My mind was buzzing with several jumbled thoughts as Evelyn looked me over with concerned green eyes. First, what the hell had she been thinking trying to take on The Hand on her own like that? Second, how much of an ass had I made of myself letting that bastard kick me around like a piñata in front of her? And third … I couldn’t remember. There were probably other things I should be thinking about, but the hits I’d taken were still making me a little confused.

It wasn’t as bad as Evelyn seemed to think it was though. I just needed a couple minutes to get my wits together. Her hovering around me like a helicopter parent wasn’t doing my head any favors.

I caught her wrist as she reached out to touch my cheek. “Will you sit for a moment?” I asked as politely as I could. I had a tendency to let my anger seep into my voice, and I didn’t want her to think I was mad at her. At least not right now. Because I wasn’t sure if I was mad at her yet or not. “You’re making me dizzy.”

I was definitely pissed, though. That was for damn sure. The Hand had escaped. Again. This time, it was on no one’s head but mine.

Evelyn sank into the chair across from me and rested her hands on her knees, which were bouncing. She then ran her hands up and down her bare thighs while she watched me sip the whiskey she had brought over. It wasn’t any good by my standards, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to take the edge off.

“You’re looking at me like I’m a dog that got hit by a truck,” I said pointedly.

“Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.”

“Sorry. I mean … you know what I mean.”

I smiled at her, which stung the cut on my lip. “You’re a strange woman, Evelyn. You know that? Real fucking strange.”

Her hands went still in her lap, and she arched a delicate brown eyebrow at me. “Of the two of us, you think I’m the strange one? Me?” She put her hand on her chest.

“You just tried to fight a guy off with a fire extinguisher.”

“You’re welcome,” she quipped back.

It was impossible not to be amused by her. She was full of fire and wit, and she wouldn’t back down from anyone. I liked her. I liked her maybe a little too much.

I finished off my glass of whiskey and set it down on the table as I got to my feet. Evelyn stood with me and continued to look at me like a busted up puppy. I nodded toward the back entrance. “I have to get out of here. The cops will be here any minute, and it’s probably best if I’m gone when they show up and start asking questions.”

“I’ll go with you,” she offered.

“You don’t have to,” I said.

“I want to. Who’s going to clean you up?”

I looked down my nose at her. What did she think I was? A toddler incapable of patching up my own booboos? “I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes and took my hand. “Come on. You shouldn’t drive, anyway. You were hit in the head a couple times.”

I smirked. “And are you going to drive my truck, then?”

“Why not?” she asked as she led me out the front door instead of the back. She stopped when we got to my truck, which was only six feet away. The driver’s door was still wide open, and the chime was dinging incessantly.

As we were about to climb up into the truck, a black mustang came tearing through the parking lot. Evelyn sucked in a nervous breath, and I told her to relax. “He’s a buddy of mine.”

She decompressed like a balloon beside me and clung to my side as Caleb parked and got out of his muscle car. He strode over, full of purpose and anger, and poked me in the chest roughly. “You should have waited for us,” he snarled.

I batted his hand away. “Chill out, Caleb. It’s done.”

“And he’s gone. Again.” I could see anger in his eyes. He was as pissed as me, but he was thinking more clearly. He hadn’t just had his head used for target practice. “This was our second chance to take him out, and we fucked it up again.”

Evelyn tightened her grip around me as Caleb’s eyes flicked to her. She flinched under his cold gaze. “H-hi. I’m Evelyn.”

“I remember you,” he said before putting his hands on his hips and hanging his head back to look at the sky. He blew out an exasperated sigh. “You two need to get the hell out of here. I’ll deal with the cops. Dani said she’s on her way, and she’ll cover for us.”

“Thanks, Caleb, I appreciate it.”

He waved me away. “Whatever. Go lie down or something. You look like shit.”

I chuckled, and Evelyn steered me to the passenger side of my truck. She tried to help me up, which was incredibly emasculating, and I gently pushed her an arm’s length away. “I’ve got this. Stop mothering me. Go get in the driver’s side.”

“Okay,” she said. She watched me step into the truck before doing as I said. She had to use the handlebar in the ceiling to hoist herself up into my truck. Then, she spent a good two minutes adjusting the seat and all the mirrors, which was agonizing to watch because I was going to have to set everything back the next day. When she was ready, I handed her the keys. She started the truck up and started backing up.

I was surprised she could handle the massive vehicle. She drove it like a pro, and when I asked her how she learned to drive it, she said simply, “My dad had a truck like this.”

That was enough of an answer for me to sit back and relax as she took us to Penny’s apartment. She parked expertly at the curb, parallel parking between two small sedans. She put it in park and unbuckled her seat belt. We both got out and walked to the front door of the building. She held a little black fob on her key ring to the door, and it buzzed us in.

As we stood and waited for the elevator, I glanced down at her. “Your friend is going to be pissed I’m back at her apartment.”

Evelyn shrugged. “What Penny doesn’t know won’t hurt her. I just want to get you cleaned up and maybe let you sleep for a bit. Then, you can leave before she gets up.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.”

The doors slid open, and we stepped on the elevator. We rode it up in silence, and I wondered what she was thinking. There was a good chance she might be a little scared to bring me into her apartment. I had to keep reminding myself that she didn’t actually know me that well, and I didn’t know her either. It just felt like I’d known her forever. Which was very, very odd.

The doors opened, and we spilled out down the hall and went to Penny’s front door. Evelyn unlocked it quietly and poked her head in. When she established that the coast was clear, she motioned me to follow with a wave of her hand. Once I was inside, she pressed the door closed and locked it.

“Come have a seat over here,” she whispered as she patted a chair at the kitchen island. “Do you want anything? Water? Tea?”

“Tea?” I asked. What kind of man did she think I was? The sort to sip English breakfast out of a floral patterned china cup with a popped pinky? Not a chance.

“Yeah. Or coffee. Or—”

“Water is fine.”

“Okay,” she said. She filled me up a glass and set it down in front of me. Then, she shuffled off down the hall to what I assumed was the bathroom. She returned a minute later with a red first aid kit in her hand.

I found this entertaining. “She actually has one of those under her bathroom sink?”

Evelyn unzipped it and frowned at me. “Of course. All normal people do. You never know what could happen.” She pulled out gauze and bandages and Polysporin and several other things that lost my interest rather quickly. Then, she began dabbing gently at my bruises and cuts until she was satisfied I wasn’t going to get any infections.

Little did she know, this was a cakewalk compared to some of the beatings I’d taken when I used to work for Warren. I’d be right as rain in the morning.

When she was done, she packed up the kit, zipped it up, and returned it to its rightful place under the bathroom sink. By the time she came back, I’d finished my glass of water. She offered me another one, which I declined, so she put the glass in the kitchen sink.

It became clear there were no more distractions left. No cuts to clean. No bruises to scrutinize. No water glasses to fill. It was just the two of us.

Evelyn bit her bottom lip and looked at me. “Do you want to sit down for awhile?” She nodded to the living room behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder. The plush cream-colored sofa looked comfortable, and the idea of sitting down on it cuddled up next to Evelyn wasn’t so bad. I spotted a pillow beneath the window and a folded up blanket. It seemed a little odd, but I didn’t say anything as I got up and followed Evelyn into the living room. She dropped down on the couch, and I followed suit.

“I’m not going to get any blood on this thing, right? Penny hates me enough as it is.”

Evelyn smiled. “You’re not bleeding anymore, and you’re all cleaned up. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

My head was feeling a lot less fat now and my body a lot less achy. So I figured it was a good time to let her know how stupid I thought she had been back at The Stokes. “You know. That stunt you pulled back there was pretty foolish.”

She blinked at me. “Sorry?”

“You shouldn’t have intervened. He could have hurt you. Or worse.”

“Excuse me? I intervened because he was going to kill you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No. You might not have known that because you were the one who was being bludgeoned in the face. I was the one watching it happen. I think I was a better judge of who needed saving and who needed to step up. Besides. It all worked out in the end.”

“Because the cops were coming,” I said.

“So what? I should have just let him keep going? What if he killed you? Or knocked you unconscious? Then, I would have been left to fend for myself anyway.”

I rubbed my beard. “You were supposed to get the hell out of there.”

Evelyn crossed her arms under her breasts. I noticed for the first time how sexy she looked tonight. I’d been too preoccupied with everything else to pay attention to her skintight black dress with a revealing neckline. She heaved a sigh, and her breasts swelled. “You’re kind of an ass, Derek. You know that?”

“People make a habit of reminding me often enough.”

“Maybe you should take a hint then,” she said sourly.

No woman had ever looked hotter to me. She was fierce as hell. Fiercer than me, even. Her fire was red hot, and it was clear to me that she would not back down. I looked her over and didn’t bother trying to hide that I was checking her out. “That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one of these days, Evelyn.”

She shifted so that she was leaning a little closer. “Is it?”

I nodded and reached out to brush her hair back off her shoulder. It was silky smooth between my fingers. “Yes. It may already have.”

“How so?” she whispered.

I didn’t tell her with words. Instead, I closed the space between us and cupped the back of her neck in one hand. I pulled her to me and sealed my lips over hers. She melted into me instantly, and I was overwhelmed with everything that was her.

The taste of berries. The smell of roses and soap. Skin softer than velvet and lips so plush, they felt like pillows against mine.

It had been a long time since I’d kissed a woman like this, and I was incapable of stopping myself. I had to have her. Right here and now. And the way she was breathing and clinging to my shirt told me she wanted the same things.