Chapter 26
Raphael
I follow eagerly after Brooks as he leads me down the hall toward the kitchen and dining area. I haven’t seen Eva all day and I’m aching to get my hands on her. This dinner is going to be the ultimate test in willpower and self-restraint. I want to kiss her until her lips are tender and swollen but I have to keep my mouth and my tongue to myself.
Because Bob and Laurie Brooks have no idea I’m fucking their daughter.
I’m not just fucking her. I’m falling for her. Hard. I live for her sweet midnight kisses and her conversation over breakfast. I love hearing her talk about her dreams. I hold her when she tells me about her insecurities. This is way more than I bargained for when I swooped into the auction less than two weeks ago and carried her out of there, caveman-style.
Walking through the Brooks family home, watching the pictures of a growing Eva on the wall, I’m reminded that what I have with her is not conventional. I was there when she was precocious child, a rebellious teenager. I saw her go through that skateboard-loving, eyebrow-pierced, stick-on tattoo phase. People would frown up this. Her parents would frown upon this.
I try to tune back in to Brooks’ babbling as we step into the kitchen where his family is busy preparing the meal. Annaleigh is setting out the silverware under Prescott’s watchful eye as Laurie arranges lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers on a platter. And Eva…
I lose my breath watching my Eva set dishes on the dinner table. She’s wearing a floral shift dress with little cap sleeves that hits her right at the knees. It hugs her body like it was painted onto her skin, made just for her. My gaze goes to the bracelet on her delicate wrist, a grouping of pearls and gold beads twisted around each other. When our eyes meet, her cheeks go red and she looks away, slipping a lock of golden hair behind her ear. I look away too, not wanting anyone to notice the lust pulsing through me at the mere sight of her.
“Raph!” Laurie sets down the vegetables and wipes her hands on her apron as she approaches me. “So, glad you could make it, honey.”
“Thanks for having me.” We share a quick hug before I shake hands with Prescott and Annaleigh.
I look to Eva, wondering how to greet her. She makes the decision for me. “Hey, Mr. Silver,” she says as she hastily brushes by me and grabs the salad from the kitchen counter.
“Hello Evangeline,” I say with equal nonchalance. I quickly turn and address her mother. “Do you need a hand with anything?” Bob and Prescott are already seated at the table sipping on scotch like kings waiting to be served.
Laurie shoos me off. “No. Go sit. You’re a guest. The ladies have got this.”
Prescott stretches a glass of scotch out to me. “Here, have a drink.”
I take it with a grateful smile and drop into a random seat at the table. Eva and Annaleigh set the string beans, steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes down as Laurie approaches with the main course. Her played-out meatloaf.
Oh joy!
Still, I take on the role of the gracious guest, rubbing my hands together and complimenting her on how good the meal smells. Annaleigh seats herself next to Prescott, and with Brooks sitting at one end of the table, Laurie takes her seat at the other. That leaves one seat for Evangeline, right next to me.
My body warms up, having her so near. But even when my fingers brush hers as I’m passing her the beans, the platonic smile stays on my face. Even when her knee accidentally brushes my leg, I remain neutral. And she does, too.
I try to stay engaged in the conversation – first, Bob giving Prescott misguided golfing tips, then Laurie imposing her unsolicited pregnancy advice on Annaleigh. But inevitably, the conversation eventually turns to me and my plans for the immediate future.
“So, how long are you staying in town?” Bob asks me, pulling on the fabric of his ridiculous plaid bow tie.
I instantly feel Eva’s body language tense up beside me. She’s asked me to stay for a while, at least until our ‘contract’ is over. She loves belonging to me. She loves giving herself to me over and over until her body is sore and spent and her pussy can’t handle another thrust, her lips can’t handle another kiss. She loves it as much as I do.
“I’m thinking of sticking around for the next 21 days or so. Give or take,” I tell them easily and I glance over just in time to see her little smile. Yes, I’ll put work on hold, I’ll put my life on hold. I’ll stay here in Reyfield with Eva for the next three weeks. We’ll figure out the rest after that.
Bob’s facial expression doesn’t conceal his surprise. “Oh really?” he asks between bites. “What does a city-dweller like you plan on doing out here in the suburbs for that long?”
I shrug a shoulder. “I need some time to decompress. The past week has been a bit overwhelming. I need some time away.”
Laurie points her fork in her husband’s direction. “Don’t worry. He’ll be bored and on a flight back to New York by the end of the week.” They laugh together.
I smile at her. In the past that may have been true. But this time, I have a reason to stick around. “Nah – I’ll find ways to keep myself occupied.” I hope I’ve managed to keep the innuendo out of my voice. When Eva starts choking on her salad right next to me, I know that I’ve failed.
Concern bounds into my chest when I turn to her and find her red, eyes watering up as she coughs. “Are you okay, Kitten?” I ask, rubbing circles into her back with one hand and cupping her cheek with the other. I hand her my water glass and she sucks down half of it in a second, flat. She finally shrugs my hand off of her spine once she’s fully recovered.
I look up and the entire table has eyes on us.
Ah shit!
I quickly draw my hand into my lap as Eva wipes her eyes with a linen napkin. Laurie gives me a long hard look before shaking the suspicious thoughts out of her head. “Well, if you run out of ideas, give me a call because Eva will need a hand moving her stuff back here. Bob has a bad back and Prescott’s up to his eyeballs at the law firm.”
Bob’s forehead furrows at his daughter. “Eva’s moving back here?” he asks into the air.
She speaks up quickly. “It’s just for a few months. I won’t be modeling anymore. I need a little while to get back on my feet.”
Annaleigh gasps at her friend’s announcement but Bob only shakes his head in disappointment, his mouth pulling into a flat line.
I direct my attention back to Laurie. “I’d be glad to help Evangeline with her moving.” My heart swells with protectiveness. I know that if her family had any idea just how badly she fucked up, they’d probably turn on her completely. Judgmental fucks! But I’ve got her back. I want to make sure that she knows that.
She steals a peek at me. “Thanks, Raph,” she says softly, adoringly.
Another uneasy silence passes over the table. She’s never called me that in front of her family. She’s always been polite and formal when addressing me, even when she was being an out-of-control brat.
When she notices her slip-up, she goes completely red. “I mean, Mr. Silver.”
Laurie speaks up in a loaded tone. “I was telling Eva earlier that I should introduce you to my friend, Suzie, from work. You two would make the cutest couple. And since you’ll be in town for a while, you’ll have the time to take her out on a few dates.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes at Laurie’s suggestion – make that, command. She’s an amazing woman, but she’s incredibly bossy and I won’t have her telling me how to run my love life. I need to nip this shit in the bud immediately before it goes too far. “Thanks for the offer, Laurie, but I started seeing someone shortly before coming to Reyfield. I’m off the market.”
Her eyes go bright. “Really?” she asks sceptically. “Is it anyone we know?”
“Not at all. It’s no one you know.” That’s the truth. Eva’s parents know nothing about the woman that she is. They still see her as a child. They refuse to open their eyes to the person that she’s becoming.
Annaleigh hocks her throat awkwardly. “I’m going to clear out the dinner dishes to make room for desert,” she announces. Prescott rubs her small baby bump and gives her a concerned look but she waves him off.
Eva jumps out of her seat, grabbing an empty plate. “I’ll help you!” She’s obviously grateful that her best friend has so astutely come to the rescue.
The two of them gather up some dishes and carry them over to the sink, busying themselves with emptying them into the garbage and loading them into the dishwasher.
Laurie gives me one last suspicious look before she heads over to the fridge for the sloppy, store-bought cheesecake.