A Promise Kept (14 page)

The song switched to Nat King Cole’s “Stardust” and Grace tried to part from him, but he held onto her, cradling her face with both his hands and staring at her with the yearning of feeling her lips on his again. “You’re so beautiful, Gracie.”

His eyes shut and his mouth lowered, eager to taste the hint of chocolate and marshmallow on hers. In an instant, their lips melded and he leaned onto the side of the car, pulling her to him in between his open legs. His arms encapsulated her, his hand holding her head in place as his forearm drew her against him.

Grace ardently clasped the back of his neck, her hands roaming through his hair as she tugged at him deeper. When his tongue browsed her top lip slowly, she moaned, insistent and wanting more. However, Evan kept control over his reaction and stayed tender as his hands journeyed down her spine to her waist. Before it went further, she parted from him, looking down and shaking her head. “I’m…I’m sorry.”

The color had vanished from her face, and lust had been replaced with doubt and fright. He wondered what had happened to make her change the momentum that had been gathering the past month-and-a-half. “What’s wrong?”

“Look, Evan, I appreciate all of this…but…shit.” Her back now faced him and he knew what was coming.

Hell, no, this wasn’t happening. He wasn’t ready to be rejected, and he’d to fight to win her over. “Talk to me, Gracie. What is it?”

She stayed quiet until he moved toward her, grasping her arm and pulling her around. “Grace, what?”

“Evan, I’m not up for whatever we’re doing here.”

“What do you think we’re doing here?”

“Look, you seem great, but I’m just not your type.”

His eyes flashed with anger, he tried controlling an urge to grab her and kiss her to her senses, but by the look on her face he’d scare her off even more. “So, you know what my type is, Grace? You think you know everything about me?”

“You want something I’m not ready to give.”

He stopped, his brow furrowing as he put his hands on his hips. He wasn’t looking forward to the next answer to his question. “And what’s that?”

“Casual sex, friends with benefits, whatever you want to call it, Evan. It’s just…you’re a womanizer.”

His scowl deepened. “That’s what you think of me. Why?”

“Because, you’re so charming. You say all the right things, do all the right things. Look at all this? How could I not think this was a way to end up seducing me?”

“Thanks for judging me, princess.”

“I’m not your type.”

“Stop fucking saying that, Grace!”

“I’ve seen the magazines talking about all the girls you date. Then, Jenny just reiterated what I already knew.”

“Wait, what?” Azure eyes burned into hers, watching as she dragged in her breath. “What the hell did she say to you?”

“That I was basically the flavor of the month. That she’d been there and done that.”

“I never slept with her, Grace!” he exclaimed, shoving his fingers through his hair in frustration. “She’s been trying to hit on me since she started working on the movie. I don’t want her. I want you. And why the fuck are you believing tabloids and a random woman instead of talking to me?”

They were both silent a moment, their breathing labored. Grace’s shaky voice continued. “The whole point of this is that I don’t give myself easily, Evan. Especially when it comes to sex. I’ve been hurt before, I don’t want to end up-”

“Who hurt you?” He watched her body stiffen as he approached her.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Gracie…” His face paled as he carefully spoke, “Please tell me you weren’t raped. Tell me some asshole never hurt you like that.”

“No, Evan, nothing like that. I just have to be cautious.”

His body relaxed in relief, despite the fact that he wanted answers, and he wanted them all instantly, even if she wasn’t ready to provide them. “When did this happen?”

“A while ago.” She tried to keep her eyes off of his, but he was getting a sense of her uncertainties. She was fearful of making herself vulnerable. It wasn’t about him; it was about her choosing the wrong guy.

He moved toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “How long since you’ve been in a relationship?” She tried to keep her eyes off of him, as if she wanted to run and hide.

“Long,” she whispered it so softly he barely heard.

Realization dawned on him. “I get it now. This is all scaring you.”

“I’m not scared.” She gave a defiant tip of her chin, finally meeting his gaze, but giving herself away with subtext.

“Look, Grace, you already know this, but I’m not one for bullshit. And I wouldn’t have done this for you if I just wanted to get you into bed. Sex is easy.”

“But…isn’t that what you want?”

“Any straight, red-blooded man would want that with you, but that’s not my first goal with you.” He leaned toward her and kissed the side of her jaw where her pulse raced, thrumming hard as her breathing picked up. “Come to Boston with me, Grace. For Thanksgiving. Let’s spend time getting to know each other.”

She shivered as he trailed his lips down to her collarbone. “The sex will get in the way, Evan. Even not having it will get in the way. It’ll get too complicated.”

“We won’t let it.”

She backed away and looked at him with a skeptical glare. “You’re saying you’re okay getting to know me, even if it means we don’t have sex right away?”

“How long we talking?” He laughed, and then grunted as she punched him in the stomach playfully. “I was only joking, Gracie.” His hand clasped around the base of her neck, his fingers digging into her hair. “I’ll wait on you. We’ll court like in your books.” He bent low and kissed the tip of her nose. A look of fear crossed her eyes and he lifted his head. “What is it?”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. We can chalk it up to a few months of friendship, and you can cut out now.”

“What? Like all the others?” She was used to being left when the guys found out she wouldn’t give them what they wanted. He saw it play over her face. There was so much more to this than she was telling him, and he wanted to break through that barrier she had around her heart. “I’ll tell you what’s going to happen, Gracie Lynn. You’re going with me to Boston. You’re going to meet my family and friends, and find out that I’m a good man. We’ll take it at whatever pace you decide, and we’ll see where it goes from there.” He gave her a final small kiss. “We got a deal?”

He could still see the hesitance in her demeanor. “I promise I’ll behave myself around you, Gracie. I won’t pressure you into anything you’re not ready for.” He let his hands brush through the soft waves of her hair. “Although I will continue to kiss you if that’s alright with you. And maybe try to cop a feel.”

A timid laugh finally broke from her lips, and he leaned forward to take them to his. He had no idea when he had met this woman what he was in for, but now that he was jumping in, there was no way he could jump out.

He wanted her, desperately, and with a hunger that ran far beyond anything he’d ever felt. Sex was off the table, but just how long would they be able to keep up that charade? She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her, and it was only a matter of time before they both fell in together. He was determined to find out everything about her past, who had broken her heart and how he could get her to trust him. Boston would be the time to do that.

G
race followed
Evan into the lobby of the building off of the Atlantic Wharf district. She was instantly grateful for the warmth inside, as the city of Boston was getting ready for snowfall that evening. Grace looked forward to experiencing it even though she wasn’t used to such cold weather.

Evan had been great to her the days leading up to this little trip she had agreed to. So many times she fought with herself on going at all. She even texted him late the night before leaving.

He knew her too well. So, there they were. The last time Grace had travelled anywhere had been in college on a class trip to England. Since then, she didn’t have the funds to really go to all the places she dreamed of experiencing. Just the sensation of getting on a flight, the cab drive over, and the idea of being in a different location was enough to have her excited.

A concierge with deep-set tawny eyes and salt-and-pepper hair greeted Evan by his last name and shook his hand. Grace smiled as he offered to take their bags to the penthouse for them, but Evan insisted they were fine and thanked him as they made their way to the elevators.

The quiet ding of each floor that passed made her more anxious at the thought of being alone with Evan in his home. Her furtive glance caught his electric eyes anchored on hers. A coy smile played on his lips as her mind raced with all types of situations she might find herself in with him over the weekend.
Mind out of the gutter, Grace.

The lobby was beautiful but it was nothing compared to the loft itself. She gasped at the luxurious ambiance of his home. High ceilings with tall arched windows instantly caught her eye. Gray ash hardwood floors, oversized doors, sleek furniture, and a glorious kitchen made Grace feel like she had stepped into a lavish lifestyle that she was in no way accustomed to.

“This is extremely fancy,” Grace breathlessly stated as she walked over to a window and gazed over the water.

“This is where I spend some time, but not all of it.”

“Where do you spend your time then, other than on location?”

“At home.”

Grace gave him a puzzled look as she followed him toward a bedroom with colors of white and cream. Everything screamed clean, large and modern. “How many homes you got, Matthews?”

“Well, I have this and a place in L.A., but my childhood home is my real home. The one my mom lives in. I stay there a lot more than I stay here.” To say that answer filled her heart was an understatement. She loved the idea of him being close with his family.

Evan moved her suitcase to the top of the bed. Grace shuffled to it, wanting to quickly empty the contents of her luggage. Not because she was hasty to accomplish the task, but because she didn’t want the bedspread to get dirty.

“Don’t worry about unpacking now, Grace.” He turned her around to face him and clasped the collar of her wool coat. In one swoop, he brushed it off her shoulders and scooped it into his arms. She had to stop herself from thinking how sexy it would be to have him strip off her clothes. Her daydreamer’s mind had to stop from getting out of hand with those tempting thoughts.

“I’ll give you the tour.” Evan clasped her hand in his. It was warm, strong, and rough, and by now she could recall by memory how it felt. But she never got used to it when he touched her. It sent shockwaves through her body.

He showed her each room, but when he took her to his office, she gaped at the books lined against the walls. “I may have to examine your book stash later.” Grace smiled.

“Examine away. I’m sure they’d love it.”

“This seems so…” She didn’t want to say unlike him, but it really was. “Is this your bachelor pad? You bring your women here?”

A rumble released from his chest as they traveled to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out two bottled waters, handing one over to her. “I guess you could say that. I definitely don’t take girls to my mom’s house.”

She gulped her water and tried to remain unruffled about the honesty of his response. She wondered how many women he had screwed in his bed, and how she would stack up to the ones that had much more experience than she did. That was if she ever decided she wanted to sleep with Evan. Which she didn’t. No, she didn’t.
You don’t want to, Grace.

“I’m sure those women loved this place. If I were you, I’d show off the books. It’ll make them fall that much harder.”

“I only show those to special girls. Which means nobody has seen them but you.” He winked at her and she tried to repress the fluttering in her stomach.

“You’re smooth, Matthews. How many women fell for that line?”

“Honestly, Grace? Most girls I had flings with didn’t give a shit about books.”

Of course.
Grace tried not to let that whole
not-his-type
impression get to her again. He quickly changed the subject. “You hungry?” Once again, he strolled to the fridge and looked inside it. “I had Zach stock up for us, but we can go out. Then some of my friends want to meet tonight at Stoddard’s. It’s a bar nearby.”

“We can eat something here for now,” Grace answered, wanting to relax after their flight. The evening was spent fixing sandwiches, talking and unwinding, before heading out into the stinging wind.

Grace had been nervous to meet all of Evan’s friends, but the fun manner of all of them put her at ease. Zach jumped on the chance to introduce her before Evan could. A group of what Evan endearingly called “misfits” all made Grace feel like a part of the crowd, accepted as one of them. They were a humble, gregarious, and smart bunch. Hours of socializing had passed, and Evan had led her to an intimate corner to steal a small kiss. He let his nose rub against hers softly. “They like you.”

“I like them, Evan.” His face showed relief, as though he were aiming to please her. His hand cupped her cheek and he kissed her forehead gently.

“You okay? Ready to leave soon?” he whispered, his lips hovering closer to her as he sported a beer in his hand.

She nodded and finished off the local lager he had suggested. “Yeah, but I could always use one more of these.”

“You got it, sweets. Stay here.” She smiled as he went to order her another drink. His Bostonian accent was definitely coming through. It might be that he was relaxed after so many beers, or just the atmosphere. He was comfortable. It was a different vibe he exuded compared to being on high-alert, always worried about being recognized. His friends brought out the best in him. They were lively and kind. Much like him.

Grace was nervous to head back to Evan’s loft. That alone thing played on her mind again. Overnight. In bedrooms near one another. She wasn’t so sure she was ready to either deny or accept him. Part of her wanted him so badly that she could barely breathe, the other part told her to be guarded, not fall for the guy who could bring her pain. A lot of pain.

“Hey, babe.” An arm swung around her shoulders. At first she thought it was one of Evan’s friends, but upon further inspection, she noticed he wasn’t part of their group. His business suit had a few wrinkles and his tie was slack around his neck. He was good-looking and he knew it. A douchebag to the extreme. She was used to guys like this trying to pick her up and loathed these entitled men who thought women were so lucky to even be talking to them. “I’m Colin. What are you drinking? I’ll get you something.”

“No thanks, Colin. I’m fine.” Grace tried to shrug him off of her, and he clasped her tighter to him. He reeked of alcohol. “My date’s coming back.”

“Date? Who, that Captain Abrams kid?” Colin snorted and leaned in closer, his mouth touching her ear. “I could please you more than that fucking twat ever could.”

“Watch the way you’re talking about my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend? That jerk-off? Honey, I could go more rounds. Longer, faster, harder.”

Grace laughed. “Well, his dick is bigger than an elephant’s, so just take your tick-tac, Mike and Ike, teeny weenie and get the fuck away from me. Got it, Colin?”

She glanced over and saw Evan standing with a shocked expression. “Evan.”

He gathered his wits and placed the drinks on a table nearby as Colin got closer to her, putting his nose near her temple and taking a whiff. His fingers tangled in her hair and she tried shrugging him off again. “Your boyfriend won’t mind me taking you for a spin, right, Captain Abrams?”

“You heard the lady. She wants you to get the fuck away from her, and that’s exactly what you’re going to do, asshole.” He gathered Colin by the collar and extracted him from Grace, backing him up into the jukebox.

“Okay, fuck. I didn’t think you were such an uptight prick.” The inebriated jerk shifted and pushed Evan’s hands away. When he turned back toward Grace, Colin muttered, “Who’d want that slut anyway?”

Evan turned and swung at Colin, landing a hard uppercut under his jaw. Colin groaned in pain, but before Evan had a chance to block himself, he caught a return fist to his nose. Grace yelped as they lunged, both of them pushing at each other and propelling blows. She began to panic, the scene before her bringing up vile memories she would have rather forgotten as the crowd around them began to grow. “Evan, stop! Stop!”

Evan’s and Colin’s friends both gathered around, backing the two men off of each other as they called out every single vulgar name imaginable. Grace moved in front of Evan and fastened her hands on his jaw as he struggled to remain still. “Evan, look at me. Let’s go.” Panic played over her face as she moved forward and kissed him. It stopped him in his tracks as he looked down at her. “I’m begging you. Let’s just go. Please.”

He breathed in and clasped her in his arms tightly. He took several deep breaths trying to steady himself, to control the outrage she could feel coursing throughout his body. He was much stronger than the other guy, so she knew he had restrained himself, but it had still petrified her.

Zach grabbed Evan’s shoulders and tugged him around whispering to them. “Get out of here before they call the cops, man. Last thing you need is to get bagged. I’ll try to talk to the bar manager and calm this sauced fucker down.”

He nodded, pulling Grace in his arm and taking her outside. “Let’s go.”

She could barely feel the cold wind hitting her face as she wrapped her scarf around her neck. Loosening Evan’s grip when he grasped her hand, she paced and wrapped her arms around her shoulders as they waited for a cab.

“Are you pissed off at me?” he asked in surprise as he saw her expression.

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

“Grace, I was just protecting you.”

“I don’t need protection. I can take care of myself,” she barked in anger.

He huffed, looking down and shaking his head. “I get punched, and you get angry? Un-fucking-believable.”

“My brother died getting in a fight, Evan.”

Evan stood immobilized after her outburst. Her breath caught, but she dared not look at him too long. She didn’t need his pity. “You said he fell and broke his neck.”

“He did,” she responded quietly as she dug a tissue out of her bag. She approached him and dabbed at his nose with it, then handed it over for him to keep. The cab rolled up and Grace hurried toward the door, glad for the shelter from the wind that was beginning to prickle her skin. Evan sat beside her and said nothing. He knew she didn’t want to be bothered.

After a quiet cab ride, they made it back to the loft and removed their coats. Grace wrapped pieces of ice in paper towels as Evan sat on the arm of his couch, pulling out tissues from his bleeding nostrils.

She stood in between his open legs and cradled his jaw in one hand, resting the ice against his nose with the other. He closed his eyes and sighed as he placed both hands on her hips, pulling her in closer to him. His grip was firm as she sifted her fingers through the locks of brown-sugar-colored hair that fell over his forehead. She tried to ignore how hard he was against her, and how much she desired him. “You scared the shit out of me, Matthews.”

He nodded, those sapphire eyes staring right into her. “I’m sorry, Gracie Lynn.”

Water threatened to leak out of her eyes, but she stopped it and kept her voice steady. “Don’t do that to me ever again. Please, Evan. It’s not worth it.”

He squeezed her hips hard, his gaze sweeping over her, his expression hungered as he studied every curve of her face. “You’re always worth it, Grace.”

Her face softened and her throat tightened as she scooted back from his grip. “You feeling okay now, buster?”

The tension between them was thick as she handed him the cold wrap she made. She needed to keep her distance. He was dangerous for her control. “Yeah.” He grabbed it from her as she backed away. “What happened with your brother?”

She shook her head. “We’ll talk about it later. It’s late, and I’m ready to call it a night.”

Grace walked toward her bedroom when Evan called her name. She turned to look at him, a gleam in his eyes. “I’ll wake you tomorrow. And sweetheart?” He stood and ambled toward her. He placed his lips on hers, and she could taste a hint of sweet caramel malt on his tongue. “My dick isn’t the size of an elephant’s. But it’s close.” He winked and tramped off, leaving her in a state of shock.