Burn Out (18 page)

Chloe perked her
head up at the mention of her friend’s name, as though she was looking for him.

Evan pointed at
the dog. “I know your type, Chloe. You think you’re so cute, prancin’ around
like your mommy owns the place. But I’ve got my eye on you. If you think I’m
gonna let you break Skip’s heart the way your mommy broke mine, you’ve got
another thing comin’.”

Erika’s smile
faded away. “You weren’t the only one who walked away from our relationship
with a broken heart, Evan. Walking out that door was the hardest thing I’d ever
had to do.” She decided it was time to set her pride aside and let him know how
much he’d hurt her. “I used to cry myself to sleep every night.”

“Look,” he said,
holding his hand up, “I was jokin’ about the dogs. I didn’t mean to offend
you.”

“I know, but you
need to know…” She smoothed out the napkin in her lap. “I felt so pathetic,
some of the things I had to do to get your attention. The sexy lingerie, your
favorite bottle of wine…” She cringed. “I even went in to a sex shop to try and
find toys I thought you might like.” Her face burned, but she was determined to
continue. “You have no idea what it did to me, knowing you didn’t want to make
love to me anymore.”

“Are you serious?”
he asked, sliding his chair back. “I always thought you were sexier than hell,
baby.” He raked his hands through his hair. “Hell, I used to throw back the
covers when I rolled in after midnight and I’d catch a glimpse of those sexy
little negligees you used to wear to bed. I felt like shit knowin’ I was too
tired to give you what you needed. I knew I was failin’ you, but…”

“You were right,”
she said, trying to distract herself with food. “We don’t have to get in to
this. It won’t change anything.”

“It might change
the way you feel about yourself,” he said quietly.

Acknowledging how
much those last few months impacted her self-esteem. She didn’t feel beautiful
or desirable anymore because the man she loved barely spared her a second
glance. Even when she pulled out all the stops to get him to notice her, he
didn’t. “I swore I’d never put myself through that again.”

“Awww, baby,” he
said, getting up and reaching for her hand. Pulling her into his arms, he said,
“I’m so sorry I made you feel that way. I was a jackass for not seein’ what I
was doin’ to you.”

That was one of
the lowest times in her life. She went from being outgoing and confident to
introverted and uncertain. It took months for her to start feeling like herself
again. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose.”

“You are the most
beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” he said, framing her face with his large
hands. “Every damn thing about you turns me on,” he whispered, nudging her with
his arousal to prove his point. “I still think about you all the time. When I’m
in a meetin’, I get this image of you in my head, wearin’ one of those sexy
little numbers that turned me inside out, and my concentration is shot to
hell.”

His words wrapped
around her, drawing her in, making her lose focus on everything except the
sound of his voice. She tipped her head back and he moved in to kiss her neck,
just as she hoped he would.

“You are so
hot...” He eased her sweater over her head and tossed it to the ground. Moving
his lips over her shoulders, the swell of her breasts, he licked and kissed,
teasing her until she feared she might be reduced to a gooey puddle at his
feet.

“Please,” she
whimpered.

He lifted his head
and their eyes locked. “You want me to take you upstairs?”

“Yes.” She
couldn’t think about the consequences. The only thing that mattered was letting
him satisfy the deep ache in her core.

He swung her up
into his arms, making it seem effortless.

“The food,” she
whispered, settling into his arms.

“The hell with
it.” He beckoned the dogs, who got up and followed them out of the room. “They
can hang out downstairs for a while.” Evan opened the door to the basement and
Chloe followed Skipper down the winding staircase.

Evan stared down
at Erika. She was naked, in his bed, writhing and begging for his touch, and he
knew he would never make the mistake of taking her love for granted again.

He wanted to say so
much, but he was afraid of saying the wrong thing and giving her reason to
doubt him, so he said nothing. If he confessed the lengths he’d gone to just to
get her back, she may be appalled, but he couldn’t feel remorse when she lay
there with a look that told him all he needed to know about their future. The
truth was in her eyes.
She was still in love with him.

“Come here,” she
whispered, beckoning him.

Evan was smart
enough to know that when the universe aligned to answer your prayers, you
didn’t stop to ask why. You simply hit your knees to give thanks, which is
exactly what he intended to do… all night long… or until she couldn’t stand it
another second.

Spreading her
legs, he smiled when she exposed her anticipation with a gasp.

“What are you
doing?” she whispered.

With a wicked
gleam in his eye, he kissed a path up the inside of her leg. “I think that’s
pretty obvious, darlin’.”

“You don’t have
to-”

“Oh yes, I do,” he
whispered. “I couldn’t stop myself if I tried.” Licking her inner thighs, he
felt the tremble in her legs, and he knew she would go off with the slightest
stimulation. Tasting her was like sipping a priceless liqueur; he wanted to
savor the unique flavor rather than downing it in one shot.

“Oh God,” she
cried, fisting the sheets. “Ev… I…”

He’d dimmed the
lights instead of turning them off completely and the look etched on her face
convinced him he’d made the right call. He didn’t want to lose a second of this
moment to a blanket of darkness. Her ecstasy was spectacular, even more so
because he’d been the one to deliver her to this state of nirvana.

Every subtle
stroke of his tongue took her higher and drew him in deeper until the only
thing he heard was the echo of her cries. She surrounded him: her skin on his,
her scent making him hungry for more, her body trembling with a thirst he ached
to quench.

Her core was
pulsing as her body trembled with the impact of her release. “I can’t…” She
pushed against his shoulders. “Stop! I can’t take anymore.”

When he was
satisfied the aftershocks had faded away, he inched up her body, licking a path
to her mouth.

While indulging in
a frenzied kiss, she wrapped her legs around him, locking her ankles behind his
back.

He’d shed his
clothes seconds after they entered the room, so the only barrier between them
was his loose grip on sanity. “Wait,” he groaned, reaching into his nightstand.

“It’s okay,” she
said, reaching for his hand. “My pills are in my purse. I didn’t want to take
any chances after last time.”

Evan smiled. “You
thought we might end up here?”

“I… uh…”

Knowing she still
trusted him enough to let him love her without the safeguard of added
protection fortified his belief that he was slowly emerging from the nightmare
he’d been living for the past year.

“No regrets,” he
whispered in her ear as her body opened for him. “Not like last time.” He
buried his face in the crook of her neck as his body tried to adjust to this
newfound state of bliss.

“My eyes are wide
open this time,” she said, raking her nails up his back. “I don’t have this
fantasy of the man I wish you were. I know who you are and I’m still here. In
your bed.” She gripped him mercilessly, making him groan.

Her words filtered
in and out of his head. Evan knew he should set her straight about the man he
was today, but his body and brain were in a battle for supremacy until all of
his thoughts centered on the light at the end of the tunnel delivering him to
paradise.

Another orgasm
tore through her, and as soon as he felt the effect, his control snapped.
Riding it out, he took her mouth, absorbing her moans as he kissed her until
they both craved their next breath.

He bore the burden
of most of his weight on his elbows until he found the strength to roll over
and pull her into his arms.

Neither of them
said a word until their breathing returned to normal.

She looked up at
him, her eyes shining. “You haven’t made love to me like that in years.”

He was so stunned,
he didn’t know how to respond. When he finally found his voice, he asked,
“What’re you talkin’ about?”

“You made love to
me like I was the only thing on your mind. That hasn’t happened in a long, long
time. Even the last time, you were distracted. Your mind was somewhere else.”

“Yeah, I was
tryin’ to figure out how the hell I was gonna keep you in my bed,” he grumbled.

She looked up at
him, a smile teasing her lips. “Seriously? That’s what you were thinking
about?”

“Sure. What else
would I have been thinkin’ about?” he asked, letting his fingers slide through
her hair.

“I don’t know,”
she said, lifting a shoulder. “I figured you had a lot going on at work.”

He pulled back to
look her in the eye, trying to gauge whether she was serious. “You really
thought that’s what I was thinkin’ about when we were makin’ love that night?”

She sighed as she
rolled on to her back and pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts. “It
wouldn’t be the first time, Evan.”

He turned on to
his side, propping his elbow on the pillow with his head in his hand. “You knew
how much I wanted you back. Our break up damn near destroyed me. Don’t you
think I’ve learned from my mistakes?” He held his breath, waiting for her
response, knowing their whole future hung in the balance.

“I want to believe
we’ve both grown,” she said, reaching up to touch his face. “I hope I’m mature
enough to be more understanding, and I want to believe you’ve figured out how
to have a healthy balance…”

He knew her well
enough to finish her sentences and he had no doubt ‘but’ would be the next word
she uttered, effectively pulling the rug out from under him. “Go on.”

“It’s too soon to
tell, isn’t it?” She ran the pad of her thumb over his bottom lip. “We need to
get to know each other all over again.”

At least she was
giving him an opening, which was more than he could have hoped for a few months
ago. “Just so we’re clear… getting to know each other again involves more of
this, right?” Gesturing between the two of them, he smiled.

She slapped his
face playfully and laughed. “I think that’s a safe assumption. I mean, we have
to know that we’re sexually compatible if this relationship has a prayer of
going the distance, right?”

“I want that more
than anything,” he said, holding her hand against his face after he kissed her
palm. “Whatever it takes to make this work, I’m willin’ to do it, baby.”

She pulled him
down in to her arms, hugging him fiercely. “That’s exactly what I needed to
hear.”

***

Erika curled up
under the blankets as Evan went downstairs to let the dogs out and bring a tray
of food up. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this content.
Probably not since the beginning of their relationship when they were young and
in love and were still naïve enough to believe that would be enough to help
them weather any storm. She hadn’t been that starry-eyed girl for years, but
she hated to think life had made her too cynical to believe second chances were
possible.

She thought of her
charity, Second Chance, and smiled. If those animals deserved a second chance
at happiness, so did she and Evan.

“They’re down for
the count,” Evan said, nudging the door open with his shoulder. “Curled up together,
lookin’ like they’re never gonna move.”

“I can’t say I
blame them,” she said, sitting up to accept the tray he offered. It contained a
collection of her favorite cheeses, spreads, fruit, and crackers. Evidently
he’d planned ahead.

“I’m just gonna
build a fire,” he said, going over to the fireplace tucked in to the corner of
the room.

She watched the
muscles in his back flex as he built the fire, barely able to suppress the sigh
of admiration. The sight of him wearing low-slung black sweats and no shirt was
enough to make her mouth water. Popping a grape in to her mouth, she asked,
“What made you decide on this place?”

He looked at her
over his shoulder, concern drawing his dark eyebrows together. “You don’t like
it?”

“It’s gorgeous. I
love it. It’s just not what I expected.” She popped a cracker in her mouth and
chewed carefully, plotting her explanation. She didn’t want to ruin this
perfect moment by making him defensive. “It’s just that I know how much you
loved your penthouse. Whenever I talked about buying a place in the country,
you always said you liked the city too much. It was close to the office and…”
He stood up and one look at his rippling chest made her lose her train of
thought.