Finding Eva (Highland Creek Series) (15 page)

She put her fingers on his lips and shook her head no. “Don’t say it. I know that you really want to help, and as much as I am interested in you, you are really getting on my nerves with all the asking if you can help. I have told you six ways to Sunday I do not need your help, and I haven’t changed my mind. If it makes you feel any better, I talked to Gwen yesterday about the letter and I am going to read it. I don’t know when, but soon. As scared as I am of knowing what was written, the not knowing is driving me and everyone around me crazy.”

“You’ll figure it out. In the meantime, just know that I am always here to for you, regardless of what you find out in the letter. I meant it when I said I was falling.”

“I know …” She began to trace circles along his chest, loving the feel of him. “And I am falling for you too, but I’m scared. I have another life in another city. School will be starting again in a month and a half, but I don’t want to leave.”

“Baby, I’m scared too, but I am enjoying this new relationship. We can’t do anything about school. I say we just keep doing what we are doing and then make decisions later on. I have never felt like this before, and there is a reason why you were put in my life. We always end up where we are supposed to be, and you are supposed to be with me right now. The rest is details.” She didn’t look convinced, so he kissed her on the forehead. “It will work out, I promise.”

“Ok.” She kissed him once more before getting up, and Aaron immediately felt the cold hit him as she moved. “And as much as I hate to get out of here, I have to go home. Gwen is waiting for me, your brother should be there any minute, which wouldn’t be awkward at all, and I really do have stuff to do.”

“Fine.” He scrunched his face, not wanting the day to ruin their lazy morning, but he had work to do too. “I have to run into the office myself. How about I call you later?”

“I would like that.” She looked at him from where she was putting on her clothes, soaking in the sight of the gorgeously naked man that she unfortunately had to leave today. He got up and pulled on sweats, grabbed her by the elbow, and walked her to the door. “One more time,” he kissed her hard, before she walked to her car, and he couldn’t help thinking she looked like an angel with the sun shining on her hair.

Aaron rode his good mood all throughout his workday. Despite having limited sleep, he had never felt better, and he managed to get everything caught up and prepped for his case next week. He was whistling when he heard a voice he hoped never to hear again.

“Whistling because you knew I was coming?” He looked up from the file he was working on to see Marcia in the doorway. Slick as spit, she looked like a woman that knew her effect on a man. Her curly black hair stood out against her light blue wrap dress that matched the contacts that he knew were fake and black stiletto heels she used to add height to her five-three frame. Or crush a man’s pride, something she was known for doing. She was a man-eater, something he knew very well because he spent two months with her claws hooked in him before he was able to break away.

“Marcia, I actually didn’t know that you were coming in, but what can I do for you?” He noticed her eyes narrowed slightly before going back to her perfectly poised expression and he couldn’t stop the sinking feeling in his gut. Although well suited for a good time, her insistence to be Mrs. Aaron Sawyer rubbed him the wrong way.

“Is that anyway to greet me, sweetheart? I didn’t think I needed a reason to come see you.” She walked toward him before he put his hands up in a clear defensive position.

“Whoa, Marcia. Listen, we haven’t been a thing for almost a year, and even then, we both knew the score.” She slithered toward him like a snake, moving toward his desk, shifting her hips with a way that she thought made her look sexy. He had to admit some men would get a rise out of her, but he had been burned one too many times. She walked her fingers up his arm before he pushed away from her. “I think you need to have a seat over there.” He gestured toward the chair on the other side of the desk. She huffed and moved to go to the chair, but he knew from experience she wasn’t done.

“What can I do for you?”

“Well, you know…” she leaned in, showcasing her world-class boob job “…that Jamie is getting married next month.” Jamie was one of his cousins, and of course he knew she was getting married. His mother never missed an opportunity to talk about how her niece was getting married and her own children weren’t. Except for Bryan, but his wife was such a bitch no one wanted to talk about her.

“Yes, I seem to recall my aunt mentioning it a time or two when she was over at my parents’ for a wedding planning session with my mom.”

“Of course.” She smiled, but it didn’t meet her eyes. He just wanted her to tell him what she wanted so he could get her out of his office. “I came today because I have been waiting for you to call and you never have.”

“What does the wedding have to do with me calling you?” He had a feeling he already knew, but he was scared to say it aloud.

“To be your date. I took the initiative to RSVP for both of us but had yet to hear from you so I felt as though an in person visit was more appropriate.”

His mouth fell open as she talked, his eyes widening. “So you mean to tell me that you RSVPed for me to attend my cousin’s wedding with you as my date?” She smiled as she nodded, and he was sure she thought she was going to get her way by backing him into a corner. Slick and catty were her style so he couldn’t say he was surprised. “Have you forgotten the fact that we are no longer together?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She brushed him off with a flick of the wrist.

“Ridiculous?! You RSVPed to my cousin’s wedding, which you weren’t invited to because she doesn’t even like you, and I am the one that is being ridiculous?! I can’t believe this shit.”

Blue eyes widened in surprise. No one was a better actress than Marcia, and this was an old conversation, so he knew she couldn’t have been that shocked. “What’s wrong, baby? I thought this was what you wanted. We both knew that it was just a temporary separation, and I was just giving you time to sow your wild oats before I took you back.”

He got out of his chair, moving behind it to give him some space to calm down. “Do you hear yourself? We are never getting back together! I broke up with you for a reason … because I didn’t want to be with you anymore. So there is no us, and stop trying to make decisions for me. That was part of the problem. Please understand there will never be another us.” Her eyes narrowed, jaw clenched in anger with every word he spoke. He could only hope that he finally got through to her, but he wasn’t holding his breath.

Knowing she would not get him through forcing herself on him, she changed tactics. “Is this about that girl?”

“What girl?” Surely she wasn’t talking about Eva. How could she know about her?

“That girl,” she said through clenched teeth. “Sara saw you the other night at the Redneck Rendezvous with Elizabeth’s daughter. I just brushed it off of course, because we are in the process of working things out if our lunch from the other month was any indication, but there has to be a reason for your change of heart.”

He laughed, sure he was in the Twilight Zone. That lunch that she spoke of consisted of him looking over legal documents that she needed him to read for her internet craft business.

“That lunch was a business meeting, not a personal one. And Eva, the girl you are referring to, has nothing to do with whether or not I want to be with you.” She got out of the seat and moved to his chair, rubbing her hand up his chest. He could only watch her amazed at her chutzpah and the sheer idiocy of the whole process.

“I let you have your fun, and I am sure that the little teacher was fun for a while, but someone like you needs a sophisticated woman on his arm. I am willing to forget your little dalliance because we weren’t together, and we can move back in together.” She had stalked closer throughout her whole speech, moving around the chair he foolishly thought would stop her, until her lips were a mere inches from his and he could feel her breath as she finished the last statement.

If he leaned back any farther he would be leaning on his desk, but Marcia was never one to accept any kind of subtlety. He had to be straight and to the point. He gently disengaged her from his body, removing her hand and gently walking her to the other side of the desk, not missing the look of surprise on the crazy bitch’s face. He moved back to give himself some distance but continued to tower over her, knowing that the one flaw she saw was his height, hoping to prove his point once and for all.

“I am going to tell you one time…” he held up one finger “…and one time only. We are not together, and will never be back together. I am not going to the wedding with you, we were not on a break, and you need to leave any woman whom I may be in a relationship with alone. I have said my piece and you need to go ahead and leave.”

She huffed and stomped her foot, something she was good at doing. “This is not done, but I will give you some time.”

“Goodbye, Marcia, it’s over.” She stormed out of the office, and he saw Mary sitting there at her desk pretending like she wasn’t listening, although he knew that she heard every damn word. After she slammed the door, he turned to Mary, who just shook her head and started laughing.

“What the hell do you find funny?”

“I don’t know what it is about you Sawyer boys, but you sure do know how to attract the crazies.”

“Ha, ha,” he said sarcastically, “I am going to go back to my office and try to get some work done. If she comes back…” he paused, not knowing what to say “…just lock the damn door if you see her coming.” He stormed into his office, his good mood gone, as Mary continued to laugh at his expense.

E
va couldn’t stop smiling as she drove back to her house that morning, pleasantly sore in areas that hadn’t been used in years. She couldn’t believe her luck; she knew that sex with Aaron was going to be good, but damn! And the fact that he said he had feelings for her just added to how special the night turned out. She should feel a little guilty that she left Gwen alone, but she couldn’t find it in herself to regret the fact that she’d moved to the next level with a great guy. The fact that she was falling for him both thrilled and scared her; she was excited to know where this was going to lead, but at the same time she knew that she would be going back at the end of the summer and she didn’t want to think about the effect that could have on their fledgling relationship.

She liked him, and was seriously falling for him, but she didn’t know if she could just uproot her life for this guy. Her biggest problem now was sneaking in the house and hoping Gwen was still asleep. Although she had no plans to lie about where she had been, it would be easier to tell her after she had showered and gotten ready. She knew what she looked like: bruised lips, hair sticking out in all directions, and the beginning of a very distinct bite mark on her neck. She didn’t notice it last night, but he seemed to be extra attracted to her neck. She figured the back door was best. Then she could sneak up the back stairs and Gwen would be, fingers crossed, still asleep.

“Oh shit!” Eva screamed before slamming back into the kitchen door when she saw Gwen patiently sitting there sipping on her cup of coffee as though she didn’t just see Eva sneaking in.
Well there goes my plan of sneaking in
, she thought wearily as she looked at Gwen, who waggled her eyebrows and smirked at her between sips of coffee.

“Coffee?” Gwen held up the mug. “I have that mint creamer you like.” Eva narrowed her eyes, knowing Gwen was barely holding in the laughter that was dancing in her eyes.

“I’m sure you do. Been up long?” It was killing her, but she knew Gwen was loving it. She hardly ever caught Eva doing anything that was not on the straight and narrow, so she was soaking it up for all the times that Eva had made fun of Gwen for all the things she did wrong.

“That’s the funny thing. I remember my friend distinctly saying that she was going to be coming home last night, that she only needed a few hours. After I went to bed, I just assumed you would be coming back, but imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and you were nowhere to be found. Now we can pretend like you didn’t have hot monkey sex last night,
all
night, judging by the way that your hair and clothes look.” Eva instinctively reached up to finger-comb her hair, knowing she was only adding fuel to Gwen’s fire but not wanting to look completely crazy. “Or we can skip all that and just get to the good stuff. I say we get to the good stuff, because why pretend?”