The Kiss (10 page)

“But—”

“Trust me, Eva, please. I expect nothing but your time.”

“You mean it?”

“I always say what I mean. We’ll eat dinner, talk, get to know
one another, and afterwards you can scrub the floors.”

Despite the oddness of the situation and the tension thrumming
through her body Eva couldn’t help the giggle that arose. “Grace wouldn’t let
me.”

“The tables?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe she’ll let you polish the silverware?”

“Maybe.”

“Well then…” Adam held out his hand and it seemed in that moment
to Eva, that if she reached out and took it, the action would mean more than it
should.

So she took it, and it did.

Chapter
Fifteen

For some reason Eva couldn’t quite work out Adam clutched her
hand in his and didn’t seem like he was letting go anytime soon. He pushed open
the door to the dining room one handed and stood aside for her to enter.

It was still as full as it had been earlier but no one turned
when they entered, no one showed any interest at all, and it wasn’t hard for
Eva to realize why. Each ‘couple’ was completely wrapped up in one another.

“Sit here,” he said, carefully pulling out a chair for her.

Their table was directly in a sweeping alcove. It gave them a
view of the whole dining room, and was surrounded by tiny nymphs on stands. Eva
maneuvered into her chair, careful not to hit one of them. He took the seat
opposite, still the space between them was tiny and Eva fidgeted a little. His
proximity unsettled her, made her edgy and she wondered how she was going to
get through the next few hours without bursting into flames.
This is what
happens when you don’t get laid for years.

Gently she tugged her hand to free it and he smiled.

“You want it back?”

“I can’t eat one handed.”

“You’d be surprised exactly what you can do with only one hand.”
He ran a thumb along her palm, almost a repeat of the gesture he’d used in his
bedroom a handful of hours earlier. His words heaving with meaning.

Eva shivered but pulled herself free.
It’s just dinner… just
dinner.

His eyes narrowed on her flushed face and glittering eyes but he
didn’t say anything, he simply picked up his menu. “What would you like?
Anything at all.”

Eva looked down at her menu but the words swum in front of her
eyes. After a week of endless food choices she wasn’t as hungry as she’d been
when unemployed. There was a certain irony in that which did not escape her.

“Some salad maybe? With balsamic?” Eva asked, though she wasn’t
sure why she was asking for his approval.
Grow a pair already.

“A salad won’t keep you going, you need something heartier than
that. I’m thinking some chicken and vegetables, some fish, maybe some bread.
Plenty to feed those curves of yours.”

Eva looked down at her ample bust and blushed. “It’s not like
they need feeding.” She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips.
I
sound like I’m fishing for compliments, shit, shit, shit.

Adam lowered her menu and tucked a thumb under her chin so that
her eyes were directly level with his. “Do you want to know what I thought the
moment I saw you? Amongst other things of course.”

Eva shook her head, not sure if she did want to know or if she
was simply disagreeing with his words.

“There’s a proper woman,” he continued, his voice shivering
across her skin. “A woman who’ll sit and enjoy her food with me, not push it
around on her plate. A woman with hips and curves—a proper figure.”

“I—”

He frowned. “I can’t fathom this modern ideal that women should
be stick thin, looking almost like boys. It’s ridiculous, they look hungry and
a bit angry you know? When I have a woman in my bed I want to know that she is
a woman. I want to feel her soft skin and grab a hold of a bit of belly or a
nice handful of thigh. I want her to be content and satisfied in all ways, not
worrying about what she looks like or whether she had too much bread at
dinner.”

Eva blushed right to the top of her curls. “Some men like thin
women.”

“I’m not some men.”

His word sounded almost like a promise and Eva felt heat race
down her body, slap bang to the middle of her thighs.
Fuck.

 “Anyway,” she said with a slight cough, tamping down her dirty
thoughts. “We’re not in bed, we’re sitting down to dinner and you said
earlier—”

“I know what I said, I’m talking generally.”

“Oh, so you’ve had a lot of women in bed, have you?”
Why does
that thought bother me so much?

“Eva, you sounded slightly piqued there,” he said, grinning
wickedly. “Does the thought of lots of women bother you?”

Yes.
“Of course not.”

“So chicken it is?”

“Whatever.”

Signaling to one of the domestic staff, who hurried over , Adam
gave their order. Eva couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable, and not
just from her flustered thoughts. This was after all supposed to be her job,
not one of the cleaners. Still, the young man seemed to know what he was doing
and hurried off to get their food.

Taking a sip of her water—hoping to cool down—Eva looked around
the room, wondering if anyone else was feeling as fraudulent as her.
Nope,
not a one of them.

Ryan was busy twirling the fiery hair on a buxom beauty in his
free hand, the other lifting a goblet to his lips every few seconds. Lily
smiled happily up at ‘her Jake’, eyes wide, face flushed. In fact everyone in
the room looked as though they were perfectly happy. No one seemed to find the
situation odd.

“What are you thinking, lovely?”

His voice pulled Eva back and she placed her water back on the
table. “I’m thinking about how strange this all is.”

“In what way?”

“I know what you said before but this all seems so odd. It looks
like…” Eva struggled for a moment trying to put her thoughts in order, “…like
we’re in a fancy restaurant somewhere and these are all couples out on a date.”

“And?”

“That’s not how it is at all. We, I, we’re here to work but we’re
not. Does that make sense?”

He paused to take a sip of his own water, a slight smile hovering
around his beautiful lips.
He is so freaking hot, is it that which is
confusing me?

“You over think things, I see that now. Let’s make a deal.”

“Go on.”

“For tonight, just for tonight don’t think about any of that.
Just enjoy yourself with me. Tomorrow you can worry and plot, and do whatever
it is you always do. But tonight let it just be me, you, the good food and the
excellent wine. Tomorrow can be a long way off.”

“Can it though?” she asked softly.

His hand snaked across the table and took her fingers in his
again. Her skin prickled at the contact but she didn’t try to pull away.

“Yes,” he insisted, “here on this Estate everything can be put on
hold.”

“Not forever.”

“You’d be surprised.”

 “I’m not sure…” she said, reacting to the sudden solemn note in
his voice.

“One night, give me one night. Deal?” Adam asked, his smile back
in place.

Eva looked down at their interlocked fingers and then up into his
brandy eyes.
I could fall right into them so easily…
And even though she
felt like she was taking a leap into the unknown she answered in the only way
that at this very moment in time seemed to make sense. “Deal.”

Chapter
Sixteen

Eva awoke slowly the next morning, the bed was warm and so
comfortable she couldn’t help but snuggle against the pillows and enjoy the
moment. It took her a few seconds of sleepy bliss before the events of the
evening before came back to her. When they did she lifted herself up, duvet
falling around her, and groaned.

Adam had been the epitome of a proper gentleman. They’d eaten,
drunk—too much—and talked, for hours. The last to leave the dining room Eva had
been shocked by how quickly the hours had passed.

She couldn’t criticize his behavior in any way, despite the
undercurrent of desire thrumming between them the entire night. Not even the
kiss he’d pressed lightly on her lips at her bedroom door could be considered
out of order. The gentlest of touches, the softest of pressure… it had taken
considerable effort on Eva’s part to exert some self control. She’d wanted him
to ravish her, wanted to take him into her bedroom, open her legs and fuck him
senseless. Only the worries simmering in the back of her mind stopped her. 

The same couldn’t be said for the other staff and guests.

Eva hadn’t fallen straight asleep. She’d been too wired, too
tipsy, and if truth be told too damn horny. The kiss played itself over and
over in her mind and it was walk or pull out the pocket rocket—which she knew
was unlikely to satisfy her.

So in the very early hours of the morning she’d gone for a
wander, planning to wear herself out. She didn’t know now whether she regretted
it or not.

Lying back against the pillows Eva thought about the noises she’d
heard during her night time jaunt. They had not helped in the least with her
over-sensitized skin and tingling nipples. She’d ended up more jumpy than
before she’d gone exploring.

There could be no doubt in her mind anymore though. No question
about why Grace had wanted good looking staff, and left them with no work to
do. The ‘work’ obviously didn’t start until the guests arrived.

Jumping out of bed, as the memories of the lustful sighs she’d
heard through so many doors invaded her mind, Eva went straight to the bathroom
and submerged herself under the shower. The warm water did not help to ease the
tension in her shoulders and back, neither did the vigorous tooth brushing she
subjected herself to.

It wasn’t so much the fact that everyone had spent the night in
bed together. After all they were all consenting adults.  It just felt so
freaking weird, and Eva was not a fan of weird.

What am I going to do?

Eva didn’t know. She wanted to stay, the hours she’d spent with
Adam had been amazing. She couldn’t remember when she’d ever laughed so hard or
enjoyed a meal so much. But something wasn’t right and Eva’s overwhelming
response to it was to run, run fast.

She dragged on lacy bra, pants, an oversize t-shirt and some
joggers, and sat on the end of the bed, rubbing her toes against the plush
carpet. Her curls felt heavy on her shoulders, her heart equally as weighty.
What
the hell should I do?

 Once again the door pulled her upright and Eva knew before she
even opened it who was doing the knocking.

Adam took one look at her face and shook his head. “I should have
known you wouldn’t make this easy.”

 “What?”

“You’re thinking of leaving again. A mere handful of hours and I
can read you like a book.”

Eva stood aside to allow him entry and shrugged. “How do you know
that?”

He gestured with his hands. “Your eyes. You have this whole look
in them that speaks volumes.”

Biting down on her lip Eva tried to steady her racing heart.
“Look I’m sorry but this just does not feel right.” How else could she explain
it?
She
didn’t even know what was going on inside her, how could he?

“You’re running from the attraction Eva, deep down you know that.
Maybe I scared you? Maybe I went too fast? I’m sorry if that’s the case but
here I am, prostrate at your feet, begging you to give me another chance.”

Eva’s heart raced and her entire body began to hum. “No you don’t
understand. It’s nothing to do with you. Well maybe a little, but this whole
set up is odd and I don’t like it. I think it’s best if I leave.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“You don’t know that. You can’t know that.”

Smiling he took her hand. “Let me show you something first,
please. If you want to leave after that I’ll ask Finn to take you.”

A shiver raced through her skin at the contact. “No, I need to
pack.”

“You packed last night.”

“Not everything.”

He looked down at her hastily stuffed back. “Well your things
aren’t going anywhere. Let me show you this please.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“But you have questions you want answering don’t you Eva? How
will you feel if you run off home with them unanswered? You’re not the sort of
girl to leave things hanging, and I’m certainly not the sort of man to.”

Eva closed her eyes and tried to think. How would she feel?
Curious for the rest of her life surely? Always wondering what might have
happened, what it might all have meant. She felt herself pause. “What do you
want to show me?”

“You’ll like it I promise.”

He sounded like an excited boy and Eva’s heart skipped a beat.
Before she could change her mind or say anything to stop him he took her by the
hand and led her along the corridor… to his room. Eva hesitated once more. “I
don’t know.”

Looking down, directly into her eyes, he smiled. Her hear melted
and her nipples hardened. She wanted to grab his beautiful head and pull him
against her. Kiss him until she felt faint, ravage him senseless
. If I stay
I know what’ll happen and I’ll hate myself for it.

He opened the bedroom door, unaware of the thoughts raging
through Eva’s mind. “For you, Eva,” he said.

She looked past him and into the room. Shock grasped her and she
squeaked. “When? Why?”

He laughed and pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind
him. Eva’s eyes took in everything at once and she couldn’t help the smile
lighting up her face. He’d laid breakfast out for them—her favorite
breakfast—on a table covered in rose petals. In fact it looked like he’d
scattered roses everywhere.

Eva walked forward, eyes zeroing in on the almond croissants and
orange juice. She’d missed these sort of treats so much since she’d lost her
job. It had been her favorite thing, to walk to work, stopping on the way at
her local bakery. How had he known?