Davis, Liz - Slivers of Moonlight (Siren Publishing Classic) (13 page)

“Then what is it about me that makes you doubt my character? Why can’t you see that I’m not the same type of guy as that asshole you used to date?”

His voice had risen slightly, prompting her to smooth things over before they got into an argument. “Look, I’m sorry for doubting you, okay? Now let’s just forget the note.”

“It’s not that easy to just forget about it. You believed a random note that was left by some weirdo who’s trying to play head games. What this means to me is that basically anyone could tell you whatever they wanted, and you’d believe it without any hesitation.” There was a sad look in his eyes, and the expression on his face clearly conveyed that his feelings had been hurt. “He’s still in your head, Maya.”

“What are you talking about?”

“
Him
. Why is he still a part of you?”

“He’s not, and I don’t understand why this matters so much to you.” Her voice was tinged with frustration.

“Call me selfish, but I want you all to myself. I don’t like the fact that the things he did to you are still fresh in your mind. That affects our relationship, and it upsets me.”

Maya crossed her arms over her chest and gave a defensive reply. “Nothing he did to me has any bearing whatsoever on us as a couple.”

“You have trust issues. That does affect us.”

“And I’m sure you’re just perfect, right?”

“I never said that I was. I just feel a little hurt that you’re so quick to believe I’d be hiding something from you.”

“Look, Evan, maybe I do have things to work through and issues to deal with, but who doesn’t? I really don’t want to fight with you, okay? So please just let this go, all right?” She leaned against him, and linked her arm through his, laying her head on his shoulder.

His body grew less rigid as he gradually began to relax. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Sometimes I get carried away, but it’s only because I care so much about you. It’s not that I want to control you. It’s just that I want us to be solid. And the first step toward that is trust.”

“I know, but I really wish you wouldn’t get mad at me. You just have to be patient and let me work through this. These types of feelings don’t just disappear overnight.”

“So you do still have feelings for him, then.” There was a flash of jealousy in his eyes. “See, this is why I was hesitant for us to continue this relationship.”

“No, I don’t have feelings for him anymore. Evan, I want you.” She grabbed his hand to hold it, but he pulled it away. “Okay, why are you acting like this?”

“Like what?”

A sigh of irritation fled her lips. “Fine, be mad if you want to, but I’m tired, so I’m going to bed.”

She grabbed the empty food containers from the coffee table and carried them into the kitchen so that she could throw them away. When she came back in the living to collect their glasses, she saw that Evan was still sitting on the couch. He was staring straight ahead, and his eyes were pinned on the wall in front of him.

“Look, maybe it wasn’t the best idea for us to get back together,” she said. “I do have personal issues to work on, and I guess getting into another relationship so soon wasn’t the best idea. So I think we should just end things.”

He turned his gaze on her. “So that’s it? You’re ready to give up on us, just like that?” Disappointment was evident in his eyes.

“Yeah, why not? You gave up on us a few weeks ago.”

“But now I’m ready to try again.”

She didn’t say anything, only turned her back to him and headed for the kitchen. Once the glasses were in the dishwasher, she poured in some soap. Then she closed the door and turned the dial to start up the machine. She was just heading out of the kitchen when she saw Evan heading toward her. Before she knew it, he’d wrapped his arms around her waist, and had her pinned up against the fridge. He gazed down intently at her, and as he began to speak, she realized that his voice sounded deeper than usual.

“I’m not letting you break up with me.”

“You say that as if I’ve relinquished my control to you.”

“You’re calling my bluff, seeing how I’ll react. The truth of it is, you want us to continue seeing each other.”

She offered a light chuckle. “You sound very sure of yourself.”

“That’s because I am.”

They stared wordlessly at one another, and the only sound which broke the silence between them was the noise from the dishwasher. The tenseness between them was now of a sexual nature, and there was a strong flare of heat in Maya’s loins.

Evan’s hands were still firmly connected to her hips, holding her possessively in his grasp. “If you truly want to break up with me, then just say the word, and I’ll leave. I won’t ever bother you again.”

She blinked silently at him for a few moments, and then saw his lips curve into a smile.

Placing a hand to her face, he stroked her cheekbone with his thumb. “I knew you didn’t want to break up with me.”

“I did consider it for a moment.”

“I’m sure you did.” The tone he used indicated disbelief.

“You can be really cocky, can’t you?”

“I like to think of myself as confident.”

“Yeah, okay.” She gave a little laugh.

“So, are you still feeling tired?”

“Yeah. I had a pretty long day, so I think I’ll go to bed.”

“Can I tuck you in?” Evan’s hand had drifted to her chest, and he grazed a finger across the fabric covering her left nipple.

“That all depends. What does this tucking in consist of?”

“Anything and everything that you want it to be.”

The carnal look in his eyes sent a shiver dancing up her spine, and she felt her heart beat a little faster. “I like the sound of that.” She placed her palm against the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Their mouths connected hungrily, and their tongues playfully battled for dominance. Once their lips pulled apart, Maya grabbed him by the hand and led him into her bedroom. As she stripped down to underwear, Evan did the same. She was first to crawl under the covers, and watched from the bed as he took each article of clothing off. Once he was down to his boxers, he climbed onto the bed and straddled her. He placed several kisses to her neck and chest area, and then leaned in close to her face, so that their lips were nearly touching.

“I wanna make love to you, Maya.”

Although it wasn’t a question, she could see in his eyes that he was requesting her permission. She spoke to him in a soft voice, and traced a finger along his defined cheekbone. “I was thinking that maybe you could just hold me tonight.”

“Sure, baby, I can do that.” He gave her a soft, sweet kiss and then pulled away from her body. “I know I stink, so why don’t I take a shower first? Then we can cuddle up together.”

“Okay, I’ll keep the bed warm for you.”

* * * *

He gave her a little smile and removed his boxers, then headed for the bathroom. After soaping his body up, he gave himself a good rub down, and then rinsed off. He grabbed a fluffy towel from off the rack to dry off with, and then headed back into the room. He climbed into the bed and snuggled up against her body, rubbing his nose against hers in an affectionate gesture. A drowsy murmur of contentment came from her lips, and then she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

“Night, baby,” he softly whispered against her neck.

Deeply contented with the feel of her body next to his, Evan listened to the sound of her breathing, allowing it to lull him to sleep.

* * * *

The lack of Evan’s body next to her own brought Maya out of her slumber. Rising up in bed, she gave her eyes a few moments to adjust to the darkness. Her eyes searched the room for signs of him, but when she realized he wasn’t there, she got out of bed and slipped into her robe.

As she entered the living room, she spotted Evan seated on the futon in front of the window. With the blinds partially open, the white light of the moon filtered through the slats, illuminating him in its essence. His head was lowered, hair partially obscuring his eyes as he studied the object in his hands. Maya’s steps halted at the sight of him, wishing to remain quiet so she could admire him from a distance. Her eyes roved over his broad shoulders and lean torso, coming to rest on his hands, which were wrapped around the neck of the guitar. Lightly strumming it, his fingers moved expertly along the strings. Every so often, he’d stop playing to fiddle with the tuning pegs, turning them back and forth a few times until he was satisfied with the sound. Then he’d resume playing, filling the air with a soft, sweet melody. It wasn’t a tune she recognized, so she guessed it was something he’d made up.

She made her way across the room, and then took a seat beside him. Taking her hand in his, Evan brought it up to his lips and gave it a tender kiss.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“Nope. I have too much on my mind, I guess.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

He gave a small shrug. “It’s just family stuff, mostly. My mom lives back home on the reservation, and it takes hours to drive out there, so I don’t get to see her as often as I should. I feel bad about that. Plus she was sick earlier this week, and that just made me feel even more guilty. I just wish I could be there to help her out more.”

“Is she in better health now?”

“She seems to be doing okay, but it’s kind of an ongoing thing with her. She has diabetes, so every once in a while she has flare-ups.”

“Does she have any other family out there that can take care of her?”

“Yeah, I have aunts and uncles, and also a few cousins who look after her, so she isn’t alone. It still makes me feel lousy being so far away from her, though.”

Maya pulled a leg up onto the couch and tucked it beneath her. Then she placed a hand against his cheek, and offered it a loving stroke.

“I’m sure you’re doing the best you can, sweetie.”

“Yeah, I guess. I just feel like I should be doing more.” He let out a heavy breath and then turned his gaze on the guitar, grazing his finger over the blond wood.

Silence passed between them for a few moments, and then she said, “Sorry for the way I acted last night. It’s not that I mistrust you. It’s just…well, you know.”

He gave a nod. “I know, Maya, and it’s okay. I’m over it.”

“Really?”

“Yep. I’ve come to accept things the way that they are. That doesn’t mean I like it, but I have to accept it. I just can’t allow myself to become obsessive over something like this. It won’t do us any good. I care a lot for you, and I don’t want anything to sabotage that. And I’m afraid that if I let my emotions get the best of me, then it’ll drive us apart. And I don’t want that to happen.”

“Neither do I.”

“Good.” He leaned in to give her a light peck on the lips.

Maya reclined against the back of the couch and watched as Evan strummed the instrument in his hands. When an inharmonic guitar note sounded in the air, he gave a displeased expression.

“This guitar needs tuning. When was the last time you had it worked on?”

“Never. I figured it wouldn’t really matter all that much, seeing how I hardly ever play it.”

“Oh, it matters. Guitars need to be tuned. How long have you had it?”

“I got it as a birthday gift from my best friend a few years ago. I pull it out every now and again, but I never got around to taking lessons. So it’s just been sitting around collecting dust.”

He ran his hands admiringly along the neck of the guitar. “That’s a shame, because it’s a beautiful instrument. You really should learn how to play. I can teach you, if you like.”

“Really?”

“Sure, why not? Can’t let a wonderful guitar like this go to waste, now can we?”

“No, I suppose not.”

As his fingers glided across the strings, Maya watched him closely, studying the way he plucked them. He played a few random chords at first then gradually worked into a melodious song. She noticed that his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, and his fingers moved with a grace that she couldn’t help admiring. Something inside of her responded strongly to the sight of him serenading her by the light of the moon. It seemed like a dream in a way, one of those beautiful moments when everything was just perfect. This was better than any fantasy she’d ever had because it was real life, and something she would forever hold in her memory. And it was at this very moment that she realized she truly had to let go of Dylan, once and for all. She’d been waiting for a man like this to enter her life for so many years, and she wasn’t going to let anything destroy her chance at happiness.

“You’re quite skilled with that guitar.”

Smiling at her compliment, he offered her a suggestive look, “I’m skilled at other things, too.”

Maya’s face grew hot from his response. “I know you are.”

“Do you?” He set the guitar aside, and then leaned in to kiss her.

His hands slid beneath the fabric of her robe to caress the skin of her thighs, while his tongue explored her mouth with a hungry urgency. Evan’s fingers traced patterns against her skin, providing her with a sensation which was delightfully ticklish. His touch was addicting, and everywhere that his hands traveled, a trail of heat was left in their wake. She could feel his fingers skimming along her inner thigh, slowly traveling upward until they reached the moist warmth between her legs. He fondled her through the fabric of her panties for a few moments, fueling the desire that she already had for him. Then he hooked his thumbs beneath the elastic waistband of her underwear, and slid them down her hips. She lifted her butt upward to assist him in removing the fabric from her skin, and once her panties were off, he tossed them onto the floor. Feeling a need to free himself from his boxers, he lifted his hips upward and pulled them down his legs. Once they were down around his ankles, he kicked them off.