by S. Van Horne
“Both?” she repeats, her mouth gaping open.
“That, I can deliver.” I glide my other hand around to the back of her dress, work the zipper down, and give it a light tug seconds before her dress falls, pooling at her ankles.
She’s standing in front of me wearing nothing but a pair of sheer black panties and a matching strapless bra, but it’s the hunger in her eyes, a longing that fuels my need to deliver her the best release she’s ever experienced.
I lick my lips, ready to devour her when she hesitantly brings her hands up, attempting to cover herself. Quickly, I untuck my shirt, pull it over my head then toss it on the floor. “You might feel uncomfortable, but you have nothing to be ashamed of,” I state as I once again reach around her and unclasp her bra. Her eyes meet mine, and with more confidence than she showed a second ago, she allows it to fall to the floor. My mouth waters as I continue to take her in. I grip her hair, tighter than I intend, and tilt her head back before feasting my mouth on hers. Her lips instantly part, allowing me to deepen our connection. My other hand slides down her side then into her panties. I pull my mouth back and our eyes connect before I glide a finger through her folds, finding her soaked.
“Oh, God…Evan.”
My body jolts. I haven’t heard my name moaned with desire in…I shake off my thoughts, thankful Nora didn’t seem to notice my reaction as I lightly rub her hardening clit before I plunge a finger inside, drenching myself in her heat. Her mouth parts, but all she manages to do is moan while I add another finger, sliding in and out.
She grips my shoulders, her fingernails digging into my skin while her body quivers, shakes, and then she comes on a strangled sob, still riding my hand. “That…was…” she says through panted breaths.
“Beautiful,” I add.
Once I know she can stand on her own, I step away, quickly unbuckling my belt, sliding my pants down, and then I grab a condom out of my wallet. “Where’s your bedroom?” I don’t know why, but I have a sudden need to be the first man who marks her in a bed that she’ll likely keep for years. With half-lidded eyes, she points to the door at the end of the hall. Placing the foil wrapper between my teeth, I pick her up, bridal-style, and walk us to her room. I get the door open, only to kick it shut with my foot before I place her down in the middle of the bed.
Wasting no time, I pull my boxer briefs down. Nora’s eyes move straight to my raging erection. She noticeably swallows, but otherwise remains silent while I slide the protection down my swollen cock. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Oh, God. Yes. I need you inside me.”
I kiss a trail up the inside of her leg before I run my tongue over her sex. Her hips buck against my mouth while she gasps in pleasure. I could spend hours memorizing her taste, but my body is already on edge. I bring my face up and look into her eyes. I reach between us and line my dick up to her entrance. Then, with the sound of her name rolling off my tongue, I slide into her body. We both moan at the same time, and I begin to slowly pump in and out, allowing time for her body to adjust to the feel of me before my movements increase.
“Evan…” she urgently whispers, meeting me thrust for thrust.
“Look at me,” I growl, needing the connection I feel when her eyes are locked with mine. Her entire face lights up, glowing with passion, and she starts shuddering around me. Tremors crack through her body before she finally gives in. Once her breathing begins to even, my thrusts become frantic as I chase my own release. A tingle starts at the base of my spine, my balls pull tight, and then one of the strongest orgasms of my life pours from my soul.
Our eyes remain locked, and without thinking, I rest my forehead against hers, memorizing the way she looks, the way she feels. She brings her hand up to the side of my face, almost like she’s also trying to permanently burn this moment into her brain.
Seconds…minutes…hell, I don’t know how long passes before Nora blinks several times and a feeling of vulnerability washes over me like a dangerous wave, threatening to pull me under.
“Tonight was…perfect.” With my head turned away, my vision blurs with the knowledge that her comment is spot on. I painfully close my eyes with the knowledge that her comment hit too close to home. My heart aches, only this time, I’m not sure if I’m grieving a past I can’t change or a future that isn’t possible.
CHAPTER FOUR
NORA
LYING IN MY BED, CURLED into Evan’s side, my life feels unrealistically flawless. In a matter of hours, my childhood dream of finding the perfect man was fulfilled, only my Prince Charming isn’t someone I can keep.
He charges women for sex.
If I thought for a second that I was slightly delusional for settling for Joe, then envisioning a world where Evan and I could work is preposterous. I’m not sure I was even in love with Joe when I caught him red-handed with another woman, but I know I couldn’t sit at home while Evan was out doing God only knows what, or I guess I should say, who. But still, he showed me in only a few hours that settling again isn’t something I’ll ever do. If my real Prince Charming exists, then I’ll wait for him, and if not, I’ll continue living my life, possibly one man at a time.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Evan asks almost hesitantly.
A laugh bubbles from my chest at his question. “Nah. How about you tell me a little about your mom? She seemed…excited tonight.”
He groans. “She didn’t seem excited, she was. That’s because…I haven’t been with anyone since my son’s mother.” He chuckles when I cock an eyebrow in question. “I mean, she hasn’t seen me with anyone.”
“I gathered that. You want to tell me why?” His entire body stiffens. Pretending I didn’t notice, I ask, “What’s going to happen tomorrow when I don’t show up?”
Evan sighs. A deep-rooted sadness sweeps across his face. “Don’t worry about that. I can handle her.”
My chest constricts as whatever pain he’s feeling carries over to me. I wish I had the power to help him, like he’s helped me tonight…but maybe…just maybe, I do. “Thank you. In case I forget to tell you in the morning, thank you. Tonight was…perfect.”
He remains silent, but he gives my shoulder a squeeze. I try my hardest to keep my eyes open—breathing him in, memorizing the way he feels next to me, absorbing the feeling of safety, a sensation I haven’t felt since I was a kid—but long before I’m ready, they close, and I drift to sleep.
When I wake, I’m all alone. After searching my apartment for a note, I come up empty. I know, if Prince Charmings do exist, Evan…or maybe I should say James, isn’t mine.
EVAN
With Aidan in front of me, I walk through my parents’ door holding a carton filled with my mother’s favorite raspberry scones, hoping a peace offering will ensure I don’t have to listen to her complain all night about how I’m wasting my life away.
“Hello, sweetheart. Oh, scones,” Mom says, her eyes lighting up when she spots the box in my hands.
“I figured even if you had something planned for dessert, these wouldn’t go to waste.”
“No, they won’t,” she replies before turning her head toward Aidan. “Your grandfather could use some help. He’s trying to set up one of those hot stick thingies to the back of our television.”
Aidan cocks his head to the side. “A Fire Stick?”
“Yeah, one of those. He’s clueless on how technology works these days. He was hoping you’d know what to do.” Aidan chuckles and walks out of the kitchen, abandoning me…leaving me to answer questions I’m not ready for.
“Mom, I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, darling, Nora is perfect. I can’t tell you how excited I am that you’ve finally taken the next step.”
Guilt for the way I’ve been living my life boils to the surface, leaving me feeling like shit. Bethany certainly wouldn’t be happy with what’s become of me, and that’s a bitter pill to swallow. I snap out of my thoughts when I realize Mom is still talking, and I haven’t heard a thing sh
e’s said.
“…you can definitely tell she’s from the East Coast from that adorable accent of hers. That might fade with time, but I hope not.” Mom places something into the oven, then looks my direction. “She seems happy with Chicago. Don’t you think?”
“You gathered all of that from a sixty second conversation?”
Mom lifts an eyebrow in question, however, before she has the chance to reply, Nora walks around the corner with a glass of wine in her hand and a bright smile on her face. “Aidan is schooling Jeff on how to work the TV. That was probably one of the funniest conversations I’ve ever heard.”
“My husband likes to pretend he knows what he’s talking about, but if it involves the internet, he’s a total crap shoot.”
Both Nora and my mother laugh while I continue to stand here bewildered as to how Nora is not only in my parents’ home, but why my disloyal heart is suddenly beating faster.
“I think he was expecting the TV to blow up in flames when Aidan plugged it in,” Nora adds before her beautiful brown eyes finally lock on mine.
“What…what are you—”
She cuts me off. “I told your mom I couldn’t stay for dinner. I’m expected back at the office, but I was happy to stop by. At least for a little while.”
“If you give me thirty minutes, I’ll make you a to-go plate,” Mom adds, clueless to the warring emotions raging through me.
“You have a great kid. I hope it’s okay, I introduced myself when he came to your dad’s rescue.”
“Yeah, ummm, that’s fine and thank you.” Her compliment wasn’t lost on me. I know Aidan’s a great kid, but after the way we were introduced, I wouldn’t have been shocked to know she passed judgment, at least regarding my parental abilities.
“Why the hell do they call the damn thing a Fire Stick if all it does is plug into the TV?” Dad grumbles as he and Aidan walk into the kitchen.
Standing in the same room with my son and a woman I was paid to have sex with—only hours ago, no less—should feel awkward, yet, it doesn’t. Somehow, completely dumbfounded, I manage to silently stand and listen to the three of them talk to Nora like they’ve known her for years.
Nora and Aidan playfully argue over New York or Chicago style pizza, only to move on to a serious debate over the Cubs versus the Yankees. When their conversation finally trails off, Nora glances at her watch. “Well, I better get going before my boss sends out a search party looking for me.”
“Oh, I hate that you have to work this late on a Sunday evening.”
“Yeah, me too,” Nora replies with a smile that doesn’t come close to reaching her eyes.
“Maybe you could stop by our house some evening when you are off work?” Aidan asks. I miss Nora’s reaction because my head snaps toward my son.
“Maybe. Thank you very much, Mrs. West. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in…well, a long time, and this smells heavenly.”
West. Holy shit…she knows my full name in addition to where my parents live. “I’ll walk you out,” I finally manage to say.
After everyone says goodbye, the two of us step outside. I wait until we’re down the sidewalk to mumble, “What the hell?”
“Your family is great. I shouldn’t…I shouldn’t have invaded your personal life the way I did, but your mom came up to me last night.” When my eyes narrow, she quickly adds, “At the restaurant while you left to get your truck.”
“Fuck me...why wasn’t I on the ball and thinking one step ahead of my nosey mother?”
“I think your mom needed this. She wants to believe in the fairytale. In the idea that her son could be…will be happy. The fact that I’m leaving at seven o’clock on a Sunday night to head back to work is the perfect set up for why we didn’t work out.” She steps a little closer, softly placing a hand on my chest. “Your life is a gift, Evan. It would be a shame if you forgot to live it.” Pushing up on her toes, she brushes a soft, yet quick, kiss against my cheek before she turns around and walks down the sidewalk, holding the plate of food my mother gave her.
Holy…shit, what the hell just happened?
CHAPTER FIVE
NORA
I TOLD MYSELF ALL DAY not to go, but somehow, by the time five o’clock rolled around, I found myself in a cab on my way to Evan’s parents’ house. His mother seemed surprised, yet happy, to see him with someone, and I’m guessing due to how he spends his free time, he doesn’t plan to introduce his parents to anyone anytime soon. I know I don’t owe Evan anything, yet for some reason, I felt the need to repay him for restoring my faith in myself.
Within minutes, I knew his family was…is…perfect. My heart ached, desperate for the same connection in my own life—something, at this point, I doubt I’ll ever have. But everything fell into perspective when I stopped to take in a picture of Evan, a little boy, and a beautiful woman. Thanks to Heather, I learned that Evan isn’t divorced; he’s a grieving widower. He’s surviving his what if, and even over a decade later, he’s yet to figure out how to move on…how to live again. I may not be the greatest example, and I sure as hell don’t know what it’s like to lose the love of my life, but at that moment, my heart stopped aching for myself and what I’m missing in life and I focused on Evan. His wife must have been his one true love, at least, that’s the only reasoning I can come up with why eleven years later, he’s still not ready to move on.
When I arrive home, I immediately sit down and eat the best home-cooked meal I’ve had in years while feeling extremely blessed that I met Evan West. He delivered an experience, a night I’ll never forget, but now, it’s officially time to put Evan where he belongs…in the past.
Four days have passed, and I’ve tried my best not to think about Evan every second of every hour, but that’s an impossible task. By the time Friday night rolls around, I find myself exhausted, both physically and mentally, but the very last thing I expect to find waiting for me when I arrived home is the man in question.
“Hey,” Evan nervously says. “I wasn’t sure what time you normally get home, but I was hoping to catch you.”
Drawing in a breath, I force myself not to react to how quickly my heart is racing. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to tell you that you’re right. I haven’t been living my life. My parents and Aidan have harped on me for years to move on, but it wasn’t until a woman—who’s practically a stranger—noticed the same thing everyone else can see that it really hit home.”
“That’s…good?”
Evan shakes his head and laughs. “The way I see it. I’m going to put one foot in front of the other and see what life has to offer. You’re new to Chicago, and I happen to know this city like the back of my hand, so what do you say?”
My nose scrunches in confusion. “What do I say about what?”
“Let me show you around the city. I’ll get my feet wet again, and you’ll get your very own tour guide out of the deal.”
Our eyes meet, igniting a spark of lust. “I’m not sure…”
“Let’s both make a point to live.” His eyes set with determination as he takes a step closer.
A thousand things bounce around my mind, including the fact that this is a horrible idea, but still I find myself saying, “Okay.”
“Then go change into something comfortable because I’m about to show you why Chicago is known for its pizza.”
EVAN
There was something about the way Nora practically begged me to live my life, seconds before she walked away, never to be seen again, that struck a chord with me.
The day Bethany died, I stopped living—at least for myself. Grief surrendered my control on life. I allowed the fact that it’s my fault she died to consume every second of every day. I’ve been living disconnected from everything and everyone for years, and now, it feels like I’m looking at the world with my eyes wide open. And what better person to explore this new existence with than the only woman who’s pulled even an ounce of real, raw emotions from me in years.
Nora places a slice of deep dish pizza on her plate and turns her nose up. “There’s a place on 125th Street in Harlem that has the best pizza. I used to go there all the time.”
“I’ve never been to New York.” Her eyes widen at my comment.
“Really? New York is…everything,” she says in awe.
“Okay, outside of the obvious, what does New York have that Chicago doesn’t?”
A sudden sadness overshadows her face. “My parents, for starters. New York is…I’ve just always lived there. It’s home.”
“So why did you move?”
“Joe, my ex. He decided I should forgive him, and he’s not one to take no for an answer.”
I unexpectedly ball my hands into fists under the table. “I’m glad you got away from him. No body deserves to have their heart stomped on.”
“Thanks, Evan.” Nora politely cuts a piece of her pizza with a fork then shoves it in her mouth. “Oh, God…this is good.”
“See…you just need to trust me.”
Her eyes widen before she looks down at her plate. “This isn’t anything like New York style pizza. If you ever need a New York City tour guide, then I’m your girl.”
I chuckle, fighting the impulse to reach out and touch her. “That you are…”
CHAPTER SIX
NORA
“WOW,” I SAY, BREATHING IN the warm air while staring up at the Chicago shore line from inside a ferry. “This is an amazing way to experience the city.”
