My heart thumps out of control. I’m scared but I’m also trippy with excitement. “My dad’s gonna freak,” I mutter.
Raph nods solemnly. “I expect that. I’m ready for it.”
His calm reassures me. It centers me. Maybe it is time to grab the bull – er, my dad – by his horns and just deal with it instead of cowering away.
“Okay,” I say in a strong tone.
“Okay?” One corner of his lip jerks up and I just want to lick it.
My head bobs enthusiastically with renewed certainty. “Okay.”
“Good.” He breathes out calmly now that we’ve laid the situation to rest. He looks comfortable in the silence that blankets the table.
I run my tongue over my lips. “There’s one more thing.”
His finger trails across the dark wood of the table as he watches me. “What is it?”
“The money in my bank account, Raph. I can’t keep it. I don’t want it.”
His shoulders rise roughly as he breathes in. “Eva, that money is yours.”
“No. I don’t want it,” I tell him. “It makes me feel dirty.”
“There’s nothing dirty about it,” he argues. “It’s just money. You can use it to do anything you want. You can use it to start over.”
“I want a fresh start. I don’t want constant reminders of all the mistakes I’ve made.”
He leaves his seat and rounds the table, sliding into the booth next to me. “Eva, I know that the auction is a painful memory. Sometimes, I’d rather forget it, too. But the truth is that it’s what brought us together and for that reason alone, I’d never want to change it.”
I consider his words for a while and the steel in my spine softens. “You’re right,” I say finally, “I wouldn’t want to change it, either.”
“Good.” He edges closer and presses his mouth to mine. I reach up and cradle his cheek. I love the way his bristly stubble bruises my fingertips and how his lips taste of a hint of whiskey, ginger and lime. I love the way his tongue brushes against mine and he groans into the kiss. I love everything about right now.
Just over my shoulder, I hear someone clear their throat. Our lips separate and my head turns to meet the dark eyes of our waitress. Sophia. She smiles to hide the sharpness of her judgment but I still see it there, lingering on the fringes of her expression.
Sigh.
Being scrutinized for our age difference sucks really bad. People assume that Raph is in it for the fresh pussy and I’m in it for his deep pockets. They can’t bring themselves to believe that we really just like each other. But I can get used to the judgment. I have to.
Because there’s no way I’m giving him up.
Chapter 32
Evangeline
Annaleigh tosses me the box of Sugar Crisp and plops down onto the couch with the Apple Crunch.
“Hit ‘play’,” she orders in a no-nonsense tone. I do as I’m told and the Real Housewives of Wherever comes to life on the screen. “Oh, yeh!” she says as she pulls her legs up under her and drapes a throw blanket over her lower body. She looks really damn content with a clay mask on her face and a lopsided ponytail holding her jet-black hair out of the way.
“So, this is how the other half lives?” I tease as I take a drink of my wine and rip open the box of cereal.
“Friday night, baby. This is how we do in Reyfield.” She twists her arms into what I presume is meant to be a breakdance move. I snort through my nose as her attention goes back to the TV. “I love that Courtney,” she mumbles at the screen. “Always causing trouble!”
I shake my head. Now that she’s finished school, my bestie has become a Neflix and Chill professional, especially now that she’s pregnant. Next to her job as a lab technician at the Reyfield General, her junk food and garbage TV obsession is like a second career. Which means that house chores aren’t even on her radar. Prescott hired a two-days-a-week cleaning lady but from the looks of this place – there’s a yellow polka-dot bra hanging off the side of the television, for crying out loud – they may need a live-in maid.
#TheSqualorIsReal
She glances at me out of the corner of her eye. “So, tell me. What’s going on in your world? All packed up to move?”
I groan and toss my head against the back of the chair. “All packed. And the condo is listed with a realtor. I’m so not looking forward to the move, though.”
“I know, huh?” she says. “It must be hard going back home after everything.” I can hear the sympathy in her voice but her facial features don’t move. They’re constricted by the clay on her face. Maybe that’s what it’s like for people who do Botox…Hmm…
Annaleigh gets it. I know she does. She’s been right there from day one. We were walking through a Chicago mall together the day that Simon ‘discovered’ me and convinced my parents to bring me to his agency for some headshots. She was lying across my bed, giggling the first time I tried my catwalk strut in six-inch stilettos. She has an album full of pictures of me pulled out of magazines and catalogues. Annie has been my biggest fan and confidente through it all. She’s seen the highs and now, she’s witnessing the lowest of my lows.
She scoots closer to me on the couch, throwing the edge of the blanket over my legs. “Don’t worry. It’s only temporary. I know you, Eva. It’s only a matter of time until you’re back on your feet, kicking ass again.”
I offer her a tiny smile. “Thanks, Annie.” I grab my wine glass and take another sip of my hearty red. “Your support means the world to me.”
“I mean it,” she says, giving my shoulders a squeeze. “You’re the most bad-ass chick I know. You’ll be fine.”
“Thanks for believing in me.”
“Always,” she says with an exaggerated wink. “Through thick and thin.”
I feel myself getting a little choked up. “You know, if my brother hadn’t gotten the bright idea of marrying you, I probably would have.”
She tosses her head back and laughs tightly, her mask restricting her facial movements. “Good to know. It’s nice to keep it in the family.” Then her eyes go stern. “And you can’t cry right now. You’ll ruin your mask and that clay came all the way from the Dead Sea. Get it together, girl!”
“Fine! Fine!” I draw my finger along the rim of my eye to brush my tears away.
A loud shriek on the TV draws our attention back to the show. A group of women in sophisticated gowns are brawling in the middle of what appears to be an art gallery exhibit. The camera cuts to a video of one of them crying her eyes out as she pulls off her eyelash extensions.
Annaleigh and I glance at each other and laugh tightly. Stupid facial masks... “Anyway,” she says, “how are things with you and Big Daddy?”
My stomach roils. I toss a pillow at her. “Would you please not refer to my man as ‘Big Daddy’? It sounds gross.”
She chortles into her box of cereal. “I’m just teasing. But seriously, how are things between the two of you?”
“Things are getting serious,” I say with a smile wide enough to crack the clay on my face.
She twists toward me, waiting for details. “Oh really?”
“Really…We’re going to talk to my parents soon,” I tell her.
“Oh my god! I’m so happy for you!” she shrieks. “It must suck having to hide like that.”
I nod in agreement. “It does suck. I can’t wait to just have everything out in the open. Let the chips fall where they may.”
“You know your dad is gonna freak out, right?” She brings her soda can to her lips.
Laughing under my breath, I pull my twitchy fingers through my hair. “That’s exactly what I said to Raph. But I don’t care about my dad’s reaction. He’s in a happy relationship with my mom. He should want the same thing for his best friend and he should want it for his daughter, too.”
Annaleigh eyes me sceptically. “Hun, I’m sure that he wants both of you to be happy, but not necessarily together.”
I sigh, knowing that she’s right. “I ha
ve to focus on my happiness,” I tell her. “And my happiness is with Raph. Everything else is secondary.”
“Okay…” she says sounding unsure as she turns back toward the TV. “You know I’m here for you no matter what but I just hope that you’re ready for the fury that’s about to come swooping through your life.”
Chapter 33
Evangeline
“I can’t…believe…this shit…” Raphael grunts in a staccato rhythm, his eyes fluttering shut as he thrusts in and out of me. His face is twisted into the hottest sex grimace I’ve ever seen.
“What, baby?...What is it?” I pant breathlessly and run my fingers up to his sinewy shoulders.
His head drops in pleasure and a lock of his silver hair falls over his brow. “I can’t believe…I’m fucking you…on a Jonas Brothers comforter.”
My body clenches hard as I spit out a laugh. I accidentally squeeze him right out of my pussy. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” I say as I reach down and greedily slide him back inside of me.
Ain’t no missing this orgasm. After selling my condo, paying off the balance of my mortgage and settling my outrageous credit card bills, my amazing sex life is one of the only things I have going for me, so I’ll protect it like a mama bear defending her cubs.
I was in the middle of unpacking gym clothes into the dresser drawers of my childhood bedroom while Raph carried more boxes up from the rented truck. I glanced over just at the right moment and our eyes caught in the mirror.
He gave me that look.
The look that says I’m-thinking-about-rubbing-my-body-up-against-your-body-until-we’re-making-fireworks. Two seconds later, we were in my bed. Now, my dress is hiked up around my waist and his pants are hanging off of his ass as he ruts away inside of me.
And he’s complaining about the sheets.
“What’s wrong with…the Jonas…Brothers?” I ask between his deep, hard thrusts.
He chuckles shortly, fingers clutching my waist as he tilts my pelvis for a better angle. “Sometimes, I forget…how young you are…And then, something like this happens. And –” His head falls to his chest. “Shit, shit – you’re so tight.”
I grin as I deliberately contract my pussy, reminding him that I’m no little girl. I know how to use this body to take him places no one ever has before. “Don’t let the…comforter fool you, Raph…I’m all woman.”
He nods in agreement and then presses his mouth to mine. “You’re all…woman, Kitten.”
I slide my fingers into his hair, deepening the kiss. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of him and his kisses. His hand searches between us until he finds my clit. His finger swipes back and forth over the sensitive flesh. My body bucks at the added sensations.
My orgasm tightens inside of me, gathering force. I feel his body going taut and warm above me. We’re both only a few thrusts away from exploding.
Right then, I hear a car door slam beneath my window and my mother’s voice fills the air.
Shit!
I look up at Raph with wide eyes. There’s nothing but determination on his forehead. “Don’t you dare try to stop me,” he grumbles in warning just as his thumb presses down harder on my clit.
My breathing falters as his finger moves faster over the sensitive wad of nerves. “Raph…” I groan. “We’ll get caught…Please…” My nails dig into his biceps as anxiety mixes with the thrill in my stomach.
He won’t let up. “Don’t you dare…” He pumps faster, fucking me so hard, so good.
I hear the front door open and my heart rate spikes. “Raph…” I beg, my voice high and shaky. I don’t want him to stop. I want him to keep fucking me. I’m so deliriously close to the edge. But we’re about to get caught.
His hand moves from my clit to clamp down heavily on my mouth, muffling my cries. Jesus – that’s insanely hot! Our eyes lock on each other. I can’t look away. If we’re going to get caught, I want to go out like this, clinging to him for dear life, surrendering to him, trusting him completely.
He grinds his pelvis into mine and the friction against my clit throws me over the edge, the looming danger of getting caught making my climax that much sharper.
My body tenses all over as I explode and my eyes squeeze shut. I scream out but his palm stifles the sound. And right then, his cock jerks inside of me as his cum shoots into the condom. He rides the wave of pleasure until the very end before his head drops and he exhales his release.
“Fuck…” he whispers as his limp fingers fall away from my quivering mouth.
We don’t have time to recuperate, though, because now, I hear feet slapping the stairs. My mother’s still speaking and laughing. Presumably, she’s on the phone.
Raph hops off of me, zipping up his fly and buttoning his shirt. “You okay?” he whispers, giving me a sly grin.
I nod, mirroring his smile as I smooth down my dress and adjust the straps. Now, my mom’s voice is right outside the door. “Let me check and see if he’s here,” she says as she taps at the door.
The nerves of my stomach all fire off at once. “Open it,” Raph mouths to me as he drops to his knees and pretends to be emptying a box of shoes and belts.
I run my fingers through my hair and swing the door open. “Hey mom,” I say spritely, praying that she’s too distracted to realize what we’ve been up to.
Her eyes go straight to Raph. “Oh yes, he’s right here,” she says, ignoring me completely.
He peeks at her over his shoulder and gives her a quick wave.
She covers the receiver. “Suzie – my friend I wanted to match you up with – she says to give her a call if you and your new girlfriend don’t work out.” Her volume dips lower. “At the Christmas staff party, she tied a cherry stem with her tongue. Took her a few tries but she got it done eventually.” She flashes him a wink.
Really, mom?
Raph gives her a polite nod and a stiff smile. She giggles like a schoolgirl as Suzie shrieks in the background, her voice traveling through the phone. “Laurie! I don’t want him to think I’m desperate!”
I roll my eyes.
My mother scans Raphael’s perspiring face. “My daughter has you working yourself into a sweat, doesn’t she, hun?” She throws me an admonishing glare. “Come, Eva. Come make Raph a pitcher of iced tea. And get him some cookies.”
Oh, Raphael’s had his fill of cookies for the day…
I follow dutifully behind her as she heads back toward the door. “Are you staying for dinner, Raph? I can whip up a meatlo—”
He cuts her off hastily. “Sorry, Laurie. No can do. Eva and I still have lots of stuff to move.”
Disappointment covers her face but she just shrugs one shoulder. “Okay.”
Then, she pauses. My heart speeds up even more. She sniffs at the air like a dog catching a scent. She turns up her nose. “Smells like salt and vinegar chips and body odor in this room.” She glares at me like I’m a disgusting person. “I have to remember to pick up some air fresheners.”
Raph and I share a knowing look as she returns to her call and continues down the stairs.
I breathe a sigh of relief. We got lucky this time but next time, who knows?
Chapter 34
Raphael
I step into my hotel room and freeze in my tracks at the scene laid out before me.
"Eva, what are you doing?"
She looks up at me with a coquettish smile and bats her eyes as she sets the jar of chocolate cake frosting onto the table beside her. "It's your birthday tomorrow," she says teasingly. "I thought you’d like cake." Her legs fall open and she trails a digit suggestively up the inside of her thigh then licks the sugary glaze off of her fingertip.
My eyes roam over her body spread out on the table, covered in frosting and cherries and sprinkles melting on her skin. Jesus – this is going to be a mess to clean up. But I already feel my shaft stirring for some action.
I kick off my shoes and drop my keys on the dresser. Undoing the buttons of my shirt, I approach. Anticip
ation inches up with every step. Her knees are up and her feet are on the table, spread wide apart. My tongue swipes across my mouth at the sight of her little, pink pussy peeking out from under a dollop of whipped cream. I try to keep my voice calm. I don't want her to see how excited I am. It would go straight to her pretty little head.
"You look like you're taking a mud bath on my hotel room table," I tease as I tear my shirt from my body and abandon it to the floor.
Dirty Silver (The Dirty Suburbs Book 7) Page 16
