Rules of Harte (Harte Series #1) (11 page)

             
The flowers slowly moved towards her.

‘Thank you,’ she said
, taking the bouquet into her arms. The scent was delectable as it wafted around her. The shiny cellophane wrapping slid in her clammy hands. She felt awkward as she turned to rest the huge bundle on the sideboard just behind the door. She didn’t trust her fingers not to lose their grasp. Scattered rose petals may well be romantic, but definitely not when they became an unpleasant consequence of sweaty, nervous palms.

             
Eva stared at the luscious flowers and paused for longer than necessary. A sharp cough echoed in the open doorway. She knew she would have to turn and face Julian soon, but her nerves were playing havoc with her ability to think straight. She allowed herself just a moment longer to fiddle with their silky petals.

‘Ouch
,’ she moaned softly, cradling her finger. A tiny droplet of blood rose to the surface of her skin.

‘Did it prick you?’

              Eva barely registered Julian stepping across the threshold of her apartment. He stood right behind her, leaning his toned abs against her back.

‘Let me see?’

Eva quietly turned around and held her hand out to him. A thin sliver of blood trickled down the length of her finger. Julian took her hand in his and slowly ran his lips across the red stain.

‘There. All better,’ he said, ending with a small kiss on the tip of her finger.

Eva almost forgot to breath. He was beyond sexy. He was every bit as gorgeous as he appeared on her laptop screen just nights ago, but now he was here. A living, breathing, touchable - oh how she wanted to touch him - man.

             
‘So tell me. How is it that a pretty girl like you finds herself in need of my assistance?’

Eva blushed.

‘Oh no need to be shy. I’m not hitting on you with a cheap line. If I wanted to get your attention, I’d come up with something a lot better. This is a done deal…you’re paying after all. So, you see, it was a genuine question.’

Eva tried to come up with a response that didn’t make her sound like a complete idiot. But she wasn’t having much success. She couldn’t even speak. Her tongue felt three times its normal size and all she could think to do was blow a giant raspberry and run away to hide. Lucky she managed to keep her mouth closed.

‘Good thing I like a girl with rosy cheeks, ‘Julian said brushing the reverse of his palm softly against her face.

             
‘Coffee?’ The word tumbled from Eva’s mouth like an order. She quickly back tracked. ‘Would you like some, I mean?’

‘Yeah
sure…coffee would be good.’

             
Eva turned her back, leaving Julian lurking in the hallway. She raced to her tiny kitchenette and filled the kettle while tapping her foot as if it would force the water to rush faster from the faucet. She swung open presses, pulled out teacups and sugar, and spun in various different directions until she felt dizzy. She turned to the fridge in search of some milk. She was out.

             
‘Buggerdy-bugger, fuck,’ she said through clenched teeth. Her foot tapping became an angry stomp. It was only a minor hiccup but Eva was bordering on a break down. If her face flushed any harder, she would burst a blood vessel. She stopped and stood very still. She breathed in for the count of three, and out for three, and in for three.
Yoga, yoga, yoga. Breathe, breathe, breathe. I am the master of my own destiny.
She repeated
the mantra several times, hoping to believe it.
Bollox,
she thought, finally becoming uncomfortable with the huffy- puffy breathing technique.
I’m not the master of shit.

             
She looked to her poorly stocked wine rack. Her eyes pleaded with the dusty rack to hold at least one bottle of wine. She pulled out three empties, there purely for effect, and finally reached for a heavier bottle at the back. It was red. She preferred white but right now she would drink acid. She couldn’t care less as long as it was a liquid in a glass, and something she could offer Julian. She turned the bottle around until the label faced her and blew gently, casting off little flecks of dust.
Shiraz Noir.
Was that a nice wine?
She wondered. She knew if it cost more than a fiver she wouldn’t have bought it, so she really hoped it was something someone had given as a present that she hadn’t gotten around to drinking. She polished the murky bottle with the corner of a damp dish cloth and grabbed two wine glassed from the press.

             
The glasses dangled upside down from her trembling fingers as she walked back towards the open-plan sitting room. The glass stems clattered and chimed and announced her arrival into the room. Julian was still standing by the doorway. He hadn’t moved. Oh shit, she had forgotten to invite him in. She was a terrible host, she decided. This had all gone so differently when she’d thought about it in her head. Although, what she’d thought about was mainly fucking him until she couldn’t stand up straight.

             
She placed the glasses and wine bottle on the coffee table and walked, slightly wobbly on her high heels, over to him. He didn’t turn around. He was looking at the pictures on the wall.

‘That’s me,’ she said
, breaking the silence.

Eva exam
ined the image behind a pretty glass frame. Her hair was different, dyed blonde and shorter, and she wore a confident smile emphasised with ruby red lipstick.

‘It’s a great photo
,’ Julian said genuinely.

‘Thanks. It was taken at my college graduation. It was a good day.’

‘You look beautiful.’ Julian ran his finger across the cheek bones of Eva’s image. ‘Beautiful.’

A tiny sigh escaped Eva’s lips and she tried to control the tears that stung her eyes.

              Julian turned to face her. His huge chestnut eyes stared into her murky green irises. She knew he could see her tears but he didn’t speak. He just continued looking, his stare never faltering.

             
‘I don’t look at that picture often. I haven’t looked at it in years,’ Eva admitted.

‘But it
’s right by the door, you must see it every time you leave the apartment.’

‘It’s behind the door,’ Eva corrected. ‘It’s just there for my mother’s benefit
.’

‘You’re mother lives here?’ Julian’s relaxed pose tensed and his chest puffed out like a caged bird.

‘No, of course not. It’s just there for if she visits. My dad took it the week before he left. So it could be a nice reminder for her.’

‘Does it remind you?’

‘Unfortunately, yes. Yes, it does.’ The tears Eva had fought so well, fell now like tiny raindrops that landed on the lapel of her dress.

             
Julian placed his hand on the small of her back and turned her away from the wall. ‘Shall we?’ he said, tilting his head towards the couch.

Eva nodded. He caught her by surprise. She was expecting questions. Everyone always asked question
s. You admit you don’t like to remember your estranged father and most people want to know why, Eva thought. Not Julian. Julian didn’t mention the picture again.

             
‘Is there somewhere I can leave this?’ Julian asked as he slid his jacket from his shoulders and draped it across his arm.

‘Erm, yeah sure,’ Eva lied. She didn’t have a cloak room in her tiny apartment. She didn’t even have a coat hanger. She usually just stuffed her jacket in her wardrobe or flung it on the bed.

‘I’ll take it for you.’ She reached out.

Julian handed it over, his hand brushing against hers. Eva’s heart fluttered as she walked away. She held the jacket in her hands
, careful not to crease the finely pressed material. She laid it flat on her bed and couldn’t resist a little sniff. She bent down and inhaled deeply. Delicious, it smelt like citrus and rum-spice. It smelt of Julian. She was standing back up when she suddenly became aware of Julian behind her. She jumped.

             
He raised his eyebrows and smirked. Eva cringed - mortified. He had caught her sniffing him, not even him - his clothes. She wanted to duck under her duvet and hide.

             
‘Nice?’ he asked casually.

Eva tried to act calm. There was nothing weird about inhaling the scent of a stranger. Oh hell, who was she kidding? The whole situation was weird. It was uncomfortable and now to make things worse
, his bloody chiselled jaw and broad shoulders were causing her knickers to dampen at a rate even a marathon sprinter would struggle to outrace. He pulled her upright and nuzzled his face against her neck. She heard him take a slow deep breath.

‘M
m lavender,’ he whispered.

His skin felt like warm silk against hers. He was lying. She had forgotten to put on perfume.

              Julian produced the bottle of wine from behind his back, followed by the glasses. He gently pushed Eva back to sit on the bed. She landed on his jacket but didn’t even notice the material crease beneath her weight. She couldn’t take her eyes of him as he poured two, one-third-full glasses of bright, red wine. He handed her one. His large hand cradled the entire cup of the other as he swished the liquid in circular motions, around and around. He stopped, smelt the aroma and rocked the glass from side to side. He looked like he knew what he was doing, Eva thought, wondering if she should copy.

             
‘Cheers.’ He tilted both his glass and his head towards Eva. He sipped a little.

‘It’s good,’ he said
, scrunching up his nose.

Eva placed her glass to her lips and slugged huge mouthfuls, not lowering it until it was almost fully drained.

‘Yes, good,’ she replied, followed by a small hiccup.

Julian laughed. ‘Thirsty?’

Eva nodded, her balance slightly thrown. The wine, on an empty stomach, had gone straight to her head.

‘More?’
he suggested, tipping the bottle into her glass.

‘Are you trying to get me drunk?’ Another hiccup shook Eva’s body.

‘Would that be a problem, Evangeline?’

Eva shook her head. His voice was crisp and assertive
, but soft and inviting. It matched his confident stance.

Nothing Julian did would be a problem, Eva thought.

              Eva raised the glass to her lips but froze as she felt Julian’s hand wrap around hers.

‘Share
,’ he said.

Julian slowly ran his tongue across his bottom lip and titled the glass away from Eva. His hand, still cupping hers, raised the glass to his lips and
he took a slow, steady gulp, emptying it.

‘Hey, that was mine.
’ Eva tried to joke but she was sure the quiver in her voice made it come out awkward. Damn being a social introvert.

             
Julian raised his eyebrows just enough to slightly wrinkle his brow. He flung the glass on the bed. Eva turned her attention to the shiny crystal as it collided with the soft, fluffy pillows. Her heart raced as Julian’s right arm slowly crept around her back, clutching her waist and pulling her closer to him. She swallowed hard. Each deep breath pushed her breasts against his firm chest. His body was so close she could feel the heat of his breath as he leaned lower and softly pushed his lips against hers. She paused, barely able to move. He pulled back. Eva kept her eyes closed for just a moment longer than she needed to, her bottom lip dropped, just a little - begging for more.

‘You’re beautiful, Evangeline.’

              The corners of Eva’s lips twitched and a tiny smile lit up her face. It wasn’t just a compliment; it was the best compliment she had gotten in her whole life. She wanted him to say it again, she wanted him to kiss her and tell her she was beautiful. Eva felt Julian’s fingers under her chin, softly tilting her head back. His grip on her waist tightened. She was wedged firmly between the bed and Julian’s body. She couldn’t move, even if she wanted to. She didn’t want to.

             
Julian’s finger traced the contour of her neck, down and down, stopping just shy of her breasts. His fingers spread and his palm rested on her racing heart, his hand rising and falling with the heaving of her quickened breathing.

‘Are you ready?’ he
asked.

             
Eva opened her eyes to meet his. The question, ready for what ran through her mind, but for once she managed to stop herself before saying something stupid. She didn’t need to ask. To her surprise she was ready, so ready.

‘Yes,’ she whispered.

‘Good. I want you, Evangeline. I want every piece of you. Can I have you?’

Eva was beyond words.

              Julian pressed his mouth against her neck. Soft kisses dampened her skin. The tip of his tongue ran down her soft flesh, and he nibbled gently above her collar bone. Eva sighed as tiny shivers tickled the length of her spine. Julian’s hands began to wander over her clothes, they massaged her back and tugged at the zip of her dress. The crackle of the zip slowly opening challenged Eva’s soft panting for a chance to be heard. Eva bit her bottom lip - hard, and waited for the top of her dress to slide free from her shoulders.