Paige was engrossed in her show. I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone as my desire morphed into something less pleasant. The thick knot that tied up my stomach built and rolled as it always did when I needed to communicate with my mother. I pressed the phone icon next to her picture and cleared my throat, preparing to tell her the great news.
“Hello?”
“It’s me, Kai.”
“I saw that on my ID. What do you want?”
“A couple of things. How are you?”
“Why did you call me?” Impatience laced her words.
“Yeah. Um. Well, I’m good. Great, actually.” Silence, the incriminating kind. I sucked in a breath. “So, ah, I wanted to let you know I’m getting married. To Evie. And we’re going to adopt Paige, the little girl I told you about.”
“Sue called to tell me she was worried you were going to do something dumb to ruin your life.”
“I’m not ruining my life,” I snapped.
Mom scoffed. “You don’t just get married. Believe me, marriage doesn’t solve problems.”
“What? How can you say that?” I said, anger vibrating through my chest and into my voice. “I’m helping out a little girl.”
“I’m not stupid or senile, Kai Luchia. Of course I remember the picture you sent of that little sweetie. And I’m glad for her, and I’m sure she’ll be a pleasure to meet.”
The unspoken words that I’d never been a pleasure hung between us.
“But you and I both know you don’t love this woman, not when the last time you were out here you were moping about that other girl, so there’s no sense in me showing up for something you’ll regret in less than a year.”
“Congratulations,” Abbi said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She leaned in and kissed my cheek. Stepping back, she beamed. “I can’t believe you two pulled this off in five days.”
I couldn’t either. We’d applied for our marriage certificate without much fanfare on Monday because Evie had to work a double shift on Friday, thanks to Henry’s flakiness. The certificate couldn’t be used for three days, so we’d waited until the following Friday afternoon. Paige stayed with Evie full-time this past week as a kind of test-run so that Sue had some paperwork to hand over to her boss, Paige’s legal representative, and the judge. I hadn’t seen much of either of them in days.
When not working or with Paige, Evie was in the lab, working on her experiments and gathering data. I’d rearranged my schedule to spend a few hours with Paige each day between wedding preparations Abbi and Nessa insisted were necessary. Evie had refused to have our wedding in a church, and I was thankful for that. Not for the reasons she’d probably think—I mean, up until a couple of months ago, marriage not only wasn’t on my radar but it wasn’t something I ever planned to do.
I didn’t want to be wed in a church because the entire big-wedding-blow-out deal gave me the heebie-jeebies.
When Evie insisted our marriage ceremony be held at the justice of the peace, I agreed. Still, I’d seen how much she wanted the wedding on the water. Her eyes filled with longing and her face softened, but when I brought it up again, she’d said she would feel like she was lying if the wedding was anywhere else. Much as I hadn’t liked her reasoning, I hadn’t argued with her.
“I like seeing you happy,” Abbi said.
Was I? I slid my hand up Evie’s neck to the complicated braided bun there. Her hair was soft, so silky and warm. She turned and smiled at me, her lips painted in a pale pink shade that made me want to kiss them. Yeah, I was happy. I was also as horny as a stag in rut. Not very poetical, but, damn! I’d been fantasizing about Evie naked for weeks.
And now she was mine. Possessiveness mellowed into satisfaction. Evie, naked, splayed across the bed . . . yeah, that was going to be one for the highlight reel. As soon as possible. We’d come close last night, but I’d pulled back, telling her we’d waited this long, what was one more night? Part of me couldn’t believe my ability to think by that stage. But since Evie told me the story about her time on the streets, I wanted to make our first time together memorable.
Paige’s small body slammed into my legs, her arms wrapped tight around my knees. She was cute in her white dress with the fairy material at the bottom. What had Evie called it? Tulle or something. It was girly, soft. Sweet.
“You’re married!” she exclaimed.
“I am.” I bent down and scooped her into my arms. For this little girl, I’d do just about anything. Not that hanging out more with Evie was a hardship. And now that her delectable body was mine for the taking, whenever and wherever I wanted, well . . . shit, that was just the cherry on top of my sundae.
“I look pretty,” Paige said, smoothing her skirt. “But Evie looks like a princess.”
Evie looked hot. There was no doubt about that. She had on a pale pink dress that flowed around each of those curves like the silk it was made of. The skirt was tea-length, or so I’d been told. Her gorgeous calves slid into little ankles tucked into strappy white heels I wanted to remove with my teeth. She’d eschewed a veil since we married at the justice of the peace’s office, deciding instead on the white flowers in her hair. They were small and smelled sweet. Like Evie.
We’d had one hell of a wedding even if it was in a small, dingy office in the King County District Courthouse. I was married. And my mother hadn’t been here to see me tie the knot.
“You okay?”
Paige’s little face came into view. Her brows were puckered. She patted my cheeks with her hands.
“Yeah. Of course.”
“You don’t look happy.”
“I’m just sad my mom wasn't here.”
Not that I’d expected her to come after what she’d told me on the phone. Still, part of me—the little boy deep inside who craved her affection, a hug, her telling me she loved me—ached at this newest rejection.
“I wanted her to see how happy you and Evie make me.” And how responsible I was.
“I’m sorry your mommy didn’t come, but Evie’s the best-est. And she said we’re all together now because we want to be, which is the best kind of family to have. Those who want to be with you.”
I kissed the tip of Paige’s nose, which made her scrunch her shoulders and giggle. “Evie’s smart. That’s why I like her so much.”
Paige’s warm brown eyes snapped to mine. The intelligence there sparkled along with depths of grief and pain no four-year-old should endure.
“You mean love her. Right, Kai? You love Evie. That’s why you gots married.”
Damn, the kid was doing her utmost best to sear my soul with her laser vision.
I cleared my throat. “Right. That’s what I meant, squirt.”
Why the hell did everyone have to keep throwing around that word? Evie and I got along great. Our chemistry was hot. Hotter now that she admitted to wanting me back. We’d stick to this whole monogamous thing because the sex was going to be off-the-charts.
Everything would be fine. I’d make sure of it.
Dane clapped me on the shoulder. “You married the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”
Stupid words from a stupid mouth, but I was thankful for the interruption. At least I wouldn’t have to keep up the pretense with Dane. He, like Evie, knew the score.
“That’s my wife you’re talking about, dude.” Wife. The word sent a trill of pleasure lashing up my spine. Who’d have thought, of the three of us, I’d be the first to get hitched?
Clay swaggered to my other side. These guys had done us right; both of them looked dapper as gangsters in their well-tailored suits, courtesy of Clay’s mom. She was a stickler for good fashion. And my boy Clay had a closet full of ties and dress shirts, even cufflinks, to go with all that high-class, high-roller lifestyle he’d grown up in. Good thing he was such a low-key, easygoing dude, otherwise he’d be insufferable.
He tweaked Paige’s nose, making her scrunch her shoulders again as she laughed. She was cuteness personified right there.
“I
’m looking forward to having you hang out for the weekend,” he said to Paige.
“I really get to swim inside?” she asked, eyes rounded with delight.
Clay kept his face just as serious and Paige’s. “You do. And Cassidy’s planning on a girls’ spa night for you, Abbi, Nessa, and my mom. I’ve been kicked out.” He sighed and shook his head. “Good thing Dane’ll be around to watch some ball.”
Dane slapped Clay on the shoulder. “Dude. It’s gonna be almost as much fun as Kai’s weekend here,” he said, his smile sly.
Paige’s head swiveled back to face me. “What are you and Evie going to do? If it’s really fun, I gots to stay with you!”
I glared at Dane over Paige’s golden hair, and he had the intelligence to look chagrined. “We’re going to sleep, squirt. Maybe look at that house I told you and Evie about yesterday. I really liked that one. But we won’t pick anything out until you okay the room. Deal?”
“That’s boring. I’d rather hang out with Abbi and Nessa. I love you, Kai.” Paige leaned in and smacked a big kiss on my cheek.
My heart melted into a puddle somewhere near my toes. This girl. I cuddled her tighter to my chest as I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Love you, too, squirt.”
Evie eased into my side and smiled at Paige, smoothing her hair back from her cheeks. “I hope you have some of that love for me,” she said.
Paige wrapped her arms around Evie’s neck. “Yeppers. I love you, Evie. I’m glad you gets to be my mommy.”
Evie blinked rapidly, her smile tremulous. “Me, too, Paige. Me, too.”
“Well,” Nessa said, sidling up with Abbi. “This is a celebration. So let’s go out and celebrate. To the Luchias!”
“I’m a Mercer-Luchia,” Evie said. “I don’t want to lose my publication credits—”
“The Mercer-Luchias!” the guys and Abbi called.
I shook my head even as I smiled. I bent down and kissed Evie’s laughing lips to more cat calls and hollers.
Marriage was spectacular.
15
Evie
Marriage was terrifying. Worse than my aborted gang initiation. Just like then, my mind whirred with the same thought: What the hell are you doing?
If it weren’t for Abbi, Nessa, and Marilyn, I’d have collapsed from the debilitating terror of thinking I could pull this off. Sure, Kai liked me. A lot. He wanted me. A lot. But he didn’t love me. At all.
That’s why I’d insisted we keep this process simple and straightforward. Part of me regretted not going through with the whole romantic backyard setting. Abbi’s parents’ house overlooked a lake, and I’d always dreamed of a lakeside sunset wedding.
But this wasn’t a real marriage. I had to keep our arrangement in perspective. Because if I forgot, even for a moment, Kai would trample my heart—the heart he already owned and didn’t want.
I was a head-over-heels, starry-eyed fool for thinking my feelings for him wouldn’t get crushed, or worse, turned to bitter resentment over time. But I couldn’t resist Kai’s warm, if wary, eyes or those kiss-me lips. Nor could I find the mental power to resist his logic. We were helping Paige, solidifying her future into a positive, happy one.
Providing Paige with love and stability was the least I could do for the part I played in taking away her parents. But I wished I could be sure I’d survive Kai’s eventual desertion. Because he would leave when he finally found a woman he loved. And I wouldn’t even have the memory of my lakeside sunset wedding to hold on to in the end.
I drained another glass of champagne, wishing it was something stronger.
“Whoa, there, honey pie. That’s a lot stronger than you think.”
“Maybe not strong enough,” I muttered.
Marilyn’s dark brows slid into a grim line across her forehead. “What’s that?”
I set my glass on the table. “Nothing.” I sighed, leaning my head against Marilyn’s rounded shoulder. “It’s just . . . what if this doesn’t work out?”
Marilyn wrapped her arms around me, pulling me tight into her embrace. Besides with Kai, this was the place I was safest. Marilyn wouldn’t let the world hurt me.
“Little late for those thoughts, Evangeline.”
I blinked back the fears and worries that threatened to overwhelm me. “I know,” I choked out. “But this isn’t the first time I’ve had them.”
She rubbed her thumb under my eye. “Then why the rush?”
I wasn’t sure I could explain. I’d wanted to believe Kai wanted to marry me. That he couldn’t wait. And while I’d been desperate to avoid the romantic wedding I’d always dreamed of, I couldn’t quite stop the need to be swept up in the excitement of it all. But now that it was passed, I was scared.
“To get custody of Paige.”
Marilyn crossed her arm over her chest and glared at me. “And?”
I exhaled in a gusty rush. “I love him, Mama M.”
She grasped my chin in her work-roughened hand. “I know you do, baby girl. That’s why I’m supporting your decision even if I don’t agree with all the reasons you two laid out for making it.”
“It’s the right thing to do. For Paige.”
“What about for you, sweetie pie?”
I shrugged. I carried Kai’s ring, a big beautiful one, and would soon have his name. We’d be intimate as of tonight, and maybe, over time, he’d come to love me. At least a little.
“You need some good lovin’ in your life, Evie-girl. Let him give you that. What happens tomorrow . . . Well, you know how fast life changes. In less than a tick, you lost your momma. And with a step of the gas, I nearly lost you. So, you just live in today, loving my little Paige and your man best you can. The rest’ll work itself out.”
Marilyn kissed my forehead. The tenderness in her gesture made my heart ache. I was so thankful for her presence in my life. These last ten years wouldn’t have been anywhere near as rich without her.
“Just remember, love’s a powerful thing. A fixer of old ailments. A liberator of someone trapped by fears and ill-treatments. Keep on loving Paige and Kai. They’ll come ’round a lot faster knowing you’re there to help break the eventual fall.”
“Why do you look sad?” Kai asked.
I shifted my gaze to his, relaxing only when I was sure he hadn’t overheard my conversation with Marilyn. It was one thing to admit my love of him to her. She knew me well enough to have figured out that was the main—only—reason I’d agreed to this crazy plan. But telling Kai . . . right now that seemed more a fools’ errand. Not only wasn’t he ready to hear the words, they’d scare him.
“My fault,” Marilyn said. “I was telling Evie how proud I am of the woman she’s become. Taking on a mothering role at her age, accepting a level of responsibility for not just her own happiness but Paige’s and yours, too. She’s selflessness personified, and you’d darn well better appreciate those sacrifices, Kai Luchia.”
He frowned, shocked, no doubt, by the adamancy of Marilyn’s tone. “Yeah. You know I think Evie’s the greatest.”
“Thinking and showing are two different things, young man.”
“Gotcha.” He still wore the perturbed expression, clearly unsure if she was insulting him.
I took his hand and squeezed his fingers. “Thanks for the party,” I said, trying to break the building tension between Marilyn and Kai.
He dropped his gaze from Marilyn and smiled at me. “Glad I could do something to commemorate the day. You pulled this together so fast.” His eyes trailed up my legs, over my hips, stomach, breasts, and back to my face. “You look amazing,” he said, his voice deepening as his eyes darkened. Carnal interest hung between us, as it often did.
“I’ll go see to the munchkin,” Marilyn said. She bustled off, not waiting for us to respond.
Not that I was sure I could. My nostrils quivered as Kai stepped closer, my senses filled with his scent, his heat, the outline of his muscles through his wool suit.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, his v
oice low. “Even Dane had to admit you’re the most stunning woman he’s ever seen. But it’s more. You’re demure. Pristine. Untouched.”
My blush slammed into my cheeks, leeching down my throat and across my chest. “I’m not sure I like where you’re going with this,” I said.
“It’s true.” His fingertips flitted up my jaw to my hairline. “You blush at the first hint of anything sexual, and it has me more than ready to demonstrate just what you’ve been missing.” Kai leaned in closer, his lips brushing my ear with a tantalizing whisper of sensual promise. “I’m going to show you that. All the ways we can be together. To touch and know each other. I can’t wait to fuck you, Evie.”
In the back of my mind, my tiny self who still believed in fairy tale endings and the love everlasting wept from his words. Fuck me? I wanted him to love me. Love me like I was the only woman he’d ever want again. But the sensual creature he’d awakened over the past few days loved his dirty talk. I squeezed my thighs together, trying to ease the pressure and pleasure building there.
“Are you going to?”
He ran his nose down the column of my neck, chuckling darkly as I shivered against him. “Oh, yeah. I’m going to fuck you soft and then I’m going to fuck you harder than you’ve ever been before.” He kissed the frantic pulse beat just above my collar bone.
“I want you to,” I said. My voice was breathy. Needy as my empty body.
Now, finally at the ripe old age of twenty-six, I understood the fascination with sex. These feelings, the ping of my body, the tautness of my breasts and sensitivity of all my skin . . . my need to be filled, to bow against Kai as I shook with passion . . . this was all-consuming.
Kai turned so that his back was to the rest of the guests. With gentle pressure, he eased me back against the wall of the restaurant. We had a private room for our dinner party. One I was even more thankful for as Kai nipped at the cleavage visible at the top of my dress before he plunged his tongue into the deep valley. His tongue was warm and wet and my nipples slammed into hard points.
Seattle Sound Series, The Collection: Books One to Five Page 112
