“So does Pam, who, by the way, is a mixed martial artist.”
Tasha inhaled sharply. “No!”
Evy drank from a warm bottle of water on the coffee table.
“That’s just my luck.” Tasha chewed on a pinkie for a few seconds, lost in thought. “So what should I do?”
Evy screwed the top back on the water. “I don’t know. You know she works at Sugars part-time and the last thing we need around there is anymore drama.”
Tasha’s shoulders slumped. “I know, but…”
“And Jon’s a player, Tash! You also know he just got a blowjob from some skanky stripper on that boat.”
“Oh no, not a blowjob!” She put the back of her hand against her forehead, feigning her distress. “How shall I ever go on?” She dropped her hand and let her face go blank. “Evy, I let a three hundred pound kid with pimples put his tiny little wiener inside of me on multiple occasions.”
Evy raised a palm to stop her from going further.
“We’ve all made mistakes but that’s how we get better.” She tilted her head to one side. “And Jon is better.”
Tasha’s words struck a chord deep down inside Evy. She opened her mouth to belie Tasha’s case but the words hitched on the tip of her tongue.
Tasha’s cell phone vibrated and she pulled it out from beneath her.
Evy’s forehead crinkled. “Where did you have that?”
“In the cushion.” Her face brightened in the screen’s glow. “Oh. My. God.”
“What?” Evy asked, knowing it had to be something about Dean. He was probably with Jon right now and wanted to see her.
“It’s Jon!”
Evy’s heart beat faster in her chest. Her palms began to sweat.
“He wants to hook up!”
Evy’s heart crumbled into a sinkhole.
“What should I tell him?”
She pushed off the couch and slapped her bare feet into the kitchen. “How should I know?”
“He says we can’t go to his place because Pam could show up at any minute. And…” Tasha trailed off, examining the crumpled blanket and pillow on the couch.
“Don’t worry, I’m leaving,” Evy said, tying her hair back into a ponytail.
“Where are you going? Dean’s?”
“I’ve got some work to do at the shop.”
Tasha checked her phone. “At this time of night?”
“This is what time the donut guys get started every day.”
“Yeah, but you and Brooke always sleep until…”
“If they can do it, so can I.”
Tasha smiled warmly as it dawned on her. “I remember that one time when you didn’t make the cheerleading squad. You baked ten dozen of those peanut butter cookies with the Hershey’s Kiss in the middle.”
Evy threw on her black Nikes with a hot pink swoosh and grabbed her purse and keys. “Have fun,” she said, opening the front door. She stopped and turned in the doorway. “And you better wash those sheets!”
“I will!” Tasha sang out, her thumbs rapidly hammering at the cell’s screen. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“I’ll be waiting with baited breath,” Evy said, shutting the door and dragging her feet down the brightly lit hallway.
Chapter Thirty-Five
A cool breeze rolled in off the lake and ran its fingers through Dean’s hair, feeling good against his face. He glanced back at the bar they had just left. “Okay, remind me to never go in there again.”
Jon snorted. “No doubt. That place was nerd-soup.”
“Like a hipster convention in there,” Dean said, inspecting the bars across the street for any action. There were a few people milling about outside, smoking and chatting, but overall it was quiet. Even for a Monday night. “But Becky was looking good.”
Jon shot him a heavy frown. “I’m telling you, man, the last thing you want to do is mix it up with that Becky girl again. She’s hot but she knows everyone in this town and her mouth is big enough to drive a truck through. Evy would find out for sure.”
“Who cares,” he spit back, gazing down the street to where he and Evy had their first kiss. He could still see the heated explosions from that night behind his eyes; still taste her on his lips. He looked away and nodded across the street. “You wanna check out that new place?”
Jon kept tapping at his cell and didn’t look up. “I think I’m going to call it a night, player.” He let out a fake yawn. “I’m beat.”
Dean took another quick look around the usually busy downtown street and let out a tired sigh. “This place is a ghost town tonight anyway.”
“You mind catching a cab home?”
He snapped his head around to Jon. “A cab? Why can’t you just drop me off? It’s right on your way.”
“I’m not going that way.”
“Which way are you going?”
Jon jerked his chin toward the lake.
“Evy’s place?”
Jon held up his phone for Dean to see the screen. “Just got a booty-text from Tasha. It’s on tonight.”
Dean folded his brow. “I thought Evy was staying there. What’re you going to try and have a threesome with her next?”
“She just left.”
Dean checked his silver watch. “To where?”
Jon pocketed the phone. “Not sure, but I’m out.” He held up a hand and waited for Dean to take it.
Dean flattened his lips and, reluctantly, clapped hands with Jon, pulling him close. “Some wingman,” he said into his ear.
Jon shot a hand in the air as a white taxi approached. It pulled over and stopped in front of a fire hydrant. Jon opened the back door and held it. “I’ll just make sure you don’t wander off.”
Dean followed his gaze back to Kenadee’s, where Becky waved at him from the front window. She held the international sign for a phone to her ear and grinned with that look in her eyes. Dean hesitated and then got in. “What about Pam?”
Jon shut the door and smiled as the cab pulled away.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Evy lightly bobbed her head to the latest Katy Perry tune pouring from Pandora on her cell phone as she littered the stainless steel table with mixing bowls, measuring cups and a large whisk. She set her hands on her hips and surveyed the yellow kitchen, just long enough to take some pleasure in the success of her kid sister’s pride and joy. After the press Sugars’ received during Clay’s trial, Evy thought nothing could go wrong ever again. They were all making money, good money, and even Shaun’s homemade brew had taken off with some of the bars around town. In the end, the news reports had not only raised brand awareness for Sugars, but had made people feel sorry for them as well. When the facts hit the fan, it left a sour taste in the townsfolk’s mouths and many felt it was their duty to take care of one of their own. That was just one of the things she loved about this town.
Evy set a stack of large cupcake tins down and began plunking tulip baking cups into each rounded depression, not hearing the distant clap of thunder or the insistent knock at the front door. She loved this town and her job but, suddenly, a small part of her just wanted to go back home to Des Moines. Run away from it all and never come back. She felt horrible for not returning her dad’s call but she just didn’t have the energy to pretend everything was okay. Acting like she was on cloud nine, with her dream wedding to her dream man right around the corner, was an Oscar-worthy performance beyond her means. She smirked. Her father was probably up right now, watching some horror movie about stripper zombies or giant crocs. She glanced at her phone and actually considered it, wanting to talk to him now more than ever. Her fingers found the phone. He would know what to do. He always did. A forlorn sigh squeezed out from between her lips and she set the cell back on the table. These cupcakes weren’t going to bake themselves. If she got everything done now, she could try to get some sleep while Brooke and Tasha held down the fort later on today.
Evy slipped into the walk-in cooler and piled eggs, butter and milk into her
arms, stopping for a few seconds to search for more blueberries. Megan flickered through her restless mind, naked and holding a baby with Dean’s eyes. Evy blinked the thought away and stayed focused on the task at hand. She checked a milk crate filled with odds and ends. Sooner or later, she would have to call her dad back. It was either that or let her parents make the five and a half hour drive from Des Moines for a wedding that wasn’t going to happen. It would buy her more time if she put it off, which is exactly what she wanted to do, but she would never do that to them. She preferred to do it over the phone, but not today. Or tomorrow. She gave up on the blueberries and nearly dropped the eggs. When she came back out she screamed and dropped everything to the floor with a wet splat. Her wide eyes stared straight ahead. “What are you doing here?” she gasped, holding her heart inside her chest with both hands.
“Do you always leave the backdoor unlocked?” Dean asked, diving into her green eyes and despising himself for being so weak. The cab had taken him all the way back to his place and he had even gotten out of the backseat, only to climb back in with a new destination at the last second. “Do you want to get gang raped?”
“Tasha,” Evy grumbled under her breath, examining the mess around her feet. She looked back up, heart fluttering in her chest. His cologne inflamed her senses and she hated him for it. “What’re you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood.”
She bent down and started picking broken eggshells from the floor and placing them into the carton. “Where?”
“Jon and I went to Kenadee’s.” He kneeled down and helped her with the eggs, brushing his fingers against hers and sending sparks flying.
“Well, that didn’t take long to get back in the swing of things.”
Dean puckered his brow. “Where’s your ring?”
Her eyes darted to the tan line around her finger. “At home,” she lied, standing up and dropping the soggy carton into a silver trashcan.
He grabbed the gallon of milk that had burst upon impact and threw it away, careful to avoid the mess on the floor. “Well, that didn’t take long to get rid of.”
She turned off the music on her phone, plunging them into a tension filled silence. “How’d you know I was here?”
A heated breath seeped from his lips. “Listen, I need you to know that Megan just barged into my place without knocking. I thought she was you!”
Evy sharpened her gaze. “Oh yeah? Coming back to beg for your forgiveness I suppose?”
“Why did you come back?”
“Because we agreed to never part ways angry. Remember?”
He nodded, unable to break her spell. “I just…”
“You what, Dean?” she asked, going to the sink and washing her hands.
“I just want you to know that it wasn’t what you think. I know how it looked.”
She dried her hands on a black towel that matched her apron. “And what about her boobs hanging out? Was that how it looked?”
“You know firsthand that she’s crazy as hell! I tried to…” He exhaled a tired breath. “Look, I’m not going to break my neck trying to convince you of my innocence. You’ll just find something else to feed your doubts two seconds later anyway.”
“Are you saying I’m jealous? Because the last time I checked, I just caught you with your ex-wife!”
His temper flared. “You didn’t catch me doing anything because I wasn’t…”
“Her boobs were out, Dean! And you were holding her!”
“I was trying to stop her!” Dean inhaled a steadying breath and softened his tone. “Listen, I love you and don’t want to be with anyone else and if you don’t know that by now, you never will.”
She stared at him without speaking.
“That guy in the past you keep digging up is dead,” he said, holding his hands out. “This is me now. Here with you.”
Evy remained unmoved. Raindrops began pattering the rooftop.
Dean dropped his hands and chuckled. “That’s all I got. You want better and that’s what you deserve.” When she still didn’t respond, he fanned a hand through the air at her and turned for the hallway leading to the backdoor. His blood boiled with each step he took. He glanced into the office and saw the purse he had bought her for her birthday, sending another dagger through his heart. After everything they had been through, she was just going to let him walk out that door and it royally pissed him off. Despite that, he bit his tongue, wanting to tell her off but pushing on the backdoor with both hands instead. The door burst open into the dark alleyway behind Sugars. The smell of rain hit him in the face, the ground glistening from a popup shower.
“You’ll never get rid of her!”
He stopped just outside the door, raindrops pelting him on the head. Dean almost kept going past the rows of commercial garbage cans and cigarette butts, but turned instead. “That’s not true!”
“She’ll never let you go, Dean, and I don’t have the energy to keep fighting. I want normal and this is not normal!”
Dean came back inside so he could see her face. The door slowly swung shut behind him, muffling the distant sound of thunder. The lights flickered as his shoes squeaked down the hall. He passed the office and found Evy standing in the same spot in the kitchen.
“Trust me, she’s never going to bother us again.”
A skeptic laugh shot from Evy’s lips. “It’s not just her, Dean. We run into mini-Megans everywhere we go and it’s embarrassing.”
“Evy…”
“You think I don’t know who those girls are? You think I don’t see the way they look at you? Or how they hug you for a little too long?”
Rain water dripped from his nose to the floor, his heart breaking for her. He hated himself for putting her through this and wished he could back in time and do things differently. Be a different person. But it was too late for that now. He had made his bed… “Those girls are nothing now. Don’t you get that? They will always be nothing to me!”
“Those girls are baggage. Your baggage!”
“Oh, and because I don’t live in the same town as Richie and never bump into him, you’re little miss innocent?”
“He’s one person!”
Dean sharpened his gaze, water hitting the floor in thick droplets. “Stop being afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.”
He stepped closer, chest undulating beneath his wet shirt. “Yes, you are.”
Evy folded her arms across her chest. “I’m tired is what I am. Tired of everyone’s bullshit.”
“Let’s move then.”
She stared at him, shell-shocked. “Move?” she laughed. “Are you crazy?”
He took her hand and she pulled away but he tightened his grip. “Anywhere you want to go. There’s nothing tying me to this town. My nearest relative is in Nebraska.”
Evy yanked her hand away. “What about your job? They just made you partner last year.”
Dean took both of her hands this time and pulled her against him, her heat flushing his front side. “My job is boring. Why do you think I’m never there?”
She stared up into his eyes, searching for something to hang onto. “I can’t move. I just moved here, and I like my job.”
“We’ll start our own place. I’ve got the start up cash.”
Her jaw lowered but nothing came out. She pushed away and he pulled her tightly against him.
“We could move to Charleston and open a paddleboarding shop.”
“Paddleboarding shop?”
“Okay, a paddleboarding cupcake shop.”
She swallowed a laugh. “You’re out of your mind.”
He brushed a loose strand of her hair behind an ear and caressed her cheek with his palm, swimming in her emerald pools. “I’d be out of my mind to lose you.”
“But…”
He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her hard and wet, taking her face in his hands and tilting her head this way and that. Sparks flew behind his eyelids, lighting up the night. A clap of thunder vib
rated the walls. They parted, both chasing their breath.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Evy swallowed thickly and refused to speak, but her lips betrayed her. “I love you.”
He kissed her again and pushed her up against the kitchen island, sweeping everything off the table with one arm. Metal bowls and cups clattered noisily to the floor, crashing against the wall. His hand slipped up her t-shirt and seized her left breast before she could stop him. Evy let out a soft moan and squirmed backwards, knocking a cooling tray to the floor. Dean snapped his fingers behind her back, freeing her bra, and yanked her shirt up over her breasts. In a flash, his lips found her nipples, sucking on one after the other. Evy grabbed him by his wet hair and made him stop just long enough to pull his shirt over his head without fumbling with the buttons. Her fingers ran trails down his back, absorbing every muscular bump, while Dean unbuttoned her jeans and yanked them to her ankles, feral in his approach. His fingers slid her ice blue panties to the side and rubbed her wet lips before she could change her mind. Evy arched her back and pushed against him when he plunged two fingers inside, powerless to stop it from happening. After a few breathless seconds, she stopped resisting and pressed her breasts together with her forearms, writhing in warm ecstasy as Dean’s fingers worked her just right.
Suddenly, she sat up and pushed him away and frantically unbuttoned his jeans. Evy used both hands to jerk his pants down, taking his breezy boxers with them. His hard cock popped free and bobbed in the air. Her hands found it and it was like coming home. She rubbed his swollen head across her nipples as they held each other’s steamy gaze. Dean licked his lips and freed her ponytail, running his hands through her long hair as she took him into her mouth and began sucking. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, hanging onto her hair with both hands, heart swelling in his chest. Evy’s lips slid down his shaft and rose back up over the rim of his rounded head. Just the way he liked it.
“Oh my God,” he groaned, grinding his teeth when she went faster. His breath quickened as his manhood filled with blood. When she abruptly stopped, Dean looked down. Evy turned and bent over the table, staring at him through sultry eyes over her shoulder. With one hand, Dean pulled her panties to the side. With the other, he grabbed his hard-on and rubbed the tip against her wet lips below.
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