He merely grinned and resumed eating his steak, barely tasting it, which was a crime in itself because he was too absorbed in watching Evangeline’s first experience with the decadent beef.
After they’d finished, he’d announced they were going shopping, something that would delight most women. Certainly all of Drake’s previous women. Evangeline, however, had looked as if she’d just been told she had to clean toilets.
Now, they were nearly done. Only one more destination.
He nearly grinned when she realized their next stop was a lingerie store. And not just any lingerie store. One that dealt with decadent, sexy, alluring garments meant to drive men insane with lust.
Her cheeks flamed bright red and she turned pleading eyes to Justice, and he had to rub his chest to alleviate the discomfort over her obvious embarrassment.
“You can wait outside,” she whispered. “It’s not necessary that you be here. Drake has arranged an assortment of stuff in every other store we’ve visited, so I doubt this will be any different.”
And then she promptly blushed, likely realizing that Drake had called and given the saleslady what he wanted in exacting detail, and Evangeline would have to face the woman knowing that Drake had been explicit in his wishes.
He smiled gently at her and palmed her shoulders. “Sweetheart, there’s no reason to be embarrassed. You’re right in that there is a pile of stuff waiting at the counter, and I tell you what. I’ll go to the counter and wait while you look around and see if there’s anything that catches your eye. Bring whatever you pick out to the checkout and I promise not to give it a single glance. I’ll pay for it and then turn my back. But I can’t leave you in the store alone. Drake would have my balls for leaving you unprotected for one moment. He wants me with you at all times.”
Her flush deepened to the roots of her hair, and his heart softened when he thought he was incapable of such a feat. He briefly touched her cheek.
“You don’t have to be ashamed with me, Evangeline. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I’d like to consider us friends.”
He nearly choked on the words.Friends?Now he wascertainhe was losing his goddamn mind. He had no friends, save the men he called brothers, and he damn sure didn’t consider women of any kind friends. He either wrote them off as grasping bitches, or he took them to bed and made damn sure they both had a good time. And now he was spouting bullshit about platonic friendship with a woman most men would have had in their bed before she could blink. Drake owed him. Big.
“Now go do your shopping while I have the saleslady package what Drake has already arranged, and as I promised, when you are finished, I’ll give the saleslady the credit card and turn my back. All I will do is carry the bags to the car. No peeking. I promise!”
She gifted him with a smile that momentarily robbed him of breath, and suddenly he could see even more why Drake was so fascinated with this woman. She was the real deal. A rarity in the circles they traveled. Not a fake bone in her body. He was stunned by that revelation and not at all sure what to do about it. An unfamiliar emotion—jealousy—tightened his chest, and he swore violently to himself. Damn Drake and his luck to have found this one before any of the other men who ran Impulse with him.
He watched as she hesitantly browsed the racks, watching closely for the items that she paid extra attention to only to hastily drop when she looked at the price tag. He sent the saleslady a pointed look, and when Evangeline went to the next area, the saleslady promptly collected the items Evangeline had favored but had not chosen because of the price.
To the saleslady’s credit, she bagged the things Evangeline had hastily put back so she didn’t know they’d been purchased and then rang up the total, sliding the ticket in Justice’s direction. Once finished, Justice collected all the bags and escorted Evangeline out to the waiting car.
“Are we finished?” she asked in a wary tone.
He smiled. “Yeah, sweetheart. I’m taking you home now.”
He ushered her into the car and then walked around to the street side and slid into the backseat next to her. As they glided into traffic, she aimed her gaze out the window, seemingly fascinated with the city, almost as though she’d never been to New York. Her reaction seemed odd for someone who lived and worked here.
As if sensing his scrutiny, she glanced his way self-consciously and gave him a small smile.
“I never get used to it,” she confessed, her hand fluttering toward the window. “I’m not sure I ever will.”
“What?” Justice asked curiously.
“All the hustle and bustle. The people. The skyscrapers. All the businesses and cars, the buildings stacked on top of one another. It remindsme of the anthills we had back home when they get stirred up and all the ants run everywhere.”
He laughed, noting the southern drawl he found charming.
“Where are you from, Evangeline?”
“Mississippi,” she said in a wistful tone.
“And what brought you to the city?”
Pain flashed in her eyes, making him instantly regret having asked a seemingly benign question. She turned her gaze back to the passing scenery as honks and the sounds of traffic blared in the background.
“I needed to make more money to help my parents,” she said simply.
The way she said it indicated the subject wasn’t open to further discussion, so he didn’t press, though now he was curious as to why she would have moved to New York because her parents needed money.
From what he knew of her, she worked late shifts in a bar in Queens. Surely there were better jobs to be had in Mississippi. And the way she’d spoken of the city in comparison to her home, she sounded very much like she was homesick and unhappy here.
