Davis, Liz - Slivers of Moonlight (Siren Publishing Classic) (16 page)

As she fingered the pendant around her neck, she began thinking about the fact that hearts symbolized love, so by giving her this present, didn’t that basically mean that he loved her? Or maybe it was just too soon for him to actually say it. They’d barely known each for more than three weeks, so their relationship was still very new. Deciding to cut her thoughts off before they went into overdrive, Maya decided to chill out and just appreciate the wonderful gift that he’d given her. It was obvious he’d put time and effort into picking it out, so she was going to stop overthinking and just enjoy this beautiful moment they were sharing.

As Evan’s lips pressed to her forehead in a tender kiss, she gave a contented murmur, enjoying the feel of his fingers as they gently laced through the strands of her hair. Then he cradled her face in the palm of his hand and tilted her chin upward, allowing him to look deep into her eyes.

“I care about you a lot. You know that, right?”

“Of course,” she softly responded.

He nestled his face into the crook of her neck and placed his lips against her throat, then began peppering her with gentle kisses. She moaned in response, loving the feel of his warm breath against her sensitive flesh.

Shivering beneath his touch, Maya emitted a little gasp as the tip of his tongue traced over her skin, causing goose bumps to rise in its wake. The sound of her labored breaths filled the air as Evan began to kiss and caress her neck with his tongue, and wet noises came from his mouth as he gently began to suck on her flesh. His lips worked gently against her skin so that he wouldn’t leave any bruises, and as his mouth pulled away from her neck, she was left in a haze of serenity. Evan looped an arm around her waist and drew her closer against him. As Maya rested her head against the width of his chest, she felt him place his nose against her hair, and then he took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. They held each other in silence, content with the feel of their bodies pressed close. Neither felt the need to speak any words, and they enjoyed the moment as it was, contently wrapped up in their cocoon of affection.

* * * *

The feel of someone gently shaking her roused Maya from a dream, causing her eyelids to flutter open.

“Mmm, wha?” she sleepily murmured.

As her eyes opened, she saw Evan peering down at her. She noticed he had a jacket on and was fully dressed to go out. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and then lifted herself so that she was sitting up in bed.

“You don’t have to go to work again, do you?” Glancing at the clock, she saw it was half past noon.

“Sorry this is happening on such short notice, but I need to leave town for a few days.”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“I just got a call from my cousin. My mom’s had another one of her diabetes flare-ups. It doesn’t sound too good, so I need to get out there right away.”

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry.” The worry was clear in his eyes, and she could tell from his body language that he was feeling uneasy.

“I’ll be spending the whole weekend out there, so I won’t be back in town until next Monday. I know this is abrupt, but I really need to check up on her.”

“No need to explain, sweetie, I understand.” She slipped her legs over the edge of the bed, and then rose onto her feet.

After grabbing his car keys from off the dresser, they made their way out of the bedroom, and once they were at the front of the apartment, he pulled her up against him and cradled her face in his palms. He wrapped his hands around her waist, pressing her flat against his body. He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose, and then smoothed a palm over her sleep-tousled tocks. She noticed his eyes drift toward her cheek and heard him emit a light chuckle, causing her to lift an eyebrow inquisitively.

“You have pillow wrinkles.” His thumb grazed over the spot, as if he could instantly make them disappear.

Her lips curved in a brief smile, and then she offered him a look of concern. “I really hope that everything turns out fine with your mom.”

“Yeah, so do I.” He gave a little sigh and then said, “All I can do is hope for the best.”

She gave a nod. “Will you contact me once you arrive?”

“Of course. I’m going to call you every night, too. That way we can hear each other’s voices before going to sleep.”

“Good, because I don’t think I’d be able to last a day without at least hearing your voice.” She slid her hands beneath the hem of his shirt, hooking her fingers into the belt loops of his jeans.

“Do you have any photos of yourself? I‘d like to have one to carry around with me in my wallet.”

“I’ve got plenty of photos, but none that that really flatter me. I’m one of the most unphotogenic people you’ll ever meet.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m sure you photograph just fine.”

“I don’t, but if you really want one, then I’m sure I can locate at least one decent snapshot.”

She walked into the living room and grabbed a photo album from off the bookshelf, and then brought it over to where he was standing so that he could pick out the image that he wanted. After setting the photo book on an end table that was located next to the door, she began to flip through the pages. She showed him the most recent snapshots she had taken, and pointed out the photographs that she thought were most flattering. Yet to her surprise, he decided on one that she considered least flattering out of the bunch.

“Are you sure you want this one?”

“Sure, why not?” He slid the photo out of its protective sleeve.

“It’s really not the best image of me. I hardly have any makeup on, and it’s just a random snapshot.” She slipped another photo out of the book, and offered it to him in exchange of the one that he had. “This one is much better. It was professionally shot by a photographer.”

“It doesn’t look better to me. The only difference is that you’re wearing more makeup, and your hair is curled.” He glanced admiringly at the photo he’d picked out. “This one is much better. You look naturally beautiful, without all that extra gunk on your face.”

“Hey, I like that gunk.” She pretended to be offended, but her tone of voice was more playful than serious.

“Yeah I know, but you don’t need it. You have a gorgeous face without it.” He slipped the wallet-sized photograph into his wallet.

“And all this time I’ve been putting on makeup, thinking that you preferred me that way.”

“Well, I’m not saying that I think you look bad with it or anything like that. You just don’t need a whole lot. You have the type of face that looks really good natural.”

She beamed at the compliment. “Thanks, honey.”

“You’re very welcome.”

“So, when do I get a picture of you?”

“I don’t have any on me, but I must have a few lying around my apartment somewhere. When I get back in town, I’ll be sure to give you one, all right?” The pad of his thumb lightly stroked the curve of her cheek.

“Okay.”

He took a glance at the clock on the wall in the kitchen. “I really should be getting out of here.”

“All right, I’ll let you go, then,” she said in disappointment. “I’ll miss you.”

“Miss you more.” He brushed his nose against hers in a tender way, and then tiled his face so that he could give her a kiss. He sucked gently on her bottom lip, teasing her with the prospect of more, and then he went full force with the kiss. Their lips pressed firmly together, and she moaned into his mouth as he placed his palms against the small of her back, pressing her against him so that the warmth of their bodies could mingle. Their lips were first to part, and then their bodies separated. Evan reached for the door handle to pull it open, and as he stepped across the threshold, he reached out to grab her hand, seeking a last bit of contact. She found that her heart was already aching for him.

Leaves danced around his feet, carried along by the wind, and his long jet-black hair blew around his face. Their hands remained clasped as he backed away, and their eyes maintained steady contact. Neither wanted to let go of the other, and yet they both knew that the time had come. Finally they released hold of each other, and Evan gave her a parting smile, then turned and headed for his Jeep.

She leaned against the doorframe to watch him, and called out after him, “Drive safe, okay?”

“I will,” he called back over his shoulder.”

Maya watched as he got into his car and started up the engine. He gave a honk and then waved, pulling away from the curb as he headed toward his destination. Holding onto the door frame, she leaned over the threshold and watched his car as it drove down the street. Then once it was out of sight, she closed the door behind her. Not even a minute had gone by, and her heart was already aching for him. Yet all she could do was impatiently await his return.

Chapter 10

“So, long time no see, sis. Where have you been keeping yourself?” Stirring the straw in her soda, Amhara fixed her best friend with a serious look.

“Same as always. Just working a lot.”

“And spending time with Evan.”

“Yeah, that, too.” She briefly averted her eyes to avoid the steady gaze that Amhara was giving her.

“I haven’t heard from you since last weekend. Too busy to call and talk to your best friend, huh? I see how it is.” She leaned back against the cushion of the booth, crossing her arms in front of her chest in an exaggerated display of mock disappointment.

“Come on, don’t give me that look.” Maya’s eyes drifted downward to focus on the tall glass of iced tea she was drinking.

Awkward silence filled the air around them, prompting Maya to say something else.

“I’m
sorry,
okay?”

Amhara kept her eyes pinned on Maya’s for a few more moments, and then she finally broke into a smile.

“Hey, I’m not seriously mad, just giving you a hard time, okay?” She reached for a bottle of ketchup at the side of the table, and then uncapped it. After spreading the thick red liquid onto a saucer, she set the condiment back down. “But seriously, though, you really need to call more. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, and I really am sorry about not getting in touch sooner. There’s no excuse for it.”

“Hey it’s cool, I understand. So when am I finally going to meet him?”

“You already did. Remember that night we went out clubbing and then went out for pie at Ted’s Diner afterward? That guy we bumped into was Evan.”

“Oh, I remember him, all right. But what I’m asking is, when are you going to properly introduce him to me? I am your best friend, after all.”

“You can meet him once he gets back into town.”

“He’s away? So
that’s
why you called me.” She dipped a few fries into the pool of ketchup, and then fed them into her mouth. “So where did he go?”

“He’s visiting his mom. She’s been sick, so he’ll be out there all weekend.”

“Well, at least that gives me three days to hang out with you. Then once he comes home, I suppose I’ll go back to being second best.”

Amhara’s ribbing was playful, but Maya knew that a part of her did foster some hurt feelings over them not spending much time together. They’d always made a rule that boyfriends would never come between them, but when you were still in the honeymoon stage of a relationship sometimes that was easier said than done.

“That’s not true. You’re still number one in my book.”

“Yeah, right.” Her mouth pulled into a crooked smile. “Well anyways, I’m glad that spell Dylan had over you has finally been broken. I don’t know what changed, but I’m glad you finally fell out of love with him. He was a major loser.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m on to bigger and better things now, though.
Much
bigger.” Her eyebrows rose suggestively during the latter end of her sentence.

Choking on her drink, Amhara covered her mouth, trying to keep the liquid from spilling out onto her top. “You are so dirty!” she said with a smirk.

Raising her eyebrows at her friend’s reaction, Maya replied, “What? It’s the truth. So what’s so dirty about that?” Her lips curled into an amused smile.

Finally catching her breath, Amhara grabbed a napkin from the holder and wiped off her mouth. “So Evan is packing, huh?” She leaned forward, resting her arms on the table, as if she were preparing herself for a juicy story.

Maya remained silent, sipping on her drink as she offered a simple nod.

“See, this is what I’m talking about. You had sex with Evan, and you didn’t even call me to discuss it?”

“It just happened just last night. And besides, what’s to discuss?”

“Um, well, let’s see…technique, stamina, positions…Need I go on?” Her voice was laced with sarcasm.

“Oh, and
I’m
the dirty one?” Her lips creased into a grin.

“So, tell me!”

“Well…it was great.”

“Great? That’s all you have to say?” Shaking her head in refusal, she urged, “Come on, sis, stop holding out on me. I want details, and I want them now.”

“Okay, it was better than great. It was amazing!”

“And?”

“And what?”

“So did he put it down or what?”