Time to Pretend (12 page)

Daniel preempted anything she might have said. “I’m out of here.

I promised my dad I’d help him hang a new door on his garage.”

“I hope you didn’t promise him I’d help.” Evan narrowed his eyes at Danny. It was something his infuriating lover would do.

Danny slapped a hand on Evan’s shoulder, letting it linger there for a gentle squeeze, all the affection he would show when another person was around. “Nope. You take care of Lainie tonight.” The heat of Dan’s touch lingered on Evan’s shoulder. He was acutely aware of it as he watched Daniel press a kiss to Alaina’s temple and whisper something in her ear. She blinked hard and exhaled. Evan recognized the restraint she displayed. He often suppressed the urge to smack Daniel.

The back door closed behind Daniel, and an awkward silence filled the room. Evan searched for the words that would put her at ease.

“Dan has a good heart. He means well.”
92

Michele Zurlo

A wry smile twisted her lush, full lips. She tore her eyes from the door and looked directly at him. “I’m well aware of Daniel’s good qualities. I think it’s the reason nobody’s killed him yet.” Evan laughed. “Does this mean you want to see my bid?” Her gaze moved speculatively over the containers of food dotting the kitchen counter. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. I say we eat first and discuss business later.” She glided to the table and handed him a plate. “Do you mind if we do this self-serve?”

“Not at all.” Evan held his hand out. He didn’t bother to hide his amusement when she dug right in, exclaiming over her favorites and offering him the cartons.

“Tell me about yourself,” she said when she slowed down a bit.

Here came the job interview.

He finished chewing before answering. “Well, I graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in structural engineering about three years ago. I love building, and I knew I eventually wanted to open my own company. I worked for someone else for two years, and I officially started my business this past spring.” She listened intently, but she laughed when he finished. It was a rich, soft sound that made him want to hear it again. “I wasn’t looking for your resume. Daniel already vouched for your skill and ethics. I was actually asking about you, Evan. All I know about you is that you’re Danny’s best friend.”

Was the plan coming along more successfully than he imagined?

It was hard to tell. Daniel had said she was an amazing woman. Not only was she every bit as beautiful as he said, but her personality drew Evan in as quickly and completely as Daniel had predicted.

Evan shrugged and shoved a bite of something that was mostly rice into his mouth. He mumbled his response. “Not much to tell.”

“That’s what they all say.”

Those feline eyes of hers bore a hole into him that led directly to his soul. For a second, he thought she could see all of his secrets.

Time to Pretend

93

Then he remembered her profession. “Are you hatching a plan to get me on your couch, Dr. Miles?”

She started, her whole body twitching as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. Then the corner of her mouth lifted in a flirtatious smile. “Only if you want to be there, Mr. Carrico.” The tip of one finger disappeared into her mouth. She sucked it briefly, and then released it with a loud smacking sound. Evan couldn’t peel his eyes from the sight. He wished his dick was coated with soy sauce. His pulse went into overdrive as he fought the urge to offer his finger.

He settled for drawing one finger across the sensitive skin on the back of her hand. “Where are you in this scenario?” Alaina leaned forward, and the world narrowed to include just the two of them. “Where do you want me to be?” Throwing his usual reticence to the wind, Evan bent his head closer until his face was less than a foot from hers. “Lying naked beneath me with your thighs spread wide.”
94

Michele Zurlo

Chapter 7

Alaina’s breath caught at Evan’s proposal, and it
was
a proposal.

When he first flirted with her, she hadn’t known whether he meant it or if this was the way he behaved with every woman. Daniel was a natural charmer. It stood to reason his best friend would also be gifted that way.

She didn’t feel guilty about flirting back. Daniel was gone. He had placated her earlier in his office and handed her off to Evan without a backward glance. He was finished with her. Of that fact, she was certain.

It had been years since two such handsome men expressed such blatant interest in her. She shoved aside the flattered feeling and seized the moment. These were memories she would definitely cherish.

Evan wasn’t finished. The finger caressing a path on the back of her hand moved to include her wrist in its sensuous circling. “I’m holding down one of your thighs, and you can’t move at all. I tease you with my tongue and my fingers. Your muscles tense as you try to buck and wiggle closer, but Alaina, I’m going to make you wait.” Her mouth went dry, and her breaths came in short, quiet bursts.

Except for Daniel, men had always come easy. Until now, she had chalked that up to the age difference. What kind of twenty-six year old man would be interested in someone ten years his senior? Now she might add two cougar notches to her bedpost in less than twenty-four hours.

“I’m not into waiting.” She had to establish some control.

Passivity, especially where sex was concerned, had never been
Time to Pretend

95

something that appealed to her. She itched to feel him between her legs, but it would be on her terms.

He grinned, widening those full lips. Amusement sparkled in his eyes, rendering them a lighter blue. “The rewards are worth it, Alaina.”

She shook her head. “I’m not into humiliation, Evan. I like sex as much as the next person, but I insist on equality.”

“I have no intention of humiliating you, honey. I’ll be waiting, too.”

He stood abruptly, the hand on her wrist tightening as he pulled her up with him. One hand on her hip held her so close to him, yet he didn’t press her body to his. His gaze locked to her lips. She felt them swell in anticipation, and her breasts followed suit. He bent his head, closing the inches between them, but he stopped centimeters away.

“Anticipation makes it sweeter. When you come apart beneath me, I want to know it’s because I drove you there.” The air-conditioning inside the house chased away the August heat and humidity, yet Alaina felt as if it was no longer on. Evan’s heat tantalized her. She leaned into him, pressing her breasts against his broad chest. “And then I’ll tease you.” He chuckled. The vibrations rumbled through his chest, stimulating her already aroused nipples. “Will you wear one of those white lab coats and nothing else?”

“Will that do it for you?” Part of Alaina’s brain couldn’t believe she was behaving so wantonly. There was a certain freedom in fucking around with men who were so much younger. Like Daniel, Evan wasn’t part of her social circle. He wasn’t someone she would see at a conference or seminar. She wouldn’t have to collaborate with him on a paper or a study.

And he wore a tool belt. Her clit swelled in anticipation. If wearing a lab coat would do to Evan what the sight of him wearing a tool belt did to her, then she would gladly grant his wish.

96

Michele Zurlo

Caught up in her spell, he nodded. The hand encircling her wrist tightened, and the one on her waist held her close. She wanted to know his kiss, but he needed to make the next move. She was too short, and her heels had already given her all the extra height standing on her tiptoes would bring.

She brought her free hand to his shoulder. “Are you going to kiss me?”

“Do you want me to kiss you?”

Given that she was pressed to his body and they were both stiff with sexual tension, she thought it was a fairly straightforward assumption. “Yes.”

He didn’t bother tantalizing her by brushing his lips against hers.

He closed his mouth over hers and claimed what he wanted. Wet heat poured over her body, coating her from the inside out. Her panties were neatly folded in her pocket. Without that barrier, cream dripped from her pussy to smear across her thighs.

Dominant men didn’t usually turn her on, but something about Evan was different. His words rang true. She didn’t sense he wanted to strip her of her pride and dignity. Rather, he found it erotic to drive her to the heights of pleasure, to make her lose control.

He broke the kiss and lifted his head to look at her. She studied him, too, and found no gloating or cockiness in his eyes. Desire and determination blazed from them, searing the places on her face where his gaze landed.

Without warning, he bent and lifted her, throwing her over his shoulder.

“Hey!” she protested, but he didn’t seem to hear.

She bounced on his shoulder as he bounded up the steps. He set her down, and she looked around in surprise. They were in the bathroom.

“I don’t have a couch in here."

He drew back the shower curtain. The squeak of the knob sounded and water hissed from the head. “I’ve been working all day, honey.”
Time to Pretend

97

He turned back to her sporting a huge grin. “Plus I have a thing about showers. Don’t worry, Alaina. I’ll make sure this is the best shower you’ve ever taken.”

Evan reached back behind his head to tug off his shirt. Something about the way his method required him to lift his arms and flex his muscles kept Alaina’s attention riveted. His chest was incredible.

Broad shoulders topped an incredible mass of ripped muscles. A light sprinkling of hair began just below his ribs. It trailed down six-pack abs and disappeared into his jeans.

She couldn’t help but compare him to Daniel. By no means a small man, Evan was still both slimmer and shorter than Daniel. His build was slightly smaller, but he was a force nonetheless. Fantasies of having both of them at the same time, naked and in her bed, were going to haunt her for decades. She shoved the image out of her head for now.

He parked his hands loosely on his hips and inclined his head in her direction. “Your turn.”

Without tearing her gaze from him, Alaina removed her earrings, necklace, bracelets, and rings. She dropped them onto the countertop.

Amusement quirked Evan’s full lips, drawing Alaina’s attention there.

One finger tapped at the waist of his jeans, the only sign of impatience.

She unbuttoned her blouse, shrugged out of it, and let it fall to the floor. She placed her hands on her hips in imitation of him.

“Funny,” he said. Heat darkened his eyes. “Lose the bra, little lady.”

Alaina wasn’t sure she liked being called by that name. She didn’t hate it as she had when he’d first used it, but she wasn’t sure she would ever come to love it.

“It’s your turn,” she said. “You took off your shirt. I took off my shirt. We’re even.”

98

Michele Zurlo

Evan rolled his eyes, peeled off his jeans and underwear so quickly she didn’t get to see whether he wore boxers or briefs, and stepped into the shower.

“Hey! That’s not fair.”

That low chuckle came from the other side of the curtain. She could barely see his outline through the translucent plastic. “I’m naked and wet, little lady. I suggest you even up the score fast or you’ll find yourself wet and not naked.” Alaina didn’t waste time. She had no doubt he would pull her in there fully clothed. Her clothes joined his on the floor. She slid the curtain back and held it open to let the cooler air wash over him. Her plan backfired.

The spray pelted his face. White suds tracked down his back as he rinsed the day’s grime from the light brown hair plastered to his skull.

The sight of him hit her in the stomach. He just looked so right in there. A flash of him in the same position in ten years imprinted in her brain, a déjà vu tucked away for the future.

Alaina swallowed and forced her foot to lift over the edge of the bathtub’s rim. She was reading too much into this.

He turned and impaled her with that knowing smile as he finished washing. Tiny droplets of water reflected from the wall and onto her body. Mist clung to her skin like dew.

She tried not to flinch as his gaze drank in the too-generous curves of her figure. This was truth in advertising. She didn’t wear sexy clothes, and she never claimed to be svelte.

He reached out. He traced his fingers everywhere his attention roamed, leaving scorched trails along her hips and thighs.

“My goodness, you are one little lady, aren’t you?” He dipped his head and flicked at her hard nipples with his hot tongue. “So tiny and delicate, yet so full of passion.”

He murmured the words against her breasts, his voice filled with wonder, and then his mouth locked onto her nipple. He sucked hard, stretching those rocks as far as they would go.

Time to Pretend

99

Alaina whimpered and fisted her hands in his wet locks. He supported her with one hand at the small of her back while the other kneaded and plumped the breast he wasn’t sucking. He nipped her with his teeth, and then he released the tortured little peak to lick his way to her neglected breast.

Pangs of desire shot straight to her core. Alaina moaned. The only part of her body that touched his was her breast. She needed more contact, yet when she pressed closer, he moved the hand on her back to her hip, holding her in place.

She growled.

He broke off and straightened. “Anticipation, little lady. Have patience. I’ll make you scream my name soon enough.” Rather than argue, Alaina slid her fingertip down the length of his engorged cock. “Don’t you want me to touch you?” The challenge in her question was implicit. The idea that Evan was more than a one-night stand wouldn’t vacate her mind. She needed him to say something to restore her sanity.

He lowered his lips to hers, sealing them together as he filled her senses. The moisture on her skin that would bother her under other circumstances ceased to matter. The temperature of the water was warmer than she liked, and it didn’t matter. When he broke the kiss, she didn’t know where she was.