by Cara North
Joshua set about straightening the living room. He cut the lights, checked the locks, and headed up the stairs with her gear in tow. He put the suitcase in the chair in the guest bedroom. After that comment, she needed to be separated and put back as a proper guest.
He would not take advantage of her, even if she wanted him to. He couldn’t anyways, not with her bruises still fresh. He’d hurt her. Setting the cell phone on the nightstand he crossed the hall. Evelyn was at the top of the stairs now facing him. Damn, he forgot about the ankle, the only noticeable injury still bothering her. She was tough; he gave her that credit.
“I dropped your gear in the guestroom.” He cleared his throat again. “See you in the morning. Just knock if you need me.”
Evelyn knocked on the wall next to her with a wolfish smile.
“Cute.” Joshua shook his head as he entered his bedroom. His groin leapt at that knock, and she didn’t need any more encouragement. That woman was a killer all right, and he was her primary target. Apparently she was using a new approach, her body, her best weapon.
* * * *
Evelyn couldn’t sleep. She spent the last two hours meditating, pushing the pain out, and calming her mind. A warm feeling crept over her, and Joshua entered her mind. She believed that happened for a reason; maybe he was thinking about her, too.
Joshua wasn’t asleep when he heard the bedroom door across the hall squeak open then a gentle tap on his own door as it opened.
“Joshua,” she whispered.
He was awake, but he didn’t answer her. He wanted to see what she was up to. The door closed, and he thought she may have gone back to her room, but he felt her presence still, and the jasmine smell wafted over him. The bed dipped slightly with her bodyweight. His back was toward her, and his eyes were open. He waited. He started thinking maybe he should have slept with his gun, but that was ridiculous.
Evelyn was quiet and as gentle as she could be; he was sleeping. All she wanted was to sleep, too. The king size bed was big; she could have kept her distance. Instead, she nuzzled into his back, inhaled his scent and closed her eyes. Soap and Joshua, the man was clean, pure. She would lay here for a minute and then go back to her room, to bed.
Within moments her breathing was slow and heavy. She was asleep. Her nose and lips touched his back and set his body on fire. Joshua wasn’t sure he would sleep at all tonight, but he had to try. He needed all his energy to combat this little minx in the morning. Besides, he had calls to make. There were four men to find so far, the four men who had hurt her. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.
* * * *
Joshua awoke with a heavy feeling on his back. He was on his stomach and Evelyn was practically sleeping on him. She made him into her own personal mattress. Her red locks tickled his nose, and he could feel her breath on his neck. The smell of jasmine filled his senses and set his mind on carnal drive.
How did this happen?
Evelyn was still asleep. Her bare breasts pressed into his back, and her left hand extended down his left arm. She practically claimed him in her sleep. She wore panties, thank God. He could feel the cotton on his lower back. She pushed all normal boundaries and wanted control. No way in hell was that happening.
Slowly he lifted up rolling, trying to free himself and turn her to her side. Unfortunately that must have startled her, and she began grabbing at him.
Everywhere.
Evelyn felt like she was falling. Her eyes snapped open, and she didn’t know where she was. She gripped onto something. Focused. Joshua. She smiled, inhaled his scent, then realized she had been sleeping with him, and he wasn’t tied up.
“Easy now.” His morning voice was low and gruff. Evelyn’s hand held his lower abdomen and the tip of his morning wood a little too tight for comfort. He didn’t move, afraid she may close the death grip and not let go.
“Sorry.” She eased her grip and relaxed onto her back on the bed. It wasn’t until now that she realized what she had grabbed on to. Damn. That’s a big boy.
Joshua took a cleansing breath and rolled to face her. She had pulled the sheet over her breasts, but her shoulders were bare. Her hands lay at her sides, and she was smiling, her cheeks blushed. Her hair was in disarray all over the pillows. She looked well rested. If it wasn’t for the bruises that seemed to heal in record time, she would have looked good enough to eat.
“I thought I was falling.” She giggled. In her mind she had to stay cool, play it off, be in charge. In her body she was losing control. How did she fall asleep with him? She wanted to be near him for a moment, yes. He was asleep. That was safe, but then she fell asleep; that was dangerous.
“Giggles, huh?” It was strange how for a woman throwing herself at him earlier, she covered herself now. She must be confused, like he thought. He enjoyed a good romp after a good fight back in the day. Evelyn acted like a man half the time and a woman the rest. “Sneak into a man’s bed and you giggle?”
“I hope you don’t mind. I couldn’t sleep, and you said to let you know...” her voice trailed off as her eyes drifted away from his brilliant green gaze down his nose and onto his lips. His whiskers were longer today, making him look more rugged. Less innocent, less angelic. She made a face at that.
“What?” He saw that face, disappointment maybe?
“Are you going to shave today?” Evelyn’s eyes drifted farther down his neck and over his naked chest. The soft black hair trailed lightly over his chest, down his abs and got thicker as it flowed into the sheet. She made another face. Damn sheet.
“I’m not shaving there if that’s what you’re asking.” He reached over and lifted her chin causing her to look him in the eyes again. She perused his body visually, at will, and made no attempt at discretion. It boggled his mind.
“No, of course not.” Evelyn lifted her hand and pulled her fingers along his jaw, along the rough whiskers. Stay in control, she told herself. “Here.”
“Mmmm. Yeah, I will shave that today. I would have yesterday but, well, you were there.” His hand was now back at the front of his waist. Evelyn was beautiful, even with her bruises, even with her scars, but she needed a friend, a safe place. Sex wasn’t safe. She was an emotional wreck, and he knew that. Her tough image and all her skills didn’t hide that from him.
Evelyn’s hand spread over his jawline. Her thumb lingered close to his lips. She drew in her own bottom lip and softly stroked her thumb across his. Joshua’s eyes closed, and a deep carnal groan escaped him.
“Evelyn,” Joshua’s voice was rich with desire. “I won’t do it.”
“Do what?” Her vision was getting hazy. Watching his face flinch at her touch, his eyes closed, his soft lips beneath her fingers, it was awakening something unexpected, deep and wrought with desire. She wanted desperately to kiss him.
“This.” He let out a deep breath and then pulled his head back, out of her reach.
“You don’t think I’m attractive do you? It’s because of the bruises right?” She crossed her arms and frowned. “You don’t like redheads.”
“No.” Joshua hated to see her frown. He didn’t want to be the reason for it, but he knew she wasn’t ready. And God knows he loved redheads. The minute he saw Grace he got wood, but then Ethan claimed her and he wanted to kick himself for not saying yes when Chase had invited him to North Carolina. Though, he was still getting over Candace at the time.
“Don’t spare my feelings.” Evelyn closed her eyes and frowned.
“No, I mean, it’s not because of the bruises. And, yes, I do think you’re attractive.” He steadied himself, fighting the urge to touch her.
“Then why can’t I touch you?” Evelyn looked at him with hope in her eyes.
“Because I don’t want to hurt you.” Joshua clenched his teeth and focused on her big brown eyes. They were soft, dark, and innocent. How did she get those eyes? Foul temptress that she was.
“Ummm, so he’s a big boy, huh?” Evelyn licked her lips. That was unusual because she knew ther
e was no way she would bring them near his cock. “I think I should judge for myself.”
“No. Yes, damn it, woman, that’s not what I’m talking about.” Joshua laid back and stared at the ceiling. Frustration singed the air in waves.
“Just touching you would hurt. You’re bruised all over. How can you think about sex? Hell, you don’t even know me. What’s my last name?”
“I know a few things. And touch me, please. No one touches me. Your last name, Young, you’re Ethan’s cousin. Grace told me. Ha.” Evelyn turned to her side and was glad it was the good side of her ribcage. Though they felt much better, too much pressure would hurt. She stroked a finger down his chest, the soft hair tickling the tip of it. His morning wood tented the sheet, and her eyes widened. “I said I would touch you.”
“What? You know, I don’t want to know what you’re talking about.” Joshua pushed up and stalked toward the bathroom. He turned to say something else, but she didn’t even look at him. She looked right at his cock. Thank God he wore boxers to bed. “You! Look up here.”
His voice was damn demanding, and she obeyed. He covered himself with one hand and pointed to his eyes with the other.
“I don’t know what kind of men you’re used to, but I ain’t them. My days of fucking women for the hell of it are over, so if you want someone to play with, find someone else. And don’t bring them back here.” Joshua wasn’t sure what her game was, but he didn’t like it and he wasn’t playing.
He was over just having sex to appease the one-eyed monster. Chase was married; Ethan was married. They had kids now. He was the last of them, and he always thought Ethan would have been. Joshua didn’t like being last.
But it was more than that. They were both happy, and he was miserable. Lonely. Sure he could have bedded several women since being here, but he didn’t want to bed them. He wanted a woman to love. This was a new life, and he was a new man.
“You say that like I’m some harlot. I’ll have you know it’s been years.” Evelyn didn’t want to admit that, but the thought of him thinking she was a tramp was mortifying. She didn’t want to play with him; she wanted to touch him, and that was a huge step. Hell, she might not even tie him up to do it. She couldn’t express how much trust she had for him in such a short time. To sleep with him, and not be able to sleep without him was all new ground, very frightening, new territory. “And I don’t let men touch me. I can’t trust them.”
“I’m not them. I’m me. And I’ll tell you right now, you don’t have to worry cause I’m not touching you. Period!” Joshua stalked to the dresser, slipped on shorts, and stalked out of the room.
* * * *
Evelyn lay there and collected her thoughts. This had to be the worst few days of her adult life. First, she gets a lead on her sister, Noel. When she got to the bar in Eastern Kentucky, she found no informant, but instead she ended up jumped by other bounty hunters, in the afternoon no less.
After driving almost twelve hours to North Carolina, she found a man at her safe house, almost got killed by him, and then had a mental breakdown in front of him telling him the biggest secret of her life. After years of celibacy, she decided that this guy, she could trust herself to touch; he might not hurt her. And he rejects her flat out. Her eyes shut tightly. The room felt like it was spinning. Breathe, Evelyn, just breathe.
* * * *
“Don’t let men touch me she says. Touch you, I’ll touch you all right, shake some sense into you,” Joshua mumbled out loud as he started the lawnmower. “Years, years my ass. I know what years feel like. Women!”
Joshua mowed the lawn in record time. His frustration was starting to diminish. He felt good; the physical release felt good. He needed to run, hit the gym. He could not let her back in his bed. Even now the feel of her breasts on his back made him think how soft she could be, how feminine, how fragile. But then she woke up, and her mouth and actions contradicted that lush female body; her job contradicted that body. She should be chasing kids not felons. He knew women cops. They could be strong but also ladylike. Evelyn, she had moments but too few and far between. His mother would die, but he could bring home a saint and she would hate her, too. “Women!”
* * * *
Evelyn stood at the bedroom window and watched him mow the lawn. He pushed the mower fast around the yard, fought with the hammock and that made her laugh. He was definitely not like other men. Unfortunately, she was not like other women. Other women were capable of trust, of intimacy, of love. She felt those emotions in moderate amounts except when it came to Noel. Her sister she loved with every ounce of breath in her body and wouldn’t stop hunting for her until she found her, or the breath gave out.
Her little sister had always been her world, and she knew that if she was still alive, she would have to protect her. Blade was out there; more information had been trickled down lately, and he was beginning to resurface. If he found her, he would kill her, and since his tracks ended in Tennessee, she knew he was looking for her, too.
Evelyn called the voice message center and was disappointed, no news. Her contact had vanished. Maybe she didn’t exist. Only a few job offers but they would have to wait, or go on to someone else. Her reputation had grown over the past three years. Work consumed her. The hunt, the fight, the justice but it was a way to stay safe and keep others safe at the same time.
She had money, enough to leave this life. But not without Noel, not without knowing if she was dead or alive. She tracked her to Tennessee at age nine, and then the trail went dead. No records, nothing. Evelyn went in the military to go to the FBI. Access like that could prove handy, but when they did a background check, her father’s name alone stopped her from getting anywhere. They interviewed her and had a psych profile done up just because of her military record. Apparently, she was following in her old man’s footsteps too closely. The FBI was still searching for him. Once they deemed her as unfit, and not in cahoots with Blade, they let her go.
Joshua pushed to the front yard, and that would only take a short while to run over the small patch of lawn. Evelyn decided to make him breakfast. He had been kind to her, and if she wanted to stay here, she would have to learn to be kind to him and try to stop staring so much. She told Grace she would try to be nice, and she never lied to a friend. Except about the way her mother died. Now Joshua was the only soul not in that room that night, who knew the truth.
Evelyn set out to make something good. Maybe pancakes, or more eggs and bacon. Maybe both, she was hungry, and he’s a big man. Yes, both.
* * * *
Thirty minutes later Joshua entered the kitchen soaked with sweat, no shirt, and he left his shoes at the door like he typically did. He had kicked them off on the back porch. The kitchen smelled like, like it was burnt. Burned toast, burned eggs. He watched Evelyn crack another egg in the skillet. She was furious, picked the skillet up and shook it, cursing words so fast he could barely understand them. She set the skillet down on the burner and put her hands in fists to both sides of her head.
“Scream.” Joshua smiled. The woman had a temper that was for sure.
Evelyn jumped. How did he keep sneaking up on her? Turning to face him she knew she looked a mess. Embarrassment flooded her while his eyes smiled, and that infuriated her.
“Oh wow, maybe I should scream.” Joshua looked at her. She was covered in flour like a paste, mixed with eggs and who knows what else. “What are you doing?”
“Fixing you breakfast!” Evelyn shouted it. Flustered and embarrassed she ran upstairs despite her ankle. “Jerk!”
“Well I’ll be damned.” Joshua turned the burner off and looked at the stove and the counter. The trash was close at hand, and apparently she had attempted to cook several things. It was a mess. Just like her.
Evelyn stood in the shower and cursed herself for trying. She hadn’t cooked anything since she was a teenager living with Stella. The woman did her best to teach Evelyn to be a lady, but Evelyn was sixteen by the time she got her and set in her tomboy ways. Sh
e did learn to cook though, and she tried to use manners, but she hadn’t cooked in a long time, no need to.
Stella was so good to her, pulled her out of foster home after foster home trying to find her a good place to live. Finally she just took Evelyn home with her one day, and that’s where she stayed until joining the Corps. It wasn’t easy being a white girl in a black neighborhood, but Evelyn gained a reputation as a fighter and made friends fast. Stella let everyone know that she was her child.
Stella died two years ago. She was sixty-five years old. They said she had a heart attack from too much weight and bad eating habits combined with too much stress from her job. Evelyn thought it was because she was a big woman with a big heart. It eventually just gave out.
The tears came, and Evelyn tried to tune them out. She tried to think of something else.
Think about Joshua. She smiled at that. Stella would have liked him. Yes, he looked amazing in the kitchen, hot, sweaty, like a real man. His broad shoulders pink from the sun, his face and chest flushed from the work. Her arms wrapped around herself and hugged. A long slow breath exhaled.
For the first time ever she wondered how a man’s arms would feel around her. Not in that brotherly congratulatory way she hugged the few male Marines she worked with, but in the sensual compassionate way she watched them hug their wives.
Evelyn sat on the guest bed with the door open and waited for Joshua to finish his shower. Looking around the bedroom she noticed the pictures. That got her snooping, and snooping came natural, so it calmed her.
In the nightstand were some pictures. Grace looked beautiful, and the little boy with chocolate brown hair and hazel eyes was adorable. The man next to her, Ethan, smiled from ear to ear, happiness, a happy little family. With that thought something panged deep inside her. Evelyn shook it off and picked up the paperback book that was underneath the photos, a romance novel.
Joshua was surprised to see her sitting on the bed reading. He tilted his head trying to make out what it was, but she jumped and stuffed it under the pillow. Landing quickly on her feet she winced.
