Текст книги "Only You"

Автор книги: Stephanie Rose

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

I should’ve been gone an hour ago, but I couldn’t make myself leave. I glanced over at Paige, sleeping on her stomach with the sheet only covering half of her perfect ass. Turns out my Daisy was a restless sleeper and kicked the covers off the whole night. Her long golden hair fanned across her pillow as she moaned and rolled over in her sleep. Fuck. Now the sheet wasn’t covering a damn thing.

I was always up before sunrise, but when you spent the night making love to the girl of your dreams, the last fucking thing in the world you wanted to do was leave her in bed alone. I reluctantly got dressed, but couldn’t take my eyes off the beautiful blonde writhing around in bed. I wished like hell I could jump back in with her.

Paige was mine. I wanted to shout it from every rooftop and paint it across her jerk off ex-fiancé’s forehead. Paige brought out the animal in me in more ways than one.

I leaned down to kiss her forehead and she reached up to put her arms around my neck. “Sorry, Daisy. I have to go.” I wanted to dip my head down and suck on those perfect nipples that were begging for my mouth. But I knew once I did that, it would be hours before I left, and I had a job to do. Too many were depending on me and I couldn’t slack off now, no matter how tempting the offer.

“Don’t go, pleeease . . . stay with me. . . . I could make it worth your while.” In her sleepy haze, she pressed her lips to mine, giving me a slow, wet, and torturous kiss that made me want to rip my pants off and sink myself back inside her. This woman was my kryptonite.

“I wish I could Daisy, but I have to go. I want to be on the job site when the delivery gets there and check on a couple more jobs this morning. I left early yesterday so there’s a lot of shit to catch up on when I get back to the office. I’ll come back tonight, I promise.” I kissed her swollen lips as she whimpered.

“I’m sorry. You left work because of me—” She put her head down and I took her face in my hands.

“I had to get my girl back.” I kissed her lips and backed away. I needed to make a quick getaway if I was going to get to that job on time.

Paige lay back down and pulled the covers up to her neck.

“I like being your girl. A lot.” She beamed at me as she settled onto her side.

“I like that, too. A lot. I’ll see you tonight. I think you and I need a real date.”

“I don’t want to wait until tonight. I don’t have to be in the office today. Still need that logo?” Paige sat up, the sheet still covering most of her. As the early morning sun peeked through her blinds, I could tell she was giving me a little smirk.

I strode back to the bed. “I think we do. Around three o’clock. You and I could talk about it in the storage closet. The one with the brand new lock on the door.”

“Sounds good Mr. Jacobs. See you at three.” Paige grabbed my face and crashed her lips to mine.

I pulled at her hair, making her look up at me. “You’re killing me, you know that?” She darted out her tongue to lick my lips. I was going to blow in my jeans before I even had coffee.

Paige shrugged. “Just thought I’d give you something to get through the day. Have fun at work.” She gave me a light peck on the lips and curled back onto her side. I shook my head as I left her bedroom. Like Jack said, I was whipped—and I didn’t give a shit.

Functioning on forty-five minutes of sleep was tough. I didn’t know how many cups of coffee I needed before I was coherent. I trudged through most of my day exhausted but with a dopey grin on my face.

“I’m guessing you guys are okay now. I didn’t get any hysterical messages from Paige, and you look like the tired cat that ate the canary.” I laughed as Jack handed me another cup of coffee. I sorted out the paperwork from our recent influx of jobs. I knew my ‘not quite all there’ gaze came from being sated and fuck drunk.

“Thanks, bro. Well . . .” I smirked at Jack.

He shook his head and raised his hand. “Just because I’m happy you guys are together doesn’t mean I need play by play, or even hinting at play by play. You need to tell Paige about crazy train, though. And sooner rather than later. Yesterday was only the beginning of the trouble she’s looking to cause.” Jack narrowed his eyes at me. He was absolutely right. My past with Jenna was ugly, but Paige needed to know all the sick details before Jenna tried to drive another wedge between us.

I nodded. “I will. I’ll see her later tonight and fill her in. How are you feeling? We’ve both been pulling pretty long hours. I can take on more if you need some—”

“You took on plenty. I’m fine. I’ll let you know when I think it’s too much.” No, he wouldn’t. I’d have to watch and judge for myself, but from the looks of things he did feel okay. He was eating, had energy, everything seemed fine. I couldn’t help but think I was sitting next to a ticking time bomb, and dreaded picking up the pieces when it finally exploded.

“Hey there he is! Look who’s back from Philly and slumming it with us!”

“Oh hey, Sean. Thanks for coming in.” Jack motioned to the seat next to his desk.

Sean went to school with us, and worked with Jack when he needed extra hands. I never liked him much, but Jack insisted he was good at what he did. Although he was an arrogant prick that grated on my nerves, I could get past it if he could help us out.

I nodded at Sean. “Good to see you too, I guess.” I leaned back in my chair and drained the last of the coffee from the cup. Sean laughed as he took a seat in front of Jack’s desk, resting his feet on the edge.

“Here are the keys to the van. We took the old tile up already so all you have to do is—”

“Yeah, yeah, Jack. I’ve done this for you a hundred times. I don’t need instructions. So, does your cousin still come here to do work for you guys? I was hoping to run into her.”

Jack furrowed his brow at Sean before he leaned forward to answer. “Why do you want to run into Paige?”

Sean leaned his head back and laughed. “I heard she’s hotter than ever. And single.” Sean glanced at me with a sickening smirk on his face. “Have you seen her, Jacobs? I bet she still has the same huge—”

“That’s my cousin, who happens to be like my sister. Watch yourself.” Jack scowled at Sean who kept laughing with his head lowered. I ground my teeth as I glared at the back of his head. I’d been dying to knock him out since we were kids. I was giving him room to say one more stupid thing before I had the joy of getting in his face.

“Hey boys, guess who has the new sign proofs early!” Paige breezed into the office and set two large reels of paper down on Jack’s desk. Today was the first time I was annoyed that Paige wore a dress. Sean’s eyes traveled up and down her body as she leaned over to roll out the papers, and it was all I could do not to knock his teeth down his throat.

Jack stood to peer down on the designs. “Holy shit, Paige. These look awesome! Ev, come take a look.”

Paige peeked over at me with an adorable blush in her cheeks. It brought back recent memories of the last time her face was flushed, and made me grin as I rose from my seat.

Paige met me halfway, and I pulled her into a kiss. She stiffened at first, maybe a little embarrassed by my very public display of affection, but I needed the message to be loud and clear. She eventually melted into me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Point made, dude. You can stop groping the help now.”

“The help?” Paige kept her arms around me as she pursed her lips at Jack. She rested her chin on my chest to gaze up at me. “Is that all I am to you guys?”

“Oh no, not to me. I missed you since I left this morning.” I kissed her forehead as I smirked at Sean. I made sure to say that loud enough for him to overhear. He shook his head and stood up from his chair.

“All right, I get it. Let me go take care of this. Nice to see you, Paige.” He scooped up the keys and jetted out the door.

“Hey, Sean. Nice to see you, too.” Paige cuddled into my chest again.

Jack grimaced at us. “Could the two of you cut it out? I’ve spent enough time trying to hold off my gag reflex. Let me go give Sean the address of where he’s going. You ran him out of here so fast he forgot to ask.” Jack laughed as he jogged outside.

“What does he mean by ‘ran him out’?” Paige squinted at me, I couldn’t blame her for acting confused, but she didn’t need to know about my victorious pissing contest.

I led her over to my desk and pulled her on my lap. “Nothing to worry your pretty little head about. So did you miss me, too?” I buried my head in her neck, and dragged wet kisses to the sweet spot behind her ear as I moved my hand up her thigh. I chuckled when she jumped.

“Yes, I did. My pretty little head? I guess you don’t want to worry the help . . .” My hand drifted from her thigh to between her legs. Her panties were already wet. A moan escaped her as she tried to move my hand away.

“My cousin is coming back any second, you animal. Save this for my place later, or the supply closet now.” Paige gave me a playful grin and a soft kiss on the lips.

“I could kinda get into you being the help. I could get you a sexy little uniform . . .” I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she giggled.

“Sure.” Paige ran her hand down my chest and gazed up at me with sexy doe eyes. “Will that be all Mr. Jacobs? I’m sure there’s another job I could do for you.” Her hand fell to the waistband of my jeans, drifting over my throbbing hard-on as she licked her lips. Sweet Jesus. This woman was my every fantasy brought to life. I gripped the nape of her neck and kissed her hard, then grabbed her by the hips to pull that fucking amazing body against mine—and didn’t give a shit who was supposed to come back in.

“You really are an animal,” Paige giggled against my lips.

“You have no fucking idea,” I growled as my fingers tangled in her hair.

“Jesus H. Christ! I’m traumatized from walking into my own damn office. Can the two of you keep it in your pants, please?” Jack plopped into his chair and rubbed his forehead.

“Ellie told me we aren’t the only ones who got caught in the supply closet. Hello, kettle; you’re black.” Paige gave her cousin a sideways glance and he narrowed his eyes back at her.

“Yeah, well. It’s my supply closet. Tell my partner good-bye and that you’re done distracting him for the day.” He shooed her out, waving his hands towards the door.

“He’s throwing me out, Evan. The nerve!” Paige huffed at Jack as she stood from my lap and picked up her purse. “You guys can keep the proofs. Let me know if you want any changes made. Have a nice afternoon, boys.” She blew me a kiss and strutted out the door. I sat there for a long minute, staring at the door with a stupid grin on my face. I was pathetic, but it felt too good to care.

I pulled the covers up to my neck and reveled in the soft layers of bedding I could never replicate at home. I sank my head deeper into the fluffy pillow as I gazed at the gorgeous specimen sleeping next to me. Evan said he had amazing plans for us, but little did I know those plans encompassed all of Labor Day weekend.

Evan was so excited the entire drive out as he described our destination—a nearby village of antique shops and restaurants—as well as the pool and hot tub we’d have all to ourselves until we left on Monday afternoon. I was excited to have him all to myself for two whole days. We arrived at his friend’s house in the Hamptons late last night, so we hadn’t sampled any of the swanky amenities other than the bed. Honestly, if we never made it past the bed all weekend, that would be A-Okay with me.

Evan was out cold with his hands tucked under his head on the pillow. My eyes drank in his long eyelashes and full lips, and drifted lower to enjoy the arm porn. I laughed at the imprint of my teeth on his bicep. I couldn’t help it—those muscles did me in every time. But what totally unraveled me was the hungry look in his eyes as he moved inside me, like he couldn’t get enough. Evan made me so happy it scared the shit out of me.

“Staring again? You’re creeping me out a little.” Evan opened one eye and cocked an eyebrow at me. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned to roll over and he snaked his arm around my waist to flip me back.

“You said stop staring . . .” He cut me off with a passionate kiss. Everything was exciting and new between us, but at the same time familiar and comfortable. I didn’t panic at the fact I didn’t brush my teeth or that I probably looked a mess. I let my hands drift down Evan’s back as I appreciated the way his tongue said good morning.

“Can’t help it if you like what you see, right?” Evan gave me a playful smile as he rested his forehead against mine. I flung my arms around his neck, bringing his face closer to nibble on his bottom lip. A moan escaped Evan as his smile grew wider.

“Little cocky for this early in the morning, aren’t you?” Evan responded by rubbing himself against me. I liked how that said good morning, too.

“Interesting choice of words . . .” He ground himself against me harder and I lifted my hips in kind. Evan hissed and grabbed the nape of my neck to pull me into a kiss. I already dreaded how miserable it would be to wake up alone on Tuesday.

I forced myself to pull back from his lips. “Think we’ll get out of bed at some point tod—” I jumped when he slid his hand between us. His fingers traced lazy circles on my clit, making my legs fall open.

“Sorry, you were saying?” Evan darted out his tongue and licked the seam of my lips.

“Nothing. I wasn’t saying a damn thing.” I whispered against his lips as I hooked my leg around his hip to get even closer. Evan groaned as he covered my mouth with his.

We could see the cute little town on the drive home.

Eventually, we made it out of bed and ended up at an adorable outdoor café a few minutes away from the house. After we sat at a table and a waitress took our order, Evan scooted his chair closer to mine and wrapped his arm around me.

“Good surprise?” He pulled me closer and I rested my head on his shoulder.

“The best! I feel very spoiled. This is the first time I’ve been whisked away for a romantic weekend just because.” I sipped my mimosa as I gave Evan a big smile. Being treated this nice was definitely still new territory. “Having fun?” I snuggled into his side as he nodded.

“Are you kidding? This is the life. No work or stress, I can focus on the sexy blonde who likes me.”

“Meh, you’re okay.” I looked up and shrugged and Evan cocked an eyebrow at me. He was so frigging sexy when he did that. He nuzzled into my neck and peppered kisses behind my ear. A moan escaped me as I tried to pull away.

“I have bite marks on my arm and scratches down my back. I think that means I’m a little more than okay.” I shoved his shoulder and put my face in my hands.

“Stop, Daisy!” Evan pulled my hands down as he laughed. “I like that you’re sweet and shy, but when I press all the right buttons you lose control. That’s a part of you that only I know.” Evan kissed my temple and whispered in my ear. “That’s what makes you mine.”

“There are really scratches down your back?” I grimaced at him.

He smirked back as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “Sure are, you little animal.” I giggled and leaned over to kiss his lips when the vibration of his phone on the table interrupted us. I glimpsed and saw Jenna’s name flash across his screen. Evan huffed as he quickly deleted the message.

“She’s still trying to contact you.” I raised my eyebrows at Evan.

“And I’m still ignoring her. I’m either changing my number or blocking her. And the guys know she’s not allowed at the office again. Please, Daisy. I told you, she’s nothing to worry about.”

“I know that. I trust you and I know it was all her in the office that day. But I don’t understand why she’s still lurking around trying to get you back. Jack and Ellie keep saying I don’t want to know, but you can tell me. What happened between you two?”

Evan lowered his gaze and adjusted the baseball cap on his head. “Jenna and I started dating before I moved to Philadelphia, a little after Jack’s wedding. Things moved along pretty quickly. She . . . wasn’t the way she is now. Maybe a little needy, but mostly sweet and seemed to want the same things that I did. When I moved, she decided to follow me since she had a sister who lived there already, but she ended up moving in with me anyway. We got engaged, and then things changed.”

I squinted at Evan as I leaned forward. “Things changed how?”

Evan grimaced and shook his head. “I worked a lot of night jobs at the time, and she started getting distant and secretive about where she was when I wasn’t home. Every time I asked, she got defensive and we would have a huge argument that would end with her sobbing. It got to the point where all we did was fight. I finally told her it wasn’t working and she needed to move back with her sister. That’s when she burst into tears and said she was pregnant.” Evan let out a long sigh, and my stomach dropped. Not like I had a claim to Evan’s sperm then, or even now, but the thought of that awful woman carrying his baby made me physically sick.

“So, what did you do?” I put my hand on top of his. I got the feeling this was the ugly part of the story.

“You know when I lost my mom, I lost my dad, too. Since then, all I’ve ever wanted is my own family. I should have been more suspicious, considering how she’d been acting, but I accepted what she said as the truth. We started planning for our baby, or so I thought. I’d ask to come to doctor’s appointments and she’d always only be able to go when I couldn’t. Thinking back, I wanted to believe her so badly I fought against my gut instincts. There were no sonogram pictures, no details about what the doctor said.”

“Did she . . . fake the pregnancy?”

Evan let out a long sigh and put his head down. “The day before I was supposed to go with her to the doctor, I came home from work to find her a weeping mess on the couch. She said she lost the baby. I didn’t know if I believed her, but what if she really was telling the truth? I mourned a baby I wasn’t even sure existed in the first place. I wanted to call her on it, but if there was the slightest chance she’d been telling the truth, I couldn’t live with myself if I left a woman who just had a miscarriage.” He motioned to his chest with his thumb. “Big asshole. You can say it.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I’ve been there a few times myself. You let someone take advantage of you, even though you know they may be using you. Happened to me more times than I care to count.” I rubbed his back to encourage him to keep going and unburden himself.

“Then she lost her job and I basically supported her. She said she couldn’t focus on work because she was too distraught. I came home early one night to find her naked on the couch with a guy friend of hers. I flipped out and we started screaming at each other. That’s when she let it slip out there was no baby. She faked the whole thing. I called her sister and demanded she come pick her up before I called the cops. After she left, I heard a ton of stories about the other “friends” she hung out with all those nights while I was at work.” He let out a deep breath. “I got myself tested for everything I could think of. Apparently, she moved back here with her parents after her sister threw her out, too. That’s when she started calling, texting, stopping by Jack’s office to beg him to speak to me for her. He warned me over and over again about her so he wasn’t hearing any of it. I had a feeling she’d pull something when she heard I moved back. Seeing you that day just made her up the ante.” Evan took my hand and laced our fingers together.

“Believe me when I tell you. I feel nothing for her. I probably never really did. A lot was obligation and trying to ease my own loneliness. Pathetic I know. She could never compare to you. Ever.”

I squeezed his hand back in return. “Thank you for telling me. Just one thing doesn’t make sense. If she cheated on you, why is she making such a big effort to get you back? I don’t get it.”

Evan shrugged. “Wish I could tell you. I used to be an easy target; maybe she misses her meal ticket, not sure. She knew just how to get me, too. A baby was the one thing that would have made me stop in my tracks and overlook everything else.” He glanced up at me with a mix of sorrow and shame in his eyes. How could she do something like that, to Evan of all people? Ellie was right: Jenna was a whore and an evil, crazy bitch.

“Now you see why I didn’t want to bring her up. I hate talking about her, and didn’t want you to think less of me because of what I let her get away with for so long.” Evan looked away, and I cupped his cheek to turn his head.

“I could never think less of you. You’re a wonderful man with a huge heart, and she took advantage of your good nature. Not your fault you’re a good guy.” Evan laughed and nodded.

“Always been my problem.” I shook my head and leaned over to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

“I happen to like this good guy. A lot.”

Evan chuckled and kissed me back. “So I am better than okay?” I laughed as he kept his lips on mine.

“Maybe,” I murmured against his mouth. I more than liked this good guy, but was still afraid to say out loud just how much.

I lay back on the comfy lounge chair overlooking the gigantic in-ground pool, quite the leap from my postage-stamp sized backyard back in the Bronx. I was curious as to what type of person kept a beautiful house and grounds like this as a second home.

We spent most of the afternoon food shopping for our own private barbecue. I was afraid to figure out the state of the art grill, but Evan couldn’t wait to get his hands on it.

“You don’t need any help?” I settled into the chair cushion and hoped I’d hear a no. Laying in the sun and doing nothing for three days was pretty exhausting.

“Nope. Grilling’s a man’s job. Relax, Daisy.” He gave me a wink and a smirk.

“Whatever. I’m too comfortable to fight that obnoxious statement.” I stretched my arms over my head. This was certainly the life. A girl could get used to making love all night and sleeping until noon.

I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest. “So who is the friend who keeps this mini mansion as a second home?”

“An old college friend of mine, this was his family’s place. We used to come here during breaks and sometimes on weekends during the summer.” Evan answered without looking as he messed with the controls.

“So this was the place for wild parties I guess.” I settled on my side as I raised my eyebrows at Evan. He laughed and shrugged.

“We’d have people here, I don’t know how wild the parties were.” Evan came over to my beach chair and sat on the edge. “Is that your sneaky way of asking if girls were here?” He leaned in and ran his hand up and down my thigh. I shook my head at the smug grin on his face. “Yes. There were. But I honestly don’t remember any of them.”

“That many?” I crinkled my nose at Evan. He came closer and ran his thumb along my jaw.

“Enough. Usual college stupidity. As much as I tried, I was never the love ’em and leave ’em type.” I rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. I pulled Evan closer and kissed his cheek.

“I just don’t like to think of you with anyone but me. Silly, isn’t it?”

Evan shook his head. “Not at all. I hate thinking of you with anyone else. But now neither of us has to worry, right? Both of us are right where we’re supposed to be.” Evan nibbled on my bottom lip as I giggled. “And now that I’ve got you, I’m not going anywhere.”

While Evan cooked, I set the outside table for us and put on the porch lights.

“What did your dad say?” Evan’s father wouldn’t answer Evan’s call this morning, and he spent most of the day worried to distraction until he finally got through to one of the neighbors to check on him.

“The usual. Annoyed that I had someone come to his apartment.” Evan shrugged and shook his head. “He’s usually fine, but he’s more and more unsteady, falls all the time. I don’t think this facility is cutting it for him. As much as I hate to do it, I think he needs to go into a home. At least I know someone will be there God forbid anything else happens.” A son like Evan was more than his father deserved; at least I thought so. He’d been an absent father since his wife died in a car accident when Evan was fifteen, but Evan always worried about him.

I rubbed his arm as his gaze focused on the redwood decking. I saw the abandoned little boy in Evan’s expression whenever he talked about his dad. I wished that I could take it away, make him feel taken care of and not so alone.

“I’m sorry, babe. But like you said, at least this will make you stop worrying. Did you have a place in mind?”

Evan nodded. “A nice one, too. In the Bronx, but right on the water and it has a great reputation. I researched it a while ago, when I figured I’d eventually have to pull the trigger. Not that the family comes to see him very often but at least maybe he’d feel better being closer to his old neighborhood. He hated when I sold the house. I’ll contact the home when we get back and see how long it would take to get him moved in.” He took a long gulp of his wine.

“The next time you go to see him, can I go with you?” Evan grimaced and put his hand on top of mine.

“My dad . . . isn’t a very nice man. It’s why I could never get an aide to last longer than two weeks. I don’t want to subject you to that, Daisy.”

I took his hand in both of mine. “I’ll go with you the next time you see him, and I’ll help you move him in when the time comes. You don’t have to do all of this alone anymore. You’re kinda stuck with me.” I rose from my seat and planted myself in his lap. A slow smile spread across his face as he wrapped his arms around me.

The nighttime breeze blew my hair across my face. Evan caressed it off my forehead. “I know. And it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”