Page 49

“Oh!” Evelyn shouted. “That needs to be cleaned out. Come over here.” She directed him to the washbowl in the corner.

She poured the pitcher of water into the bowl, wet a clean cloth, and proceeded to rub a bit of soap onto the cloth.

She then turned to Ollie, took his hand without a thought, and gently began dabbing at the cuts.

Neither of them spoke. As she lightly pressed the soapy cloth against his skin, Evelyn realized how intimate the moment was and glanced up at Ollie from beneath her lashes.

With not an ounce of shame, he stared back at her, eyes dark and eyelids heavy.

The moment crackled like the lightning outside, and her gaze fell to his lips, remembering how lovely they’d felt.

Forcing her attention back to her task, she became quite aware of the feel of his rough hand in hers, and her stomach twisted and turned.

Once the cuts were properly cleaned, she wet the towel again and patted away the soap.

“There,” she whispered. She looked back up at Ollie and allowed herself a study of him, even though he would see what she was doing.

Tomorrow, everything would change, and she only had this moment left.

His dark hair was slightly mussed from tossing and turning in bed.

The beginning of a beard was showing through.

And his bright-green eyes focused intently on her, reflecting emotion and desire roiling together like waves crashing against rocky cliffs.

Evelyn held on to the image of Ollie at night for too long, losing herself in him, in this beautiful and kind man.

But with concerted effort, she forced herself to let go.

Ollie watched wordlessly as she put everything away, rankled from the charged moment that had passed between them. Uncharacteristically nervous, she dropped the used cloth and they both reached down for it.

“Evelyn,” Ollie said in a deep voice as she yanked the cloth from him. They both stood back up. “About tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to talk about tomorrow,” she replied quietly, her voice cracking with emotion. “I don’t want to think about it, either.” Her eyes lifted to his and she could feel the threat of tears. Blasted emotions! Why did she always get this way at the most inopportune time?

“We don’t have to talk about tomorrow,” Ollie murmured back.

Tears started to slide down her face, but before she could say or do anything, Ollie lifted both hands to her cheeks to cradle her face and wiped the twin stream of tears away with his thumbs.

Seeming to realize too late what he had done, he immediately looked her in the eye with a bit of panic.

But he made her weak, and she was overcome by his nearness, by his touch, by the way her body softened and melted.

She held his gaze and when she didn’t pull away, the panic in his eyes replaced with a tenderness no one had ever looked at her with before.

Ollie angled his face down and kissed her hairline gently. When she didn’t move away, he lightly kissed her forehead. Her heart raced and her stomach dropped, realizing what was happening. Still cradling her face in his hands, he tilted her head back so their eyes met.

Ollie’s voice was dark and raspy. “I would like to kiss you good and proper now.”

“All right,” was all she managed to get out.

There was a flash of a crooked smile on his gorgeous face. Time seemed to slow as it happened; all she could hear was their breathing, her pounding heart throbbing in her ears. Nothing else seemed to exist around them.

Still cradling her face in his hands, Ollie pressed his mouth hard to hers the same moment lightning filled the room with bright light.

It almost felt as if the electric bolt had gone through her, through him, the way every nerve in her body exploded and crackled.

Ollie turned his head to fit their mouths better and she eagerly opened hers for him, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands fell to her hips.

She imagined those rough, warm hands sliding gently over her bare hips to grip them tightly.

Real fire could ignite inside of her, and she wouldn’t have been surprised.

Next thing Evelyn knew, her back was pressed against the wall, her fingers gripping the front of his nightshirt to pull him flush against her.

His hands were planted against the wall on either side of her.

Tongues danced, hearts raced, heat and passion devoured them and when Evelyn let out a faint moan into his mouth, one she hadn’t even meant to release, Ollie moved down to her neck, gently sucking at a tender spot.

It was the most exquisite sensation, and the rush his touch gave her was the same rush she got when she’d broken free and run as fast as she could. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself, lost in whatever this was burning between them.

Ollie’s rough fingers brushed against the soft skin of her neck to pull her nightgown aside and placed kisses along her collarbone.

Then his tongue lightly, slowly, slid back up over the line of kisses he had placed, to end with a nibble at her ear.

She gasped. Her body screamed and cried, desperate. Without thinking, she pressed her hips forward against his, and he let out the most wonderful masculine sound of desire.

But it also plunged her back down to Earth.

She stilled as she realized what was happening. “Ollie, stop.”

Ollie did, but neither of them moved away from the other. They stood in place panting hard as she reeled from the moment. Oh my. That was nothing like she would have expected.

He swore.

“I-I’m sorry.” Evelyn forced out the words. But she couldn’t look at him.

“No. Evelyn—”

“No.” She shook her head and her throat became tight.

“I should have known it would have become too heated.” She then dipped under his arms and took a few steps away.

“I must insist you leave. I don’t know what just happened, but I should have known better.

That you came in here for…” Her words trailed off with the guilt that rose.

She was just as involved in that as he was.

Ollie rushed his hands through his hair as pain settled into his face. “I do possess self-control, Evelyn. What, you thought I made up a ruse to come in here to bed you, use you? Is that what you think? Is that the kind of man you think I am?”

Evelyn hugged herself and didn’t respond.

His hands fell to his side with exasperation. “I came in here making a spectacle of myself, because I really am embarrassingly terrified of thunder. Yes, I’ve also wanted to kiss you again. I’ve wanted to show you what…what could be between us. You kissed me first initially, remember?”

Evelyn swallowed and nodded.

“So yes, of course I wanted to kiss you again.” His voice climbed with emotion. “And, yes, I would be happy if you went to bed with me because I—” He suddenly stopped and went completely still.

Evelyn lifted a quizzical eyebrow. For some reason, he had paled, but a boom of thunder reminded her the storm continued its roar.

“Never mind.” Ollie, suddenly stricken, crossed the room and paused at the door. “Goodnight, Evelyn.” And he disappeared into the dark hallway, shutting her door, his own door following a moment later.

Evelyn huffed and returned to bed. Ollie’s touch continued to smolder on her skin, and she wondered if the trail his lips and tongue had created on her chest and neck would remain there forever.

Had she done the right thing by stopping?

Of course she had. Yes, it would have been nice to succumb to him. It probably would have been an incredible experience.

But it would have been an absolute disaster.

Her mind was already made up about their separation. Experiencing passion with him would only make leaving that much harder.

Yet a part of her would always wonder, what would it have been like?

The clock ticked. Tossing and turning followed.

She heard the unmistakable sound of Ollie’s door opening and closing again.

Hope jolted in her. He was coming back. And against her better judgement, it made her happy.

Evelyn hurried across the room as quietly as she could. She didn’t want him to hear her footfalls and realize how eager she was for his return. What would happen after, she couldn’t say. But they would figure it out, right?

She stood at the door, hand hovering over the handle, waiting for his knock.

But it didn’t come.

Curiosity getting the best of her, she opened the door and looked up and down the dim hallway before realizing it was empty.

Where had he gone?

Maybe he still couldn’t sleep, either, and had gone downstairs to get out of his room.

Evelyn quietly hurried to the stairway and looked down it just as Ollie reach the main floor. He was no longer in his nightshirt, but dressed in day clothes.

Confused, Evelyn watched as he stood in place for a moment, as if trying to talk himself into what to do next.

And then, without looking back, he went out the front door.

Evelyn stood frozen in place, stunned to her core.

Ollie had quietly left the house in the middle of the night. And there was only one reason a man would do such a thing.

He was seeking out a cure for his frustration. A frustration that Evelyn had put there.

Evelyn had seen American paintings of the yawning, red canyons they had out west. The impossible size and depth. It felt as if her world had cracked around her just like the canyons. Endless, limitless.

Betrayal and anger cemented together. She stared at the door he had disappeared through. Ollie had promised most convincingly that he would never find comfort in another woman as long as they were married. And she had stupidly believed him.

But here he was, doing just that at the slightest inconvenience. He was a scoundrel, and she should never have let herself trust him for that reason alone.

Because his stepping out in the middle of the night to go to someone else destroyed her more than she ever would have expected.