“I’ll take you up,” Evan replies without consulting Griffin.
“Go on, meet me in my office when you’re done.” Griffin doesn’t even look at me as he walks toward the school wing. I try not to take offence. I get he has a lot on his mind.
I give Evan a tight smile when he looks over at me after watching Griffin’s retreating form. He opens his mouth as if he’s about to make an excuse for his friend, but he rolls his lips into a firm line instead. I loop my arm through his and pull him a little to get him moving.
Evan steers us toward the elevator instead of the stairs. The doors open swiftly, and I begin digging through my bag to find my key. My hand hits one of the boxes, and I look over at Evan.
“Are you coming in or…”
“Yeah,” Evan answers immediately. It’s probably not the best time to give him the ring, but I don’t really feel like putting it off either.
Evan flips the lock after following me in, and I take my shoes off but keep hold of my purse. I’m not sure how long he’s going to stay, so I might as well give it to him now. I flip open the box while it’s still secured in my bag to make sure I have the right ring. I take it as a good sign that it was the first one I grabbed.
“Hey, I know you need to get going, but I wanted to give you this. It’s not a big deal. I just thought since I have” —I place my left hand on my right shoulder, covering his mating mark— “this, you could have something from me.” I extend my left hand and offer him the little box.
Evan’s brows dip low as he looks at my hand. His eyes leap up to mine before he slowly reaches to take the box as if I might snatch it back before he can grab it. Using two fingers and his thumb, he picks up the little package and turns it around, examining it. “What is it?” he whispers, returning his gaze to mine.
“It’s a present. Open it.” Geez, he’s acting like he’s never received a gift before. The hinge gives a little groan when he flips the lid open. It takes him a moment to look down, but when he does, he frowns.
My stomach sinks. He doesn’t like it. I watch him maneuver the little box in his big hand until he’s clasping the ring. “You don’t have to wear it.” I feel self-conscious, so I don’t watch his face. Evan tosses the box onto the sofa without care and examines the ring even more closely, turning it left and right, watching the colors of the resin shift like water in the sea.
After what feels like minutes, Evan folds the ring into his palm and holds it tightly. I take a quick step backwards when he damn near tackles me in a hug. He’s embracing me so snugly, my arms are trapped at my sides. “You like it?” I ask softly.
“Do I like it?” Evan places his curled hand on my cheek, keeping the ring in his fist, and cradles my face with his other open palm. His eyes are wide as he looks down at me. “You’re claiming me.” His whisper is filled with awe.
“I suppose I am. Other supernaturals might already know we belong to each other, but that will tell everyone else.”
Evan drops his lips to mine and kisses me almost before I’m even done speaking. I wrap my arms around his waist and run my hands up his wide back. He shifts in a way that makes me feel as if he’s rising to my touch. There’s nothing rushed or frantic about this kiss as Evan tangles his tongue with mine, allowing me to savor every second.
Eventually, the kiss slows, until we’re sharing pecks as if neither of us really wants to stop. “Are you even going to try it on?” I chuckle between smooches. “If it doesn’t fit, we can get another one made.”
“I still can’t believe this is what you were doing.” He pulls back a little, then opens his palm near his face so he can examine the ring closely again.
I pluck it out of his hand, and he gapes at me like he can’t believe I took it from him. “I thought it looked like the ocean,” I tell him, twisting it from left to right while it catches the light. “I don’t know why it felt so right, but it does.” I hold it out to him again, pinched between my forefinger and thumb.
He snatches it away from me swiftly, like he thinks I’m going to try to keep it. I watch as he puts it on his left ring finger, exactly where I hoped he would. It slides over his knuckle, but he has to twist it to get it the rest of the way down. His face lights up with unabashed joy. “It fits!”
“Are you sure it’s not cutting off your circulation? It seems a little snug,” I ask dubiously.
Evan wiggles his fingers in response, testing it. “No, see?” He makes a fist a few times, he even spins it around a little.
“If it’s uncomfortable we can get a bigger one, just saying,” I remind him.
“I don’t want another one.” He shakes his head. “This one is perfect. I love it, and I love you, Quinn.”
My stomach hollows out at his proclamation, but then a burst of butterflies takes flight, making me feel slightly giddy and way too excited. “I love you too. It’s crazy, but I do.” Evan is kissing me again, and this time, it’s hungrier. He’s still tender, but it’s like my body knows there’s something different. I soften against him, loving the feel of his hard body against mine and the way he makes me feel small and delicate, cherished.
His hand skims up my back, sliding up my shirt. His calloused fingertips make me want to shiver in the best way. Evan backs up, encouraging me to come with him, until the chair is right behind him. He lowers himself, and I follow right after, trading kisses and caresses the entire time. Seated like this, with me straddling him, we’re a much better match for height.
Evan glides his hand up the front of my shirt this time, cupping my breast through my bra as he slides his tongue against mine. His phone chimes abruptly, interrupting the quiet apartment and startling me.
He lets out a growl and shifts his hips a little, reaching for his phone. Though not designed to make me whimper, that’s what I feel like doing when it makes the bulge I’m currently sitting on push up against me.
“What?” he barks into the phone, not even looking at who the caller is. I hear a slight mumble, but I can’t make out the voice. Evan lets out a long sigh, and his shoulders sink right along with his head and neck until his forehead is against my collarbone. Slowly, he pulls his hand off my breast and wraps his arm around my back, still under my shirt. I know without him telling me our stolen moment is gone, but that’s okay.There’s always later, I tell myself.
“I’ll be over in a minute.” He ends the call and drops the phone, so it’s swallowed up between the side of the chair and the cushion. “I need to go,” he needlessly tells me.
I brace my hands on his shoulders and step off his lap. “Everything okay?” It’s kind of a silly question, but I’m just wondering if anything else has cropped up.
