Engaging Evelyn (3 page)

“Whoa, I didn’t say I didn’t do it. I said you owe me big-time. It only took him fifteen minutes. The getting away part is why you owe me. I thought the guy was going to chain me to the bed so I wouldn’t leave. I have to admit, I felt bad for him.”

A sharp intake of breath sounded over the phone. “No fucking way you made him come that fast. I worked on him for two hours! He was like the Energizer Bunny. He kept going and going… Hold on.”

Her call for Sarah echoed throughout the real estate office. Evelyn listened while Melissa whispered to her other friend about what had happened. Sarah got on the phone.

“There’s no way. Fifteen minutes, you’re joking. Shit! Well, I got first round tonight. You better feel like drinking because we’re not stopping until it takes all three of us to carry you out.”

“That sounds better than you know. I think tonight I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Evelyn could feel her smile falling for the first time since she had gotten on the phone with them. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t outrun her past, but how did one truly get over something like that? Find someone new? She wasn’t sure it was worth it.

“Are you all right?” Sarah asked in a quiet voice.

“Fine. Hey, I’m pulling into my parking lot. I’ll see you all tonight. Tell Melissa not to forget to pick me up. She has the second round.”

“Will do, honey. You get some rest. You have a big night tonight.”

“Okay, bye.” Evelyn hung up the phone and looked at her resort apartment. Most people just rented these by the day or week, sometimes the month, but she was lucky enough to snag one that went on the market for a steal. Her favorite thing about the apartment was the variety of people that came along, especially during spring break.

In less than a month, this place would be packed with tourists from all over. She almost couldn’t wait. The resort had one of the largest swimming pools in the state of Texas, not to mention the beach was practically in its backyard.

Climbing out of her car, she felt a slight chill in the air. It had to be around sixty degrees, but having grown up in Texas, it was sweater weather to her. Anything under forty degrees and Evelyn had to be pried from her apartment. Nonstop teeth chattering wasn’t the most attractive thing for a real estate agent.

Her heels clicked along the pavement while she rounded the sidewalk for her stairs. On the third step up, she felt herself come to a stop. Walking down toward her was the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen. His dark hair hung over golden eyes as he approached.

His step didn’t falter, but hers sure did. Before he could notice, she dismissed him and tried to ignore her screaming body. It reacted to him upon sight, to those eyes, to those full, kissable lips. His wide, muscular chest was so visible through the white shirt he was wearing that she wanted to rip it off. Damn it, what was the matter with her? Hadn’t she just finished fucking someone not two hours ago? Trying to slow her breathing, she proceeded back up to her apartment.

The stranger pressed against the railing of the narrow stairs while he waited for Evelyn to pass. Without the courage to look up, she nearly missed his smile. If it hadn’t been for her peripheral vision, she would have never seen those perfect lips move.

It was almost enough to make her look, but she didn’t. With a whisper, Evelyn excused herself as she moved past him and had to keep herself from running to the door. Maybe he had come for spring break a few weeks early?

Slipping her key in the lock, she tried not to ponder on what had brought him here. The last thing she needed was to think about another guy.

“Excuse me.”

The male voice seemed to be almost right behind her. It made her jump in surprise. Evelyn couldn’t turn around, couldn’t look into those eyes again. Something about them was unsettling and all too enticing.

“Yes,” she said cautiously, gripping the doorknob. The cool metal almost made her shake.

“I think you dropped this.” The amusement in his voice made her thoughts pause. What was so funny?

Damn it. Now she would have to look. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned, avoiding direct eye contact. Instead, she looked at his lips. Big mistake. They looked so soft, so ready for her to kiss. She could almost feel them against her own. If she brought hers to brush against his, would he react and kiss her gently, or would it be one of those rough kisses that would make her forget every man she’d ever been with?

A key was raised eye level, breaking her focus from his lips. A red tag hung down from the ring, a number nine or six, depending on how one viewed it, drawn on with a black permanent marker. It was enough to stop her heart. How had she missed that before? Where in the hell had it come from? Evelyn looked down at her opened purse. She never closed it, a habit she was about to break.

“Thank you,” she said, giving the man a tight smile. No doubt he could tell she was somewhat pissed off. At least it was enough to take her focus off the desire she was feeling for this particular stranger.

Evelyn took the key, slid her fingers over the sloppily written number nine, and cracked her door. Removing her own key from the lock, she couldn’t help but feel his energy pushing against her back. She’d never felt this with a particular person before. It left her confused while she tried to find a reason to politely excuse herself.

“You’re welcome. Listen, I’m new here. I was wondering if you had any plans for later, maybe dinner.”

Evelyn closed her eyes while she faced the metal door. She let its coldness penetrate through her palm. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’ve already made plans for the evening. Maybe some other time.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said from behind her.

Big mistake, huge. Why didn’t she just tell him no? Quickly, she turned around, but he was gone. Just like that he had disappeared. Evelyn, frantic to right her wrong, peered over the edge of the railing and noticed the dark edge of his jeans vanishing just out of range on the bottom walkway.

“Hey, you!” Why the hell didn’t she get his name? “Hey!”

His face came into view, a look of pure amusement lighting his features. “Are you yelling at me?” He laughed.

“You know I am. How did you get down there so fast? Did you jump?”

Evelyn’s hair whirled around her face while she continued to lean over the railing to see him. The wind had picked up as the clouds covered the sun. Just holding on to the metal nearly made her teeth chatter.

“Did I jump? Now, why would I do something like that?” He smiled, bigger.

Great, a comedian. She didn’t like to be teased. It didn’t help that she was becoming lightheaded from leaning over so far.

“Do you think maybe you could come closer? I don’t think I can lean over much longer.”

“If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

His voice was filled with humor, yet something else she couldn’t quite make out. Somehow, she felt like he was serious. He seemed to have no doubt that if Evelyn fell, he could catch her. Unbelievable. Biting her lip so she wouldn’t say anything too rude, she watched him take one step forward.

“Quit messing around and get over here. I would prefer not to fall, if it’s all the same to you.”

Arrogantly, he walked back over just past the railing, looking up at her like she had missed the punch line of some joke. It was enough to annoy the hell out of her. Evelyn hated feeling like a fool, and this time, she didn’t even know why.

“About dinner, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

His face fell slightly, but he looked more pleased if anything. What was the matter with this guy? She was trying to be nice, but he just wasn’t getting it.

“You already gave me your word. I’ll be here tomorrow night to pick you up at, say, seven?”

“Oh my God, are you serious? I don’t even know you. No, I can’t. It’s…complicated. I don’t do dates. Plus, I didn’t give you my word. How can you even say that?”

“I like complicated. Seven it is,” he said, nodding.

Evelyn watched him walk away. She could feel her lips part in shock. This guy had problems. Was he even sane? Well, she wouldn’t be here at seven tomorrow. He’d have fun waiting. It would serve him right for being so pushy toward her. She was, after all, a stranger to him. Didn’t most people who did dates know each other more than ten minutes?

The door closed behind her, and she locked it, still half in a daze from what had just happened. Evelyn brushed her finger against the plastic still clutched against her palm. Shit! Now she would have to go and drop off the key. Bill must have slipped it in her purse when she wasn’t looking.

What in the hell was she going to do? Evelyn collapsed on her black leather couch and kicked her stilettos to the floor. Deep breaths, that’s all she could do. Robotically, her head turned into the direction of her purse sitting beside her on the couch. The phone was sticking out of the top like a red flag. She grabbed it, knowing just who to call. Julie answered on the third ring.

“Evelyn, what’s up? You’re calling early.”

At her soothing voice, Evelyn smiled and, closing her eyes, leaned back against the cool leather. “I only had one house to show today. How are things at the office? Hopefully, Henry isn’t giving you too much trouble for being late to court.”

“No, he’s in a good mood today, thank God. Mr. Boss-Man must have got him some ass last night.”

Evelyn laughed. She couldn’t help it. Henry owned the law firm where Julie worked. She had been a paralegal there before finishing school to become a lawyer. Now, she practically ran the place when Henry wasn’t in the office. Julie was a damn good lawyer, specializing in divorce and child custody cases.

“Evelyn, what’s wrong. Something is bothering you, I can tell. Talk to me.”

She rolled her eyes against the tears already starting to collect. “I’m not sure. I thought the bets would help. They’re not helping. If anything it’s getting harder.” Evelyn noticed the last of the words almost didn’t make it from her lips. This was bad. Worse than she wanted to admit out loud.

“You’re lonely.” Julie got quiet for a few seconds. “I’m going to give you a word of advice. You’ve been running for too long now. I understand you don’t want to get into a relationship, but you need to take the first step. Get a boy toy or fuck buddy—it’ll help.”

“A boy toy, what the hell is that?”

Julie laughed. “It’s someone you fuck on a regular basis, no relationship attached, if you know what I mean. You fuck each other, maybe cuddle at night, and then lead your lives as if you’re single, no jealousy or messy breakups. It’s perfect.”

Evelyn twisted her mouth. “I don’t know, cuddle? It sounds a little intimate.”

“That’s the point, Ev. You get intimacy without a relationship. It’ll fill the hole, trust me. I have one myself, and I still get to play Bets, so it’s all good.”

“You might have a point. Who’s your boy toy? You never told me you had one.”

Julie laughed again. “No way. It’s too embarrassing. Just take my advice and find yourself one. I have to go. My client just got here.”

Evelyn hung up the phone and looked back at the number nine. Would Bill make a good boy toy? It’s not like she had to tell anyone. With a flick of her wrist, Evelyn tossed the key on her glass coffee table and tried hard not to stare at the six that twisted her heart. Nine and six, which would it be this time? Why was she starting to feel like this was some sort of sign for her to open her eyes to something she was clearly missing?

Chapter 4

With one last look in the mirror, Evelyn was trapped by the sight of her reflection. The mass of dark waves swirled around her face, a face that looked paler than usual. Large green eyes, trimmed in blue, were almost blacked out by her pupils.

She looked as scared as she felt. Why was the thought of possibly spending the night with Bill so hard to come to grips with? Well, for one, she hadn’t slept in bed with a man since Stephen. Deep down, she knew she didn’t have to do this. She didn’t, so then why did she want to? Evelyn exhaled louder than necessary. She had no idea. With determination, she tried to focus on her appearance.