by J. L. Drake
Her smile slipped. “I’ll pass. I don’t think that’s a good idea, considering…” she plucked at the edge of the sheet, “well, everything. I don’t want her to get invested in something that’s not permanent. It doesn’t seem right, especially with your dad so sick.”
A pang of unease constricted my throat. I didn’t have a fucking clue how we were going to make this work. “You’re probably right.” I blew out a sigh laced with more than a little regret. “I’m going to take a quick shower. You should go back to sleep.”
Evie curled her arms around her torso, making her dancer’s frame look small and delicate. “Okay,” she said, her voice soft and uncertain.
Although my gut clenched and I wanted to take back my words, I didn’t. I couldn’t. I had no clue what to say. I retreated to the bathroom, closing the door behind me, putting up a physical barrier to match the emotional one that never seemed to disappear between us.
A bright light flickered on the bathroom counter, reflecting off the mirror that ran the length of the far wall. I glanced at Evie’s phone, and a text from her ex-fiancé lit up the screen. I knew I shouldn’t read it. I should trust her, but I couldn’t stop myself. I needed to know what he wanted, especially if I didn’t want to hear it secondhand from Nico or that piece of shit Carlo.
I swiped her screen and pulled up her recent texts. She really needed to put a passcode on her phone; however, I wouldn’t lobby her to do that any time in the near future.
Kevin: We weren’t done talking. Why you’d leave today without letting me explain?
Evie: We don’t have anything else to talk about. Stop contacting me. I don’t want to work things out.
Kevin: Because of Carmela’s brother. You can’t trust him.
Evie: It’s none of your business.
Kevin: Are you dating him?
Evie: I already told you we’re friends. He’s helping me out. That’s all you need to know.
Kevin: He’s going to ruin your life. You need to get away from him.
Evie: You lost the right to tell me what to do when I caught you fucking your so-called protégé.
Kevin: I know I screwed up, but please let me explain what happened with Ana. I owe you that. We both deserve closure.
Evie: Fine. What time?
Kevin: Be at my studio at noon. We’ll have lunch.
I sucked in a deep breath, anger simmering inside me, black dots spotting my vision. I couldn’t think straight. I’d let her run around the city for weeks unaccompanied. I gave her freedom. I gave her my trust on a fucking platter, and she repaid me by sneaking around with her ex. Then she crawled in my bed at night like nothing happened. Like she didn’t owe me anything. Like I didn’t have a right to know she’d been talking to that asshole again.
I stormed out the bathroom, flinging open the door with enough force that it banged against the doorstop with loud bang.
“What the fuck is this?” I held up her phone, flashing the screen toward her.
She scrambled out of the bed, her eyes wide, her ponytail seesawing. She held her hands up in surrender, slinking backward until she collided with the wall. “It’s not a big deal. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. You don’t have any right to be mad.”
“Are you saying I should be happy that you go running when your ex snaps his fingers?”
She toyed the hem of her emerald green nightie. “I can explain.”
I stalked closer to her, my hand squeezing tighter and tighter around her phone with every step. “Then start talking.”
Evie lowered her lashes. She looked so prim, so innocent and easily broken, my heart tripped inside my chest.
“He’s been hounding me to talk to him for more than a week, and I keep ignoring him. He was waiting for me when I came out of the dance studio today.”
“You could’ve kept walking. You don’t owe him a damn thing. He cheated on you, not the other way around.”
“I know, but he held up that juice I like so much, and I didn’t want to be mean to him.”
“He got you bottle of juice. A fucking bottle of juice and you invite him back into your life like nothing happened?” I slammed my hands against the wall next to her head, caging her between my arms. The screen of her phone cracked, and I tossed it on top of the bed. “Are you going to pack your bags and move back in with him now that he’s no longer fucking that woman? This was a fun detour, but now you’re ready to hop beds again. You don’t like to waste time do you?”
Evie blinked and crystal-like tears squeezed from the corners of her eyes. Regret swelled inside my chest, but the distrust and adrenaline surging through me prevented me from backing down. I wouldn’t tolerate being played by her or anyone else.
“How do you know he’s not with her anymore?” she whispered, her dark eyes like pools of ink.
I leaned my hips into hers, and like someone had flipped a switch, I burned for her. It pissed me off as much as it excited me. “It’s my job to know!” I yelled.
Sighing, she wiped her hand down the side of her face. “Look, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to hear his side of the story. But I swear, that’s it. I don’t have any intention of getting back together with him. Ever. I won’t get caught up in his bullshit lies again. I’ve closed the door on that part of my life.”
“Then why the games?”
She licked her lips, drawing every ounce of my attention to her perfect cupid’s bow. I bit back a groan. Her lips were stunning. Not too full to overshadow the delicate symmetry of her face, yet plump enough that they gave me all kinds of lewd ideas. They reminded me of that pink saltwater taffy shit I couldn’t get enough of as a kid.
She curled her hand around the front of my shirt like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to push me away or pull me closer. “I don’t know what you mean by games.”
I ran my nose along her swan-like neck, breathing her in, searing her jasmine scent into my soul. “You told him we were friends.” I grazed the shell of her ear with my teeth. “Friends. Friends who fuck. Friends who share a bed every night. Friends passing time until somebody better comes along. Is that what you think we are? Is that it?”
“No.” She raised her chin. “Actually, you know what? I don’t have any clue what we are. You’ve never bothered to explain anything. As a matter of fact, you’ve flat out refused to discuss what any of this means on more than one occasion. Should I take a leap of faith and assume I’m more than I’m a convenient fuck? Because from where I’m standing, you haven’t given me any indication that I mean anything to you.”
“Convenient?” I laughed darkly. “There’s nothing about you that’s convenient. If my only goal was blowing off steam, I’d have plenty of options at the club who don’t come with a million and one complications. And you can bet your sweet ass they wouldn’t be best friends with my sister.”
“Then tell me what this is, Gian, because I’m tired of pretending. I need to know if you feel anything. I can’t keep doing this when I feel so…”
My shoulders tensed. Her unfinished thought hung in the air, creating a noxious cocktail of expectation and apprehension. When it was evident she didn’t intend to continue, I decided to show her rather than tell her what I felt. Words held too much power, and I didn’t think either one of us was ready to chisel our feelings in stone. We had too many hurdles to get over first.
I cupped her face, drowning in the familiar pull of her chocolate eyes. “I know. I know.”
Dropping my hands to her waist, I claimed her mouth. Her breath caught, and her back arched. I loved the way she melted into me every damn time I touched her. It was exhilarating. Intoxicating. Addictive.
A yelp tumbled from her mouth when I lifted her up in the air, cradling her in my arms. Her fingers clawed at my shoulders, clinging to me as I set her on the top of the dresser.
I unknotted my tie and yanked on one end, the sound cutting through the air like a knife. The silky material dangled from my calloused fingertips.
“Do you trust me?”
She stared at me, her eyes simmering with lust and a hundred unspoken emotions. Uneven breaths puffed from her mouth, and my attention dropped to her breasts, searching and finding her pebbled nipples beneath her flimsy nightie.
Fucking beautiful.
“Yes.”
I wrapped the tie around her eyes, knotting it at the back of her head. Her body coiled like a spring and a giant stream of air whooshed out of her lungs.
“What are you doing?” she rasped, her chin angling to the side, and her pink-tipped fingers clutching the square edge of the dresser.
“Shh.” One of my hands wound around her slim neck, not applying any pressure. I just wanted to establish I was in control and I would protect her. I pressed a finger to her lips. “Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I slid one strap of her nightie down her shoulder then the other. The silky material pooled around her waist, exposing her tight rose-colored buds. I cupped them in my hands, strumming my thumbs over the sensitive tips.
“I can’t.”
I dragged her panties down her mile-long legs, the petal-soft hush of lace against skin ringing my ears. Nothing had ever sounded so damn arousing.
“You can.”
I kissed and caressed every inch of her skin, and the tension gradually unfurled from her limbs. She bit her lower lip, and a ragged moan escaped her, and just like that, I knew I had her. She wouldn’t object. My fingers dipped between her legs, smearing her wetness around her clit, bringing her to the brink, again and again.
“Please, Gian.”
Her body arched like a pagan sacrifice. Her chest rose and fell in harmonized spurts. Her sunset-colored locks danced along her collarbone. Her pink lips were parted, and I couldn’t hold back for another second.
Groaning, I shoved my boxer briefs down my hips, and dragged the head of my cock through her folds. She pawed at me, kissing my face, my chest, my neck, and any body part within striking distance.
With one hard thrust of my hips, I shoved inside her. She was warm, wet, and perfect for me. I stalled momentarily to commit the feeling to memory, and her head drooped like it was too much work to keep it aloft. The tail of my tie drifted over her shoulder, dangling like a pendulum of a grandfather clock.
I pulled her forehead flush against mine, rocking against her. The urgency inside my chest swelled, crawling up my throat. I needed to be deeper, claiming everything she’d give me and more.
My heart thundered as I moved faster and harder inside of her like this moment was all we’d ever have. Like someone could snatch her away any second and I’d be left with nothing except regrets and memories.
Every time I thrust, she arched her pelvis to meet me. The dresser pounded against the drywall.
My lungs strained, my thighs burned, and sweat trickled down my back.
Little whimpers and mewls hummed low in her throat, and I leaned forward confiscating them with my mouth, not wanting any part of her to go unsampled. Pleasure built inside of me, hijacking my body and my thoughts.
Her mouth parted, her thighs trembled, and she clenched around me so tight I thought I’d found heaven.
Our actions choreographed, our heartbeats synchronized, and her body bowed and shuddered against mine. When the last twinge of pleasure rippled through her, Evie dropped her head to my shoulder, and I let go. Silence punctuated by our quickened breaths filled the air.
After a few beats, I removed the blindfold from her eyes, still deep inside of her. Her eyes fluttered, blinking away the darkness, and adjusting to the weak lighting of the room. Her hair was tangled, her eyes were glazed, her lips were bee-stung. I’d never seen anyone look more beautiful in my life. Possessiveness coiled around me like a snake, and I struggled to suck in a breath.
“You’re mine. Not your ex’s or any other man’s. Do you understand?” I choked out, too many emotions to name swelling inside of me.
She trailed her fingers down my chest. “And that makes you mine.”
I didn’t object, because it was true. She owned me. “You’re not meeting your ex tomorrow.”
“I know. I’ll text him tomorr—”
“It’s no longer your concern.” I scraped the hair away from her face so I could absorb every detail. “I’ll talk to him.”
Her breath hitched.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re not going to hurt him or…?”
“Or what?”
“Do what guys like you do when you want someone to disappear.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Guys like me?”
“I know that you’re involved—”
I covered her mouth. “Don’t say it, Evie. The less you know for sure, the better.”
She nodded, and I dropped my hand.
“Answer one question.”
I groaned. “What do you want to know?”
“Why did you choose this life?”
Shit. I didn’t want to go there with Evie. “Honestly, I’ve never given it much thought. It’s in my blood. My dad, my uncle, my grandfather. No one escapes it, and honestly, I didn’t want to.”
Her brows pinched together, and twin lines dented the skin over the bridge of her nose. “Why not?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Try.”
Groaning inwardly, I scrambled for and explanation an outsider would understand. “When I was a kid, my dad’s power mesmerized me. He could double or triple park his car, and nobody would do anything. People gave our family shit for free. We were treated like royalty everywhere we went. I didn’t see the ugly side until much later, and by then, it was too late. Once you’re in, you’re in for life. Death is the only way out.”
She opened her mouth, and I pressed a finger to her lips. “That’s all you need to know. Okay?”
“Okay.” She swallowed. “So what are you going to do to Kevin?”
“I’m going to talk to him until he understands my point of view.”
“That’s it?”
“Sweetheart, you don’t need to worry about it. He’s not going to disappear.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
Evangeline
Ring.
I flipped over my phone, and a thread of panic wove through my gut. It was my mom, and other than Kevin, she was the last person I wanted to talk to right now. I’d successfully avoided her since I moved in with Gian, but she wouldn’t let it continue much longer.
Ring.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Well, thank God, I was beginning to think you were dead.”
I slumped against the kitchen counter, the sharp edge digging into my lower back. “Not dead, just busy.”
“So how are things going?”
“Good. Good.” I traced the rim of my coffee mug. “I started dancing again.”
“Really? How is your ankle holding up?”
I glanced out the window above the kitchen sink. The sun had started to come up, and it was an impressive mixture of reds and oranges competing for attention with the crowded skyline. Sometimes I missed the sunrises and sunsets of my hometown. They stretched as far as I could see, uninterrupted by buildings and smog. They were swirls of color, dancing above the swaying cornfields.
I swiped a hand down the side of my face. “It hasn’t been bothering me much at all. During the first couple of minutes of my routine, it feels a little tight, but other than that, it’s good as new, and my physical therapist released me from rehab yesterday. I guess taking the year off wasn’t such a bad thing after all.”
Gian padded into the kitchen, sidling up next me and opening an upper cabinet for a mug. My mom’s words blurred together, and all I could see and hear was him.
A lopsided grin spilt his face when he caught me staring at him. “Who are you talking to?”
I cupped my hand over the lower half of my phone. “My mom.”
He lifted the carafe and poured coffee into his mug. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”
&nbs
p; I shrugged. “A little of both, but I couldn’t avoid her forever, or she might hop on a plane and come looking for me.”
His hands framed the sides of my face, and he studied me carefully. “You look stressed.”
“I haven’t told her I moved in with you.” I swallowed. “She thinks I’m living with Carmela.”
“Ah.” He kissed the top of my head. “You don’t have to say anything.”
My mom’s shrill voice echoed through the phone, drawing my attention back to her.
“Evangeline, are you listening to me? Did you hear a word of what I said?”
I pulled my hand away from the speaker and grabbed my cup of coffee off the counter. “No. Sorry. The reception sucks here.”
She blew out a breath that conveyed her frustration better than words ever could. “I said your dad contacted me yesterday.”
“What?” My heart lurched into my throat, and the mug slipped from my hands, exploding on the hardwood.
I stared at the blue shards mixed with liquid on the floor for several breaths. I didn’t know how to respond. He had disappeared from our life so long ago, I barely thought about him anymore. He seemed more like a myth than a real person.
“I talked to your dad,” she repeated.
“He called you? Why? I don’t get it. He hasn’t bothered with any of us in over a decade.” She didn’t answer me. “Hello, Mom? Are you still there?”
“He calls now and then. Not regularly, but he hasn’t disappeared.”
I lifted my head, and my eyes met Gian’s. His brows were scrunched together, and his mouth was pressed into a tight line. “Are you okay?” he mouthed.
I nodded, and he crouched down to pick up the broken shards of ceramic.
“Why didn’t you tell me you still talked to him?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. It didn’t seem important.”
Anger and frustration bubbled inside my chest. “What the fuck, Mom? That makes no sense. Of course, it’s important. He’s my dad. What are you hiding?”
