“Sorry.” Her face heated. “You already know I think you’re gorgeous, so I guess it won’t hurt to tell you what I thought when I first saw
you
standing in that aisle.” Eva took another deep breath to steady her nerves before blurting out, “I thought you would make a perfect model for the romance novels I read. You know, the one’s with the half-naked men on the covers. Then when I saw you from the front, my thoughts went south pretty quick.”
“So you feel drawn, too?” he asked, leaning closer.
“Well, yeah. But I’m not sure that I sh—”
His lips covered hers, stealing the rest of her words.
They were soft, warm and delicious. He took advantage of her lips being parted and traced them with the tip of his tongue. Eva whimpered and wrapped her arms around his neck, her hormones having jumped to attention and taken over.
Taking full advantage of the unspoken invitation, Adam pulled her into his lap and deepened their kiss. The way her bottom rested on his engorged cock caused her to shift to avoid possibly hurting him.
He pulled back to look at her, and she gazed up into his silvery-blue eyes. They were filled with passion, yearning and what appeared to be hope.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” he apologized.
“Hmm, I guess I’ll let you slide this time,” she teased. She tried to get her bearings when all she wanted was to straddle him and enjoy more of those amazing kisses. Christ! Her toes were still curled.
“What about the next time?” he asked, his fingers running gently over her cheek.
“There’ll be a next time?” Did that sound a little desperate?
“If it’s left up to me then, definitely. Evangeline, that was amazing.” He kissed her cheek then her throat. “I’m barely controlling the urge to kiss you again.”
“You
are
kissing me.” She was shocked at the breathy, husky quality to her voice.
“But you’re not comfortable enough with me yet, I can tell. You’re attracted to me, and I’m more than attracted to you, but I don’t want you to feel like I brought you here just to sleep with you. Not that I wouldn’t sleep with you, but I’d like us to get to know each other better.” Adam clamped his jaws shut before he began to babble.
This was his potential mate. She was here, in his house, on his
lap
. Finally. But she was in danger, and he couldn’t forget that.
He couldn’t lose her.
Eva’s stomach suddenly let loose a healthy growl.
“Well, that’s attractive,” she mumbled as she tried to slide off his lap.
“I’d be surprised if you weren’t hungry. You’ve been out all day so you’ve missed breakfast and lunch.” He gave her a light kiss on the cheek before helping her to her feet. “I’ve made some spaghetti, salad and the fresh bread earlier this afternoon.”
Following him to the stove, she looked around and asked, “What kind of sauce do you use? It smells great. I use the kind in the jar, whichever looks best, then I add some hamburger meat.”
“Blasphemy!” Adam covered his ears and feigned shock. “Woman, you haven’t been eating properly. Come taste this.” He lifted a wooden spoon from a simmering pot to offer her a taste.
“Mmmm!” Eva eyes bulged before rolling back slightly as she seemed to savor the little sample he’d given her. “That’s amazing. It’s so rich and fresh all at once.”
“It is fresh. My brother and his wife have a farm, and I get my vegetables from them. I have to admit, I’m glad I’ve got someone to cook for now.”
“You’ll be hard pressed to get rid of me if you keep cooking like this.” She gestured to the pots on the stove.
Adam couldn’t help but puff up his chest with pride. She liked his cooking!
“I’m afraid my cooking skills are rather limited,” she confessed.
“Don’t worry about it. I love to cook, so it’s not a problem. If there’s any type of food you don’t like then be sure to let me know.” He began fixing bowls, and she moved to find the silverware. “Second drawer.”
“Thanks.”
After they were seated, Adam opened a bottle of wine and they began to talk. Eventually, the conversation steered away from family and hobbies and to her ex, Shane.
“So why does he want to hurt you so badly?” Adam wanted her to trust him, needed her to, but he also needed to know what had set off this man.
“My grandmother made me promise her that if I ever married, I’d get a prenuptial agreement. I inherited a lot of money from my parents, then even more after my grandmother’s death. Shane refused to sign it, and therefore, I refused to marry him. I was fairly certain he was cheating on me already and figured that was my confirmation, so I ended it. Unfortunately, he knew about the money, and I guess that was all he was really interested in. I think that, had I married him, I would have been involved in a rather nasty divorce with him demanding half of what was left to me. He only wanted my money and never me,” she finished on a whisper, and Adam could see how much that had hurt her.
“He’s an idiot, Evangeline. Marriage is
not
about money. It’s about family, about joining your life with another person’s and then creating a family of your own. You’re supposed to cherish your spouse and do everything in your power to ensure their safety and happiness. Anything less is unacceptable.”
She had tears welling in her eyes when he looked up at her.
“Evangeline, what’s wrong?”
“You’re perfect. The perfect man.”
“Uh, thank you? But why are you crying?” He moved to her and pulled her into his arms, unable to stand the sight of her tears.
“I could never hold on to a man like you. I don’t cook, I don’t work and I’m pretty much a tomboy,” she sniffed.
“So you like the outdoors?” He wanted to pull her from the direction her thoughts were taking. It was too soon to tell her of his developing feelings. Hell, he was still adjusting to the sensations. Already, he was picking up on some of her emotions, but they were so erratic.
“Yeah. I loved to climb trees, hike or just wander around. I got lost a few times as a child but never got hurt. I just didn’t pay attention to where I was heading.”
“Well, I like to cook, and I don’t care if you work. In truth, I only work because I enjoy what I do. I have more than enough money. I actually came here because I won a substantial amount in the lottery in Michigan and had no wish to be harassed.” He shrugged. “I love to work with animals. I guess you could say it’s in my blood, but it’s not something that I
have
to do.”
“So what do you do other than train dogs?” They were still standing, so Adam pulled her down into his lap as he sat.
“I like to play at construction.”
“Really? Like sheds and stuff?” She seemed to like that he was a hard worker even when he didn’t have to be.
“I built my cabin,” he stated with pride, and she just stared at him in shock. “My family is really into nature. All of our homes are away from the town and very open. We like our freedom and hate to feel caged in or trapped in any way.”
“Obviously! I mean, this place is amazing, and you built this yourself? Did you design it, too?”
“Yeah. It took a while, but my brothers and my dad helped me, so it was more of a group effort.” Adam was proud of his home and glad Evangeline liked it. He wanted her comfortable here. If she was his mate, as he highly suspected she was, he wanted to make this her home as well.
Their
home.
“This is just… I don’t know what to say. You have a real talent. I always wanted to build a tree house when I was younger, but never got the chance. You on the other hand, built a whole house.”
“You never had a tree house as a kid?”
“No. My parents never had the time. Oh, they had one built for me, but it’s not the same. I was going to have one that was camouflaged to the tree and very hard to see by passersby. Kind of like a hideout.”
He looked at her, waiting for her to say more and fascinated with this little peek into her childhood.
“The tree house built for me ended up being pink and white and was on stilts, not even near a tree. It didn’t even have a ladder; it had a small spiral staircase attached to the side.” Eva just shook her head. “My mother couldn’t stand that I wanted to play rough with the boys instead of wearing dresses and having pretend tea parties with my dolls.”
Adam found himself laughing. “Well, if you want to, we can build one out on my property. There are a few sprawling elms that would be perfect.”
Her face lit up then grew serious. “I can’t keep you from your job, Adam. I’m a grown woman, and I don’t
need
a tree house, but thank you for offering. It was really sweet.”
“First off, I only work when I want to. I have more than enough money to sustain me for the rest of my life. Second, I
want
to build this with you. Who knows, maybe my kids will play in it one day.” Adam shrugged, pretending nonchalance. He secretly hoped it would be
their
children playing out back at some point in the future, because he was growing more certain by the moment that she was his mate. “So what do you say?”
He could tell she was clearly considering what he’d offered. It would be a great way to keep her mind off of what was happening with her ex and a way to spend time with her as well. Anything that could keep her from constantly thinking about what Shane had done and could possibly be planning was a good thing.
“All right,” she finally agreed. “But only if you'll let me pay for the building materials. You’re being so sweet and helpful, and I don’t want to be a burden.”
“That’s not necessary.” When she went to speak, he held up his hand. “But if it makes you feel better, then go for it.”
“Thank you.” She glanced around. “Do you have a computer? I could order up everything and have it delivered if that’s all right.”
“Just make sure you tell me when, so I’ll be nearby to keep these two under wraps.” He gestured to the furry pair now passed out behind the couch.
Chapter Five
The following day, Adam headed into town to meet with Gus. Evangeline had seemed okay during dinner the night before as they’d enjoyed their meal and spoken of the building plans for the tree house. However, with his superior senses, he’d heard her muffled sobs later that night. Adam had lain in his bed, struggling with wanting to go to her and knowing she needed to mourn in her own way. He also knew she didn’t wish to do so in front of him.
“Hey, Gus, anything to report?” Adam asked as he settled in the seat opposite the scowling officer. “That good, huh?”
The diner where they sat was about half full, many of the customers enjoying a late breakfast and indulging in idle chatter.
Gus leaned in and spoke low. “We can’t find them.”
“Pardon?”
“Shane and the other village idiots. They’re gone. I need her to stay hidden until they come back.” Gus sighed and raked his fingers through his graying hair. “His landlady was told he was going to visit his mom for a few days. He informed her the morning all of this happened. It appears that the whole thing with the house was planned. Hell, he may have even planned on her being there.”
“I doubt that because he was at the store. But, that may be why the house was demolished—because she wasn’t home. Perhaps, they had destroyed the place before they ran into her.”
“I’m concerned that he may try to kill her, Adam. The boy is in some big-time trouble with some not-so-nice debt collectors, if you catch my drift. I had some of the guys dig up anything they could, hoping to find where he may be hiding, and they discovered some serious gambling debts.”
Adam nodded, a crease forming between his brows as he thought on Gus’ statement.
“She’s extremely well off, though you’d never know it,” Gus continued. “Always lives modestly, isn’t stuck up—hell, the flashiest thing she owned was her car!”
“I’m beginning to understand that about her. Eva can stay with me for as long as needed.”
Gus winced and slumped in his chair with a miserable look on his face.
“What is it?” Adam already knew that he wouldn’t like it.
“She’ll need to stay with you for quite awhile then, because she was right about what she told you in her room. They burned the house down.”
Adam slammed his fist down on the table, startling several of the surrounding customers.
“The patrols driving the neighborhood didn’t see anyone, but the fire department said that the culprits had to have used an accelerant to get the place to go up like that. It was old and solid wood. Like striking a match and setting it to dry tinder.”
“She’s going to be devastated. I don’t know how I’m going to break this to her, Gus. She cried most of the night after she went to bed because of what happened yesterday.” Adam knew this because he was beginning experience part of the bonding with her. He could feel her emotions, though just barely. She was strong, but her defenses were weakening. Shane had taken so much from her already, and now this. “I can’t even hold off on telling her because I promised to bring her by the place so we could start cleaning.”
“I saw the way that you two eyed each other. Use that attraction to distract her from the situation.”
Adam shot him a startled look before glowering.
Gus just shrugged. “You’re a great guy, Adam, and she’s a sweet girl. You both enjoy privacy and crave a family of your own, so who knows? Maybe, the two of you will hit it off.”
“But that is
not
the way for me to win her over. She’s not stupid. She’ll know what I’m trying to do. Hell, at the rate I’m going, she’ll have to file a restraining order to keep me away as it is.”
“Like a dog after a juicy bone, huh?” Gus chuckled.
“You have no idea.” Adam stood. “I better get back. Hopefully, I’ll find some way to soften this blow for her, but I can’t see how.”
All the way home, Adam’s emotions battled for dominance. Sorrow for the news he would deliver, happiness because it meant that she’d stay in his home longer and guilt for the latter. He would much rather have her stay with him by her own choosing, not out of necessity, but he was selfish enough to take it however it came.