Forever Eva [Sequel to When Kat's Away] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (12 page)

Smiling, she nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He watched a bright, beautiful smile spread across her face. Leaning down, he laid his lips against hers. Eva stilled for a moment and then let her hands smooth across his shirt until they rested on his shoulders, her breasts pressed firmly against his body. Moving slowly, he let his tongue trace the seam of her closed lips and smiled when she tentatively opened her mouth. Holding himself carefully in check, he slipped his tongue into the warm recesses of her mouth, searching, tasting, and teasing her to fuel her passion.

His breath caught when he felt her return the caress, her tongue sliding along the length of his. Unable to stop himself, Zach’s hands tightened, pulling her snugly against his chest, pressing his erection against her abdomen. When she seemed to melt against him, he ended the kiss, bent and placed one arm under her knees, the other around her back, and swept her off her feet. Looking at her swollen lips and passion-glazed eyes, he carried her to the swing and sat down with her draped across his lap.

His eyes went to her soft bow of a mouth and studied it. Slowly, he reached out and stroked the fingers of one hand down her face, caressing the smooth, freckled skin. He wrapped both arms around her, gripping her fiercely and nuzzling her neck when she dropped her head back, exposing the smooth line of her throat. Closing in, he pressed featherlight kisses against her skin. “You smell so good,” he murmured against her flesh. “And you taste even better than you smell.”

Eva shivered when he captured her lips with his. Deepening the kiss, he ran his hand down her side to her bottom and hauled her closer, his tongue flicking against hers. Raising his head, he gazed into her eyes as his hand moved from around her waist to slowly slide up her torso. When she made no move to stop him, he cupped one of her breasts in his hand and thumbed her nipple. She moaned and arched her taut breasts against his chest, right before he devoured her mouth in a carnal kiss.

Zach lifted away and buried his lips in the curve of her neck.

“Zach,” she groaned harshly.

He threaded his fingers through her hair and hungrily slanted his lips across hers, tangling their tongues together as she became more demanding, sucking his tongue into her mouth. When he let his finger stray under the hem of her shirt, Eva pulled away. Catching him off-guard, she quickly jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry, Eva. I didn’t wanna scare you.” He took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her fingers. “Please, forgive me. I don’t mean to rush you.”

“You didn’t scare me, Zach. But, I can’t do this until both of you believe in me. I know, in my heart, that it’s supposed to be the three of us together. I can’t give myself until I know for certain that both of you believe everything I’ve told you.”

“Eva, I…”

When he hesitated, Eva gave a sad smile. “It’s okay, I understand. Mama said it took time for Papa Beau and Papa Zeke to believe in her, too.”

“I understand, honey. There’s no pressure. I’d never try to force you to do anything you weren’t ready for. We’ll work on Tony and see if we can’t bring him around.” He patted the seat next to him. “Why don’t you sit down here, and we can talk until Tony gets home?”

* * * *

Eva hesitated for a moment and then took a seat, squeaking slightly when Zach threw his arm around her and pulled her close, their thighs touching. She could feel the heat of his skin through the denim of her pants. She took in a deep breath and reveled in the smell of the freshly mown grass and damp earth. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the sounds she could hear. The hum of bees, squirrels skittering through the trees, and the flutter of wings combined with the distant grind of a neighbor cutting their grass. How she longed for the familiar sounds of her family’s horses and Mr. Kinney’s rooster announcing the arrival of another day.

She’d thought meeting her prince charmings would make everything all right, but she was losing hope that Tony would ever see her in a favorable light. She could see the distrust in his eyes whenever he looked at her. He did everything he could to avoid spending time alone with her, and when they were all together, he seemed distant, like an observer instead of a participant.
Maybe I should start thinking about finding a way back through the portal. I don’t wanna stay here if I can’t be with both of them. It’ll break my heart to leave them, but it’ll hurt more to stick around and have to watch him move on to someone else. I know it’s not fair to hurt Zach, but I just don’t think I can be happy always seeing the distrust in Tony’s eyes.

Zach tightened his arm around her shoulder. “Hey, pretty lady. What you studying so hard on?”

Eva chuckled and opened her eyes. “I’m just comparing the sounds of your world to the ones I remember from home.”

He frowned. “Is it really so different?”

“When we’re out here, and the neighbors are not around, there’s hardly any difference at all. The only thing missing is the sound and smell of horses.”

A sadness crept into Zach’s eyes. “I’m sorry, honey. I wish I knew how to make things better for you.”

“It’s not your fault, Zach. I guess I just need to figure out what to do with myself. I can’t go on just sitting around day after day. I need some purpose, some place in life I can call my own. I need to find work so I can support myself. It’s not right to keep taking advantage of you guys.”

“Eva, we’ve talked about this. Without a social security card, you’re not gonna find anyone that’ll hire you.”

“Okay, so how can I get me one of those cards? Do I need to take some kind of test? I was pretty good in my schoolin’.”

“No, it’s not a matter of education. Social security cards are issued by the government. You’d have to apply for one at the Social Security office.”

“So, let’s go there and apply for one.”

“It’s not that easy, darlin’. You’d need a copy of your birth certificate to prove your age.”

Eva’s shoulders slumped. “And even if you’re able to find proof of my birth, they’re never gonna believe I’m a hundred and fourteen years old.”

Zach laughed. “No, probably not. You don’t look a day over seventy.”

Eva snorted, curled her fingers into a fist, and punched him in the arm. “Thanks a lot, you scoundrel.”

He wrapped his other arm around her, cocooning her in the warmth of his body. “Be patient a little longer, Eva. Give Tony and me some time to work out a solution to everything. You’ve only been here a week. I promise we’ll come up with something that’ll let you be more independent.”

The sounds of tires crunching over gravel had Eva turning her head in time to see Tony’s truck round the corner of the house. She watched as he shut off the engine and opened the door. His lithe form unfolded slowly from the seat while he glanced around. Eva’s heartbeat sped up when his eyes brightened and a smile spread across his face when he caught sight of them sitting in the swing.

“Well, this is a fine howdy-do. I’m off slaving at the office, making the streets a safer place, while the two of you lounge in the sunshine.”

Zach grinned. “Yeah, this is the life. It’d be even better if someone provided our evening meal.”

Eva snickered when Tony bowed. “Your wish is my command, oh great one.” He walked over to the truck bed and reached in to pull out a bag. He held it out. “Would pizza satisfy your current appetite?”

Eva got up and followed Tony into the house with Zach close on her heels.

“What kind did you get?” asked Zach.

Tony snorted. “You mean there’s more than one kind?”

She laughed. “That means it’s sausage, onions, and mushrooms.” She’d had her mama’s interpretation of pizza over the years but nothing as good as what the guys brought home on a regular basis. Neither of them knew much about cooking, and pizza was their choice for dinner five nights out of seven each week.

She walked over and opened the cupboard, grabbed three plates, and turned back to watch her men set out knives and forks.

Tony looked up. “You guys should have made some kind of dessert. I’m in the mood for something sweet.”

She placed the plates on the table and sighed. “Mama used to have a tray of just-baked cookies waiting for us after school. It was like a warm hug after a bad day.”

“Your mom sounds like one special lady,” Tony said.

“Eva, did she ever try to get home?” asked Zach.

She sat down and looked at the steam rising from the round pie. Inhaling deeply, she savored the aroma of the melted cheese. “She never stopped looking for a way to make the portal work, but it wasn’t because she wanted to go home.”

Tony pulled a large knife from the drawer and came back to the table. “What do you mean?”

She watched him separate the slices of pizza. “I think the scientific part of her wanted to understand just what had happened to her, and at least some part of her heart wanted to be able to let her friends know that she was okay.”

Zach hesitated as he placed a slice of pizza on his plate. “But you don’t think she’d have come back here if she could make the red circle appear.”

“I know she wouldn’t.”

“How do you know that?” Tony asked.

“Because I asked her once. She told me that she’d never leave Papa Beau and Papa Zeke. They were her soul mates, and nothing anybody could say or do would change that. She believed that fate brought her back to them, and she wasn’t about to mess with fate.”

Zach poured tea into three glasses and sat down. “Do you believe that fate or Timothy Canders forced you here?” Both men paused and studied Eva.

“I think fate used Timothy to send me here, and Timothy to wherever he ended up. I think I’m supposed to be here with the two of you. That’s why you were both at the Silver Rush when I showed up.”

Zach cleared his throat. “Well, that’s enough seriousness for now. I’d like to propose a toast. To fate.”

A chill raised the hairs on the back of Eva’s neck as the three glasses clinked together.

Tony took a drink and put his glass down. He picked up a slice of pizza and pushed the box toward Eva. “Well, I have a surprise for you, Eva, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get it.”

She groaned and rolled her eyes dramatically. “That’s so unfair. You’re not supposed to tease me like that.”

Zach laughed and turned to Tony. “Are you off tomorrow?”

Tony nodded and took a big bite of pizza.

“That’s good because I have to work the next five days.”

Eva frowned and put down her pizza. “Okay, this is getting ridiculous. I can’t believe your schedules always work this way.”

Tony narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“You still don’t trust me.”

“What are you talking about, woman?” asked Zach.

“You’ve arranged your schedules so that you never leave me alone. There’s always one of you here to watch over me.” She felt an aching in her chest and blinked back the tears she could feel forming in her eyes. “You don’t trust me.”

Tony glanced around uneasy, a guilty look crossing swiftly over his face. He took a deep breath. “Actually, tomorrow is my only day off this week, and since Zach has to work the next five days, you’re about to have several days alone.”

Eva blinked, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Then I’m gonna plan a surprise for the two of you.”

Zach grinned. “Oh, yeah. And what would that be?”

“I’m gonna make dinner for you the day after tomorrow.” She pointed her fork at Tony. “A real meal, not something take-out.”

Tony glanced at the stove and visibly shuddered. “You don’t have to do that, Eva. We don’t expect you to do household chores while you’re here.”

“Nonsense, I enjoy cooking, and I’ve missed it.”

Zach cleared his throat. “Well, I, for one, would love a good home-cooked meal.”

Eva watched Tony’s face and bit back a laugh. He looked like she’d just told him she was planning to burn his house down. “It’ll be fine, Tony. I promise not to make a mess of your beautiful kitchen.”

He snorted. “Okay, if you think you’re comfortable with the gas stove, I guess you can cook dinner.” He pointed to the fridge. “You can find some meats to choose from in the freezer, and if you need something from the store, just let me know.”

“That’s okay. There’s that little market down a few blocks if I need anything.”

Zach stood and pulled his wallet from his pocket. He removed a few bills and set them on the table beside Eva’s plate. “That should cover anything you need.”

She glanced at the money and swallowed nervously. “Thanks, Zach. I’ll try not to use much of it.”

“No problem, honey. Use what you need.”

Tony pushed back his chair. “How about we have a movie night.”

Eva clapped her hands and squealed. “Can we watch the one about all the ice?”

Tony looked at Zach and raised his brow.

Zach laughed. “She’s talking about
The Day After Tomorrow.
You’ve got a copy of it on the shelf in the living room.”

“Okay,” Tony said. “Ice it is.” He grabbed the pizza box and walked toward the door. “Come on, guys. Let’s eat while we watch the world get swallowed up by ice.”

Eva giggled and followed the men from the room.