Evelyn
The tension surrounding Nathan and me for the rest of the day overwhelmed me. He was angry, frustrated without even explaining why. The relationship between Derek and Nathan wasn’t ill; they seemed like they could have potentially been friends. However, all chance of a friendship seemed to have disappeared with just the sight of Derek speaking to me.
I glanced back at Nathan on our way back to the condo. His grip was tight around the steering wheel, so tight, in fact, that I was afraid he’d break it. Gaze fixed on the road, Nate didn’t even turn to look at me.
Was he angry at me?
Seeing his attitude change only made me realize I would have to wait another day to talk about my potential visit to Hannah. Talking while he was angry was not an option; he wouldn’t listen, and I would also get angry, leading us absolutely nowhere.
We arrived at my building, Nathan on one side of the elevator while I stood on the other. He looked up, and I crossed my arms over my chest.
I didn’t like the silence, not this type of silence, especially when I had done nothing to warrant it.
He followed behind me as I opened the door to our little home and closed the door behind him. Briefly, his gaze met mine; it was blazing. So intense I had to look away because I didn’t know what it meant.
Was he angry or jealous?
What was going through his mind?
He smiled, forced and fake, and I scoffed.
“What’s your problem?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. If he had something to say, there was no need to hold back. I could handle it.
“I don’t like him,” he said with a clenched jaw.
“You don’t know him,” I stated, setting my purse on the sofa.
“More than you know, Evelyn. Just stay away from him.”
Was he serious?
I didn’t like being ordered around, and Nathan did just that. He gave me no valid reason for me not to talk to Derek. Therefore, his anger wasn’t enough.
“I told him I was involved with someone, Nathan. Then you came around and marked your territory when you kissed me, so I don’t know what the problem is.”
His expression turned sour.
Bitter.
“What?”
“He is not a good man, Evelyn.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Not everyone is out to hurt us.”
Smirking, I walked up to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You’re jealous,” I teased.
Nathan frowned, removing my arms from around his neck. “I’m going to bed.”
Men.
After eating a couple spoons full of ice cream, I followed behind Nathan into the room. He sat on the bed, scrolling through his phone, though I could tell he could care less about what he was looking at.
I began undressing, doing my best to suppress my laughter when he had to force his gaze to stay on the phone. I took advantage of the situation.
“What are you doing?” Nathan asked when I took the phone from his hands, placing it on the nightstand. I crawled on top of him, straddling him with my legs on each side of his body. His eyes fell to my bra-covered breasts before it went back to my eyes.
“Trying to prove to you that I don’t care about another man that isn’t you.” My lips traced his jawline while my hands ran down his chest. I smiled against his skin when I felt the muscles tensing.
“You’ve been the only man in my life,” I confessed.
I kissed my way down his chest, looking back at him teasingly. Still, his gaze was intense and dark…I was testing him, and I knew it. My lips parted as my tongue slid out, tasting his skin.
The last thread of control he held onto snapped as he flipped us over, making me bounce slightly off the bed. Nathan cut my laugh of amusement off when his mouth claimed my own with passion and ownership. I moaned, arching my back as he took complete control.
My remaining clothes were torn off without mercy as he ravished me. He sank into me with one swift thrust, and I cried out, throwing my head back. I panted, struggling to get air into my lungs while I accommodated to his size.
He gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him.
He was enjoying this.
“Test me now,” he dared, pinning my hands over my head as he began thrusting into me with wild abandon.
Just like that, I surrendered to him.
***
“I should make you jealous more often,” I mumbled against the pillow.
Nathan chuckled, massaging the muscles of my lower back.
“Mm, that’s nice. You know what else would be nice?”
“Wild guess…ice cream,” he replied.
“You know me so well,” I whispered.
He placed a kiss on the nape of my neck, squeezing my ass. Sleepily, I ogled over my man as he stood and walked over to the kitchen, completely naked.
I sat up, closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the headboard.
“Here it is,” I heard Nathan say from the door.
For a while, we were quiet, eating the delicious snack in the middle of the night. There were still so many pending conversations, though. We couldn’t avoid them forever.
Nathan didn’t seem to want to talk about it, but I didn’t want to avoid the subject any longer. He’d gotten sex; he could be honest with me, couldn’t he?
“So…what’s the deal with Derek?”
Nathan stared at me for a moment before sighing. Clearly, he didn’t want to discuss the matter with me for now, but I couldn’t let the chance slip by.
“I knew him some years back with Hannah. They were friends.”
“Friends? I never heard of him.”
“It was while you were in Florida. You weren’t around.”
I set the empty ice cream tub on the nightstand and lay down, resting my head on his chest. Unable to stop myself, I kissed right over where his heart beat.
That, along with the heartbeat of our baby, had to be the sounds I loved the most. The more I thought of it, the more I realized how fragile life was. If that one organ ceased to beat, it was over. I closed my eyes, listening to the steady beat, cherishing every single one of them.
I would never tire of it.
“I saw the way he was looking at you, Evie,” he murmured, pressing a kiss on my head. “You may have not noticed it, but I did. I don’t mind you having friends. In fact, I want you to have friends, Evie. It’s just Derek…he has a bit of a history with women.”
“Like…a man whore?” I asked, glancing up at him.
Nathan snorted. “I suppose that’s one way to put it.”
“Do you not trust me?” I asked softly. “Why would you worry?”
Gaze softening, Nathan cupped my face in his hand, stroking my jawline with tenderness. “You don’t see yourself how others see you,” he murmured. “And you’re too good sometimes. Despite the things you’ve been through, you still don’t see the bad in people until they show it. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
I pressed my lips together, pondering his words. I couldn’t live in a world where I feared everyone, where I searched out their evil. I refused to bring my child into a world like that. I had to teach my baby to be cautious but not to be afraid.
I believed there was more good in this world than bad.
“I don’t need you to protect me,” I said quietly. “I appreciate it, but I can handle it. I’m not the same person I was even a year ago. I know that there’s bad people out there. I’ll be okay, though. I’m stronger than I was before.” I sighed, placing his hand over my little bump. “You’re the father of my baby. I can have many, many friends, but you’re the only one I want.”
With a kiss on the tip of my nose, Nathan pulled me close to him. “Our baby has behaved today, hm?”
“Yes,” I replied with a grin. I hadn’t been as nauseous, and my appetite had increased. “We’ll see if it’s the same tomorrow.”
***
Derek
I stared down at the picture in my hands. Hannah and Evelyn shared few physical resemblances, and from what I could tell, they were nothing alike personality-wise, either.
Hannah was uptight and distant while Evelyn was the complete opposite.
She was…interesting.
What I hadn’t expected was to see Maxwell again, much less in a relationship with the girl. She was head over heels for him; that much I could tell. It wouldn’t be easy to obtain what I wanted, not with Nathan around.
I heard footsteps approaching and tensed. This wasn’t something I did, but I needed the money. And revenge.
“Did you meet her?” the woman asked, sitting next to me on the sofa.
It was late, but she still managed to look well put together. I expected this from families of the “high class.”
I nodded, placing the picture back in my pocket.
“So…are you in?” she asked, smiling mischievously. The hatred this woman held was palpable.
There were many scenarios running through my head. Many ways this could turn out. But in my mind, there was only one goal in mind.
Destruction.
I stretched out my hand, taking hers and shaking it. This was it.
There was no going back now.