Sins from Her Past (Scandalous) (6 page)

Now she lay basking in the glorious sun on the white, sandy beach. The ocean rolling in soothed her mind. And after last night, she needed to chill out. She’d taken out her fear of dominance on Vin. It wasn’t his fault he had goals and did anything at all to achieve them.

The thought of him with a child put a smile on her face. A man with a baby was the epitome of sexy, in her opinion. A loving father encompassed integrity and loyalty, two qualities her own father had possessed.

As always, when she thought of her parents’ deaths her mind circled to the events that had taken place shortly after. The events that had lasted for two sickening years.

“You going to roll over or are you so intent on avoiding me you’re going to scorch yourself out of spite?”

Evelyn squinted her eyes up at Vin who towered over her. She hadn’t even heard him approach, she’d been so lost in thought.

“I’m not avoiding you.” Okay, so she was, but whatever. “I’m getting some sun.”

“You’re red,” he told her. “You have any sunscreen?”

“No.” She closed her paperback and laid it beside her chair. “It’s not too hot out.”

He muttered something about a “damn fool” but she just rolled over, giving him a glimpse of her skimpy bikini bottoms. She knew she was curvy, not at all like the supermodels and anorexic women he normally dated. Evelyn enjoyed food and didn’t care that the majority of it went to her rear end. Her motto when it came to her body and bathing suits was “tan it, don’t ban it” and she was tanning it today.

“You have a suit that covers you?” he asked.

Evelyn smiled as she rested her forehead on her folded arms. “Nope. If you have a problem with my shape and suit, don’t look.”

“Kind of hard not to look when you’re putting it all out there.”

Surprisingly, after what had happened to her, she wasn’t ashamed of her body—she was just afraid of getting intimate. A shrink would so have a field day with her warped mind.

“Go back inside, Vin. I’m not in the mood.”

“I wasn’t in the mood either,” he said right by her ear. She turned her head to see him squatted beside her. “But here I am staring at your ass and trying my hardest not to haul you back inside.”

Evelyn came up on one elbow. “Whatever you came out here to tell me can wait,” she told him. “I want to relax. We can work later.”

She couldn’t see his eyes behind the sexy aviator shades he wore, but she’d bet they were blazing with fury and passion.

Without a word, he stood and walked away. A pent-up breath left her and she settled back down onto her stomach. God, the man was so infuriating. If he had an issue with her suit, why stand there and stare at it?

Her cell rang, jarring her from her thoughts. She reached into her bag and pulled it out.

“Hello?”

“Evie, how’s the new employer?”

Evelyn sat up and groaned. “Dylan, Vin is becoming a pain in the ass.”

Her brother’s chuckle sounded through the phone. “I know, but you’ve always rubbed each other the wrong way. Aside from the personal issues, how is the work?”

“We’ve only just started, but we attended an art gala last night. I found a few pieces I’ll be using as inspiration.”

“Good, I’m glad you two haven’t killed each other yet. This will be good for you, Evie. Even though you were barely here before you took off again, I think business-wise this is a great step for both of you.”

Evelyn sighed, studying the sand on her toes. “I know. But once I get back I promise to spend time with you.”

Dylan said something else, but his words were lost as Vin came striding back toward her wearing only a pair of navy swim trunks and flip-flops. His abs, which were always impressive and well-defined, mocked her. He also sported a new tattoo over his left pec that continued up and over his shoulder. Damn, that was sexy. She’d never taken Vin for a multi-tat type, but the ink was the best accessory she’d ever seen him sport. He’d gotten a cross over his bicep right after she’d met him, but since she’d moved away there hadn’t been too many opportunities to see him without his shirt.

“Dyl, let me call you later. Something just came up.”

She disconnected the call and came to her feet. “Playing hooky?” she asked sweetly as Vin stopped before her.

“Just enjoying the view.”

Even though the temperature was near one hundred, his words sent shivers through her. “The beach is beautiful,” she replied.

“That too.”

Damn, it was getting hotter. She turned on her heel and headed for the ocean, but just as her feet hit the cool water, hands came around her bare waist and lifted her off the ground.

“What the hell are you doing?” she demanded. “Put me down before you hurt yourself.”

“Stop running from me,” he growled in her ear.

“I was just cooling off.”

“Funny, when I’m around you I need to cool off too.”

She tried to ignore his bare, hard chest against her back, but that was impossible. A sliver of fear slid through her. She hadn’t had this much bare-skin contact with another man since…

“God, Vin, please. I can’t.”

He sat her down and turned her around. Shame filled her. This man was so used to flirting, and in a sense she always toyed with him too, but this was moving in a direction that hinted beyond flirtatious and she couldn’t take chances she wasn’t sure she could follow through on.

“What has you so jumpy?” he asked, hands resting on his hips.

“Nothing. I just don’t want to be manhandled.”

Vin jerked off his glasses, the muscle ticced in his jaw. “What bastard hurt you, Evie?”

Oh no. God, no. She couldn’t say any more, especially to Vin. If he knew then he’d tell Dylan, and Dyl could never know what she’d done to secure his future.

“Nobody hurt me.” She tilted her chin. “I just want to be clear. I’m not one of your playthings. So if you only came out here to paw at me, I’m going inside. I have emails I need to check anyway.”

She sloshed water up onto her legs as she moved back toward her towel and bag. Okay, so maybe she was running away, but Vin was getting too close, too involved in her personal, private life.

Without looking back, she grabbed her stuff and made her way back to the hotel and into the penthouse. Safely behind the locked door of her room she changed into a tank-style sundress and booted up her laptop.

It was coming up on lunchtime, but she wasn’t coming out of her room until she absolutely had to. She could get some work done without Vin. Besides, he wanted her ideas and she needed to finish her plans.

After pulling up his designs for the new resort, she grabbed her sketch pad and began doing some preliminary drawings for space and lighting ideas.

He wanted something different than his usual, but he still wanted classy. In her mind the only way to go was exotic. It screamed romance, sex and class, all in one. And since the resort was going to be in Maui she knew the sultry, exotic theme would be a hit.

As she delved right into her work, she lost track of time, ignored when Vin knocked on her door and even ignored her cell. All she wanted to do was concentrate on something she could control.

Chapter Five

“What the hell is up with Evie?” Vin demanded.

“What are you talking about?” Dylan asked. “I just spoke with her this morning and she sounded fine. She said you were a pain in the ass, which is normal, so I thought all was well.”

Vin stared across the spacious living room to her closed door. She’d been behind it for nearly six hours. He’d knocked, he’d called her cell, he’d texted her—and nothing. He could hear her pecking away at her keyboard; otherwise he would’ve knocked down the door to see if she was alive.

And how could Vin explain that when he’d touched Evelyn she looked ready to pass out one second and the next she looked ready to deck him? Dylan certainly wouldn’t want to hear about him groping Evelyn.

“Must be my imagination,” he corrected. “How are you doing back in your old house?”

“Bittersweet,” Dylan said. “I’m excited to be fixing it up, but the memories are all still here.”

“It’ll get easier. How about a cookout at my place when we get back?”

“When will that be?”

Vin propped his feet on the squatty glass coffee table. “I have one more event scheduled here and then we’ll be back in the States. I’d say no later than Friday.”

“We’ll plan on something this weekend then. I’ll call Alan, and if Rick is in town he can come, but with his campaign kicking up, I doubt he’ll be in.”

“Sounds good, Dyl.”

“Try not to annoy Evie too much.” Dylan laughed. “See you soon.”

Vin disconnected the call and tossed his phone beside him on the sofa. Annoy Evie? He was the one annoyed. She was ice and fire, all rolled into one sexy, curvy bikini package.

One minute they’d be flirting, the next she’d go pasty white and flee the scene. Someone had hurt her, but Dylan had never said a word, and to his knowledge she’d never had a steady boyfriend. How in the hell could a twenty-five-year-old, healthy, vibrant woman be so shy about sexual attraction?

Even though they’d been friends for years, he had no clue about her personal life with other men. Perhaps she was inexperienced. He prayed that’s all her insecurities and vulnerabilities stemmed from because just the thought of anyone hurting her made him physically ill. Perhaps that is what made her so cautious, but maybe their friendship was a plus for him.

No matter the past and what she kept locked inside, Evelyn was special to him and he knew she was worth any effort and all of his patience.

Vin glanced at the clock again and noticed it was just after six. She hadn’t come out all day to eat and it was damn time she did. He called room service and ordered an insane amount of food for them. After he got the table all set up on the balcony and the food was delivered, he went to her door and knocked again. Nothing.

“Evelyn?”

He listened and didn’t even hear the pecking of keys. When he tried the knob, it was locked, but the door hadn’t latched completely. He pushed it open and eased on in.

Across the room, Evelyn lay on her side, her laptop open before her and a sketch pad with sheets of paper torn out and thrown onto the floor and all around her. And she was dead asleep.

The little dress she had on rode up in the back, showcasing that round ass he’d been mocked with earlier at the beach. He grew hard just looking at it.

As he moved closer he noticed the swell of one breast was dangerously close to popping out of her dress. Her unpainted lips were parted and he couldn’t help but relive what it was like to taste her. Damn he wanted her. But he couldn’t even make another move until he knew what the hell he was dealing with.

His hand slid over her knee. “Evelyn.”

She stirred a little, but didn’t open her eyes.

“Evie,” he said a bit louder as his hand stroked from her knee down. He didn’t trust himself to touch near her very exposed thigh. “Time to wake up.”

In one move she was not only awake, she’d sprung off the bed and had her fisted hands held up in front of her in a fighter’s stance. Her eyes were wide, her hair smashed on one side, but it was her coloring, or lack thereof that had him stepping back with his hands up, palms out.

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “You’re okay.”

“Vin?” She shook her head and rubbed her eyes as if she was trying to focus. “I’m sorry. I was…dreaming and you startled me.”

He didn’t ignore the fact she was trembling. “Must’ve been a hell of a dream.”

“I don’t remember,” she told him, her eyes darting to the left. A sure sign she was lying. “I guess I fell asleep while working.”

He wasn’t going to push—yet—but soon he’d find out what nightmares plagued her…especially since he was ready to enter into another level of their relationship.

“I’ve set up dinner on the balcony if you’d like to join me,” he offered. “Maybe we can discuss what you were working on.”

“Just give me a couple minutes. I’ll be right out.”

Vin nodded, turned and left her alone to freshen up…or recoup from the nightmare. He wasn’t known for his patience so seeing her struggle was not something he was comfortable with. And why the hell was he allowing himself to be caught up in her personal business? Yes, they’d known each other for years, but he had a private life and obviously so did she. If she wanted to discuss what was bothering her, she would.

So why did he let her actions bother him so?

Because he wasn’t afraid to admit that he’d had stronger feelings for her than those of just a friend. Sexual desires tended to override common sense. But if he truly wanted to help, then he needed to be a friend and let her open up if and when she chose to.

Evelyn stood in her luxurious bathroom and splashed cool water on her face. Of all the times for Vin to walk in on her, it had been when she’d been having one of her dreams.

She could only assume the nightmares were triggered by moving back home. Of course, she hadn’t seen the man who’d nearly ruined her, but she knew it was only a matter of time.