Page 31 of Deliverance

“I’ll try my best not to,” Dominic said. “I haven’t been in a relationship in years, though. I don’t even know if I would be a good boyfriend.”

“That’s why this relationship works,” Adrian said. “We’re all busy—Evelyn most of all—but with all of us here”—he gestured around the table—“Evelyn’s never alone; because at the end of the day, she’s our priority.”

“She’s been abandoned before,” Sebastian said, his voice low. “We won’t tell you the details because that’s her story to tell, and she’s been failed by the whole fucking system; so before youcommit, think about it.” He leaned back and grinned, although there was an edge to it. “I would hate to have to kill you.”

“Maybe we don’t threaten a federal agent,” Adrian said dryly.

I chuckled as Dominic waved it off. “I understand,” he said. “I would do the same. I promise I’ll think about it.”

“Good,” Adrian said. “That’s all we’re asking for.”

“Well, now that that weird-as-fuck conversation is over,” Marcus announced. “Let’s eat and watch football.”

Everyone laughed, and there was an easy camaraderie that wasn’t there before. Dominic looked lost in thought as watched the game. We had given him a lot to think about. I hoped he stayed. Ultimately, it was Evelyn’s call, but I hope he stayed and chose her.

The afternoon passed quickly, but with a sense of normalcy that had been missing for the last few months. Marcus, Sebastian, and Adrian shouted at the TV screen, while Dominic and I sat back and sipped our beers. About an hour before we were supposed to be at Melissa’s, we headed out to pick up Evelyn.

Melissa’s house smelled like butter and thyme before we even got through the door. Evelyn stopped just inside the entryway and breathed it in like it was something she’d been missing without knowing it. I wondered if her house ever felt like this growing up. Were her parents always neglectful, or was it just in their daughter’s true hour of need that they abandoned her?

I watched Evelyn more than I watched anything else that night; the outcome of her last visit with Melissa clear in my mind. I saw exactly what Adrian was talking about. She was careful with herself as soon as we walked in the door, like she was guarding against the warmth emanating from the home. My heart ached for her a bit. Based on her accounts of her childhood, a home like this was foreign. I would bet every dollarin my bank account that she was trying to prevent herself from wanting what she saw here. Or worse, telling herself she didn’t deserve it.

Melissa pulled Adrian into a long hug in the kitchen, and Evelyn turned away to help set the table. Her expression smoothed into something neutral in a tell I was learning to recognize as her guard going up. I filed it away for later, not saying anything, just squeezing her shoulder as I sat next to her.

Dinner was loud and comforting in a way Melissa’s table always was. Melissa was one of the strongest women I knew, next to Evelyn. She had been through hell but still managed to stay upbeat and positive; although I knew now that part of that had to do with Evelyn and the Archers’ help. The pot pie was excellent as always, and Evelyn ate two helpings.

After dinner, Melissa proposed a game of charades. Charades was one of her favorite games, and we inevitably ended up playing every time we came over. Within twenty minutes, Sebastian was performing what he insisted wasTitanicwith a level of physical commitment—or flailing, depending on your interpretation—that had everyone doubled over in laughter, including Evelyn. Evelyn’s eyes were bright and sparkling, the guarded expression she had been wearing melted away as her grin split her cheeks.

I wanted to keep that look on her face permanently.

Later that evening—much later than I intended to leave—we drove home. Evelyn was tucked between Adrian and Sebastian in the backseat, her head tipping onto Adrian’s shoulder halfway home. By the time we pulled into the garage, she was half asleep.

Ignoring her half-hearted protests, Adrian scooped her into his arms. She was stiff for a moment, then she melted into him, and something in me eased. I wasn’t going to say anything about the look on her face in Melissa’s kitchen. Not tonight. But eventually, when the time was right, I was going to bring it up.Because this woman deserved the world, and I was determined to not only give it to her but prove to her that she deserved it.

CHAPTER 14

EVELYN

Warmth pressed against my back as sleep slowly drifted away. The air was chilly, so I wiggled back into the warmth, unwilling to leave the soft cocoon of sleep yet. The warmth groaned, and my eyes flew open. I relaxed when I recognized the soft blues and greens of Adrian’s room. That was right. We had dinner at Melissa’s last night, and then I fell asleep on the car ride home. I must have ended up in Adrian’s bed.

His arm tightened around my waist. “Go back to sleep,” he murmured, his voice rough with sleep. The low, raspy noise had my thighs clenching. “It’s too early.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

I closed my eyes and tried to fall back to sleep. I focused on breathing deeply, enjoying my cuddles in Adrian’s arms. Although I was comfortable, sleep eluded me. The room was still dark, which meant it was too early to get up, but try as I might, I couldn’t fall back asleep. It was like once my brain was awake, I couldn’t fall back asleep. It was a side effect of my double life. Even after a couple of months of getting more than four hours of sleep per night, my body still wasn’t used to it.

I shifted in Adrian’s arms, turning so I could face him. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his pine scent.

“You’re not falling back to sleep, are you?” Adrian’s sleep-drenched voice rumbled through his chest.

I shook my head. “No, sorry,” I confessed. “But you can go back to sleep.”

He ran his hand down my spine and over my ass to the back of my knee, hitching my leg over his hip and rocking us together. “Or…” he rasped. “We could take advantage of this alone time.”

My core clenched. He rocked into me, and a breathless moan escaped my lips.

“Yes, please,” I murmured, suddenly aching for him.

He rolled me onto my back, his forearms next to my head, and leaned down to kiss me. If I had morning breath, he didn’t seem to mind. Our lips crashed together, and any concerns I might have had disappeared just as quickly as they surfaced. His mouth ventured down my neck, then his head dipped even further, kissing the tops of my breasts. His tongue darted out and lapped at my nipple before he lightly blew on it.