She nodded numbly, obviously dazed and confused, bewilderment bright in her eyes. She didn’t even register Drake summoning Maddox back to his office and didn’t react when Drake cupped her face with both hands and kissed her lingeringly.
“Tomorrow, Angel. Until then, dream of me.”
Evangeline sat in the back of the luxurious car, utterly still with shock. She should be shaking like a leaf and completely freaking out. Okay, so shewasfreaking out, but she wasn’t broadcasting that to the big silent man who’d been charged with “seeing her home.” The same man who’d intervened and prevented Eddie from hitting her.
Did he know what had happened in Drake’s office, or whatever the heck he called it? It seemed more his lair and he was some brooding dark beast. A beast who had the most wicked mouth and certainly knew how to use it to pleasure a woman.
Mortification swept over her, nearly destroying her carefully constructed composure. She’d allowed herself to be escorted from Drake’s office as if they’d simply had a conversation and he was thoughtful enough to ensure she got home safely. But on the inside she was a hot, writhing mess, still shaking from the aftermath of the most mind-blowing orgasm she could imagine.
Not that she had anything to compare it to, but surely all orgasms weren’tthatearth shattering. If they were, then all everyone would everdois have sex. The world would revolve around down-and-dirty sex.
If she had a man like Drake, it would certainly be all she ever wanted to do. If he was that talented with his mouth, then what about the other parts of his body? Imagining his cock deep inside her nearly made her orgasm all over again, and she glanced furtively at Maddox, praying she hadn’t just given herself away with the betraying quiver that stole over her body and set all her girly parts to tingling all over again.
She was still hypersensitive. The exquisite, sumptuous leather she sat on vibrated erotically over her swollen, throbbing clit as the car navigated through Brooklyn. It was the worst sort of torture because it was a good distance from Impulse to the apartment she shared with her three roommates in Queens.
She didn’t chance staring at Maddox too long. She didn’t want him aware of her scrutiny. That, and she was positive he’d take one look at her face and see her every thought reflected, and that would truly send her over the edge on a night where her nerves were already frazzled and frayed to mere threads. And she was barely hanging on to those fragile threads as it was.
He was utterly unaware of her anyway, his gaze fixed ahead at a point over the driver’s shoulder as if studying the streets, alert at all times. Was he expecting them to be carjacked or something?
She almost laughed but knew that too would give away her mounting hysteria.
Surely escorting errant women from his boss’s club wasn’t in his usual list of duties. If she hadn’t had the night from hell—and heaven, God, the last part had been pure bliss—she could almost summon sympathy for him and his job of babysitting her all the way to Queens.
They continued the drive in silence and when they were but minutes from her apartment, she breathed a sigh of relief. But then Maddox shocked her by turning his attention to her, the first time he’d even acknowledged her on the ride home.
“Are you all right?” he asked gently. Then he shook his head,evidently irritated with his own question. “Of course you aren’t all right. Butwillyou be?”
Her mouth fell open because she’d gotten the distinct impression that she was a tedious job, an unwanted one at that, but now genuine concern, and worse,sympathywas reflected in his eyes, making her wince.
She didn’t want this man’s pity. Or Drake’s for that matter. The evening had been a disaster. Well, except for the bone-melting, oh-my-GOD orgasm Drake had given her, because it had beenpainfullyobvious to everyone at that damn club that she didn’t belong, no matter that Drake had tried to dissuade her of that notion.
“I’m fine,” she said quietly.
He cast a doubtful look in her direction. One that told her he saw right past her obvious lie, but then she’d never been able to deceive anyone. She was everyone’s version of Miss Goody Two-Shoes, which was why Eddie had seen her as a challenge and wanted to be the one to shame and humiliate her. To conquer the ice queen and be smug over his victory. Some victory. He’d beenterriblein bed, and it had only taken Drake’s mouth and nothing else to reveal that much to her.
“Okay,” she muttered. “Iwillbe fine. Happy? I’ll get over it. I always do.”
He frowned at that, his eyes glittering with sudden anger, but he clamped his lips shut, thank God. She had no desire to bare her soul a second time to a complete stranger as she’d done with Drake within five minutes in his presence. Her and her annoying, ridiculous habit of blurting out the truth, no matter how humiliating. She’d mentally kicked herself at least a dozen times for not telling him it wasn’t any of his business. But then there was the fact that Drake didn’t appear to her to be a man to ever be told to mind his business. She’d convinced herself that he scared the holy hell out of her, but then he’d been extraordinarily tender—and sweet—to her, and she hadn’t been able to summon fear when he was making her mindless with his mouth. But after? When she’d partially regained her senses? He definitely terrified her.
The driver rolled to a stop in front of the aging seven-story apartment building that was far older than she was. She and her girls lived on the top floor and the elevator had stopped working a year ago, something the cheap asshole landlord hadn’t ever seen fit to fix. It made carrying groceries, or even worse, walking up those six flights of stairs unbearable after a long night at work with aching, swollen feet.
Evangeline didn’t wait for the driver or Maddox to get out. She quickly opened her door and stepped onto the curb, hoping neither man would bother to get out and would be on their way, more than happy to be rid of her.
No such luck, but then nothing about this night had gone right, so why would now be any different?
Maddox climbed out on his side after checking for traffic, which wasn’t much given the lateness of the night and the fact that for all practical purposes it was a one-way street since vehicles were curbside parked on both sides, making it a tight squeeze for two cars to pass in opposite directions.
He came around to stand beside Evangeline and stared up at her dilapidated building, a scowl forming on his face.
“You live here?”
She stiffened at the implied criticism and snobbery, and she fixed him with an icy glare of her own.
“It’s all I can afford and I share it with three other roommates. We do fine. It has all we need.”
He shook his head and reached for her elbow, but she evaded his grasp.
“Thank you for the ride home,” she said, politely distant.
