Chapter Five
Elizabeth
“Love comforteth like sunshine after rain.”
Venus and Adonis
Evan waffled, and I thought he was about to reject me—again—but after he shared all his emotional vulnerability, I didn’t think it was because he didn’t want me.
Before he started spilling raw secrets I’d assumed he was a player, lying about leaving town in the morning as an excuse to walk away with no lingering commitment, Chelsea-style. But then he’d opened up about his therapy, and it was strangely endearing.
If anyone was behaving like a player, it was me. The more time I spent with Evan, the more I wanted to touch him, kiss him, undress him, and act on this growing attraction. The promise he’d be flying home in the morning compelled me to act now, rashly, with no regard for future regrets. Hell, I’d regret it more if I let him go without some action.
But as I led him to my bedroom, my shyness redoubled. I only had a handful of condoms I’d picked up at the gay pride event last month. I hoped they weren’t novelty condoms, but the pink polka-dotted wrapping paper raised doubts.
My nerves grew steadily.
How did I end up bringing home a total stranger with the express intent of a one-nighter? If he wasn’t leaving, would I have even considered doing this so fast? Should I tell him I changed my mind?
What if he changed his mind?
As if sensing my hesitation, he leaned on my bedroom door frame—God, he had no right to look that gorgeous—and asked, “You sure about this?”
Was I? I had a free pass right here, right now. I could tell him to leave, and I’d never see him again. It would speed up the inevitable. I knew what was behind door number one: so long and farewell. Would it end any differently if I asked him to stay?
“Let’s make a deal.”
He smiled and inched closer. “What kind of deal?”
Calling back to our conversation about fear, I said, “For tonight, let’s just live in this moment.”
He crossed into my space enough that I could feel his heat, his energy. Another foot and we’d be touching. “Leave the past in the past?”
This was so unlike me. “And let tomorrow take care of tomorrow.”
My brain echoed with Shakespeare.Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Let me have some fun tonight.
He ducked his head a little, bringing his eyes even with mine, so fucking sexy. “If that’s what you want.”
“Don’t you?” Were we both pretending to be adventurous?
“Yes.” Evan inched forward, touching my wrist. “So.”
The word was almost a question, like this was the final chance for either of us to opt for the safety of a goodnight, but parting would be such sweet sorrow.
“So.” My echoing voice came out a rasp. I fought the urge to look at my feet, to avoid the invitation in his green eyes, the temptation of his lips curling in a gentle smile. Instead, I channeled my inner Chelsea and met his gaze, encouraging him to make the first move.
There was no sudden switch, no moment where we fell off the precipice, tumbling irrevocably into turbulent passion. He just claimed my forearm and tugged me closer.
I leaned into him, my heart beating faster, and when our lips brushed this time, he didn’t pull away. The light graze gave way to pressure, lips parting, a taste of his tongue. Every move was slow, deliberately tantalizing. His arm snaked around my back, pulling me into him, so he could seriously kiss me, and a thrill traveled straight down my core.
Despite the bumpy lead up, Evan knew how to kiss, and I surrendered to him. Confident, sexy Evan gave me a bad case of the butterflies.
I broke away long enough to sink onto the edge of the mattress, fizzing with the promise of intimacy with a man I barely knew. The warnings in my mind had yielded to curiosity, desire, the intoxicating power of seduction.
He ran his thumb along my chin, and I drank in the sheer beauty of his features. His long eyelashes framed emerald eyes with specs of gold. The flush on his cheeks only highlighted his smooth clear skin. The golden scruff on his jaw threw his boyishness into stark relief. And that pouty mouth hid perfectly straight white made-for-TV teeth.
His eyes had fallen on my lips as well. And then without any further discussion, he knocked me onto the bed and followed, hovering over me, kissing me again. My cerebral cortex shut down. I touched his neck, awed at the goosebumps I was causing. He hunched his shoulders in response, encouraging me to lift up and run my tongue along that skin for an encore performance.
