Page 5 of Happily Evan After

If we keep talking, either I’ll blow it or he will.

Sure, there’s a very good chance that this guy is not as great as he seems. But right now, I don’t want to know that.

“Tonight let’s be Rick and Evie. Let’s not complicate it with our real lives.”

He gives me a devastating smile, and my heart thumps in response.

“Alright, Evie, what do you say? Can I take you back to my place and do wicked things to you?”

I fold my lips in on themselves and consider his offer. I want to say yes. I never say yes to these sorts of things. Well, I’m rarely asked, but in those situations, I’ve never said yes. Growing up, I never snuck out of my house to meet friends and dabble with alcohol or weed. I’ve slept with exactly one guy, and we were in a relationship.

My eyes flit to Lana, and she’s staring at me, nodding. “Do it,” she mouths.

“Okay, Rick,” I say. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to leave your wallet here with my friend, Lana, on the off chance that my body is found chopped into little pieces.”

His lips quirk with a smile, but he slaps his wallet on the bar top. “Let’s go, Dimples.”

chapter

two

Evan

The bartender shoots me a glare. “Don’t make me regret encouraging this.”

Her meaning is clear. She’s got her girl’s back and will mess me up if things don’t go well. I’m former special forces. I know when someone is bluffing about their ability to inflict pain and when they’re not. This chick is not bluffing.

Which isn’t a problem since my only intention for the night involves making her friend come as many times as possible.

I put my hand on “Evie’s” lower back and give the bartender a nod. “Promise she’s in good hands,” I say.

The bartender snorts.

When we step outside of Martini’s, the curvy blonde stops walking. She looks up at me, apprehension all over her face. I move my hand.

“You can change your mind, beautiful,” I tell her.

“It’s just I’ve never done this sort of thing before, so I don’t even know how to proceed.”

I rub the back of my neck self-consciously. “I’ve never done this either.”

She gives me a disbelieving look. “Isn’t this just a regular Friday night for you?”

“It’s actually a Wednesday night, and no.”

Her eyes narrow. “You look like the kind of guy who has left a trail of broken hearts behind him.”

“I hope I haven’t,” I say truthfully. When she still looks like she doesn’t believe me, I continue. “I’ve spent the bulk of my twenties traveling.” Leaving out pertinent details is challenging.

“To monasteries?” she asks.

That makes me laugh. “Not quite.” We’re just standing in the parking lot at the moment.

“Let me just try something,” she says.

She leans up on her tiptoes and kisses me. It’s pretty chaste, all things considered. But having her this close to me… feeling the impossible softness of her lips, inhaling the spicy scent of her, I am lost to this woman. I reach up, cup her cheek and slant my mouth across hers.

The first brush of our tongues feels like I’ve been plugged into an electrical circuit. Her fingers grab onto the front of my shirt and she whimpers into my mouth.