Wrapping her legs around Zach’s waist, Eva drew him inside her as he sank into her wet pussy with one stroke. Pulling back, he pushed the tip of his cock slowly inside of her, watching as her flesh parted for his entrance. He felt her nails biting into his hips, pulling him closer.
Eva’s breathing quickened, her body stiffening. Suddenly, she screamed and convulsed in another orgasm. Zach groaned harshly, pumped in and out a few more times, and then came, filling the latex rubber deep inside her and collapsing on her damp, shivering body. After a moment, his head lifted, and brown eyes glittered down into her pale-blue ones. She shivered as a tight sob passed her lips.
“I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?” asked Zach.
“No,” she cried. “I’m just so happy. I can still feel your mouth on my breasts.”
Zach grinned, rolled her to her side, and backed her up against him, his hand curled around her breast. “Darlin’, you were fantastic.” He lowered his voice. “I’m in love with you, Eva. I want us to always be together.”
Her eyes widened as Tony moved close and settled against her front, his hand curling around her other breast. “Eva, this has been the best experience of my life. I don’t wanna lose you.” He raised his gaze to Zach. “I don’t wanna lose either of you.”
“Nobody’s losing anybody. We need to get some sleep now. Tomorrow’s a work day.” Zach leaned over and kissed her lightly then snuggled down in the bed.
* * * *
Tony felt Eva’s breath on his neck as they cuddled. The even breathing of Eva and Zach told him they’d both fallen asleep. He thought back to the moment when Zach had kissed his lips. So, why didn’t it send me screaming from the room?
Chapter 9
“Are you sure about this?” Tony asked.
Eva narrowed her eyes at Tony and put her hands on her hips. “Don’t you trust me?”
Zach slapped Tony on the back. “Of course we do, darlin’. We’re just worried because you’re not used to our way of doing things.”
She glanced warily at the stove. “Don’t you worry about me. I’ll do just fine with your woodless stove. I promise you’re gonna love my fried chicken.”
Tony laid a hand on her arm. “I took the chicken from the freezer and put it in the sink to unthaw.”
She walked over and stared at the frozen lump. “What is that?”
Tony laughed. “It’s a package of skinless chicken breasts.”
One of her hands came up to splay against her breastbone while the other poked at the frosty package. “You mean to say you can buy just part of the chicken and they package it all up for you nice and neat?”
Zach barked out a laugh and then covered his mouth with his hand.
Tony glared at him and then turned his attention to Eva. “That’s right. You can buy packages of just legs, or thighs, even whole chickens.” He shrugged. “I only like the white meat, so I always buy the breasts.”
She frowned. “You don’t have to pluck it or bleed it or nothing?”
He grinned. “Nope, just let it thaw out and cook it.”
“Wow! I’m surprised Mama never talked about missing this.” She thought for a moment and then laughed. “Although she always did make Papa Beau do the slaughtering.”
Tony laughed and pulled her close for a quick kiss. “Girl, you are too much. We gotta go.”
“Wait,” Zach said. “I’ve got a present for you.” He pulled something small and brown from his pocket. “Eva, I picked this up for you on my way home last night.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a phone, honey. I’ll feel better about you staying here alone if I know you can reach us.”
She walked over to look closer. “How does it work?”
He held it up and showed her how to bring up the list of contacts. There were two names listed. “If you wanna talk to either of us, just touch our name, and it will call us automatically. You just hold it up to your ear and wait until you hear our voice.”
“What if you wanna talk to me?” she asked.
He pushed another button, and the screen changed. “If the phone rings, you just touch this picture of a phone and then hold it to your ear and you’ll hear one of us talking. When you’re done, just press this red bar, and it resets the phone for the next call.”
Tony walked over to stand beside Eva. “Let her hear the ringtone so she knows what to listen for.”
“Good idea.” Zach pressed a few buttons, and a musical tone filtered through the room.”
“Land sakes, is that the phone?”
Zach laughed. “Yeah, that’s it. If you hear that noise, then just press the picture of the phone and put it to your ear like this.” He demonstrated and then handed it over to Eva.
“Put it in your pocket so you’ll have it near all the time.” Tony walked toward the door and then turned around and came back.
She patted the sides of her shorts and then slid the slim phone inside one of her pockets.
Tony leaned down for a quick kiss and then backed up to allow Zach to get a turn.
Zach ran his hand over Eva’s hair. “You be careful today, darlin’, and stay near the house.”
Tony groaned. “Yeah, don’t go wandering off without us. Have a good day, and we’ll see you sometime after five.”
“Okay, off with both of you. I’ve got things to do.” She followed the men to the door and watched them walk to Tony’s truck. “Hey, why are the two of you riding together?”
“I asked Tony to give me a ride today. The engine light came on in my truck last night, and I don’t wanna risk driving it today. I’m gonna call and arrange for my mechanic to come and take a look at it this weekend. I’ll drive home my agency vehicle tonight.”
Tony looked back. “Be sure and lock the doors while we’re gone.”
Eva smiled and waved, then watched as they drove away. She started to go back inside when movement across the street caught her attention. Several doors down, a man stood in the road watching her. It was too far to see him in detail, but he was definitely staring at Tony’s house. He looked tall and lanky with dark hair. He just stood there, still as could be, watching her. Eva shivered and hurried back inside, locking the door behind her.
* * * *
“Let me get this straight.” Tony kept his eyes on the road. “You’re telling me that, because of the paperwork you found at the courthouse, you think that eventually Eva will return to her own time.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I can even pinpoint it to say she’ll return to the year 1900 because that’s the year her birth gets recorded in official records. If she left in 1899, there would be no reason for anyone in her family to record her birth a year later. It has to mean she goes back and does it herself.”
Tony shook his head. “I don’t know what to say, Zach. What do you want me to say?”
“Nothing. I just wanted you to know what I found out.” He paused and glanced out the window.
“What’s wrong?”
Zach hesitated a moment and then looked at Tony. “I’m gonna keep a close eye on her because if it’s at all possible, I’m going back with her.”
Tony’s mouth dropped open as the truck swerved on the road. “Are you crazy? How do you expect to travel back in time?”
“Hell, I don’t know. I don’t even know how she got here, but I’m damn sure gonna do everything I can to stay with her. I’m in love with her, Tony. I feel deep down that we’re meant to be together.”
“Where does that leave me?” asked Tony.
“I hope it leaves you with us. Are you in love with Eva?”
Tony gripped the steering wheel tighter and focused on the road. “I don’t know. I feel something, something very real, but I’m not sure it’s love. Hell, I’ve never been in love before, so I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like. I know that I feel happy when I’m with her, and I’m beginning to find more and more reason to believe her crazy story. Is that love?”
Zach chuckled. “It’
s close enough for me. Do you think you could be happy in a relationship with both of us, a permanent relationship?”
Tony swallowed hard and glanced briefly at Zach. “Yeah, I can picture us all together.”
“Then you’d better start thinking about whether you’re willing to pick up roots and go back to the past with us, because there’s no way to know how long fate will leave her here.”
Tony concentrated on the road for a minute. “Why can’t you find out if we do go back with her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if the lady at the courthouse found her birth record by locating her death certificate, then maybe you should look for our names. If we go back in time with her, there’s bound to be a record of our deaths.”
“Shit, that’s a damn good idea. Although it’d be kind of creepy to know the date you’re gonna die.”
Tony shrugged. “It’d be a way to know for sure that we’re destined to travel with her. Hell, just ask them to see if there are any records, but don’t look at them.”
“Okay, I’ll get in touch with Ms. Martin at the courthouse and see what she can find.”
* * * *
Climbing the steps to the porch, Laura glanced around. “It’s about time they left the little princess alone. I didn’t think I’d ever get a chance to talk to her.” She knocked loudly on the door and waited. After a minute she knocked again and then stepped back when she heard the click of the lock released. A second later the door slowly opened.
Laura forced a big smile to her face and stared at the disheveled woman. “Hello, Eva. Do you remember me? We met at the mall.”
Eva ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it away from her face, and nodded. “Sure, I remember you. Your name’s Laura, right?”
“That’s right.”
“What do you want? Tony and Zach have gone to work.” Eva jumped when a loud buzzer sounded from inside. “Tarnation, that’s the third time the dang thing’s gone off.” She pointed toward the living room. “Wait there.”
Laura chuckled and watched as Eva dashed toward the kitchen. “Guess you’re no Martha Stewart if that smoke alarm is any indication.” Quickly, she glanced around the living room. “Come on, little lady. Where’s your purse?” She scanned the tables and then spotted a gold locket on the coffee table. “Well, now, what have we here?” She dug a couple of Kleenex out of her purse and picked up the necklace. “I know this doesn’t belong to the men, so I’m pretty sure it’s got to belong to the little princess.” When the alarm suddenly stopped, she stuffed the necklace in her purse and quickly moved to the sliding doors to look out over the backyard.
Laura turned when Eva walked into the room, wringing a dish towel in her hands. “Is everything okay?”
Eva blushed. “Yeah, I just haven’t quite got the hang of that stove. It gets hotter than I want, and then things get too done. Tony’s got that contraption on the wall that bellows like a donkey stuck in the mud every time it feels a whiff of smoke.”
Laura choked back a laugh and studied the smaller woman. Her shorts were a tad long, ending almost at her knees, while the T-shirt, bearing a large smiling face, seemed to be covered in flour and some unknown substance. It was so domestic she wanted to scream.
“I’m sorry. You don’t wanna hear about my kitchen troubles. What is it I can do for you?”
“Nothing, really. I was just stopping by to see how you’re getting along. Tony mentioned that you’re visiting, so I just wanted to be neighborly.”
Eva narrowed her eyes. “Tony told you about me visiting?”
Laura moved to the couch and sat down, leaning back with her arm stretched along the upholstery. “Of course he did.” She lowered her eyes and stared up through her lashes. “He and I are very close. I’m sure you understand.”
Eva bit her lip and glanced toward the stairs. For a moment she said nothing, and then she nodded. “Yes, I understand.”
“Where are you from, Eva?”
She stared down at her hands. “Here and there. Nowhere in particular.”
Laura frowned. “Where’d you grow up?”
Eva swallowed. “Round these parts, more or less.”
Frustrated, Laura leaned forward. “Well, maybe you can answer this. How long do you plan on staying here?”
Eva moved to the chair and sat down. “I don’t have any definite plans. I guess I hadn’t thought it through, yet.”
“Well, if you plan on sticking around, you really need to look into finding your own place. You don’t wanna put Tony out for too long. He does have other obligations.” Laura stood and moved toward the door. “Honey, don’t look so sad. A man like Tony has needs, and he and I have been close friends for a very long time.” She pulled open the door and glanced back at the white-faced woman. “You think over what I’ve said, dear, and if you need any help finding someplace to live, just let me know, and I’ll help any way I can.”
Eva walked to the door. “Thank you for your, um, kindness, ma’am.” Laura turned to go down the steps and stopped when Eva put a hand on her arm. “Do you know who that man is?”
Laura turned to look in the direction Eva pointed and saw an older man, dressed in Western wear, with a Stetson on his head, standing at the side of the road. He seemed to be watching the house. When she stepped forward to get a better look, he jumped into a blue truck parked a few feet away and drove off. “No, I didn’t recognize him, and I couldn’t see the license plate on the truck. Why, has he been bothering you?”
Eva wrung her hands. “I saw him this morning when the guys left for work. He makes me nervous, the way he stares at the house.”
Laura frowned and looked down the street. “Well, keep your doors locked, and I’ll see if I can get the police to run a few extra patrols through the neighborhood for the next few days.”
Eva smiled. “Thanks so much. I’m sure it’s probably nothing, but I’d feel a whole lot safer if someone was watching out for him.”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” She went down two steps and then stopped and turned back around. “It might embarrass Tony if he knew we’d talked about him, so if you don’t mind, can we keep this between us? I don’t wanna cause him any stress.”
Eva worried her lip with her teeth. “Sure, I don’t wanna cause him no trouble.”
Laura grinned. “Then I’ll be off. You have yourself a good day, Eva, and be careful with that stove.” She climbed into her car and watched Eva go back into the house and close the door. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and dialed a number. On the second ring someone answered.
“Ely Police Department.”
“Karen, this is Officer Kennedy. Connect me with Bishop down in Evidence.” She only had to listen to their country music background for a minute before the line was picked up.
“Bishop.”
“Danny, it’s Laura.”
“What can I do for you, pretty lady?”
She laughed. “Always the smart-ass. I need a favor.”
“I’ll do whatever I can, especially if you agree to have dinner with me one night.”
Laura grimaced. “Sure, that’d be great.”
“What’s the favor?”
“I’ve picked up a bit of evidence that I want fingerprinted and the prints run both locally and nationally.”
“Yeah, so, that’s my job. What’s the catch?”
“I don’t want any paperwork on it. It’s not an official case, yet, but I wanna see where the trail leads.”
“You think you’re onto something?”
“Maybe. I won’t know for sure until you see what you can find.”
“What’s the piece you want fingerprinted?”
“It’s a woman’s gold locket.”
“Okay, no problem with printing it, but you’ll have to give me at least a day.”
“Why’s that?”
“The chief opened up our services to the surrounding areas since their budget doesn’t allow for in-house testing, so I’m a littl
e backed up. And the documented cases will have to come before a freebie.”
“Okay, I understand.”
“Does this mean I have to wait to schedule our dinner?”
She laughed. “No, you don’t have to wait. How about this Saturday?”
“Perfect. I’ll pick you up around seven if that’s okay.”
“Fine, I’ll run by now and drop off the necklace and then see you Saturday.”
“I’ll be watching for you, and, Laura?”
“Yes.”
“Plan on dressing up nice for me.”
* * * *
Tony unlocked the door, walked in, and tossed his keys on the table. The radio was playing loudly, and he could smell the faint odor of smoke. He was moving toward the kitchen when he caught movement at the corner of his eye. He turned and stopped, staring at Eva’s rear end moving seductively back and forth in front of the couch. He blinked twice and then adjusted his filling cock in his suddenly too-tight pants. He cleared his throat. “Eva, what in the world are you doing?”
She jumped, hitting her head on the bottom of the couch. “Dang it!”
He hurried over and pulled her to her feet as she rubbed the back of her head. “Honey, what were you doing down there?”
She looked up at him, her eyes shiny with moisture. One lone tear escaped to trail haphazardly down her cheek. He caught it with his thumb, rubbing it into her skin.
“I’m looking for my locket. I can’t find it, and I know I laid it here after I showed it to you last night.” She blushed and looked away. “It was still here when you carried me upstairs, but now it’s gone.”
“Well, it can’t have gone far. I mean, we’re the only ones that have been here, so I’m sure we’ll find it. Maybe Zach took it upstairs for you.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve gone all over the bedrooms, and it’s not there.” She glanced down at the table. “I was sure I saw it lying here when we came down for breakfast this morning, but I didn’t pick it up because I figured I could get it later.”
Forever Eva [Sequel to When Kat's Away] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 13
