The Game Has Changed (17 page)

“You'll still be arrested, won't you?” she
whispered perceptively.

He breathed in deeply and ran an unsteady hand
through his long hair. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Sooner or later. It's
inevitable, I'm afraid.”

She clung to him with frightened desperation
and affection. “I don't want that to happen to you,” she said
softly, her voice muffled as she pressed her face against his arm
and chest.

“I don't want that to happen either, my love,”
he murmured.

Surprise filled him as she laid her head
tenderly upon his bare chest. Her arm slid across his waist and she
held him tightly to her. He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying
the feel of her body pressed against his.

Tears pricked at the back of her eyelids as she
lay against him. She adored the feel of his arms around her and
cherished the warmth of his skin against her cheek. She could hear
his heartbeat within her ear and treasured each thump. She loved
him so much that it hurt and she wanted to tell him so
badly.

“We should go have breakfast, Luv,” he
whispered, trying to stave off the feelings he knew she was
experiencing.

Unfortunately, he was having a hard time coming
to terms with the multitude of emotions tumbling around inside of
himself as well. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to
control them. He realized he might have to go foraging in another
bar again later that evening in order to keep himself out of his
young charge's knickers before it was too late.

She lifted her head and propped it upon her
arms as they lay against his chest in order to get a better look at
him. She managed a playful smile and said, “It's raining too hard.
You said so yourself.”

“I said it’s too hard for driving, not for
eating, Cutie,” he corrected, lightly tapping the tip of a finger
against her nose.

Her heart melted once more upon hearing the new
endearment coming from his lips in that gorgeous, British accent of
his. She smiled and cocked her head to the side in thought. He
brushed a strand of her hair away from her pretty blue eyes,
wondering as to what it was that she was thinking at that given
moment. Part of him was a tad worried.

“Evan, can I be bold with you?”

His eyes widened as she caught him between a
rock and a hard place. “Can I say no?” he asked
earnestly.

“Of course,” she responded, slightly hurt. “You
can say whatever you want.”

“But that's the thing,” he replied sadly. “Will
it upset you if I say no?”

“I'll try not to let it.”

“But it will.”

“A little.”

“I'm too old for you, Sweetheart.” He nipped
her request in the bud and he hoped he did it without disappointing
her too much. “But anything else you want, in this entire world, I
will give to you.”

“How do you know what I wanted?” she asked,
trying to keep her composure.

“I could be reading you totally wrong,” he
mused, “but I don't think I am.”

Still propped upon his chest, she looked down
at her arms folded across his warm, soft skin. After a moment, he
tenderly caressed the back of her head in an effort to cheer her.
As their eyes met, he could see the tears she was fighting to hold
back.

“Did your dad ever talk to you about this
stuff?” he asked.

She shook her head slowly, her eyes full of
sadness. “Not really.”

“Then you have no idea what to expect from
guys, do you?”

“I imagine quite vividly.”

Evan laughed with amusement. “Sweetheart,” he
said with compassion, “your gift is very special and unique to you.
You should only give it to the one man who will truly be yours
forever.”

Her heart skipped a beat because of his
extraordinary words. She had never heard such a thing before. To
have it stated in such a poetic fashion moved her
immensely.

“To allow me the honor of taking your gift . .
.” he stammered. “Well . . . it would be terribly unfortunate for
you, my sweet girl.”

“Why?” she asked. “Because of all your other
lovers?”

“Yeah, that's part of the reason.”

“And I would just be one of those
hundred?”

He grinned playfully and nodded in hopes of
keeping things light-hearted between them even though he knew it
would be next to impossible to do so. “A hundred and
one.”

“So if you made love to me, I'd eventually be
forgotten like all the others?”

“Well, not exactly. You've made a bit more of
an impression on me than most of the others.”

“What about the screamer?” she asked suddenly
as she remembered his comment about her the other night.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Can't even remember
what she looks like now. Although, I was quite drunk at the
time.”

“
Did you ever love any of them?
Have you ever been truly in love?”

The question caught Evan off guard even though
it probably shouldn't have. It was a question, he realized, he had
never considered before. After a long moment of contemplation, he
said, “You know, after having a hundred beautiful conquests in my
entire lifetime, I've never really been in love.”

She gasped softly, still propped across his
chest. “Why not?”

“Don't think it's really in me.”

“What? Falling in love? How could it not be in
you? Everyone can fall in love!”

“I think some people don't have the ability and
I may be one of them.”

“It's an inborn ability that everyone has,” she
assured him as she realized he was confirming the fact that her
love for him was truly one-sided.

“Everyone is different. And you don't know me
all that well yet.”

“I know that you're a human being,” she boldly
stated. “And human beings can fall in love.”

He shrugged. “Anything's possible, I
guess.”

“You just haven't met the right woman
yet.”

“You would think out of that legion I've
shagged, I would've found the right one by now, huh?”

“Why do you have sex without love?”

Evan was surprised by her candor. “You don't
know what sex feels like yet. If you did, you'd know the
answer.”

“It doesn't feel horrible and dirty with a
faceless person?”

Her observation amused him. “Not to me. To you,
it most definitely should, Sweetheart.”

“You're not my father!” she said with
resentment.

“I'm almost old enough to be, though. And
definitely wise enough. You should take heed.”

“You're not,” she insisted. “Though, I
appreciate the fact that you want to protect me from
yourself.”

She sat up and pulled her tee shirt over her
head, to expose her naked chest to his view. His eyes were wide and
he was utterly speechless.

“I know you don't love me. I know I'll just be
one hundred and one to you, but I want you to be the one who takes
my gift,” she said with determination.

“What did I just tell you, Jaime?” he moaned
with desperation. “You should listen to me and wait for the man
that you . . .”

“I'll never find anyone else,” she interrupted
him, shaking her head resolutely as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“This will be the only time I ever have this, I know it! I don't
want to miss this chance, Evan.”

“You will have another chance, you’ll see,” he
assured her as he sat up with her held tightly within his embrace.
“You'll find someone, I swear to you!” He rubbed her bare back,
conscious of the predicament they now found themselves in. “Someone
who's not a fugitive, Luv. Someone who will give you his
all!”

CHAPTER 20

In the midst of their tight embrace, Jaime
reveled in the feel of his arms wrapped around her. In a cavalcade
of tears, the words she’d held back for so long finally escaped her
lips. “I love you, Evan,” she said. “I truly, truly love
you.”

He sat there speechless. His arms enveloped her
completely, tears of pity forming within his eyes. In response to
her declaration, he gently kissed her.

She was well aware of the fact that this was
the first time he’d kissed her other than the time he’d kissed her
hand. This meant something more to her. Their eyes met as she
looked up at him in reverence. She could not deny that a deep and
profound connection now existed between them. Her body exploded
with feeling as if actual fireworks were going off within her. Her
heart pounded within her chest as Evan's mouth hungrily pushed
against hers, her mind rejoicing as they shared their first actual
kiss.

Nothing she’d experienced within her entire
life compared to the way this amazing kiss felt. She was breathless
and squealing as she felt his mouth warm, wet, and forcefully
sliding against hers. Never in a million years would she have
suspected Evan capable of initiating something like this. After all
he’d said, after all he had warned her about! He’d kissed her
without any reservation.

She lost herself within his kiss, feeling as if
she were truly in heaven. She found herself gasping for air the
very moment Evan pulled himself away. His chest heaved as he, too,
struggled to breath. Not once did he look away from her.

Jaime longed for more. She took the initiative
and leaned in for a second kiss. She pushed her mouth against his
and he reciprocated her advances. So many emotions consumed her,
then and there, that she could hardly think straight. His warmth,
the wetness, the sweet taste of his saliva, their tongues in gentle
union – she’d never felt anything like it before.

A ripple of unadulterated excitement shot
through her as Evan pushed her down onto her back. His warm, strong
body pushed against hers as he hovered above her. She trembled,
unable to stop her hyperventilation. She found it hard to believe
that what she’d dreamt about and wished for the most was finally
coming true.

***

Evan wasn't sure as to why he was doing what he
was doing. It was as if he had no control over the animalistic
instincts that were now taking over his entire body. She felt so
warm and soft as she lay cuddled against him throughout the night.
He’d smelled her sweet, virginal scent, knowing that she craved
him. Hell, she was practically begging him for it.

To top it all off, when she’d ripped her tee
shirt over her head, it was more than he could resist. He let his
desires take over, allowing his common sense to fly out the window.
It would come back to haunt him later on, yet he refused to think
about that, for the moment.

He dove head first into the cloud of euphoria
he now found himself in. Common sense hit him as he released
himself within her with a moan of pleasure. The entire time, he was
well aware of her tiny cries of pain as he broke into her for the
first time and took her gift away. The knowledge of what he’d done
haunted him as he experienced an incredible climax.

Realization dawned on him. He still wasn't
exactly sure as to how old she was.
What
if she was less than eighteen?
he wondered. His heart
started beating with erratic trepidation. He had the horrific
impression that he had just committed another felony.

“Oh, my God!” Evan cried as he knelt between
her thighs.

She swallowed nervously as she saw him sitting
upon his knees. A mixture of intense pleasure and stinging pain
throbbed within her as she stared up at him with confusion. One
minute, he was lost in the throes of bliss. The next, he was angry
like there was no tomorrow.

“How old are you!?” he inquired
forcefully.

“Why?” she asked, her breath catching as her
heart hammered within her chest.

“How old are you, Jaime?” he demanded again,
brushing his hair off of his face with both hands.

With a tiny, shuddering cry, she said,
“Seventeen.”

“Oh, Jesus!” he gasped with disbelief,
frightening her with his dramatic change in demeanor. “Oh, Jesus
Christ!”

He pulled away from her, feeling confused and a
tad delirious. A feeling of intense pain shot through her private
area as she sat up abruptly. She ignored it, more concerned with
his well-being. He sat upon the bed’s edge, his hands covering his
face as he mumbled incoherently.

“What is it?” she asked, pressing herself
against his back.

He jumped to his feet as he felt her skin press
against him. She reeled back, shocked to find that he was now
actively avoiding her. He stood before her, naked and in complete
agony. He threaded his fingers through his hair with unsteady hands
as he tried to make sense of what had just happened between
them.

“Evan!” she cried once more. “Please, what is
it?”

“Do you realize what you've just done?” he shot
back at her, his voice trembling with emotion.

“What I've just done?” She frowned, unable to
understand as to why he was acting so strangely. It was almost as
if he was losing it.