Forget You (14 page)

“Hello?” I said.

“Hey, honey, I just wanted to call and make
sure you weren’t stuck somewhere out in this storm,” my mom said.
Her voice sounded small and nervous.

“No, I’m fine.” I turned to face Eva. She’d
been staring at my back, but the second I’d turned around, her eyes
snapped back to the TV.

“Good.” Relief flooded her voice. “This is
looking pretty bad. Have you seen the news?”

“Yeah, I’m actually watching it right now.” I
walked to where I had been sitting on the couch, and flopped back
down. “It’s looking pretty rough.”

“I don’t think those people are going to be
able to make it where they’re trying to go. The weatherman said
we’re supposed to get about six inches tonight,” she said.

“Well, I hope not.”

“Me too,” Mom said. “Well, I’m going to
continue on with my calls, honey. I just wanted to make sure you
were all right.”

“Thanks, I’m fine.”

“Love you, Sawyer.”

“Love you too, Mom.” I hung up.

“Aw, that was sweet,” Eva said. She took
another sip of her hot cocoa, her ocean-colored eyes fixated on
me.

“Thanks. That was my mom checking to make
sure I was somewhere safe.”

The reporter came back on again, this time to
talk about how the local DOT had been sent to the coast to help
prepare them for the brunt of the storm. They switched to the
meteorologist, who then talked about how the storm had taken a turn
they hadn’t expected, and slammed into the western part of the
state instead of the coast as they had predicted. While images of
the coast still appeared to be rough looking, the area surrounding
us seemed to be taking the brunt of the storm.

“I can’t believe this,” Eva said once they
switched back to a shot of the highways and the wrecks that had
already occurred. One was a seven-car accident on a stretch of
highway we’d been on almost an hour ago. “I should call everyone,
and make sure they’re all right.”

She stood and walked to retrieve her cell. I
continued to sip my hot cocoa while watching the news as she made
her way through her seemingly short list. Never once did she utter
the words I love you like I had with my mother. I found that to be
odd, but then thought she might not have called her parents. Those
would be the first people I would call, but it was possible Eva had
different priorities when it came to that category.

The lights flickered and Eva was beside me on
the couch in seconds. The fleece blanket she’d been covering up
with before was now wrapped around her tightly.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, I just don’t want the power to go
out.”

Surely, she wasn’t afraid of the damn dark.
Right?

“I don’t think it will,” I assured her.
“Wanna watch a movie or something?”

Maybe that would get her mind off the storm,
and calm her down. She seemed to be winding up tighter and tighter
by the second.

“Sure, there’s Netflix. You can find
something, if you want,” she said without moving.

“Okay, cool.” I picked up the remote, and
searched for something funny to ease her mind.

Finally settling on
Identity Thief,
I
set the remote down and leaned back. We only made it halfway
through before my cell went off again. It wasn’t my mom this time;
it was my commanding officer. Fuck. That meant I was going to be
shipping out somewhere. Soon.

“Hello, sir,” I answered.

“Keeton, I’m sure you’ve been watching the
news or at the very least have looked out a window in the last few
hours.” His voice boomed through the speaker on my cell.

“Yes, sir, I have.”

Eva became rigid beside me. Her eyes were
wide and concerned as she paused the movie.

“We’ve been called in for aid. Be prepared to
meet at the armory at o seven hundred hours.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

“Get some rest. You’re going to need it.” He
hung up without another word.

“Who was that?” Eva asked.

“My commanding officer. I’m heading out first
thing in the morning. We’ve been deployed to help with the
situation.” I set my phone down beside me, itching to head to my
place for my military garb.

“What? That’s insane,” she said. “You can’t
go out in
that
.”

“I have to. It’s what I signed on to do with
the National Guard. We go where we’re needed, when we’re needed,” I
said. I took the last few sips of my cocoa, and set the mug on her
coffee table. “I’ll be fine. I’m happy to help. It’s the sense of
duty that I love most.”

“What time do you have to leave?”

“I need to be at the armory, ready to head
out, by 7 a.m.”

“That early? How are you even going to get
anywhere? You can’t take your car,” she insisted.

I enjoyed her level of concern for me. Maybe
more than I should.

“I’ll call my buddy who’s in the Guard too,
and see if he can swing by in his beast of a truck to pick me up,”
I said.

“Okay.” She took in a deep breath, and then
slowly let it out.

“I guess I’d better make that call now.” I
scooped my phone up, and scrolled through my contacts for Andrew’s
number.

Eva took my mug and hers to the kitchen sink.
I tapped on Andrew’s name. He picked up on the fourth ring, just
when I thought it would go straight to his voicemail.

“Hey, what’s up?” Andrew answered.

“I’m guessing you already got the call?” I
asked, my eyes locking on Eva in the kitchen.

“Sure did. Thoughts?”

“Crazy weather, serious challenge. I’m
there.” I smiled.

Eva’s back seemed to stiffen at my words.
Some people could handle the military lifestyle and others
couldn’t. It was a fact. The lights flickered again, and I noticed
her wrap her arms around herself tightly while moving to stare out
the window above the sink.

“I know,” Andrew said.

“Listen, I’m not even home. I got stuck at
a—” I paused, unsure of what Eva and I were. What I was supposed to
say to finish this sentence. Only one word described her in my
head, so I went with it, deciding if she wanted to correct me when
I hung up, then she would and I’d deal with it. “I got stuck at my
girlfriend’s house. Think you can swing by and pick me up before
you head to the armory? I’ll need you to swing by my place on the
way too. I’m not sure my car will be able to handle driving in this
kind of weather.”

Eva turned to look at me, probably due to my
word choice. Her face was expressionless, leaving me no way of
knowing how she had taken the label I’d placed on her.

“You should have kept your truck for times
like this. I told you that,” Andrew chided me.

“Yeah, yeah, you know why I sold it.” And he
did. Andrew was the one who was there when word finally got to me
about my brother.

“I know, man. I’m just razzing you. Sorry,”
he said. “Yeah, I can swing by there and get you. No problem.”

“Thanks.” I smiled, knowing I could always
count on Andrew.

After rattling off some directions to him, I
hung up. Setting my phone on the coffee table, I walked over to
where Eva stood by the window. She was still staring at me.

“Girlfriend, huh?” She arched an eyebrow.

My face heated. “Friend didn’t sound like the
right word.”

She nodded. “Yeah, friends don’t go on dates,
and they damn sure don’t kiss.”

Her lips were pressed against mine before I
had time to think about what she’d said. Eva’s hands came up, and
her fingers intertwined in my hair. I wrapped one arm around her
tiny waist, thinking there was no way friends kissed like this.
Slipping my tongue along her bottom lip, I begged for entrance into
her warm mouth. The second she parted her lips wider for me, I
thrust my tongue inside and caressed it along hers in gentle
strokes. Pulling her body closer to mine with a mild tug, I
fastened my hands on both of her hips, and continued in my
exploration of her mouth.

Her fingers made their way down the sides of
my face, brushing against the stubble present there. She secured
her hands behind my neck, and attempted to speed up the kiss.
Pulling away, I lightly kissed along her jawline and slid my palms
up underneath the sheer top and turquoise tank she wore. Her skin
was warm and silky soft to the touch, just as I’d imagined it would
be. When I reached her collarbone in my trail of kisses, her head
hung back and she let out a soft moan. For the first time tonight,
I passed semi-wood without caring.

“Come on,” Eva breathed. “Let’s move to my
bedroom.”

Pressing my lips to the hollow of her throat,
I swallowed hard. Was this happening? Was I really about to get a
taste of this woman? The wind howled outside, and the lights
flickered again. I guess I had a snowstorm to thank for it.

I followed Eva out of the kitchen, down the
narrow hallway, and into a dark room that smelled of coconuts. She
flipped on a bedside lamp, and I smiled. I loved a girl who was
confident enough in her body to make love with the lights on.
Pressing myself against her, I cupped both sides of her face
between my hands, and brushed my lips across hers in a featherlight
touch. She gripped the front of my shirt as she fell back onto the
bed.

Falling forward on her, I shifted myself
until both of my arms were resting on either side of her. After
laying all the way back against the mattress, she tugged at the
edge of my shirts. Gripping them from behind, I peeled them both
off in one swift movement and tossed them onto her carpeted floor.
Eva stared at me, her eyes roaming over my bare chest. Her
fingertips trailed along the scrolling script etched across my
chest—the tattoo I’d mentioned to her earlier.

“
Learn from yesterday, live for today,
hope for tomorrow
,” she read aloud. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks.”

Her lips came up and kissed along the smooth
skin of my tattoo. I felt her tongue flick out here and there,
licking at my skin. I couldn’t even name the sensation that slipped
through me from the contact of her action.

“I showed you mine. Now, you have to show me
yours,” I teased, pulling at the sheer white shirt she still had
on.

A smile twisted her lips as she pulled off
both of her tops, revealing a lacy purple bra beneath.
Stunning—there was no other word to describe her in this moment.
Her brown hair, with its slight highlights, splayed across the
green of her sheets as her beautiful eyes stared up at me. Her skin
was smooth and unblemished. Her stomach toned tight, and there was
a pale yellow piercing in her navel. Good God, could she get any
hotter?

Eva’s hands wrapped around my neck, and
pulled me down to her. Her lips pressed against mine in a fiery
way. There was nothing casual about this kiss; it was all raw and
primal. Normally, in a situation where it was the first time, I’d
be apt to ask if she was sure this was what she wanted, but nothing
about Eva made me question that. She was willing, and one hundred
percent ready. It was written all over her face.

Making my way down her neck with a trail of
kisses, I nipped and sucked here and there along my journey to that
pale yellow belly button ring. Just the sight of it had turned me
on like nothing ever before. The desire to finish undressing her,
so I could see what other surprises she had for me to find, nearly
overwhelmed me, but somehow, I managed to maintain my cool and
continue at the slow pace I’d set. When I reached her navel, I
twirled my tongue around the outside, and dug my fingertips into
her hips. Eva moaned, and I found myself having to pause and take
in a deep breath.

The woman didn’t even realize the test of my
willpower she was putting me through.

Fumbling with the button on her jeans, I
pulled back once I unfastened it so she could wiggle out of them.
Her panties matched her bra—all purple lace and sexy as hell. I
wondered if she’d done this for me.

Eva’s fingers were at the button of my jeans
next, working blindly to undo them so I could be just as naked as
her.

Reaching down to help her out, I shucked them
off and tossed them to the side while devouring her mouth with mine
once more. Unclasping her bra, I slung it across the room and
cupped her right breast. Fingering the nipple gently, until it
hardened and pebbled for me, I then dipped down and took it into my
mouth. I lightly sucked and tugged at with my teeth, knowing the
reaction I would surely get out of her. Eva didn’t disappoint. She
bucked against me and panted as her fingers ran through my hair
wildly.

“Oh my God, It’s been way too long…” she
trailed off, and slipped a hand inside my boxers. “Way too
long.”

The feel of her soft hand gliding against me
nearly made me combust. I inhaled sharply, and raked my teeth
across her hardened nipple. We were both gunning to drive one
another wild. Tonight held the promise of being more enjoyable than
I’d ever imagined upon waking this morning.

EVA

Sawyer left at the butt crack of dawn the
next day. In fact, I wasn’t even sure the sun had come up when he
slipped out of bed, and pulled on his clothes. I tugged the sheets
up to cover myself as I watched him scurry around by the glow of
his cell phone, and smiled. After telling him to be careful, and
getting the longest goodbye kiss I’d ever had before, I fell back
against my pillow, and listened to him exit my apartment.

I hated that he was gone so soon.

Blinking up at the darkened ceiling of my
bedroom, thoughts of last night and our amazing date—plus
incredible sex—shifted through my mind. This guy had walked into my
life and flipped it upside down with one stare across a park. How
the hell did something like this happen?

Wrapped up in the warm sheets that smelled of
Sawyer and sex, I couldn’t take the silence echoing through my
apartment anymore. Slipping out of bed, I reached for my panties
from the floor, and pulled them on. Finding my favorite sweater and
a pair of yoga pants, I dressed. My bare feet padded across the
carpeted flooring of my apartment toward the kitchen. Flipping on
the light, I made myself a cup of coffee while staring out the
window at the blanket of white draped over everything.