contract that was sitting in your outbox,” Barnaby said, his voice growing puzzled. “You know, the one you’d put today’s date on for me to send.”
“No, I didn’t!” Lincoln snarled.
“Hmm, I’m pretty sure you did,” Barnaby said. There was a pause. “I’m looking at it right now on my phone.”
Lincoln put the call on speaker and brought up his mailbox. His legs went weak when he saw what Barnaby was clearly referring to.
“Fuck,” Lincoln mumbled. “There was a second contract. I drafted it yesterday. And they weren’t meant to go out until tomorrow. I got—,” he swallowed and closed his eyes, fear twisting his heart, “—shit! I got the date wrong.”
Barnaby was quiet for a moment. “That’s not like you.”
Lincoln leaned a hand on Eveline’s front door and dropped his head against the wood, appalled at his own mistake. He knew very well the reason why he’d been so distracted this past week. And it had everything to do with the woman he had inadvertently hurt today.
She must be fucking furious, wherever she is right now!
“What was in the second contract?” Barnaby said curiously.
Lincoln drew a ragged breath. “It’s the draft folder.”
Barnaby’s stunned voice came on the line a moment later. “You bought the freehold for the plot of land across the road from Le Secret?! And you’re sharing it with Eveline?!”
Lincoln ran a hand through his hair. “It was meant to be a surprise. I approached the owners and made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. They agreed to sell it to me yesterday morning. I was—,” he paused and inhaled shallowly, “—I was going to tell Eveline tonight, over dinner.”
And not just about the land.
“It’s not every day that I see the great Lincoln Hudson fuck up, but, er, you fucked up, man,” Barnaby said bluntly. “Like, epically.”
“Thanks,” Lincoln groaned. “I’ve gotta to go. I have Yuki on hold on the other line.” He disconnected and brought up Yuki’s call, his pulse racing in his veins. “Yuki? There’s been a mis
understanding. There was a second contract. Eveline was supposed to get both of them tomorrow, after I’d spoken to her about them tonight.”
Icy silence resonated down the line.
“Really?” Yuki said in arctic voice. “And what, pray tell, was the second contract about? Because unless it involved ripping your heart out and giving it to her, I don’t think—”
“I bought her the land across the road from Le Secret,’ Lincoln said briskly. “I estimated it would take about six months to get the building ready for business if we have contractors working on it full time. The layout is similar to the one Le Secret is currently in.”
Yuki gasped. “Fuck. Me.”
Lincoln grimaced. “Sorry, but the only woman I’m intending to fuck for the rest of my life is Eveline. Now, where is she?”
CHAPTER 19
“I HOPE his dick rots and falls off!” Eveline snarled. “In fact, I have a mind to find that asshole and kick him in the balls right now!”
She stopped, gripped her head with both hands, and let out an animal roar before pacing the polished wood floor once more, a litany of curses spilling past her lips.
Ethan leaned close to Joe. “I don’t know what’s scarier, the non-stop crying she did for the first six hours she was here, or the current episode of psychotic rage,” he murmured in his lover’s ear.
“I know.” Joe frowned. “I’ve never seen her like this before.”
Ethan chewed his lip as he watched Eveline stomp to and fro opposite where he and Joe sat on the couch in their lounge. He’d been surprised when he’d received Eveline’s call earlier that day. Not only was it unlike Eveline to selfishly request that he drop everything and meet with her there and then, he’d also never heard her voice sound like that before. He’d called in another bartender to continue the prep at Saron and told Joe he was going home for the day.
One look at Eveline’s puffy, red eyes and mascara-streaked face where she sat crying in front of the door to his and Joe’s condo in her wet clothes had had Ethan ushering her into the apartment and into their shower. He’d given her a pair of his shorts and one of his shirts to change into before calling Joe to get his ass back to their place ASAP. It was clear that something had happened between Eveline and Lincoln. And it had taken several hours to get the truth out of Eveline.
Undisclosed: Nights Series Book 7 Page 10
