When Eve walked into her condo apartment, she was not surprised to find that it wasn’t empty. Alan was sitting on the couch in the living room, and he shot to his feet the minute she walked into the room.
“Where were you?” he demanded.
The fact that he sounded accusatory rather than worried played a major role in further convincing Eve that she was doing the right thing. She had disappeared for three days, and all he could think about was that she had been with another man. The thought that something might have happened to her did not even cross his mind.
Eve stared at him coolly. “That’s none of your business.”
“None of my business?” he repeated, incredulous. “My fiancée goes M.I.A., again, and it’s none of my business?”
Eve took a deep breath. She knew she had to stay calm; the last thing they needed was for two tempers to flare.
“I’m fine, by the way,” she said sarcastically.
The words seemed to wake him up somehow, and Alan paused in his anger. He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Eve repeated. “And no, I did not run off with another man.” Technically speaking, at least.
Alan looked at her with a mixture of suspicion and confusion. “Where were you then?”
“Alan, sit down,” she said. “We need to talk.”
He hesitated for a moment, but then he obliged and sat on the white, faux leather couch.
Eve took a seat on the armchair, close enough to look at him in the eye but far enough away to be out of easy reach should his temper get the best of him again.
“This isn’t working,” she said after a few moments had gone by, in which Alan miraculously remained silent. She needed to make sure she had his full attention before she went on. “Us. I’m sure you can see that.”
“Maybe it would work if you didn’t keep disappearing on me,” Alan grumbled.
Eve clenched her fist for a moment and willed herself to let the comment pass. “There’s no easy way to say this, I guess,” she said. “I’m breaking up with you.”
Alan stared at her for the longest time, dumbfounded and uncomprehending. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Eve cringed inwardly. Here we go. “You heard me,” she said. “It’s over.” She took her engagement ring off and set it down in front of him on the coffee table. “Pack up your things and go.”
He was looking at her like he didn’t recognize her. She supposed she couldn’t blame him; she also didn’t recognize herself, and it felt wonderful.
“You can’t be serious.”
“As serious as a heart attack,” she said. She stood on her feet, towering over him. “Now please, go.”
“We’re not even going to talk about this?”
Eve froze him with one look. “What’s there to talk about?”
Alan stood. He had a disbelieving look on his face. “Why are you doing this?”
It was Eve’s turn to be incredulous. “Why?” she repeated, appalled. “Are you seriously asking me that question?”
He held his ground. “Yes,” he said. “I’m seriously asking you that question.”
Eve took a deep breath—not to keep her temper in check this time, but to have enough breath to tell him everything that she thought of him.
“Because you’re scum, Alan,” she said. The words sent a jolt of power sizzling through her whole body. It was exhilarating. She was on a roll now, and she had no intention of stopping. “You’re marrying me for my money. You don’t love me. You don’t trust me. You hit me.”
Alan cringed. “Shit,” he said. “I’m sorry about that, Eve. Really, I am. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I know you’re sorry,” Eve said, unfazed. “You’re a sorry son of a bitch, and I don’t want to have to see your face ever again.”
He took a step forward, and for a moment Eve thought he would jump at her, but he didn’t. He stopped and just looked at her.
“I guess you’ve shown your true colors, Eve,” he said, his voice icy.
“I guess we both have.” Eve straightened up to her full height. “Now get the fuck out of my house.”
Shockingly enough, he did. Alan packed his things quickly, and soon he was closing the front door behind him. Eve looked around her empty apartment, and then she sat down heavily on the couch and leaned back against the cushion. She exhaled slowly, blowing out all of her pent up emotions.
She had done it. She had really done it. She had kicked the pompous son of a bitch out of her apartment and out of her life. She was really taking her life back into her own hands and shaping it to what she wanted it to be. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
A few minutes later there was a knock at the front door and Lind came in. Eve smiled and stood, meeting halfway. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, and she leaned into him, kissing him briefly but oh-so-thoroughly.
“You’ve done it, darling,” Lind said, smiling brightly at her.
“I’ve done it,” Eve echoed. “I still can’t believe it.
She felt both empowered and dazed. The whole thing still felt surreal.
“And don’t worry, I’ve made sure he’ll never bother you again,” Lind informed her after a moment.
Eve frowned, suddenly worried. “Lind, what did you do?”
He laughed. “Relax, he’s still in once piece. I just let him know that if he ever showed his face again he would to answer to me and the guys.”
Eve cringed. “I almost feel sorry for him.”
Lind arched a dark eyebrow. “Really? Do you?”
Eve laughed. “No,” she admitted. “Not really.”
They kissed passionately, and Lind’s embrace soon became firmer. He picked her up like he had done once before and carried her to the bedroom.
Eve surrendered wholly to him, not even attempting to resist. Why would she? He was everything she wanted. She let him strip her and watched as he stripped naked for her. Lind Addams was a thing of beauty. Eve lost herself in his kisses and his touch, and she gave back just as much as he gave her.
They made love slowly this time, taking their time to fully savor each other. The urgency was still there, underneath it all. It always would be, because they would always long for each other. But it was tender this time. It was languid and sensual. Eve allowed Lind to transport her to another world. She let him maker her his, claim her like she had never been claimed before. She savored every sensation brought on by his touch, and she savored the feeling of his body pressed up close against her.
They took it slow this time, because they knew they could afford to. They were never allowing anything or anyone to come between them again. As for their different worlds, they would find a way to have them meet somewhere in the middle. No matter what it cost, Eve was never going to let this man out of her life ever again. She’d had her closure, but she was never going back to that glittery life that made her so miserable. From now on, she would embrace Lind’s darkness.