Текст книги "Only You"

Автор книги: Stephanie Rose

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

My bed looked like Old Navy threw up all over it. Why was I so damn jumpy? This was Evan, after all. Jack’s sweet friend, a harmless nice guy—who now made me weak in the knees with only a glance in my direction.

I decided on skinny jeans and a sleeveless green blouse that always got me a lot of compliments. I wasn’t sure if it was the color that brought out my eyes or the extra cleavage I showed. I liked the way Evan looked at me, but I wanted to turn it up a notch tonight. I pulled on flat strappy sandals since limping in heels if we had to walk anywhere definitely wouldn’t be sexy. I peered out the window of my first floor apartment. I lived in a two family house on a relatively quiet block. My neighbors were mostly families so there were always kids playing outside.

Evan pulled up in his silver pick-up truck. I didn’t call out to him as he parked. Instead, I watched like a creeper as he got out and then reached back over to the passenger’s seat to grab something—a bouquet of flowers. In my thirty-something years, I could count on one hand the number of times a guy brought me flowers, and that included my junior and senior proms, when flowers were a mandate, not a sweet gesture. Towards the end, Chris came home with flowers a couple of times, probably to cover up the guilt over screwing someone else.

I ran back inside. I didn’t want to look like the peeping Tom I really was. I closed the door to my bedroom so he wouldn’t see the mess, and gave the rest of the place a once over. I jumped when I heard the bell. I hadn’t been on a first date in three years, and if I didn’t calm my ass down I would completely ruin it. I took a deep, hopefully cleansing, breath, and made my way to the door.

“Hey, sorry it took so long to answer—” I stopped mid-sentence as my breath caught. Holy hell, he looked good. Evan wore a gray button down shirt that exposed his forearms, and black jeans. His arms were quickly becoming my favorite thing in the whole world. The shirt hugged his built frame perfectly. His eyes twinkled as he smiled at me.

“It probably took you a little bit to get from the window to the door.” He raised an eyebrow at me. Damn. I got caught. I gave him a sheepish smile and shrugged. What could I say? Evan’s eyes scanned my body before he looked away. Yes, this was the perfect blouse for tonight.

“You look . . . beautiful. As usual.” Evan smiled as he handed me the bouquet.

“Wow, flowers? You’re spoiling me.”

“I know it’s a little cheesy, but like I said, I’ve waited a long time for tonight so I wanted to do things right.” They were daisies; I was never going to shake that nickname.

“Daisies? The flower that makes everything beautiful just by being in the room?” A slow smile spread across Evan’s face.

“Just like another Daisy I know.” I opened the door to invite Evan in, and my cheeks got a little hot. I hoped I wasn’t blushing. It was as if I was sixteen and this was the first guy who ever took me out. Everything felt new and exciting, but still a little scary given my less than stellar relationship history.

“Let me just put these in water and we’ll get going. Thank you so much.” I pressed a light kiss on his cheek, and the air got thin for a moment. My heart skipped a beat as I waited for Evan to kiss me. He wrapped his arm around my waist, but only kissed my forehead.

“You’re very welcome.” I smiled into his neck and pulled him into a hug. Being in his arms felt amazing—thrilling but somehow familiar at the same time. We hadn’t even left my apartment and this was already the best date I ever had.

“So this place must be awesome if we’re driving over two bridges to get there.” I teased Evan as he drove.

“It’s really good, and Williamsburg is a cool place. I thought it would be nice to get out of the neighborhood and go somewhere new. Not worry about running into anyone we know.”

“Evan Jacobs, are you ashamed to be seen with me?” I clutched my chest in mock horror.

He shook his head. “No way. I just want you to myself tonight.” He reached over the console and laced our fingers together.

I let out a long sigh. Evan was too much. If I didn’t know him already, I would swear he was too good to be true. He was always so kind and sincere; I used to wonder why he was best friends with my smartass cousin.

The drive was over an hour long, but it seemed to go by quickly. Evan spent time around my family quite a bit, even sharing some holidays with us, but we never went anywhere alone together. I was surprised to discover how little we really knew about each other.

“I can’t believe you’re a Beatles fan. How did I not know this?” I flipped through the playlists on his iPod as we got to know each other better. He had every single Beatles song and a few awesome covers.

“My mom was a Beatles freak. That’s how I got my middle name.”

“What’s your middle name?”

“Jude. She wanted that as my first name, but my dad said absolutely not.”

“That . . . is adorable. Evan Jude Jacobs.” Evan chuckled as he shook his head.

“And if I was a girl, I would’ve been Lucy.”

“For Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. That’s awesome. I like your Mom. She sounds cool.”

The smile left Evan’s face as he nodded. “She was very cool. The best.”

I couldn’t imagine how terrible it would be to lose your mother at fifteen. After his mother died, Evan’s father had a breakdown. My heart broke for what Evan went through at such a young age, all by himself.

“I’m sorry you lost your Mom.” I had the sudden urge to jump over the console and hug him. How long had he been taking care of everyone except himself?

Evan shrugged. “Thank you. My Dad is another reason why I came back to the Bronx. He’s in an assisted living facility in Yonkers, so he’s not all by himself, but I never liked only being able to see him a couple of times a month.”

After years of drinking, Evan’s father had a stroke that he never fully recovered from. From what Jack told me, all Evan’s father did was yell and scream at him every time Evan went to visit him, but he still went to make sure his father had all he needed.

“Hey, we’re here.” Evan pulled up outside what looked to be a cross between a restaurant and a café. He put the car in park and jetted over to my side to open my door. He was so sweet I was starting to get a little bit of a toothache. I was lucky if Chris waited for me to get out of his car before he started walking away.

“Thank you, kind sir.” I gave him a wink as he took my hand to help me out of his truck.

“Pleasure is all mine.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed the top of my wrist. I giggled as he led me by the hand to the hostess, who quickly sat us at a table outside. After we sat down, I perused the menu and laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Evan furrowed his brow as he stared at me.

“You took us all the way to Brooklyn for pizza? We have that at home, you know.”

“But it’s really, really good pizza. C’mon, trust me.”

The waitress came over to take our order, and as she sauntered away, I gazed across the table at my date. Evan was my date. It all seemed a little surreal.

I took a deep breath. “Something has been bothering me.”

Evan’s brow furrowed as he sat back in his chair. “Bothering you?”

I nodded. “You said you liked me since we were kids, but I don’t understand why you never told me.”

He folded his hands and gazed down at the table before glancing back up at me.

“I came close to telling you a few times. One day, I think we were about seventeen, you were upset because you heard your boyfriend made out with some girl at a party and everyone was talking about it at school. I think his name was Frankie—”

“Frankie Tucci. Yep, I remember.” I cringed at the memory of one of the first guys I let walk all over me, over and over again. After him, there was Joey Egan, then Marc Christensen in college, and a few in-between losers until Chris came along. My history with men was a constant hot mess that I loathed to think about

“Jack wasn’t there, so you poured your heart out to me. I tried to tell you how you deserved better than him and there were a ton of guys willing to take his place in a heartbeat. I was about to say I was one of them, when good ol’ Frankie showed up with his blue Mustang with the red stripe and the tinted windows—”

“You remember the color of his car?”

“Something that ugly and obnoxious somehow stays with you. Anyway, he pulled up and walked over to you, said it was just a rumor blah blah, and before I knew it, you were piling into his car and driving away. My window of opportunity was closed before I even got to peek through it.” Evan chuckled and shook his head.

Memories from that day started to resurface. We’d gotten as far as the corner when Frankie asked me why I wore my hair like that. A good guy had been right under my nose for years, but I was too stupid to see it. I let out a long sigh. “I’m so sorry, Evan. I wish you had gotten to tell me how you felt.”

“Hey.” Evan reached across the table to take my hand. “Things happen for a reason. Even Frankie Tucci.” I laughed as he held my hand with both of his. “We’re right where we’re supposed to be.”

“Sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

Evan gave me a big smile “Now, about you? Yes, I’m pretty damn sure.”

We spent most of dinner laughing and talking about nothing and everything. The pizza was the best I’d ever had, but I wasn’t ready to admit that yet. I liked knowing a different side of Evan, not just the one I thought I knew all these years. He was warm, funny, and more irresistible by the second.

As we drove back to the Bronx, I got butterflies in my stomach remembering our near kiss at his office yesterday. From the time he picked me up, I’d been antsy about our kiss tonight, too. Knowing how Evan felt about me all those years actually added to the pressure. I didn’t want to disappoint him. Maybe the real Paige wouldn’t be as good as the one he’d built up in his head.

Evan pulled up to my block and shut the engine off.

“C’mon, I’ll walk you up.” Again, he sprinted to open my door, and took my hand to lead me up the outside stairs and into my apartment.

I nervously flicked all the lights on and turned back to Evan. He wasn’t acting as if he planned to stay, not venturing too far from the door or finding a place to sit.

“I think I did pretty well, considering.”

“Yes, I’ll admit, pizza was good, and Williamsburg is a cool place . . .”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Evan’s eyes darkened as he approached me. He put his hands around my waist and pulled me close.

“I managed to get through the entire night without kissing you. It’s been all I could think about since you left the office yesterday. Fucking Murphy job.” I laughed into his chest. He backed away slightly and put his finger under my chin to make me look up.

Evan rubbed his thumb over my lips, my frozen body unable to move.

“What’s stopping you now?” I whispered against his mouth as I drifted closer.

Evan took my face in his hands and caressed my cheeks with his thumbs. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk before his soft lips touched mine. I closed my eyes to savor the initial sweet satisfaction. Our lips pulled apart and I pressed my mouth back to his, darting my tongue out just a little to lick the seam of his lips. Evan groaned and grabbed my waist to pull me closer. He sucked then nibbled on my bottom lip as he pulled away. I grabbed the back of his head and covered his mouth with mine. Our kiss caught fire and went from soft to frenzied in seconds. Evan’s hand tangled in my hair as I fisted the collar of his shirt in an effort to get as close to him as possible. As my tongue explored every inch of his perfect mouth, we melted into each other. I was completely lost in Evan. I didn’t see, hear, or think of anything except the gorgeous man who was finally kissing me; the “harmless nice guy” with the lips of a very bad boy.

Evan pulled back, but I didn’t want to open my eyes yet.

“Wow.” Evan whispered almost reverently. I lifted my eyelids and smiled.

“Yeah, wow. That was . . .” Kissing Evan took my breath away, and all my words, too, it seemed.

“Fucking amazing. We should’ve done that years ago.”

“You must’ve had it bad.” I gave him a playful smile and a wink.

Evan laughed and rested his forehead against mine.

“You were pretty tough to resist. Those sexy green eyes and gorgeous lips.” He gave me a soft peck before peppering kisses along my jawline and behind my ear before returning to my lips. “You were always so damn beautiful.” Hot open mouthed kisses trailed down and over my collarbone. I clutched the back of his head as he tasted the other side of my neck. His fingers threaded into my hair as his lips found their way back to mine. One part of me wanted to take it slow and savor the moment, another wanted to tear his clothes off and pull him into my bedroom.

We broke apart, panting and clutching onto each other.

“I have to be up at four o’clock tomorrow morning.” Evan gave me a soft, sensual kiss that made my knees wobble. “I need to go.” Kiss. “Now.” Kiss. “Fuck, Paige . . .” He backed me up against my door and pressed his body against mine, devouring my lips and moaning into my mouth. I whimpered at the hardness against my stomach and fought the urge to rub myself against it. Family friend status notwithstanding, this was only a first date—a first date with enough crackling sexual tension to bring me to my knees. And now I was back to thinking of his hard-on. Evan needed to leave . . . now.

He broke away, his eyes shut tight. “I’ll text you when I get home and call you tomorrow.”

I gave him a peck on the lips, then another as I ran my hand down his cheek. “Good night.” I kissed the corner of his mouth and nipped at his jaw, feeling all kinds of victorious when his breath hitched.

“Shit, Paige . . . if I don’t go now—”

“I know. Good night.” I gave him a quick kiss on the lips as he nodded and strode through the door.

I crept over to my window, and watched him traipse down the steps. He stood at the curb, rubbing his neck as he glanced up at the night sky for a moment. He shook his head, opened the door of his truck and got in. I darted away from the window once the engine started.

I ran my finger across my swollen lips and smiled to myself. My phone buzzed in my purse as I strolled back into my living room.

Evan: You shouldn’t watch people from your window. It’s a little creepy.

Me: The eyes you have in the back of your head is what I find creepy.

Evan: I’m glad I didn’t kiss you before we went out tonight. I never would have stopped and you would have gone hungry.

Me: I wouldn’t have minded. At all. I had a great time tonight.

Evan: Me too. You were definitely worth waiting for.

Me: I don’t stand a chance against you, do I?

Evan: Not if I can help it. Sweet dreams, Daisy.

When I got into bed and closed my eyes, I did have sweet dreams. Sweet dreams of excitement and an emotion I didn’t normally allow myself to feel—hope. I tried to suppress the dread of disappointment. Maybe things would be different this time. Maybe Evan was right, and we were exactly where we were supposed to be at the time we were supposed to be there. I let myself hope for a future, and prayed all the optimistic flutters in my stomach weren’t too good to be true.

“Holy shit! This is like the Mercedes of carriages. Ellie, add this to the registry! Give me that scanner!”

Natalie was having a little too much fun helping Ellie choose items for her baby registry. Over the past couple of months, Jack and Evan had been working non-stop and she’d been postponing a trip to baby superstore for too long. I asked Natalie to come with us since she had the most recent baby experience compared to my nil.

“Ellie, come here! Look, the brake is on the handle, do you know how freaking convenient that is? And the handle switches from back to front. Plus, it’s a jogging stroller! Just picture you and little Jack Junior running the track at Pelham Bay Park. This place makes me want to get knocked up all over again because all this baby shit gets better and better every year!” Ellie snuck a look at me and raised her eyebrow. The Mercedes of strollers was priced accordingly, and I could see our family up in arms about not having any big gifts on their list that they could afford.

“Okay, Natalie, go ahead and scan it. Let’s see if we can find one a little more reasonable to add along with it¸ so I don’t look like I’m giving birth to one of the Kardashians.” Natalie pouted, which cracked us both up.

“Fine, fine. We can move onto the bouncers.” Natalie moped to the next aisle, making us laugh even harder. I felt my phone buzz in my purse and reached in as Ellie squatted down to compare the jungle animals and Winnie the Pooh mobiles.

Evan: Hey Daisy! I miss you. Sorry it’s been so crazy.

The diner was the start of a long string of big jobs. Evan worked almost seven days a week, but still texted and called all the time. We had only had coffee and lunch dates since he was always working late and up early, but they always ended with mind-blowing kisses that left me wanting to beg for more. I’d been sneaking visits to their office under the pretense of all the extra advertising they’d been doing. Promotion planning for Taylor’s Flooring meant sitting on Evan’s lap and making out like teenagers before anyone came back to their office. It sometimes felt like an illicit affair, and hell if that didn’t make it hotter. I’d become well acquainted with the definition of a ‘lady boner’—as I was sure what I’d been feeling on a regular basis was a bad case of blue balls. I never had to actually take a cold shower before Evan.

Me: I miss you, too. I understand. No worries.

Evan: Of course I still worry. I have amazing plans for us soon.

Me: You have me intrigued, Mr. Jacobs.

Evan: Not saying a word. Lips are sealed. That is unless you’re stopping by today. I think we need a new logo. And we need it BAD.

I laughed and stuffed my phone back in my purse.

“Look at the goofy grin. That was Evan, wasn’t it?” Natalie nudged me in the side.

“Yes. That was Evan. To tell me he missed me and wanted me to stop by later. Happy?”

“Does that mean he wants to grope you in the supply closet again?” Ellie smirked at me as she scanned a box of baby bottles.

“Jesus, Jack has a big mouth!” I had never been so mortified in all my life. I was innocently looking for a pencil when Evan came up behind me and ran his tongue up and down the shell of my ear. Jack came in just as he put his hand under my dress and backed me up against the Post-It shelf.

“Stop it, Paige. I think it’s adorable. You deserve each other, and it’s nice to see you happy.”

“Yeah, yeah. Happy. Wonderful. Supply closet? You have been holding out on me, big fucking time. I knew this would happen.” Natalie plopped down on a glider and rocked back and forth as Ellie moved on to crib sets.

I folded my arms as I glared at her. “Knew what would happen?”

“This is like that cleanse you made us go on when you joined that damn gym. Did she ever tell you about this one, Ellie? For one week we were supposed to drink protein shakes, and in between drink vinegar. I don’t even like that shit on salad and we were drinking it straight. My stomach felt like it was eating itself, and Paige almost passed out from starvation. We lasted three days and ended up at White Castle.”

Ellie held her big belly as she shook from laughter. “You actually drank vinegar?” She scrunched her face at me.

“They said we’d lose ten pounds in one week.”

“And our smart girl here didn’t see what could be wrong with that,” Natalie chuckled and shook her head. “Of course, she caught me at a desperate enough time that I was willing to try. Anyway, you’ve been on a sexual cleanse for over six months. And that man is a White Castle ten-pack.” She leaned back, nodding her head.

“Evan is a White Castle ten-pack? Is that what you just said?”

“Yes, honey. Delicious, but you need to pace yourself. I never had you pegged for public sex. I have to say I’m a little impressed.”

“We weren’t having sex, Natalie. We kissed.”

“With his hand up your dress. So hot.” Ellie pretended to shiver as I groaned with my face in my hands.

“Ellie? I thought that was you!” A tall woman with straight, jet-black hair strutted over to Ellie. She was the only woman in the store wearing a leather mini skirt and six-inch stiletto heels. I assumed she was here for someone else.

“Hi, Jenna. How are you?” Ellie gave her a forced smile. I was surprised since she usually loved everyone, but I could tell this girl rubbed her the wrong way.

“I’m great.” Jenna replied as she twirled the crimson ends of her hair. It was an odd color combination, but Jenna was beautiful. I could live on the climbing machine 24/7 and not have legs and an ass like that. “I heard Evan is back, and he works at Taylor’s Flooring now. I have to go see him.” Fuck. My stomach dropped when I heard her say his name. My intuition said this was an old girlfriend, because that was usually how my luck ran. Why did the universe hate me?

“I wouldn’t bother. I doubt either one would be happy to see you.” Wow. Ellie had claws out, a first in all the years I’d known her. Evan never really talked about his past relationships, although he knew about most of mine. He did mention a broken engagement, but didn’t want to elaborate. Oh no, she couldn’t be the ex . . .

“Evan and I were engaged. We were discussing baby names when we lived together in Philadelphia. We have a history that you know nothing about.”

Of course she is.

My insides twisted as though I’d been shot. Bang! I was engaged to Evan. Bang! We lived together. Bang! We were going to have children. Bang! The heartbeat that thundered in my ears made me lightheaded.

“I know plenty, which is why I know you wouldn’t be welcome. Going to my husband’s office to beg him to speak to Evan on your behalf will never get you anywhere. Besides, Evan has moved on, hasn’t he, Paige?” Ellie cocked an eyebrow at me, making Jenna take a swift turn in my direction.

What were Evan and I? Dating, yes. Exclusive? I never dated more than one man at a time, and didn’t think Evan would see someone else, but did I have a right to stake a claim? I really wasn’t sure, but the way Jenna looked me over pissed me off.

“I’m Paige, Evan’s girlfriend. And you are . . .” I tried to be friendly and look unaffected, but the shaking in my voice was probably a dead giveaway. She stumbled a moment, then started laughing to herself.

“Yeah, okay, sweetheart. Nice seeing you, Ellie. Hope you can lose all that weight once the baby is born.” The click-clack of her heels filled the aisle as she strutted away.

I massaged my temples as I sat in a glider next to Natalie. I was too old to be back here again. Too old and tired of this competing crap.

“No!” Ellie got in my face and pointed a finger at me. “You are not letting that whore put doubt in your head. You can ask Jack about all the shit she pulled when they lived together in Philadelphia. Jack threw her out of the office on more than one occasion. Evan is more than done with her and has been for a long time. She’s a manipulative bitch that took advantage of Evan’s good nature over and over again. She’s a non-factor, please trust me.”

“I’ll try to put any doubt out of my mind until I talk to Evan. I promise.” I bullshitted my pregnant cousin-in-law. I was counting the seconds until I could leave and drive straight to Evan’s office to ask him what the story was with Jenna. Then I would know if I should worry. So much for the uncomplicated and easy relationship I had five minutes ago.

“Go.” Natalie whispered in my ear.

“I can’t go. I promised Ellie I’d stay with her—”

“I can stay with her. She’s almost finished, anyway. Like I don’t know your stomach is turning waiting to ask Evan about Jenna. Jack’s office is five minutes away. Put yourself out of your misery. She’ll understand.”

“No, she’ll be upset that I’m upset. I can wait fifteen more minutes.”

Fifteen minutes turned into another half hour as Ellie panicked over which diapers to choose. We finished the registry, said our good-byes, and I raced to my car. I started it, but didn’t want to drive away. Once you know something, you can never un-know it, and I didn’t want my life to change from the way it was just an hour ago. I took out my phone to read all the sweet and sexy texts between us over the last couple of months. I never imagined Evan could be hiding something. I hoped that for once in my life, I was right the first time.