I slipped off the counter and began to shimmy out of my jeans, but Sawyer beat me to it. He tugged them downward and had them at my ankles in a flash. Lifting me back up, he placed me on the counter and pulled the stiff denim from my ankles to toss aside. I cupped his ass and pressed him firmly against me while we continued in our labored kisses. My breathing hitched the moment his hand came between us, and he slipped one finger against the silky fabric of my panties.
The beginnings of something great built in my lower stomach. It swelled to new proportions the moment one of Sawyer’s fingers slipped behind the fabric of my panties and entered me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
SAWYER
Having Eva spend the night nearly every night for the past week had been amazing. Even though we had only been together for almost four and a half weeks, I’d already gotten to the point where I wanted to wake up with her beside me every morning. I wasn’t thinking about marriage, or even long term in any way yet. I just enjoyed the feeling of waking up to someone I cared for more than I thought I would.
That was the truth; I cared for Eva more than I thought I would at this point.
Kissing her goodbye in the morning as she sipped her coffee and I downed a bottle of water seemed natural. One hundred percent. Taking my morning shower with her added into the equation, and us turning it into a morning quickie was spectacular. Kissing her as we stood in the parking lot ready to climb inside our separate vehicles and begin our day seemed right.
I wanted this girl in my life forever.
I decided after work I would drive to the little kitchen appliance shop, and buy her a Christmas gift that said I wanted more repeats of this morning—a coffee machine.
After purchasing the perfect one and tossing it into the passenger seat of my car, I headed home to change. Tonight was the Christmas party with Eva and her friends. Slightly nervous didn’t even begin to describe how I felt about this thing. Even though I’d already met Cameron and Paige at the mall, I still had yet to meet the rest of her gang—Lauren, Ian, Blaire, and Jason. While I figured it was safe to assume there was no way Eva would associate with some serious losers or assholes, the thought still didn’t ease my nerves as much as I would have liked.
When I pulled up in front of my apartment building, my cell went off. Fishing it out of my slacks, I glanced at the screen before putting it to my ear, and noticed Eva’s name.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked.
“Just wanted to make sure you remembered about the party tonight.” Her voice floated though the receiver and jumpstarted my heart. I loved hearing her voice.
“Nope, I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be there in—” I glanced at the clock in my dashboard and did a double take. It was nearly five thirty. We were supposed to be at the party at six. Had I really spent so much time in that kitchen store picking her out the perfect coffee machine? “Like twenty minutes.”
“All right, be careful.” She hung up before I could utter another word.
I dashed from my car, up the stairs, and straight to my room. There was no time for a shower; I needed to change out of this suit, and bolt out the door. Pronto.
* * * *
I pulled up to Eva’s apartment complex five minutes later than planned. This irked me. I hated nothing more than being late for something or somewhere. It made my legs feel restless, and my stomach churn. Cutting my engine off, I climbed out, slammed my door shut, and bolted up the stairs to her place. She answered the door before I even had time to knock.
“Hey, you’re late.” She smiled a wicked smile, which made me think she was enjoying the situation a little too much.
I kissed her. “Looks like you’re enjoying this fact.”
“It’s just the first time you’ve been late to anything that I’ve seen.” She pulled away to look me directly in the eyes. “Just lets me know you’re human.”
She picked up the presents we’d wrapped together and balanced them in her arms as she attempted to gather her purse and keys as well. I took the presents from her and drew my brows together.
“As opposed to?”
“Being too perfect to be considered human.” She moved to close the door of her apartment and then locked it.
I shook my head at her comment. “Nobody is perfect, least of all me.”
I shifted the presents to one arm and laced my fingers through hers as we started down the stairs toward my car. It was already dark at six o’clock, and the temperature had begun to dip into the low thirties the second the sun went down. I wasn’t a big fan of winter, but I did enjoy the quiet of it. Everything always seemed so calm and serene, frozen almost, waiting on the warmth of summer to come back and wake it.
When Eva slipped into the passenger seat, I realized that in my mad dash to pick her up on time I’d forgotten to drag the Christmas present I’d bought for her inside. I shoved her gift into the floorboard behind my seat and situated the presents I held on the backseat. I waited for her to ask what I was trying to hide. She never did though. Instead, she buckled up and proceeded to give me directions to Jason and Blaire’s house in Coldcreek, where the party was being held.
At about 6:45, we pulled up in front of a house nestled right onto the edge of the lake. Bright blue icicle lights had been draped across the front gutters, and standard white had been wrapped around the banisters of the stairs and along the large porch. It looked nice, but it didn’t calm the nervous jitters in my stomach.
I knew Eva didn’t have a family she wanted to introduce me to. Sometime last week, when we were heavily discussing our typical Christmas plans, she had let the cat out of the bag about her mother and how she never knew her father, then proceeded to fill me in on some of the horrendous foster homes she’d been forced to stay in until she was sent to another. This group of friends was the closest thing to a family she’d ever had, and that was why it meant so much to me that these people liked me.
I grabbed the presents I’d set in the backseat, and we made our way to the front door. A woman with dark brown hair opened it before Eva’s knuckles met the freshly painted surface.
“Hey! I’m so glad you guys could come!” she said.
I assumed this must be Blaire. Her blue eyes locked with mine, and I got the distinct impression she was taking in every aspect of me, right down to the depths of my soul. Her lips twisted into a slow smile of approval, and she shifted to glance at Eva.
“Come on in.” She motioned for us to step past her. The second she closed the door behind us, her hand touched my elbow. “I’m Blaire by the way.”
There was no foyer. The front door opened up into the living room, which was where everyone sat, staring at us as we entered. I spotted a small tree standing about four feet tall along the farthest wall directly in front of a window. It was draped in the same blue and white lights as the ones hung out front, and had been adorned with silver, red, and icy blue ornaments.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Sawyer.” I smiled. “Where should I set these? Are they going beneath the tree?”
“Yeah.” Blaire went to Eva’s side, locked arms with her, and whispered something into her ear that made Eva blush and release a small, raspy chuckle.
Making my way across the room, I smiled at Paige and Cameron on my way to the tree. “Hey, how are you guys doing?”
“Good,” Paige answered first. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“You too,” I insisted.
“Grab you a spiced rum and breathe. You look nervous as shit.” Cameron grinned like a Cheshire cat.
Bold and arrogant, I’d nearly forgotten how he came off. I assumed he was one of those people you either hated or loved. There was no in between with someone like him. Thankfully, I could tolerate people of that nature without an issue. It was a Keeton trait.
“Shut up, Cam,” Eva scolded him from across the room, where she stood with Blaire still.
“Spiced rum? That sounds like it would hit the spot right about now,” I admitted.
Even
though I wasn’t normally a drinker—I wasn’t lying—a little something sounded damn good right now. Rum would be just what I needed to loosen up a bit. I wasn’t someone who generally felt out of sorts when meeting new people. In fact, I was always the exact opposite, but for whatever reason, that didn’t seem to matter in this situation. What these people thought about me—the people closest to Eva—mattered, because she did. Eva mattered so damn much to me already, and I truly wanted these people to like me because of it.
“I’m Lauren, and this is my guy, Ian,” the girl with the highlighted blond hair said. She was perched on the end of the sofa arm with a big smile plastered on her face. “You’re just as good-looking as I thought you would be.”
“Really? Did those words seriously need to come out of your mouth?” Ian muttered in a teasing tone as he stared at her with an arched brow.
“Babe, don’t worry. You’re all the man I can handle. Promise. But remember, I have a boyfriend. I’m not blind,” Lauren said without any hint of embarrassment.
No wonder Eva fit in so well with these people. They all had kickass personalities. So far, each of them seemed far from being sticks in the mud or shady. I liked them already. My muscles relaxed as I set the presents we’d brought under the tree beside the others.
“Sawyer, was it?” someone asked from a distance away.
“Yeah,” I answered when I stood from placing the gifts beneath the tree. My eyes scanned the room for a new face, because the voice I’d heard hadn’t sounded familiar.
A guy with dark hair and a genuine smile stood at the threshold between the living room and kitchen. He held up a glass tumbler similar to the one Cameron was holding. An amber liquid sloshed around inside it, and his ice clinked against the side as he continued to shake it at me.
“Can I get you one?” he asked.
Walking through the living room toward him, I nodded. “Sure, I’ll take one.”
My eyes found Eva as I walked. She had sat in a chair and was talking. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she laughed at something someone said. All I could think about was how beautiful she was.
“I’m Jason, by the way, Blaire’s fiancé,” the guy introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you.” I held my hand out to him for a shake. “Sawyer.”
“Yeah, I gathered that much already.” He grinned while shaking my hand. “You want it strong?” He picked up an oversized bottle of spiced rum, and began to pour into a glass already sitting on the counter with ice in it.
“Wow, you guys opted for the gallon size, huh?”
Jason laughed. “Yeah, we’re celebrating. It’s the holiday season. My girl and I are finally getting married soon, and you and Eva are together.”
His last words hit me in a different sort of way—you and Eva are together. The way he’d said the words would make a bystander think he and I had been friends for years.
“Pepsi?” Jason asked, nodding to the rum he’d just poured for me.
I took the two liter from him, and added in a splash. “Well, thanks for letting me come to your celebration tonight.”
“Eva would have had it no other way. From what Blaire tells me, she’s crazy about you, man.” He took a sip of his drink, and eyed me.
I chewed the inside of my cheek, but it wasn’t enough to keep the grin off my face.
“And from that expression right there, I can tell the feeling is mutual.” Jason pointed his index finger at me, and smiled.
“It is,” I admitted to the guy I’d only known for all of five minutes. What the hell was wrong with me?
Christmas music blasted from somewhere in the other room. The sounds of one of the girls shouting out the lyrics to Jingle Bells along with the singer came next. It was early still, but everyone seemed to be buzzed already.
“Come on. This thing is just getting started.” Jason nodded in the direction of the living room. “You two are more than welcome to stay the night here, just so you know. If you really wanna throw down, there’s plenty of space for everyone to sleep.”
“Thanks for the offer. I’ll see what Eva wants to do later,” I said, making my way to her side.
Eva took my drink from me, and downed a small sip. “Ready for some fun?”
“Sure, what do you have in mind?”
She didn’t have time to answer before her friend Lauren shouted, “Christmas Tree!” while brandishing a deck of cards from nowhere. She slapped them down on the coffee table, and flashed everyone a wicked smile.
“Who’s ready to play a drinking Christmas game?” she asked.
Eva reached for my hand, and laced her fingers through mine. A wicked gleam swirled in her ocean-colored eyes. “I asked you if you were ready for some fun. Wanna play?”
The sexy look on her face was almost one of a challenge. There was no way I could turn this down. “Absolutely.”
Each of us gathered around the table, and watched as Lauren shuffled the cards while she danced in her seat to the music. She laid the cards on the table in the shape of a Christmas tree once she was finished shuffling, and then explained the rules of the game.
“If you flip a red card, you drink the number of sips, shots, or whatever on the card. If you flip a black card, you have to give that number of drinks out to people.” Her eyes trained around to each of us as she spoke. “If you flip a ten, red or black, it’s the waterfall card. You have to drink first, and then it continues around the room until each of us has taken a drink. The Jacks are the never have I cards—you have to name something you’ve never done, and whoever has done it drinks. Queens are the question master cards. If you flip one, you become the question person and anyone you ask a question has to drink. You keep this title until someone else flips a queen and takes it. If you draw an ace, then you have to make a rule for us all, and if we break it, we drink. Last, but certainly not least, are the kings. If you flip a king, you have to down your entire drink right there, baby!”
This game sounded like something Wes would freaking love. I’d have to remember it so I could pass it along.
“Sounds like we’re all about to get shitfaced.” Cameron laughed. “Thank you, Lauren.”
She nodded. “My pleasure. Why don’t you go first?”
“I would love to.” Cameron flashed her a cocky smile, and reached out for the top card on the tree. A big fat red nine stared back at him.
“That’s nine drinks, Mr. Green.” Lauren smiled wickedly, and winked at him. “Thanks for starting us out right.”
“Down the hatch,” he said. He tipped his tumbler back, and started taking large swigs, coming up and toasting his glass after each as Lauren counted them out loud for him.
“Next.” Lauren pointed to Paige once Cameron was finished. “And it will continue that way.”
This meant I would be going next.
Paige reached out, and flipped one of the two beneath the top card Cameron had. A jack was what came up.
“That was the never have I ever card,” Lauren reminded her. “Let’s hear something you’ve never done, and make it a good one, please.”
My eyes flicked to Paige. Her cheeks were tinted pink, and her eyebrows had drawn together in thought.
“Never have I ever…kissed a girl,” she said. Her brown eyes trailed around the room. “I wanna get the guys smashed first.” She grinned.
Since I’d most definitely done this before, I put my drink to my lips, and took a swig. All of the guys took one as well, along with Lauren.
“What? No way!” Ian shouted. “Pause the game, I’ve gotta hear this story. Why didn’t I know this?”
Lauren puckered her lips together in what seemed like an effort to keep a smile off her face. “It was in high school. I was curious about what it would feel like, so my best friend and I tried it out.” She shrugged, as if it were no big deal.
“Interesting,” Ian muttered with a goofy smile. “I think we’ll have to delve back into this with more detail later on.”
“You’re up,” Ev
a reminded me.
Walking to the table, I flipped over the card beside Paige’s and was glad to see something simple pop up—a ten of spades.
“Waterfall!” Lauren shouted. “Everyone drink, starting with you, Soldier Boy.”
Shaking my head, I smirked at her as I put my glass to my lips again. The waterfall continued in Eva’s direction, and traveled around the room.
“I was right. We’re all getting smashed tonight!” Cameron shouted. “Thank you, Blaire and Jason, for inviting us all to stay the damn night, because after this little game, I don’t foresee any of us being able to walk, much less drive.”
We all agreed with him as Eva walked up to take her turn. She flipped over a black two, and then eyed everyone down while we waited for her to decide whom she was giving the drinks to.
“You and you,” she said, pointing to Cameron and Lauren. “Because you two are the funniest when you’re shitty. Merry Christmas.” She winked.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
EVA
Never being one to sleep well after a night of drinking, I was up around six the next morning, roaming around Blaire’s kitchen. Coffee sounded good, but I wasn’t sure how to work their fancy machine, so I settled for a glass of orange juice instead. Lauren always swore drinking a glass of orange juice the morning after heavy drinking helped to ease a hangover.
I was determined to test this theory.
Standing at the back door, looking out at the foggy lake, I thought about last night. We’d made it only a quarter of the way through the deck of cards during Lauren’s Christmas tree game before everyone was smashed and ready to open up gifts. The theme for this year had been things we would use. It had been a secret Santa sort of thing, but we’d all bought something for everyone and one major thing for the person we’d drawn. Blaire had drawn my name, and gotten me a purple knitted scarf. It was soft and warm. I loved it.
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