“Wait, you’re a writer?” I ask, intrigued and slightly turned on. A writer’s sexy. I can imagine her in glasses, clicking away on her keyboard, deep in thought late at night, writing about things I know nothing about. I’ll gladly give her inspiration though, if she’d let me.
“I am. Majored in journalism. What’s your superpower?” she jokes.
“I work best with my hands,” I tease. Her cheeks turn the loveliest shade of pink. She glances at my hands and licks her lips.
“Construction, mostly,” I laugh. She wiggles nervously in her seat, trying to regain her train of thought. “Mostly odd jobs to keep me and my hands busy,” I joke. “Although back home I worked at the local fire station.”
Leaning in, she whispers, “Maybe one day you can show me just how skilled your hands are.”
Fuck, she has no idea. I’m seconds away from saying screw it, damn all the people in the room, I’ll show her just how these hands want to control that sinful body of hers, but Rex cuts off my train of thought as he comes around the bar, pops open yet another beer, and then does the same for Trevor who is currently staring me down. If looks could kill, I’d be a dead man.
Man up, Trev. I don’t know your history here, but there is no way I am going to let you be her future.
“Noah here is still finishing up his degree online back at U of M,” Rex fills Eva in. “We’re trying to get him to help with an addition at the club. He’s majoring in business, and wants to open his own construction company, but we can’t talk him into sticking …”
“Hey, Michael,” I exclaim loudly. “Didn’t you say Amber’s parents might be needing to hire someone for an addition on their outdoor deck?”
Sure Rex was about to mention me moving home, I suddenly felt the need to cut him off. It’s not like I’ve changed my mind. No doubt about it, I’m moving back to Kentucky as soon as I can arrange for it. But for some reason, I don’t want Eva knowing just yet.
Michael is about to respond when David, Eva’s father, returns to the bar and huddles around the back of Eva and Rex. Poking his head in the middle of our group’s endless chitchat, he looks at us with a wide lazy grin.
“Time to come and get it, kids. Don’t make that wife of mine angry. I’m not running interference for you this time,” he says.
I watch as all the “kids” in question quickly finish their drinks and stand, obviously ready to please, especially if it means avoiding the wrath of Mrs. Cynthia Monroe. Even though this is my first time meeting the lady, she undoubtedly makes me nervous enough to never want to step out of line.
Rex and Trevor head off first. Trevor looks back with slight jealousy as Eva stands up and walks alongside me. The air between us becomes electric. We fall into a comfortable silence. Every few steps, she glances my way, but I haven’t taken my eyes off her once. She smiles at me every time our eyes meet. When she does, it adds another layer to the endless sexual tension that’s been building between the two of us since yesterday.
Michael and Amber trail behind last. When we reach the doorway to the dining room, I pause and wait for Eva to pass through first. Half of the reason is my mamma raised me to have good manners. The other is, I’d be lying if it wasn’t also wanting to admire that beautiful body of hers as she passes.
“Ladies first,” I say, confidently placing my hand on the small of her back.
I let my hand slip a little too far south and watch as she looks back at me defiantly, daring me to take it further. Her teasing disobedience is almost my undoing, and I can hardly contain the urge to grab her and push her and that tiny excuse for a skirt up so I can fuck her against the door frame.
Whoever invented ladies first was definitely an ass man. My compliments to him as I watch the amazing view in front of me.
She has no clue just how badly I want her. The thought scares me because I promised myself I’d never allow myself to feel like this again.
“Chivalry. I like it,” she says, leaning back into my touch.
“I don’t get it,” Amber says behind us, bringing my attention back from venturing further into dangerous thoughts. “I thought your name was Noah? Who’s chivalry?”
Eva and I try to hide our laughs as best we can, but they bubble over as we find our seats at the table. Michael looks embarrassed, and quickly ushers his date away to find their seats as well. I settle in across the table from Eva and can’t tear my eyes away from hers long enough to even notice the people setting platters of food on the table. Oh, I’m hungry alright, but the only thing that can satisfy me, is her.
Chapter Eight
Eva
It’s a very typical dinner in the Monroe house. My mother has hired help cater to the family and our guests while they eat. I know my mother likes to do this for two reasons. One is to show off, and the other is she’s a traditionalist and secretly thinks times should have never changed. In her world, maids and hired help are always in style. After all, the help Cynthia Monroe hires assists her in maintaining her extremely organized, clean, prompt, everything-in-its-place lifestyle. There’s no way you’d see this type of woman running back and forth from the kitchen, waiting on her guests while also trying to play the perfect hostess. But that sure would be hysterical to watch.
I sit across from Noah, next to Amber. From time to time, I try to talk to my brother’s date, although the conversation never goes any further than one-word responses. It’s hard to carry on a conversation with another person if they are incapable of even having one in the first place. Women like Amber, who are all-body, typically have no brains to go along with it.
Occasionally, I look up at Noah to find him already staring back at me. I smile at him and he smiles back. I wonder what he must be thinking because he never seems to take his eyes off of me long enough to eat his dinner.
His look is so intense I feel slightly nervous under his gaze. It’s like he’s slowly undressing me with his eyes. Licking his lips from time to time, the room grows hotter each time our eyes lock. Even though I don’t mind, it makes it hard for me to concentrate on anything other than the look he is giving me and the way it makes me feel: sexy, excited, thinking about things way too racy for a family dinner party.
At times, my gaze drifts over to Trevor, who is sitting next to Noah and seems to be growing more and more irritated. He fidgets in his seat every time Noah and I hold a stare. He’s obviously upset at whatever might be between the two of us. If Trevor notices the spark between us, maybe everyone else does as well.
If our chemistry is so obvious it can’t be contained even for a simple dinner, then maybe there is something more to the idea of Noah. Maybe this is something that I should pursue. After all, no one has ever made me feel the way Noah does. Like an electric current is running through my veins, vibrating and pleasuring me in a way that becomes more and more addicting with each passing moment.
