Evan's Addiction (33 page)

     I grasped her nape gently and tugged her closer. I‘d wanted her to
give me something of herself besides the witty banter, but I didn’t expect how
much it would gut me to hear it. “I won’t hurt you, Shaw.”

     “You’re already hurting me.” She whispered.

    
What
!? “How?”

     She slumped somewhat in my embrace. “Just by being you. By making
me want you. You make me insane; make me wish and hope, and that only leads to
pain.”

     Her words were spoken softly but they had the force of a shout.
All I wanted to do was cuddle her close and reassure her that everything would
be okay.

     I wrapped an arm around her waist. “It doesn’t always have to lead
to pain. You’ve had some bad luck but don’t you think it has to change at some
point. You may not believe me, but we’re both in the same boat, Shaw.”

     She frowned. “In what way?”

     Hugging her rigid frame to mine, chest to aching groin, I stared
down into her upturned, confused face, and noticed that her green eyes had
flecks of gold and blue in them. It was like a rainbow prism in those orbs.
They really were the most amazing hue I’d ever seen.

     “When you wouldn’t speak to me for weeks after our night together
I was a bear to everyone. Everyone who knows me will tell you that I don’t
normally get bent out of shape about shit, but I’m experiencing new feelings
with you, and wadding in different waters than I’m accustomed to. You’re scared
and I get that, but my emotions aren’t all that steady either and that’s really
fucking intimidating.”

     She stared at me with a frown but her eyes were less wild. For a
while there she’d looked like she was about to crawl out of her skin. It really
brought home to me how terrified she was of taking this leap with me, of being
let down yet another time in her life.

     “Shaw, I need you to do something for me.” 

     “What?” Her gaze was cautious.

     “I need you to give us a
genuine
chance.”

     She scowled. “What do you mean by that?”

     “I mean, it was like you were looking for an argument, or a wedge
to put between us, because you jumped on that comment I made about women like a
predator hunting prey.” Her brow arched at my simile. “My past, your past,
biases…you have to try and let them go if we’re going to work at this thing
between us.”

     I truly did want to find out what Shaw and I could have together,
and I couldn’t do it by myself. She needed to take those forward steps with me,
not sabotage the road ahead with booby-traps.

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

SHAW

     I didn’t want to admit Evan was right…even if he was.

     I
had
jumped on his remark about women like a cougar with a
fresh kill, or a younger man giving her the eye—Depending on what cougar we
were simile’ing about here—Either way I’d been looking to disrupt the night.

     He’d thrown me with the flowers. No one had ever given me flowers
before. And they’d been really pretty, fragrant,
expensive
flowers. Then
he’d said all those nice things, helped me with my sweater, was taking me to a
fancy restaurant…I wasn’t accustomed to being treated like this. It seemed like
someone was playing a joke on me. His remark had given me the excuse to fling
accusations and halt this date that was just an ‘accident waiting to happen’.

     Shockingly, instead of fleeing back to my apartment like I’d
wanted I’d exposed my fears…and weaknesses…which revolved around him. God, how
embarrassing.

     However, Evan’s exceedingly, if annoying, rational response had
reassured me a little, and his confession at being out of his element had me
wanting to believe him. The clinch he had me in was melting the rest of my
resistance. Every time he got his arms around me half my brain shut off.

     I attempted to fumble through an apology. “Uhmmm…I may have…run my
mouth…”

     Evan’s grasp tightened around me, cutting off my stammering. “You
don’t need to explain, Shaw. I just want to know if we’re doing this together
or if I’m doing it alone?”

     Thank god I didn’t have to finish that.

     “Together?” That was slightly easier to get out.

     The smile that spread across his face had my stomach tripping and
as his hips, and hardness, pressed into my stomach it set off contractions in
my womb. “Well, I have some bad news. We missed our six o’clock dinner
reservations, but I can see if they can get us in at six forty-five?”

     My nerves were already strung tight and the thought of sitting in
an uptight, expensive restaurant trying to make chit-chat sounded exhausting.
“Would you mind if we ordered in tonight?”

     His penetrating gaze almost had me shifting nervously. “That
actually sounds way better.” He agreed, continuing to smile at me and looking
not at all irritated that I’d messed up the evening. Shifting us so that we
were sided to side, his arm latched on to my waist as he led me back up the
stairs. “What to you feel like; Chinese, Thai, pizza, or I could go out and bring
something back?”

     I was surprised by his unperturbed attitude and willingness to run
out and get something for us to eat. I’d thought he’d be more put out. Working
for Dan McKay, in that type of cut throat business, you would think he’d be
more annoyed at having his plans derailed.

     Pulling out my apartment key I went to unlock the door and heard
the door open behind me…and knew what was coming.

     “Hey there again.” Charity’s annoyingly high voice chirped.

     Well that wasn’t precisely what I was expecting. Was Charity one
of Evan’s past women? Uhgg! How the hell was I supposed to let go of his past
if it was living right across the hall from me?

     Spinning around I glared at both of them and found Evan eyeing
Charity with a frown while she gazed at him like her next meal. She was wearing
her normal corner prostitute outfit of short skirt, boob exposing shirt, high
heeled shoes, and her blond hair was loose and wavy down her back. I was
dressed up, but Charity was decked out and it only made me feel more insecure
because she was really pretty…in her slutty way.

     “I didn’t expect to see you here again?” Charity’s smile was wide.

     “I’m with Shaw.”

     Evan’s short and freely given declaration had my eyebrows shooting
up in shock.

     Charity’s smile dimmed and her gaze slid to me skimming up and
down my frame. “Wow, Shaw. I didn’t know you owned a dress.” Before I could say
anything to that Charity’s eyes were back on Evan. “She must really be trying
to impress you, and I can understand why.” Her smile was big again and she
actually moved closer to him.

     My temperature blazed higher and the urge to kick her in her
va-jay-jay was overwhelming. The only thing stopping me was the realization
that they weren’t a past couple,
and
the fact that Evan took a step back
from her.

     “Shaw doesn’t have to dress up to impress me. She does it every
time she opens her mouth.” He smiled down at me.  

     Warmth exploded in my chest and I had to swallow past the lump in
my throat.

     Charity’s mouth thinned but when her eyes narrowed my way a smirk
lifted the corner. “Yeah, I’ve heard that about her.”

     I stiffened up at her insinuation in surprise. Charity had been
living across from us for a year and this was the first time she’d made a
comment on the rumors going around about me. The skank was always hitting on
Nic, as well as Seth and Blake when they’d stopped by and I’d been holding my
tongue because I hadn’t wanted to cause problems with someone who lived so near
to us, but I was done.

     This time it was me that took a step forward baring my teeth. “I’m
shocked you can hear anything, Charity, with all the dick you’re swimming in
every night. I’m actually amazed you can talk and that your jaw hasn’t unhinged
at constantly being open.”

     Her mouth gaped and then snapped shut. “What the hell!?”

     I gave her a roll of my eyes. “And let me give you a knock up side
the head; Nic does not enjoy your obvious ploys of interest. We laugh about it.
And Evan and I are going to laugh about it as well two seconds after we close
this door in your face.”

     Grabbing Evan’s hand I hauled him into my apartment and slammed
the door in her face like I promised. Stupid, slutty, bitchy…Furiously, I
jerked Carrie’s purse over my head and was about to slam it on the table but
the sound of Evan’s laughter had me spinning around. I noted instantly that
while he was laughing his eyes were blazing with anger.

     His laughter cut off and he stepped up to me grasping the back of
my neck…gently. “You handled that bitch beautifully.”

     I sagged and blew out a breath. “Most people would say that I was
the one being the bitch.”

     He shook his head, kneading my neck. “No way. She deserved it
completely. I was about to cut her down but you beat me to it.”

     I was melting under his touch. “Why were you laughing then?”

     “Because you told her we would be and I didn’t want to disappoint.
I’m surprised she was stupid enough to flirt with me with you right there. How
many times have you laid into her already?”

     “This was the first time.” I confessed.

     He looked confused. “Are you telling me that you haven’t put her
in her place when she flirted with Nic? That’s hard to believe with the way you
stick up for Carrie.” I grimaced involuntarily and Evan caught it. “What was
that grimace for?” He pounced.

     I sighed. “You have to promise not to say anything of what I tell
you to either of them.”

     His eyebrows shot up. “Okay.”

     “I wanted to see how Nic handled her; see if he would take her up
on her flirting.” I watched his expression closely to see how mad he would get
that I was testing his friend, but there was no change.

     “You wanted to make sure he was really in love with Carrie and not
using her?”

     I nodded.

     He mirrored it. “I can understand that.” He grinned. “How long did
it take you to realize he was whipped?”

     My heart fluttered at his understanding, and his grin. “About
three months, and during that time Charity finally grasped that Nic wasn’t
interested and stopped being so blatant; although she is still a little too
overly
nice
in my opinion.”

     He studied me silently for a moment and I squirmed inwardly at the
intensity of it. “How come you laid into her so quickly when she flirted with
me? Why not wait to see if I would give into her…charms?”

     I frowned. That hadn’t even crossed my mind. I’d been too pissed
that she’d dared to flirt with him in front of me, and at what she’d said. And
that’s what I was going to blame it on.

     “She pissed me off with what she said about me.” Evan’s eyes lit
with anger again…for me. “Maybe she’ll look for a new apartment tomorrow?”

     The fire in his amber eyes lightened. “I’d bet on it.” He grinned.

     “Another bet, huh. How about my bike for your car this time?” I
jerked my head towards my bike stashed in the kitchen corner.

     His gaze flickered that way briefly. “We’ll have to discuss time
frames if I’m putting my car on the line. I say she’ll be gone within two
weeks. What’s yours?”

     Smirking, I leaned into him. “I can have her evicted within two
days.”

     Evan’s head went back and he laughed for real. He squeezed me so
tightly my breath burst from me, but then his head bent forward and his mouth
was on the skin of my neck and that had me sucking in a sharp breath.

     “Like I said, all you have to do is open your mouth and you
impress me.”

     Sweet warmth exploded again. “What I can do with my fingers is
even more impressive.” The words were said in regards to what I could do on a
computer, but what we both heard was something totally different.

     Evan’s head shot up and the fiery heat in his eyes had my toes
curling.

     “I did not mean that the way it sounded.” I exclaimed huskily.

     He grinned wickedly. “I don’t care. I’m going to take it that way,
and hope I get to find out again soon.”

     Sizzling heat rushed through my veins and my body pulsed with
desire; instinctively I pushed closer to him, my breathing escalated, and my
fingers dug into his sides. He’d been touching me constantly since yesterday
and I really wanted my chance. So I taking the initiative I dragged the tips of
my fingers up his back.

    
Auhhh
, he was so hard, and I could feel the muscles under
his skin bunching and jerking at my touch. I also felt his cock swelling…further…against
my stomach sending a corresponding throb through my sex. God, he made me ache. 

     The next second I couldn’t feel it because he was pushing me away
and glaring down at me. “Okay, enough of that. We have a dinner to order, and a
movie to put in.”

     The guttural tone of his voice told me he wasn’t angry, only aroused,
and he astonished me all over again that he wasn’t pushing me to do something
about it. Any other guy would have jumped all over me seeking relief.

     He took another step back and pushed his hand through his hair
making it stick up all over the place deliciously. “What do you want to eat?”

     Inhaling a calming breath, because he wasn’t the only one lusting,
I turned unsteadily toward the kitchen. “Thai sounds good. There’s a menu
brochure on the fridge for a place that delivers.”