Chapter Fifteen

 

 

 

 

 

Tori

 

 

 

 

I woke up slowly, feeling completely rested but somehow exhausted at the same time. As my eyes blinked open, I suddenly realized that I wasn’t alone.

A large forearm was draped across my waist, holding me to the bed, and I felt panic rise in my throat. I turned my head quickly and the terror immediately receded when I saw Evan Coleman’s sleeping face. God, he was still handsome as all hell, even when he was dead to the world asleep.

A different kind of panic hit me. What the hell had I done?

Evan Coleman. That’s what I’d done. About four times, too. The sore, underused muscles that I hadn’t realized didn’t get love on a daily basis were proof of that.

After the first time, we’d used the only condom Evan had in his wallet and I was disappointed until I remembered the box in my closet. At Megan’s bridal shower, Kelly had thought it was hilarious to pass out party favors to all of the guests. In this box of favors, there was a vibrating bullet, edible underwear, freakin’ anal beads, massage oil, and pleasure enhancing lubricant. Most importantly, though, a box of colorful condoms that were ‘ribbed for her pleasure’.

I mean, they weren’t wrong. After not having sex for so long, any sex probably would have been decent, but the sex with Evan Coleman had been mind-blowing.

That thought only made my panic grow. I had to get out. I couldn’t face him in the light of the day without whiskey encouragement. I had no idea what he was thinking. I’d thrown myself at him like a desperate floozy the night before. I’d begged him for things I hadn’t begged for in a long ass time.

As stealthily as possible, I rolled out of bed. My bed. Shit.

Evan didn’t stir at my movements. His arm dropped to the bed where I’d been and he continued sleeping on his side with his other arm curled under his cheek. The sheet covered him up to his waist, leaving his chest on display.

He was like a work of art. His shoulders were broad and his chest firm, with a light dusting of brown hair. His muscles looked like they were carved from stone, proving that he spent quite a bit of time working out. His brown hair was a crazy mess on top of his head from where I’d yanked on it several times, especially when he’d had his face between my legs.

“Stop thinking about it, Tori,” I whisper-scolded myself. Thinking about his skillful tongue was counterproductive.

Thinking about any of it was counterproductive. It’d been a long time since I’d felt feminine or girly but Evan managed to do just that. Between the way he picked me up and effortlessly carried me around and the way he looked at my body like it was something to be worshiped, I felt one-hundred percent like a woman for the first time maybe ever.

A shiver ran up my spine at the memory and I shook my head, as if to clear my thoughts.

I opened my drawers as quietly as I could and started pulling articles of clothing out. I had just wrapped my hand around a pair of underwear when a deep, sleepy voice spoke behind me.

“Are you panicking, Victoria?”

I jumped slightly and took a deep breath before turning to face the man who’d given me the best orgasms of my life.

He was still laying in my bed, although he’d rolled to his back and was looking at me under heavy eyelids. When those eyes widened slightly and began running down my body, I realized I was still completely naked.

I cleared my throat and resisted the urge to cover myself. It’s not like he hadn’t seen it all already. Without the whiskey, I wasn’t feeling nearly as brave.

“Kind of.”

“Come here, sweetheart.” He held his hand out but I didn’t move to take it. After about ten seconds, he raised his brows. “Please come here.”

My feet moved without my permission and soon I was standing next to my bed. The clothes in my hands fell to the floor when Evan wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me back into the bed so I was beneath his equally naked body.

Being cocooned in his hold helped ease some of the nervousness and it dissipated completely when he leaned down to kiss me. It wasn’t a passionate kiss but something sweet instead. He pulled back just enough so our foreheads were pressed together.

“Do you regret last night, Tor?”

“No.” And it was the absolute truth. Being with Evan had been magnificent. The pleasure, the intimacy… it was everything I’d been missing. “I don’t. I just… What happens now?”

“Like right this minute or after we leave this bed?” The feeling of his heavy erection against my thigh made my heart beat quicker and I shifted beneath him until he was settled between my legs. A smile quirked on his lips and he thrust forward slightly, causing me to gasp. He moved until his teeth could graze my earlobe. “You’re already so wet, Victoria.”

I moaned and arched my hips up to meet his. “Let’s worry about what we’re doing right this second and we’ll talk about the after bed stuff later.”

Evan’s mouth crashed to mine and we shared a zealous kiss while our hands roamed each other’s bodies. He easily made me feel all the things I hadn’t in years- Beautiful, desired, sexy, and even precious. It was an overload of feelings, honestly.

He was paying attention to my breasts when the doorbell rang and we both froze. He looked up at me and scraped his teeth along my nipple before smiling.

“Expecting anyone?”

I shook my head and moaned when his scratchy stubble ran across my throat as he shifted. “No. It’s probably girl scouts or something. It’s a cutesy neighborhood like that. Ignore them.”

The doorbell rang again but we were too busy kissing to care. Suddenly, Evan pulled back and looked at me with raised brows.

“It sounds like they’re unlocking the door.”

I froze and strained my ears to listen. Sure enough, the sound of my front door opening could be heard. I pushed on Evan’s chest and slid out from beneath his body as quickly as possible. I grabbed the shorts I’d pulled from the dresser and pulled them on in record time. I had just grabbed for the shirt I’d been wearing the day before when a frantic voice called out from downstairs.

“Tori?”

“Oh, shit.” I pulled the purple shirt over my head and glanced at Evan. “That’s Megan. She must have grabbed my emergency spare key from Owens.”

I didn’t wait for him to reply before rushing out of the bedroom. I had just hit the top of the stairs at the same time Kelly had started climbing them and a look of relief crossed her face.

“Oh, thank god.” She twisted slightly before yelling, “She’s here, Gan.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, walking down the stairs slowly as the second Gold sister appeared. Like Kelly, relief hit her face.

“Holy crap, woman. Simon didn’t see your text about the car until this morning and then you didn’t answer your phone. When we drove by the soccer field and saw your car was still there, we were worried something happened to you.”

“Oh, nope.” I forced a smile to my face that felt incredibly stiff. “Thanks for caring, though. You girls are awesome.”

Both of them stared at me as the three of us stood at the landing to my stairs and I shifted uncomfortably. Kelly was still inspecting me carefully when Megan spoke.

“How did you get home?”

“Uh, a friend brought me.”

Megan nodded, like my answered satisfied her, but Kelly and her big mouth spoke up.

“You had sex last night.” When I started to shake my head, she rolled her eyes. “Don’t even deny it. You’ve got that post-orgasmic glow to go along with your just-fucked hair. Plus, there’s a pair of men’s shoes right there and a men’s hat near the two empty glasses on the counter.”

I groaned and slapped a hand over my eyes. “Remind me why I like you guys?”

A deep chuckle rumbled from the stairs above us and I didn’t remove me hand from my face even once a large arm had dropped over my shoulders. Evan’s warmth radiated from his body and I had the sudden urge to drag him back upstairs. Luckily he spoke before I acted on those urges.

“Hello. Megan, good to see you again.”

“Damn, Gan.” Kelly spoke in a loud, exaggerated whisper and I could tell she was smiling. “Is this who you were telling me about? Is Tori doing the hot detective?” She grunted, telling me that her sister had elbowed her, and I finally removed my hand from my face. The sisters were grinning as they looked between Evan and me.

“Okay. So, I’m alive. Thanks for checking in. I appreciate it.” I looked pointedly at the door but neither woman moved. I sighed as I turned to focus my attention on Evan and wanted to groan all over again.

He was wearing his shorts from the day before but was completely shirtless. His delicious chest was on display and the shorts were hanging low on his hips, showing off that v-shaped muscle that I distinctly remembered wanting to lick the night before. Hell, even his bare feet were somehow sexy.

I was losing my mind.

“Where’s your shirt?” I hissed, unsure if I was mad because his chest was distracting me or mad because my friends were seeing it. Evan’s lips quirked up in a smile and he reached out to touch the purple shirt I had on.

“You’re wearing mine.”

I looked down and saw that he was right. I glanced back to him, then to where my friends were grinning like fools.

“I need coffee,” I mumbled as I stepped away from all of them to head towards the kitchen.

I heard Kelly introduce herself to Evan but my focus was completely on the machine sitting on my counter. I stuck one of the single serve cups into the slot and hit the button for it to start. When everyone joined me a minute later, I spoke without looking up.

“Anyone else want coffee? Coleman? Christos? Your pregnant ass doesn’t get any, Owens.”

“Are you sure you can make it without burning it?” Kelly teased and I held my hand up with my middle finger on display without turning around, causing her to laugh. “Tori is hopeless in the kitchen. Remember when I asked her to watch the noodles I was boiling so I could change Eli’s diaper?”

Megan chuckled somewhere behind me. “In the time it took you to change his diaper, the water completely evaporated, the noodles burned, and the smoke detector had gone off.”

“It’s not my fault,” I grumbled as I turned to glare at the sisters who honestly looked nothing alike. Megan had dark brown hair that resembled a rich chocolate to contrast her sister’s much lighter tone. They were a couple of inches apart in height and they even had different color eyes, Megan’s hazel to Kelly’s blue. That being said, they were so alike in personalities that they could have been freakin’ twins. “You were gone for a really long time.”

Kelly looked at Evan and shook her head. “It took me six minutes to change him. I timed it.”

“Well, how about I make us some breakfast then?” Evan offered from where he was leaning against the counter that we’d been sitting at last night.

His blue eyes were bright, full of humor, and I watched as they raked down my body like he was imagining me for breakfast. That thought had my cheeks heating up and I turned away from him to look back at the coffee machine.

“I don’t have shit in my fridge to make breakfast.”

“Then how about I take you ladies out to get something to eat?” he offered sweetly and I could feel my friends swoon behind me.

“Actually,” Kelly said slowly with way too much intrigue in her voice. “I left my husband with the baby to come make sure there was no loss of life. I should get back home to them.”

“And she’s my ride,” Megan chimed in happily. “Si’s at a department meeting but said he’ll fix your car when he’s done, Tori. He’ll call you.”

Both women gave me quick side hugs before saying goodbye to Evan but I kept my eyes focused on the second coffee mug in front of me that was filling with dark liquid. I heard the front door shut and large arms wrapped around my middle from behind. I jumped slightly but felt my body immediately relax in his hold.

“Victoria,” he murmured right before his lips pressed to the side of my throat. “You’re panicking again.”

“We almost just got caught in bed,” I whispered and he chuckled, causing his skin to vibrate against mine. God, he smelled good, like clean male and sex.

“We’re adults. It would have been okay.”

I knew what he was saying was the truth but it still felt like I was doing something wrong. I don’t know if it was because I was having sex for the first time in forever or the fact that I was committing those acts with someone I’d hated forever.

It didn’t matter in that moment, though. Evan’s lips and wandering hands had me feeling like a sex-crazed maniac. I abandoned the coffee I’d made and led him back upstairs, helping him rid us both of clothes as I did. When we got back to my bedroom, He laid on my bed, completely naked with the exception of a neon pink condom, and held his arms out to me.

“Climb on top. I want to watch you ride me.”

Images filtered through my brain without my permission, causing me to freeze.

Me on top of Tristan, throwing my head back while my throaty cries sounded from the speakers. A room full of men watching me have sex with that man.

My eyes swept around the room as I covered my naked body with my arms and I realized after a minute that I was looking for a camera.

“Victoria.” Evan sat up and shook his head quickly. “Stay with me. We’re in this moment together. I’m not him and this is your bedroom, your safe space. You can trust me, you know that.”

Slowly, I dropped the arm that was covering my breasts and let Evan link our fingers together. He tugged me gently until I was close enough that he could place a kiss against my bare stomach.

“Lay down, sweetheart. Let me make you feel good.”

The caring look on his face cut through my panic and I shook my head while pushing on his shoulders. “No. I want to do this.”

He laid back and I slowly moved until my body was straddling his. His hands came up to cup my breasts and a soft moan escaped my lips when he pinched my nipples. I placed my palms on his bare chest and looked down into his blue eyes.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked in a soft voice, quirking up his lips slightly as he did. “And it’s not just because I have the greatest view of your amazing body from down here. Your kick ass body, your gorgeous face, your strong, take-no-shit personality. You’re amazing, Victoria.”

I leaned down and pressed my lips to his. Whether it was to get him to shut up or because I was overcome with emotion, I don’t know. His hands trailed up my back and I shifted my hips, using one of my hands to position him between my legs.

The small bite of pain when I slid down on top of him was quickly erased by pleasure and I pulled my mouth from his so I could straighten up. His large hands went back to my breasts as I began to rock my hips. I watched his face as I moved and the pleasure that I saw across his features made me feel powerful. Confidence flooded my veins and I reached out to scratch my nails down his chest lightly.

He let out a garbled moan that sounded like a curse and prayer. I lifted myself up off of him a bit higher with every movement and slammed back down. My body began to tremble and I knew the orgasm was going to be almost too powerful when it hit.

One more lift of my hips and I was there, sent into a freefall that took over absolutely everything. I tipped my head back and squeezed my eyes shut, allowing the pleasure to consume me.

I couldn’t keep moving anymore but when the pleasure started to wane, Evan’s hands were on my hips so he could thrust into me from below. I resumed my movements and his hands tightened on me painfully while his face tensed up in pleasure.

He jerked below me twice and when he let out a long rush of air, I collapsed on top of him so we were chest-to-chest. His arms came around me and I pressed my face into his sweaty neck, enjoying the feeling of his fingertips trailing down my naked back.

This had been what I was missing for all those years. Yeah, the orgasms were fantastic but the feeling of being in this moment with someone, both spent with pleasure and wrapped up in each other, this was what I’d wanted.

The fact that I was sharing that moment with Evan Coleman? Well, that only made it better.

And that thought was scary.

–––

I rushed into my father’s dining room that evening and pressed a kiss to my dad’s cheek while taking the casserole dish out of his hands.

“Sorry, sorry. I fell asleep and just woke up.”

“No need to be sorry. You’re just in time.” He smiled before turning to go back to the kitchen and I placed the delicious smelling dish on the table. Vincent walked into the room with the basket of rolls and I turned to smile at my brother. He immediately raised his eyebrows suspiciously.

“Why are you so happy?”

I shrugged and dropped down into my chair. “I don’t know.”

“Liar.” He took his own seat and shook his head. “You had sex last night.”

Our father walked into the room just in time to hear his declaration and I threw a roll at my twin.

“Vincent! Shut up!”

Dad cleared his throat and took his spot at the head of the table. “Dish up, kids.”

An awkward silence settled over the table as we all put food on our plates. It wasn’t until the first few bites had been consumed that Dad spoke.

“What’s new this week?”

Vincent shoved a bite of lasagna into his mouth and shrugged. “I put in my paperwork to transfer up here.”

“You did?” Our father looked at him in surprise. “That’s unexpected. Why?”

My brother ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “It’s time for a change. That new station has a hazmat team and I’d fit in there pretty well.”

Happiness bubbled in my chest. “You’re going to move up here? That’d be amazing. Just don’t come to my station. We’d kill each other.”

“You’re just worried I’d show you up,” Vincent replied, taking a pull from the beer in front of him with a grin. “It has to be hard being the little sister.”

“Seven minutes, jerkface. That’s it.”

“It’d be nice to have you close again.” Dad buttered the roll in his hand and smiled warmly at my brother. “Maybe you’ll find a woman to knock you on your ass, too.”

I laughed softly and took a drink of my own beer. “I can’t wait to see that.”

That was the wrong thing to say because my brother’s green eyes zeroed in on me and a small grin slowly spread across his face. I braced myself for whatever he was about to say.

“Who were you doing the horizontal nasty with, Vic?”

“Oh, my god, shut up!” I kicked him under the table, catching his shin and causing him to let out a sharp yelp. “You can’t say shit like that in front of Dad!”

My father chuckled and wiped his face with a napkin before settling his warm brown eyes on me. “I’m not going to pretend like it’s my favorite topic but I’m also not stupid. Besides, I’d like grandchildren one day.”

He laughed again when I moaned miserably. “I would like to know put that little extra sparkle into your complexion, though. Been a long time since I last saw that.”

Sitting around the kitchen table discussing my sex life with my father and brother was not my idea of a perfect evening. Just the thought of Evan made my cheeks heat and I stared down at my plate.

After we’d finally disentangled ourselves from each other earlier that morning, the two of us had gone back downstairs to consume the reheated coffee. Since I wasn’t lying about not having food in the house, I was able to offer him a rousing bowl of Chex cereal and then I kicked him out.

I know it was mean but I needed a moment to breathe, a moment to think. Besides, Owens had texted to tell me he was picking me up so we could work on my SUV. When I tried to shove Evan out the door so I could take a shower, he caught my wrist and gave me a long, hot kiss that said a lot.

“Take your space, Victoria, but don’t start to panic again, okay?” he told me as he pulled away and kissed my nose sweetly. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

I closed the door behind him and stood with my back against it for several long minutes. When I realized that I was grinning like an absolute fool, I quickly snapped out of it. It didn’t take long before I was doing exactly what Evan told me not to do- I was panicking.

I slept with Tristan Dunsworth’s brother. What the hell had I been thinking? I let him into my house, into my bed, and the worst part was that I liked him. I didn’t just like the way he gave me orgasms, either. I liked the way he made me smile, the way he made me feel like my old self, the way he was easy to open up to.

What a mess.

“No way.” Vincent’s loud voice brought me out of my reminiscing and when I looked up to meet his gaze, I knew that he’d figured out exactly who I’d slept with.

“The detective, huh?” He laughed softly and I was honestly surprised. With how he reacted when I first told him about Evan Coleman’s reappearance in my life, I expected Vincent to be angry or go into overprotective mode. His lack of anger made me kind of suspicious.

“The detective?” Dad looked confused for a second before he realized what Vincent was saying. The anger I’d been expecting from my brother showed up on my father. “You mean you spent the night with Dunsworth’s brother? Victoria Rose Jones! What were you thinking?”

“I hate you, Vin,” I growled towards my brother before looking at my father. “He’s actually a really nice guy, Dad. I’ve spent a lot of time with him over the past month and he’s nothing like Tristan. In fact, he doesn’t even like Tristan.”

My father opened his mouth to reply but Vincent chimed in before he could. “Trust her, Dad. She’s not going to get into anything without her eyes wide open.”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt a second time. And being hurt by the Dunsworth family again…” Dad trailed off and shook his head. “Just be careful, Vicky.”

I was quiet for the rest of the meal while I thought about what my father said. What if Evan did hurt me? I wasn’t sure I could handle being broken like that again.