Page 14 of Twins for the Secret Prince (Even More Babies #8)

EVA

E va looked sideways at Pete, whose head was tipped forward onto his chest. She’d had only an hour of sleep before waking him up and telling him they needed to get back to the base.

Dawn was still a long way off, but she wasn’t risking anyone seeing them return any later; a cold shower and the thought of what would happen if they were discovered returning together had chased away any traces of fatigue and the bourbon she’d consumed.

But Pete was a different story, and he was sound asleep in the passenger seat.

She let him sleep until they were a few minutes from the base and then called his name. “We’re almost back. Wake up.”

He opened his eyes and looked over at her. Smiling, he reached out for her hand. “What a night.”

“How’s your body after your tumble off the mechanical bull?”

“I was kind of hoping that what happened at Shorty’s would stay at Shorty’s. I’d rather not ever talk about any of that again.”

“Not even the dancing? You were really finding your stride by the end.”

“I was not, and you know it. I was terrible.” He squeezed her hand. “You were great, though. At both activities. Actually, at all of the activities.”

Eva pulled her hand out from underneath his. “We need to talk about that. Pete, as good as that is between us, we have to be very careful. If we get caught, we both blow any chance of promotion. And one or both of us will be transferred off the base. I don’t want that to happen.”

Pete stared at her for a long moment. “You didn’t say it can’t happen again.”

“That’s what I meant.”

“You said if we get caught . I think we need to find a way to keep doing it but not get caught.”

Eva sighed. “Listen, I’m not going to lie to you. I would like to find a way to keep doing what we both know we enjoy doing together. But the risks are too great.”

“There must be a way we can work it out,” Pete said. “Find someplace where we won’t be discovered.”

Eva looked at him quickly, then looked away again. “There’s no guarantee of complete privacy anywhere on the base. You know that.”

“I saw the look you gave me a second ago. You have a place in mind, don’t you?”

“Pete, no. It’s too dangerous.” Eva bit her lip.

“If we were ever discovered, I’d take the fall for it. I promise you that.”

“Oh sure, like that would work. I don’t think the major’s going to fall for it. I’m pretty sure he knows that it takes two to tango.”

“You’re right. Dumb idea.”

“There’s another thing. I see the way you look at me when we’re in the same room. You have to stop, or people are going to notice.” Eva put on her best stern face, hoping he would see how serious she was.

“Stop looking at you? How can I do that? And anyway, I’m pretty sure all eyes are on you when you’re in any room.”

“When you do it, it’s ogling. You have to stop.”

“ Ogling ? You make it sound like I’m some kind of pervert.”

Eva was embarrassed talking about it. “Look, I’m not trying to hurt your feelings. I just mean that we have to be very careful, keep our hands and eyes off of each other.”

Pete was quiet for a minute and then said, “Okay. You’re right.”

Eva knew she was right, but she also knew that she didn’t want to be. Secretly, she wanted him to tell her it was impossible to keep his hands off of her, that they had to find a way to continue their trysts. Eva promised herself she would try to find a way to make it happen.

The following afternoon, Eva found the chance to put her plan into action.

At the informal ceremony during which the major presented their commendations for leadership in the community during the recent community evacuation, Eva and Pete stood close enough together that she was able to slip a piece of paper into his pocket. On it, she’d written:

Rock face. 23.55.

It was cryptic, but she sincerely hoped he’d understand the message.

Eva unlocked her office door at twenty minutes to midnight. She was sure that no one had seen her let herself in and, as she waited in the dark room, hoped that Pete would be just as careful. At exactly five minutes to midnight, there was a light rap at her door.

She opened it as quietly as she could to find Pete standing there, grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat.

“You figured it out,” she whispered, pulling him by the arm into her office.

“I hope I get extra brownie points for my problem-solving skills,” he said, pulling her close.

Eva locked the door behind him. “Corridor patrols pass by every twenty minutes. If we stay here, to the right of the door, they won’t be able to see us through the glass.”

“Excellent work, sergeant,” he said, backing up against the wall as he started to undress.

They were quick and furtive, the risk of being caught by the patrol guard adding extra haste to their coming together.

They knew they had to be quiet and moaned into each other’s mouths to keep themselves from crying out.

When they were finished, they stood silently, skin to skin, waiting until the patrol guard’s footsteps disappeared.

“Can we do it again?” Pete asked, nuzzling his face into Eva’s neck.

“Yes, but not tonight,” Eva said, kissing him hungrily. “We’d better not chance our luck.”

“Okay. I’ll look forward to your next note.”

“Be careful on your way back to bed.”

“I will. You too.”

Both Eva and Pete were so busy — and still putting in extra time in their efforts to be recognized as deserving the promotion to sergeant major — that there was almost no time available to rendezvous.

Eva put more energy than she had into finding different places for them to meet, to minimize the risk of being discovered.

The frisson of excitement that it gave her only added to the physical pleasure she took from being with Pete the few times they managed it.

Scoping out potential meeting places became part of her day-to-day behavior, as she searched for spaces that were as out of the way as possible, where they were least likely to be stumbled upon.

She thought of it as an illicit challenge, one which came with huge risk but also brought tremendous reward.

One night, they were lying together underneath a scratchy woolen blanket on top of a makeshift mattress made of bean bags. “We really should get dressed,” Eva said dreamily. What she really wanted was to fall fast asleep in Pete’s arms.

“But that would mean we wouldn’t be able to do that again,” Pete said, kissing the top of her head.

“These meetings are getting longer and longer,” Eva replied. “We’re pushing our luck.”

Pete stroked her thigh as he said, “Five minutes. Let’s just stay like this for five more minutes.”

Eva didn’t argue. “Okay, five more minutes. But we’d better not fall asleep. Tell me about where you grew up. Tell me about your home.”

Pete let out a long, slow sigh. “It’s beautiful. I want to take you there one day and show it to you. You know how Alaska smells like fresh meadows?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Well, there the air smells like warm butter cookies. I have no idea why. You take a deep breath and just feel… happy.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It is. And it’s beautiful. The lakes are crystal clear and so still you’d think they were paintings.”

“Mmmm. I love swimming in lakes.”

“Me too. But I think the people are the best thing about home. It’s the friendliest country I’ve ever been to.”

“Country? Aren’t we talking about New York state?”

Pete was quiet for a minute and then said, “Eva, I’ve got something to tell you.”

“You’re not from New York?”

“No, I’m not. My father is from California, but I’ve never lived there. Well, not for more than a couple of weeks at a time.”

“Well, where did you grow up?”

“In a small country in Europe, called Laagestein.”

“ Laagestein ? I’ve never even heard of it!” Eva sat up straight, staring at him in disbelief.

“It’s very small. Very unassuming.”

“But why did you say you were from New York?”

“I didn’t. You assumed, and I didn’t contradict you.”

“But if you’re from Europe, what are you doing here?”

“Like I said, my father is American. My mother is— she’s from Laagestein. That’s where I grew up.”

“But what are you doing here ?”

“I have dual citizenship, and I wanted to join the American military.”

“Doesn’t Laagestein have its own military?”

“Yes, we do, but… it’s complicated.”

“So what, are you staying here for good?”

“What do you mean?”

“I think you know what I mean. Are you here to stay? Or what? This all seems really suspicious, Pete.” Eva started pulling on her clothes as quickly as she could.

“Eva, please. Let me explain.” He was trying to put his arms around her, but Eva shook him off.

“You better explain, but I’m not going to be naked while you do it.”

“My parents didn’t want me to be in the military in Laagestein. They wanted me to join the family business, and I said no. We had a fight, and I told them I was coming here.”

“I heard it in your voice, Pete. You love Laagestein. The minute you sort out this spat with your parents, you’ll go back there.”

He tried to hug her, but Eva shrugged him off again. “Maybe. I’m just trying to be honest with you, Eva.”

“Right, because it’s obviously really important to you to tell me the truth about everything! Why did you let me believe you’re from New York?”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have. I guess I wanted to fit in, and letting on that I’m from another country makes me stick out like a sore thumb. But you’re right. I should have told you.”

“Okay, whatever. We don’t owe each other anything,” Eva said. “It’s not like this was going to be a long-term situation or anything.”

In a quiet voice, Pete said, “I was kind of hoping it might be.”

“Well I wasn’t. I don’t need a long-term relationship, especially not when I’ve got my career to think about. And a long-distance relationship would be terrible. It would never work.”

“People make them work all the time.”

“Pete, your home is in Europe! You just said you want to go back there one day. I live in Alaska. We’re not exactly close neighbors.”

He nodded his head sadly. “I know. I guess you’re right. It would never work.”

Eva’s heart felt like a balloon that had just been popped. She’d wanted him to disagree with her, tell her they would find a way. “No, it would never work.”

“I’m sorry, Eva. About not telling you the truth, I mean.”

“Let’s just agree to keep things physical between us. Super casual.”

“Okay.”

“Speaking of which, it’s going to be difficult to find time to get together over the next little while. I’m going to be very busy.”

“Okay, Eva. I understand.”

Lying in her own bed five minutes after storming away from Pete, Eva punched her fist into the mattress. What was she thinking, allowing herself to put her career at risk for a man she barely knew?

Tears pricked the backs of her eyes when she remembered his voice, light and wistful, as he’d talked about home.

She was humiliated, too, assuming that he was from the East Coast and being strung along by him.

She’d heard it so clearly when he talked about Laagestein — that his home was his real love.

Their time together was fleeting, meaningless, compared to his attachment to his home.

And what had she expected, after all? They were rivals, plain and simple.

She’d found him arrogant when they’d first met, and she should have stuck with her first instincts.

Circumstances — in the form of a natural disaster — had conspired to bring them together, alone, and their physical urges had taken over.

There was no shame in that, she believed.

Everyone had physical needs, and Pete certainly proved he knew how to meet hers.

But her feelings for him had changed so slowly that they’d practically snuck up on her.

Blame Shorty’s Roadhouse , she thought angrily.

Before they’d arrived there, she’d felt certain of the humiliation Pete was about to suffer.

She’d pictured him flying gracelessly off the mechanical bull and clumping around the dance floor, and so, although she wasn’t surprised when he’d shown himself to be less-than-experienced at the local leisure pursuits, he’d managed his shame elegantly.

He was a man who knew how to laugh at himself.

Her first impressions hadn’t been good, but from the moment they met until the moment he told her he was from another country, Pete had shown himself to be a good man.

He was strong, kind, and not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve.

He’d made it clear that he was attracted to Eva and wanted to be with her.

He’d even hinted that he hoped they could have a serious relationship, even if it ended up being long-distance.

And he was sexy. Eva had never been with a man who made her feel as satisfied as Pete did.

Her body ached when she thought about never having the chance to be intimate with him again.

She realized, too, that she hated the thought of him leaving the base and returning to Laagestein because she enjoyed being with him, plain and simple.

He was fun, charming, and exciting to spend time with.

She longed for him when she wasn’t with him, more than just physically.

She punched both fists into the mattress. This is what happens when you let your defenses down , she told herself. You get hurt, every time. You know better.

Through the long hours of that sleepless night, Eva told herself that it was a good thing Pete had told her the truth.

Knowing that he was from Laagestein — and wanted to go back as soon as he could — had freed her from the shackles of her dependency on him.

She’d risked so much, organizing their secret trysts. She was lucky they hadn’t been caught.

She realized Pete’s confession was a rude awakening, one that had the effect of making her see how foolish she’d been.

She’d allowed herself to take her eye off the prize, but it was time to get back on track.

Pete had hurt her, but she would channel her feelings into making sure that she was the next sergeant major, not him.

She would come out of this stronger. If anything, he’d done her a favor.