Page 18

Tate

T he second Eve’s door opens, I hand her a bouquet of flowers. With a smile, she brings them to her nose and breathes in the sweet fragrance.

“Why the flowers? Aren’t we going away?”

“So?” I shrug. “They’ll be here waiting when you come home.”

I follow her through her living room and into the kitchen. Hues of blue, gray, and white come together and give the house a warmth mine is missing.

It’s not that she has expensive decorations everywhere—she doesn’t.

But the house is neat and warm, with an assortment of throw pillows and blankets draped over the couch and loveseat.

Candles and wall hangings that match the decor are spread about the house.

Maybe it’s the fact that she’s here that makes it special.

“Tate, you don’t have to bring me flowers every time I see you. ”

“They make you smile.” I don’t think she understands how much it warms my heart to see her happy.

We’ve only been dating for a couple of months, and already, I’ll do just about anything for this woman.

Like helping her clean out the house she thought her dead husband shared with his mistress.

Talk about awkward. I had to buy her a lot of flowers that day.

Hell, I would’ve walked through fire to take away the pain I saw every time I looked in her eyes.

“It’s not the flowers that make me happy, it’s the man bringing them.”

“Keep talking like that, and you’re going to have a mouth full of cavities.”

“You’re a cornball,” she chuckles. And I don’t care because she looks happy and her eyes sparkle.

“You hurt my feelings,” I inch closer, backing her against the counter and caging her in with a hand next to either hip.

“I think you should kiss me and make it all better.” The sparkle in her eyes dims and turns to a smothering heat, ready to burn me alive.

“Nothing to say?” She places the flowers on the counter and links her arms around my neck.

Enjoying where this is going, I cradle her head in my hands and press my body against hers. “If you won’t, I will.”

My mouth closes in on her lips, then pulls away at the last moment, teasing her over and over until her breath changes. It’s deep and needy. She’s not the only one ready for more. The twitch in my pants quickly turns to a painful dance.

I swipe my tongue over her parting lips before crashing my mouth over hers. Eve moans as I deepen the kiss and slip my hands under the hem of her shirt, taking handfuls of her luscious tits. My hands just make it to their destination before she pushes me away.

“I’m out of vases; they’re all full.” She says, picking up the conversation and the flowers. “And I can’t decide if my house smells like a florist or a morgue.”

“Maybe the smell is from the candles you love to burn.”

“Nope. It’s the flowers.”

She opens one cabinet only to close it and move to the next. “See? No more vases.”

“That’s fine.” Before she closes the last cabinet, I reach in for a glass. “Who needs a vase when you have tall glasses?” I fill it halfway with water and hand it to Eve.

She adds a spoon of sugar and arranges the flowers before setting the makeshift vase on her kitchen counter. I watch her close her eyes and take a deep breath before facing me again.

“Nervous?”

“A little.” She admits. “We haven’t spent this much time together and—”

“Come here.” I wrap my arms around her and hold her against my chest. “If you’re not ready to spend the weekend with me, we don’t have to.

I can get separate rooms, or we can fly to Florida for the game and fly back tonight.

I want you to see what professional rugby looks like, but I don’t want you to feel pressured.

Besides, after this weekend, you’ll see how boring I really am.

You’re much more likely to get sick of me than the other way around. ”

She tilts her head and cups my cheek, playing with my scruff. “It’s not that. I can’t wait to spend the night with you.” She smiles and takes a moment for her words to sink in. “But I know I can be a lot . . . and you might want to get away from me.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I whisper, inching closer to her. “When we’re together, it never feels long enough. I can’t wait to spend the night with you and fall asleep with you in my arms.”

She tilts her head to the side and drops her eyes.

With my pointer finger crooked under her chin, I nudge her head up. “Eve, what’s really bothering you?”

“I still haven’t told Gemma.”

“Oh.” I try to hide my disappointment. I have no right to get in the middle of her relationship with her daughter. “I don’t like it, but I understand. You’re smart and beautiful, and I trust that you know what’s best in this situation.”

“Thank you.” She takes a deep breath and offers me a smile.

“You spoil me.” There’s a look in her eyes I haven’t seen from her yet.

I don’t know exactly what it is, but it scares the hell out of me because of how my heart thunders against my chest. “I hope you know I appreciate you. And not just for all the fun things you plan, like horseback riding and ballroom dancing. You always know how to talk me down from whatever crisis I have at the moment and keep me level.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” I pull her in for a hug. “Stop worrying about this weekend. Let’s go have fun.”