Sins from Her Past (Scandalous)

by Jules Bennett

  Evelyn mentally ran through her closet, already nixing several things. She wanted to appear professional, yet still young and fun. She wasn’t into the Hoochie Mama club clothes, even though—unfortunately—halter tops and mini skirts were made in her size.

  But Vin was used to flawless, shapeless women on his arm, not women who had real curves and muffin tops. Perhaps she should hire a model to go in her place?

  “Then I better get going,” she told him. “Should I meet you at the airport?”

  “No. I’ll pick you up Monday morning. Seven too early?”

  Um…yeah, considering she stayed up until nearly two in the morning working on her private designs, but she wouldn’t tell him that.

  “Perfect,” she lied with a smile. “I’ll see you then.”

  He leaned in, kissed her cheek and shot her the double-dimple grin. “Can’t wait.”

  With boxes stacked all throughout each room of her new seaside cottage, Evelyn sighed. Might as well just pick a box and dig right in. They all needed her attention, so it didn’t matter where she started.

  Her front door opened suddenly, jerking her attention from the large stacks.

  “Anyone home?”

  Evelyn smiled. “In the living room, Dylan.”

  Her brother stepped through the wide opening off the foyer and cringed. “Good Lord, you’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  She blew her long side bangs from her face. “Aren’t you just the positive attitude I needed. Thanks for stopping by.”

  “Just being honest,” he laughed and moved over to one of her boxes. He removed the lid and started pulling out pictures. “Where do these go?”

  She rested her hand on top of a box and raised a brow. “Did you really stop by to help?”

  “I want to see you and I know you have a lot of work to do, so…yeah.”

  “You have an ulterior motive.”

  Holding a black-and-white picture in a thick black frame, he nodded. “I want you to come see the house with me.”

  Evelyn had been waiting for that. She’d been in town not even twenty-four hours, but she knew that would be one of the first things Dylan wanted from her.

  “I can’t, Dylan.”

  “Damn it, Evie. I know losing Mom and Dad was hard—it was hell for me, too. But don’t let the scars from your past keep you away.”

  If only he knew about her scars he wouldn’t pressure her.

  “I promise I’ll see it.” As soon as she was stronger. “Just give me some time. Is that fair?”

  He gripped the frame, his eyes searching hers. “That’s all I can ask. It needs so much work, Evie. It sat empty for so long.”

  Evelyn couldn’t even imagine her old Victorian home being anything less than stunning. Her mother had always prided herself on the flower boxes and beds, and her father had always made sure the porches were clean and painted, the siding without a chip and the lawn perfectly manicured.

  “Is it hard for you to be back?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I didn’t realize how hard it would be. I think the fact that it’s run-down right now is what got to me. But I’m looking forward to getting into it and really making it mine.”

  Evelyn nodded and popped the lid off her box and tossed it to the floor. “I’m really glad you bought it back. I guess I’m just all mixed up about going back. I know once I get over the initial shock I’ll be fine.”

  Going back to her childhood home was just another step in moving back. And like everything else, she had to take baby steps to get to that giant leap beyond her past.

  “You ready to work for Vin?”

  Evelyn froze. “How did you know already? I just agreed to it this morning.”

  Dylan shrugged, setting the picture down in the chaise. “I ran by there before I came over here. He’s pretty excited to have you working on his new resort.”

  “Yeah, well, I just hope he’s happy with my results.” Evelyn waded her way through the white, fluffy packaging and pulled out a small accent lamp. “He’s wanted a resort on Maui for years and I’d hate to clash with him over this. I have an image, but I’m sure he does too.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Dylan assured her. “He’s so damn picky, if he had doubts about you, he wouldn’t have asked.”

  That made her feel somewhat better, but still it was hard to work closely with people you were related to or were such good friends with. And she and Vin would be working much closer than they had when she’d been with Marshall’s Design Group. This time she’d be traveling and doing more one-on-one working than ever.

  And while the idea thrilled her, she was also scared. Scared both professionally and personally.

  This was her first big job on her own. She had confidence in herself or she wouldn’t have taken such a drastic career step. Not only was her first big job with Vincent Hawk, world-renowned hotelier, but he was also her brother’s best friend and a good friend to her…a friend whom she’d just so happened to have a slight crush on as a teen. Those adolescent feelings had only grown as the years had passed. Only, she knew she couldn’t act on her feelings. Ever.

  She was a hot mess.

  “You okay?”

  She glanced back at Dylan, who had stepped closer to her, and was now frowning.

  “Oh yeah,” she answered with a smile. “Just lost in thought.”

  Dylan returned her grin and reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders to pull her against his chest. “I’m glad you’re back, little sister. I’ve missed you.”

  Evelyn’s eyes burned at his familiar embrace. “I’m glad to be back too, Dyl.”

  And she was. She just wished all her demons hadn’t been waiting for her upon her return.

  Chapter Two

  They’d reached cruising altitude when Vincent came to his feet and moved toward the back of the jet. He needed to stay busy, stay focused on the task at hand, especially now that he had a traveling companion. No one knew about his fear of flying. Silly for a man of his stature, but there it was. An idiotic secret he kept to himself. He did have an image to uphold.

  Evelyn, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to stop staring out the window. She’d already commented on his “flying mansion”. He’d watched as she’d taken her seat after boarding and run her perfectly manicured fingertips along the cherry finish and smooth leather seats.

  And every stroke of her fingertips had him growing harder and harder by the minute.

  If Dylan had any clue as to the willpower Vin had had all through the years regarding Evelyn, he wouldn’t have asked him to work so closely with her. If she’d stayed in Pebble Cove, he would’ve made a move a long time ago.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  Damn. He’d been caught staring, but whatever. It wasn’t like they’d never flirted. Since they’d met years ago, if they weren’t innocently flirting, they were arguing. Evelyn was such a fun opponent to battle with. He couldn’t imagine how they’d tackle a bedroom. God, he wanted to find out. Wanted to know how she acted, reacted to a lover’s touch. To his touch. Wanted to know if that’s the one place she let her guard down. But wants didn’t always turn into reality.

  “Everything,” he told her, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge. He held one up with a lift of his brow, but Evelyn shook her head.

  “How about you?” He took a seat directly across from her and twisted the lid off his water. “What thoughts are swirling around in your mind?”

  “I’m always amazed at the amount of work you’ve accomplished at such a young age. I mean, I’m not that much younger and I’m just now getting my business going.” She sighed. “I can’t believe you don’t want to share your life with a special woman.”

  Interesting how she kept bringing up women in his life. Was she hinting that she wanted to cross the friend barrier? They had weeks of alone time together. Eventually they would circle around to more personal, intimate topics.

  “My determination stems from my childhood. I want to have a family
one day and not let my kids go hungry as I did more times than I could count. As for a lasting relationship, at first I was too busy working to make that first bit of money multiply. After that, well, I didn’t believe any woman was interested in me for the right reasons. I’m perfectly fine with being alone for now. I won’t settle until I find the one.” He grinned, hoping to see her radiant smile in return. “Besides, I’ve had plenty of companionship.”

  Evelyn smiled; a faint pinkness stained her cheeks. “I’m still amazed and impressed—you own a multimillion dollar empire, have been featured in Forbes and Fortune 500 magazines and voted one of People’s Sexiest Men. Twice.”

  “I’m ambitious and driven.”

  “And oh so humble,” she joked.

  “Money is just a part of me,” he defended. “It’s no big deal.”

  She laughed. “Obviously, or you wouldn’t still own that old Chevy truck, circa nineteen seventy. Which is ironic considering you own your own jet.”

  “Keeps me rooted to my past,” he defended with a shrug. “At any point in time I could be back there again.”

  Evelyn crossed her legs, forcing his eyes to follow her movements. Did she have any idea that her poised, polished looks did nothing to hide the sex appeal she radiated? He’d never seen her look anything less than flawless. Even at seven this morning when he’d picked her up, she’d come out of her small cottage wearing a floral scarf tied over her hair, large deep-red sunglasses, black capris, a white, silky shirt and simple red sandals. Always polished, always sexy.

  And for the past few years, always on his mind and unattainable because there was a slight edge of ice that surrounded her. He just couldn’t put his finger on why. But now that she was moving back and working for him, he’d hopefully be able to uncover more of her layers.

  Miss Evelyn Banks may be a bit private, but he’d been close enough to see her playful, humorous side. He’d also gone toe to toe with her on everything from sports to politics…especially politics.

  After her parents were killed, Dylan headed off to college and Evelyn went to live with her guardian, Rick Carter, who, a year later, was elected as a state senator. Rick was the father of their other best friend Alan. So politics had been a part of her life from when she was little and her parents and Alan’s parents spent so much time together. Between Alan, Dylan and Evelyn, he didn’t stand a chance at winning an argument when they were all together.

  But he loved hearing her side of the argument, even if he disagreed. She never backed down, always stood her ground. He admired Evie for being passionate, even if some of her views were different from his.

  Evelyn was also a woman who was used to men doing any and every pitiful thing to gain a moment of her time, a glimpse of her smile. He’d seen it often and was shocked at how closed off she became when men approached her. Finally, he’d met his match and he loved facing challenges head-on.

  Working with Evelyn might be a favor to Dylan, but damn if he wasn’t going to have fun doing it.

  “Is that all that makes the man?” she questioned, drawing him back. “Business and the next investment?”

  “Trying to get into my head again, Evelyn?” This could get interesting. “If there’s something you want to know, just ask. Though I doubt there’s much else for you to find out about me.”

  She leveled her gaze, a trait that most women didn’t possess, but one he knew she’d acquired from her older brother. “I need to know how to make my business really launch. Not that I want all the financial success and responsibility you have, but I figure I could learn something. What drives you?”

  He shrugged, her compliment warming him more than he wanted to let on. Sometimes he wondered if he’d be as interested in her if she didn’t pose so much of a challenge, but he knew there was no way in hell he’d ever turn away from all those amazing curves. No man could deny she was a walking wet dream.

  “Right now this resort drives me,” he told her, pushing aside his fantasy. “Dreams push me forward every day until they become my reality, then I pursue the next.”

  A flicker of understanding, as if she had her own dreams, flashed through her dark brown eyes. So, Miss Banks had secrets. Interesting. He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d share them with him. Pillow talk, perhaps?

  Yes, he fully admitted that he hadn’t wanted to get involved on a deeper level with most women, but the more time he spent with Evelyn, the more he wanted to be around her. She’d always been different, special. And the only woman who wore deadly curves that could bring him to his knees.

  As she glanced back out the window, Vincent kept his eyes on her face. The way she worried her bottom lip with her teeth, her eyes cast downward, a subtle sigh, he knew she had a great deal on her mind.

  “Thinking about work?”

  Evelyn smiled, turning those exotic eyes back his way. “Always.”

  “Let’s not work.”

  He didn’t know what made him say that, but suddenly he wanted her to know that just because they were working together didn’t mean they weren’t still friends first. And maybe more later.

  But Vin also knew he needed to be cautious. While he messed around with other women, he didn’t want Evelyn to be just another woman. If anything happened, he wanted it to be mutual. He knew she wasn’t a fling type of girl, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to get closer to her on a deeper level than friendship. He was older and had enough experience to know she was attracted to him, but something held her back.

  He didn’t get where he was in life without taking chances, and Evie was most certainly worth taking a chance on. The only worry he had was what he would encounter once she let him in…if she let him in.

  To his knowledge, she hadn’t had a serious relationship…ever. He couldn’t help but wonder why. What kept her so guarded with her feelings? If she didn’t do flings and she didn’t do long term, what did she do?

  “We’re on a work trip, Vincent.”

  “We’re friends, Evie.” His gaze held hers as he kept his voice low, his meaning clear. “The plane hasn’t landed yet.”

  The tip of her pink tongue moistened her lips. “Tell me about your tastes.”

  He eased deeper into his wide leather chair, crossed an ankle over his knee and pushed his phobia of flying to the back of his mind. “Sexy, sophisticated, flawless.”

  “Are we talking about your resort or your women?”

  With a wide smile, he held her gaze and said, “Both.”

  Oh mercy.

  Was the man purposely toying with her? She would not be a cliché and fall for her boss. Technically they were friends first, but right now he was her boss.

  “How about if we turn the tables and discuss the woman behind the new design business?”

  She laughed. “Okay, Vincent, I’ll let you dig deeper into my professional life for a bit.” But not too deep.

  The water bottle popped as he squeezed it a bit too hard, so he settled it into the cup holder and screwed the cap back on. “What can you offer me?”

  Tremors raced, one after the other, through her body. She knew he meant business but, mercy, his words had a whole other meaning. Almost sexual and for the first time, she wanted to explore that underlying passion, but that damn fear kept her from doing so. Still, she was thankful and almost relieved at these normal feelings of desire.

  Evelyn ran a finger over the stones of her single-strand diamond bracelet. “I have an eye for details and am a perfectionist. I take the work off my clients so they can relax and enjoy the process.”

  “From working with you and the team at Marshall’s I can see how much you love your work.”

  “Every minute.”

  “That’s what will set you apart from the rest.” His eyes held hers, his tone softened. “When you love something it comes through without any effort.”

  Smile frozen in place, Evelyn eyed him with a tilt of her head. “Don’t tell me you love your work. Money clouds the vision.”

  “There you g
o assuming you know the business side of me,” he corrected. He glanced out the side window, then quickly back at her. “Yes, money is nice, but I love what I do just as much as you do. I wouldn’t be in this business if I didn’t. You know how hard I work. Money is a side benefit of doing something I love.”

  “Didn’t mean to lump you into the category of rich snobs,” she told him, batting her lashes.

  “Oh please. You love knocking me down a peg.” He laughed. “Seriously, I won’t let the money change me.”

  “It hasn’t,” she assured him, taking in his faded jeans and black, fitted T-shirt. “I promise to smack you back to reality if it does.”

  “I’m afraid you’d like smacking me a little too much,” he told her.

  Yes, he owned a jet and two homes, but the man was generous with his time and money and constantly donated to children’s charities and women’s shelters. While he never bragged or boasted about it, Evelyn had witnessed firsthand the people whose lives he’d touched with his generosity. And he didn’t just donate money—often he donated his time.

  “Dylan seemed excited we were working together,” she told him. “But he’s a little bummed I just got home and left again.”

  “We won’t be gone long.”

  Vin gripped the arm of the seat as the plane hit an air pocket. He held his breath for a moment, then blew it out as he focused on her.

  “You okay?” she asked. She’d never seen him act so…scared almost. What was up with that? “You seem a bit shaky.”

  “I’m fine.” He gripped his bottle in the cup holder, cracking the plastic. “I tried calling him, but he was busy. I guess with fixing up your old house he’s got his hands full.”

  “I just hope he doesn’t regret staying there during the process.”

  Vin shrugged. “The memories will be there no matter when he goes back. Don’t worry about him.”

  “The memories of our parents will certainly be the hardest,” she told him. “But there’re also the memories of Corinne. There’s so much heartache in that house, Vin. I just hope he doesn’t regret purchasing it.”