by Fleur Smith
Evan watched enraptured as she told him about her life while she cleaned her camera. Occasionally, he could have sworn that the flash went off, but Becca’s innocent nonchalance when he asked made him certain he was just going crazy.
It was almost two hours later that Becca yawned widely and Evan felt guilty that he’d kept her up when she obviously would have been tired after her earlier exploits with Drew.
He convinced her to go to bed, worried that she would be too tired to be functional the following day. She didn’t have to work, and could sleep in, but that didn’t mean he wanted her to waste the whole day if she had things she’d wanted to do. She packed her camera equipment into a padded bag big enough for two cameras, the one she’d taken out tonight—the one he already had realized was her favorite—was packed into the bottom section with a pair of lenses that he’d seen her use at different times. Finally, she pushed the newer digital camera into the top section of the bag before leaving it resting on the kitchen table.
Just before she left the room, she turned to him. “I know you might be gone by then, but it's my birthday in a few weeks and I've decided to have a party. I'd love you to come if you can?”
Evan considered the fact that he hadn’t moved on despite the fact that Becca and Drew were together. Then he thought about the flurry of positive emotions that were sure to be circling through the guests at a party of hers—especially the ones emanating from her—and decided that he wouldn't miss it for the world, not unless something happened before then that made it physically impossible for him to go. “If I can be there, I will.”
Her smile turned into a slight frown. “Do you think you’ll be leaving soon?”
“I hope not,” he reassured her. “But I don’t think I can guarantee anything past the next few days.”
“I understand.” Her tone was sad even though her words spoke of acceptance. “If you can come, you should know it’s a costume party.”
“Well, maybe I should take back my RSVP then.” He chuckled to lighten the mood.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t you dare, buddy, there is only one valid excuse for not being there now. And even then, I might chase you down to wherever you go and drag you back home myself.”
It was ridiculous how much that made his heart swell.
Once Becca had showered and was in bed asleep, Evan took to the sofa. He rested across the two-seater with his back on the seat and his feet dangling over one arm rest. He wasn’t comfortable, but not because of his position—that was actually quite pleasant. Rather, it was the siren call of the blissful emotions coming from Becca’s room that made him antsy. Part of him wanted to rush into Becca’s room, to watch her while she slept and maybe even spy on her dreams, but the more he got to know her, the more it felt like an intrusion on her privacy to spy on her while she was so unguarded.
He felt bad enough that he’d inadvertently stumbled across her intimate moment with Drew; he didn’t want to deliberately intrude on her reliving that in her dreams as well. And he could tell that was the direction of her dreams by the surge of emotions filling the house and increasing his urge to rush into her room.
Although he couldn’t be certain, he figured her emotions were manifesting themselves in a positive way again within him because Drew’s feelings weren’t being forced into the mix so Evan’s jealousy wasn’t taking the feelings and twisting them into something which made him feel nauseated. He needed to get over that sensation if he wanted to spend time around Becca. It was easy to see the way his morose attitude had almost immediately dragged Becca down with him. He might have wanted her for himself, but he didn’t want to alienate her by making her feel uncomfortable to be around him if she chose to be with Drew.
It was clear what he had to do. He was going to go back to respecting Becca’s wish not to be followed around while he was cloaked—it wasn’t like he saw anything he liked when he did it anyway—and he would just limit himself to spending time with Becca outside of her dates with Drew, when it could be just the two of them. As friends.
It couldn’t be that hard . . . could it?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Becca woke to the smell of toast and fresh coffee. Stretching languidly in bed with her eyes closed, she inhaled deeply and let the smell rouse her stomach. It growled and gurgled in delight.
She opened her eyes to see Evan hovering above her with toast, a mug of coffee and a small vase with a yellow rose all balanced on a tray he’d obviously found buried somewhere in her kitchen.
“What’s this?” she asked, trying to ignore the embarrassment creeping through her at the thought of Evan hearing the noises her stomach had been making moments earlier.
“An apology for keeping you up so late.”
“You didn’t need to apologize, I enjoyed it.” Her cheeks heated at the thought that he’d made her breakfast again. That didn’t stop her from sliding backward to allow room on her lap for the tray. If he wanted to spoil her with breakfast in bed, she wasn’t going to refuse him.
He placed the tray onto her waiting lap as she looked at the rose. She decided she’d been wrong about one thing. Sure it wasn’t a dozen roses, and she knew there was no romantic intention behind it, but it definitely wasn’t tacky either.
With her fingers, she traced the delicate red edge that tinged the tips of the yellow rose. The mix of color was fascinating; the interplay of the darkness of the red and the delicate lightness of the yellow would be a striking contrast in black and white. She looked up at Evan, who was watching her movements with an odd expression on his features.
“I don’t suppose you could grab my camera?” she asked.
“Okay?” He seemed surprised by the request.
His reaction didn’t shock Becca though. Not everyone understood the need to capture beauty through the lens, or how she could already see how the final photo might turn out. Drew certainly didn’t understand, but neither did Cathy. She had thought that Evan might understand after two photo sessions with her though.
Evan disappeared and returned an instant later with her camera in hand.
He returned a few moments later with her Nikon FM3A. He had two lenses balanced in his other hand.
She was a little taken aback when she saw that he’d grabbed that camera, the film one she preferred, even though her digital was easier to reach in her camera bag. That small action made her feel justified in her thoughts that he’d understand her need to capture the moment.
“Can you show me what you’re trying to capture?” he asked, as he knelt down beside her and passed her the equipment.
The interest he showed in what Drew called her silly little hobby made her feel like her heart had swollen to three times its normal size. She tried not to let her mind linger on the fact that it should be Drew bringing her breakfast in bed and learning about her hobby with a piqued interest.
After fixing the correct lens for the close-ups she intended to take and placing the other gentle on her bedside table, she lifted her finger and traced it around the rim of the rose. “See the interplay between dark and light? That’s the sort of thing that black and white photography picks up better than a color image ever can.”
After snapping a couple of photos, she reached for a piece of now-cold toast.
“Can I try?” Evan asked, holding his hand out for the camera.
“Sure.” Becca gave him a very quick crash course in how to use her SLR camera.
He swung it around and snapped a candid photo of her just as she took another bite out of her toast.
“Not of me,” she said, lifting her hand. “There’s a reason I’m usually behind the lens.”
“I was just admiring the interplay between dark and light.” He pinched a loose strand of her hair between his fingers before sweeping it off her face.
Her stomach clenched in a way that had nothing to do with the food in front of her. A wide smile spread across her lips as she gathered her courage. She set the tray aside and then grabbed for the came
ra even as Evan tried to pull it out of her reach. She snapped a photo of Evan in return, so super close-up that his face would fill the entire frame.
Evan reached for the camera once more, willing to continue the fun which had brought such delicious, heightened emotions out to play in Becca. Instead of releasing the camera back into his care, Becca lifted her arm and scooted backward, laughing the whole time. He stalked after her, climbing onto the bed to pursue her camera, and continue their game.
The blankets still messy from Becca’s sleep tangled around his legs and tripped him up, causing him to fall forward. His face landed against Becca’s stomach and he didn’t know whether to inhale and revel in her scent or extricate himself as quickly as possible from what could be an extremely embarrassing situation for them both.
Becca’s laughter grew as she struggled to escape from beneath his flailing body, the sound of it causing him to join in. He pushed himself off her body and lunged for the camera. Without slowing, he brought it to his eye with one hand and snapped a photo of her against the sheets.
Becca lifted her hands as he went to take another photo, but he clicked the shutter anyway. An instant later, the camera was pulled from his hands and Becca was right there, her lips were inches from his. Her proximity stole his breath away. Their eyes met, and Evan was captured by her gaze and pinned in place. He couldn’t have moved even if he wanted to—which he definitely didn’t.
Electricity crackled in the air around them, just as it had when he’d been in front of her on the swing—when he’d been desperately close to making the mistake of kissing her. He didn’t want to move and break the spell, didn’t even dare to blink. His tongue slicked across his lip, and Becca’s gaze dropped to follow it. When he’d been released from her gaze, he realized how close he’d been to slipping again. He pushed away from the siren call of her mouth with a nervous chuckle.
“Your coffee is going cold,” he said as he withdrew himself from the danger of being perched over her bed with her beneath him. He hoped she wouldn’t drop her gaze to his groin where Little Evan was straining against his material prison.
“Huh?” The sound was barely more than a breath, but he felt the confusion in it anyway. There was also a hint of . . . hurt. At least, that was what it felt like to Evan, a bitter undercurrent to the joy that was slowing dissipating from the room.
Their little impromptu photo session had Evan feeling more confused than ever. He was so ready to tell Becca how he felt, but he knew it would be unfair to her. He’d seen friendships torn apart by unwanted admissions of emotion. It always confused things and he didn’t want to be a complication for Becca. He didn’t want to cause her concern.
He reminded himself that Drew was to be her match—Drew was her choice for herself and the feelings there were reciprocated.
“Your, um, coffee,” he repeated, pointing to the tray on her bedside table. “It’ll probably be cold. I can make you a fresh one if you’d like?”
Becca blew out a breath as she sat up and straightened herself out. “No, no, it’s okay. I might just, uh, go . . . shower. Yeah.” She gave a quick nod.
It seemed to Evan that she was trying to think of any excuse to get out of the bedroom and away from him, and it was probably true. He couldn’t help worrying that his actions, his immense and crushing desire to kiss her until she was utterly breathless, had made her uncomfortable somehow.
“Okay, I’ll just—” he indicated toward the door with his thumb “—wait. Living room.” He nodded, mentally kicking himself that he couldn’t get a complete sentence out.
She smiled, but there was a nervous, worried edge to it. “Yep.”
Evan escaped the oppressing atmosphere that had overtaken the bedroom as fast as he could. His experience offered no help for how to deal with the stifling tension that had enveloped the two of them. It was disappointing how one second they’d been playing without a care in the world and then it had just become awkward.
He waited on the sofa, sitting bolt upright with his arms resting perfectly straight along his thighs. His fists were curled into tight balls as he ran through the morning again. It had all started so well.
He was just starting to breathe normally again when Becca breezed out of her bathroom, dressed in a pair of light slacks and a button-down blouse. She froze when she caught sight of him. Her gaze grazed his mouth, and then she met his eye. A small smile played at the edge of her lips. It was almost as if she could feel the odd tension between them too, but was willing to do whatever it took to push past it.
“I have a few errands to run today,” she said. “Did you want to come with me?”
Evan wanted to go, he wanted it more than almost anything, but he thought the best thing he could do to put the desire to kiss Becca out of his mind was to put a little space between them—at least for the day. “Can’t,” he lied. “I’ve got to go check on my next case again.”
“Oh. Of course.”
Disappointment flooded the room with such potency that it took everything in Evan not to relent and agree. “But maybe we can meet up after lunch?”
She smiled. “I’d like that. Drew’s going to be here a little after five, but from when you get back until he arrives, I’m all yours.”
It was tempting for Evan to focus solely on the “I’m all yours” part of her sentence, but he didn’t. He focused on the name she’d uttered.
Drew. Drew. Drew. Drew. He thought it again and again until it seeped into every part of his brain. Evan had promised himself that he wouldn’t come between Becca and Drew. If he was going to stick to that, he needed to keep his rival’s name in his head as a constant mantra. It was too easy to forget him otherwise.
He met Becca’s eye and smiled. “Sounds great.”
The instant Becca had left the house, she called Cathy to try to score a shopping partner. As usual, Cathy had jumped at the opportunity for a gossip session away from the confines of the hospital. By the time they stopped for a coffee break, Cathy was clearly irritated by something and was more than ready to pull Becca up on it.
“Are you going to tell me what’s eating at you?” she demanded as she dragged Becca toward a table at the back of the small café.
Becca chewed on the inside of her cheek. “It’s nothing.”
“Bullshit. Something’s up.”
Becca sighed. “I just have a lot to organize with this party.”
“Isn’t that why I’m here? To help out?”
“Yeah. I know.”
“So what else is it?”
Bringing her latte to her lips, Becca blew out a breath. “I don’t know.”
Cathy sighed, leaning back in her chair. For a moment, Becca thought she was going to push some more, but when Cathy spoke again it was to change the subject. “How was your date last night?”
Becca frowned in confusion; the visit to the park with Evan wasn’t exactly a date. Then she recalled the rest of the evening, and flushed. The memory of being held in Drew’s arms while he took her from angles she hadn’t even known existed made her tingle with a rush of desire. “It was good.”
“Oh. My. God. You got lucky didn’t you?”
Becca laughed. “So lucky.”
“Yeah? So, he was good?”
“He was amazing, Cath. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone—” She sighed as the memory of Evan pressed against her during their impromptu tussle over the camera early that morning stole away the feel of Drew’s arms. She shook it off. “He was really good.”
“I knew he would be. And big I bet too. You know what they say about the size of a man’s feet after all.” She bounced her brow.
“No comment,” Becca said, giggling against the rim of her coffee.
“You know that if you don’t tell me, I’ll just have to imagine it for myself. Trust me I have a very vivid imagination.”
“Yeah, I know you do.” She leaned forward anyway and told her friend about her date with Drew. It was only as she was recounting the tale of the waite
r spilling everything over her that she even considered the similarities between the waiter’s story and her own experience in the darkroom the day that Evan had arrived. For a moment, she was lost in thought over whether it was possible Evan was stalking her on her dates. She wasn’t sure whether to be mad at him for going against her wishes and not telling her that he had, or flattered that he cared enough to try to make things run smoothly—even if it was possible his interference had caused the soaking.
Maybe that had been his plan? Becca thought. Maybe the date would have ended up like the others if we hadn’t been soaking.
“And I just lost you again,” Cathy said. “Seriously, sometimes I wonder where you’ve been going lately.”
“Sorry.” Becca grimaced. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”
To Becca’s relief, Cathy seemed to let it slide as they finished their coffee and renewed their search for party supplies.
Cathy knew how to shop. And she knew how to talk. She had a way of talking endlessly, but in a way which ended up drawing more information out of her companion than she managed to offer of her own. Becca had eventually spilled the beans on the photography session with Evan—although she hadn’t admitted that it happened the same night she’d taken the plunge with Drew. Cathy had hmm’d and uhuh’d her way through that part of the conversation, a knowing look in her eye that Becca didn’t want to acknowledge.
It was almost a relief when Becca was able to leave Cathy and return home.
“You look tired.” Evan’s greeting was filled with concern and fueled the lethargy that had seemed to settle into Becca’s body. With gentle hands around the tops of her arms, he guided her to the sofa so she could sit.
