Chapter Fifteen

Right as Rain

My eyes open and it takes a moment for me to process the sights and sounds surrounding me. The sun has yet to rise and the predawn orange glow in the sky is casting the room in dark shadows. Slowly, realization sets in and I recognize the beautiful simplicity of Evan’s bedroom.

I check the clock and it’s a few minutes past five in the morning. Once my eyes adjust to the lack of light, I focus on the gorgeous man lying beside me. Evan has his hand resting on my hip and is mumbling something incoherent in my ear. With a loud grunt, he rolls onto his back, removing his hand from my skin. I ache from the loss of his touch.

I watch as he sleeps and dreams. Soft snores escape from his lips, with an occasional mumble and sigh. Whatever he’s dreaming about, he seems to be enjoying it.

Without fear of embarrassment, I take the opportunity to study him. His thick chestnut hair is a mess, sticking out haphazardly in all directions. His perfect skin is just beginning to bronze with a sun-kissed glow. Scruffy stubble covers his jaw and I cannot resist reaching over to feel the soft, scratchy hair.

I trace a line from his chin, down to his chest, and between his pecs. Well-sculpted lines direct my path through his tight abs, leading me directly to his navel. I lay my hand flat across heart, and I can feel his heart beating.

Evan’s chest rises and falls deeply as he releases a soft moan. His eyes are still closed, but a grin has etched itself across his face. I allow my hands to explore further south, and I am pleased to discover that his morning glory is ready to greet me.

I crawl on top of him and kiss him on the tip of his nose. My lips and tongue follow the same path my fingers trailed. After taking from him exactly what I want, he holds me in his arms and whispers, “Good morning.”

We spend the next hour enjoying each other’s body, rolling around the bed, recreating our own intimate game of Twister. Just like last night, there is no rush and no hurry. As the sun finally rises, basking the room in warm, bright light, we lie in bed together, head to toe, wrapped in sheets that will most definitely need to be laundered.

“So, what were you dreaming about?” I ask him. “It sounded like you were really enjoying yourself. I almost didn’t want to wake you.”

“I’m so glad you did. I dreamt I was lying in bed with a beautiful, naked, woman,” he tells me, “but the real thing is so much better. A man could get very accustomed to waking up like this.” He takes one of my feet into his strong, muscular hands, and he slowly, deeply, forcefully rubs the bottom of my foot. I am in heaven.

After a quick shower, Evan drives me to the bakery where I select a Babka for my mother and a box of assorted pastries for his sister. Evan refuses to let me pay, but I am in such a delightful mood this morning, I concede much easier than I normally would. I wish I could have made my own dessert, but this will have to do.

My favorite coffee shop is open, allowing us to get our morning caffeine fix. The next stop is back to my house so I can pick up a change of clothes and a few other personal items. I know I won’t be sleeping home tonight, so I need to pack an overnight bag.

Evan insists that I stay in the car while he inspects the house. I give him my keys and wait. My mind starts racing, playing the ‘what if’ game over and over. What if the stalker came back? What if he’s waiting in the house right now? What if he’s left a trap of some kind? What if Evan gets hurt? Minutes feel like hours as I wait for Evan to return to the car.

After what seems like an eternity, Evan stands at the front door and waves me in. Relieved, I join him and start gathering my things.

“Can you show me exactly what was left lying on your bed last night?” He follows me as I lead him to my bedroom closet.

Hanging right where I left it is my red dress. I hand it to him, along with my high heels. Normally, I would expect him to tease me about wearing this sexy, little number, but not now. His jaw is set tight and I can see his anger returning.

“Evan, I loved that dress, but now? I really don’t ever want to see it again. Will you please throw it away for me?”

“With pleasure. My next pleasure will come when you let me take you shopping to replace it. I would love to see you trying on dresses for me.”

“I don’t think so, baby. No one has ever bought me clothes other than my mother. It just doesn’t feel right.” I don’t know why, but allowing him to take me shopping would make me feel like a gold digger. “It’s just too soon to start spending your money.”

“You’re so different from any other girls I’ve ever known. Maybe I should check one more time to make sure you really do have girl parts.” Evan peeks down the neck of my shirt, “Nope, everything seems to be in order down there.”

I swat him away, “Would you let me finish, please? Make yourself useful and go take out the trash, please.” He needs to find a better way to keep his hands busy. His phone keeps beeping with new text messages. “And while you’re at it, tell who ever keeps texting you that it’s a holiday. No working today. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Evan lets me finish packing, and soon enough, we’re on our way back to his house. “Juliette, would you mind if I work-out for a few hours before we leave? I promise to be showered and dressed by noon.”

“Of course. Do you work out every day?”

“I do. Camp starts in a few months, and I have to stay sharp. Two or three hours a day right now is fine, but soon I’ll be getting in four hour work-outs.” Wow, no wonder he’s in such good shape.

“I haven’t been running for a few days. Would you mind if I used the treadmill for a while, too? Would that mess up your routine too much?” I really do need to exercise, but it would also give me a chance to watch Evan workout.

“I’d much prefer having you with me rather than running along the beach alone where anyone can be waiting.” It occurs to me that letting him take care of me might not be such a bad thing, after all.

Evan carries my bags to his room and we get changed together. He throws on a pair of long shorts and a tank shirt. “I’m going to grab us some water. I’ll meet you up there.” My eyes follow him as he walks away. Wow.

I leave on my sports bra, pull on a pair of yoga pants, and toss my hair into a ponytail. After I throw on my sneakers, I head upstairs to join my man.

Entering the exercise room, I stop dead in my tracks when I see Evan on the weight machine. He’s straddling the bench and grasping the bar, repeatedly bringing it up, then down again. Each time, his cut biceps and forearms stretch and flex, emphasizing the dark veins and ripped muscles.

“Juliette, did you forget something? You look ... deep in thought.” If he only knew.

“No, I’m good. Can you show me how to use your treadmill?”

Evan walks over and demonstrates how the settings work. It’s not that different from the others I’ve used in the past. I start off at a brisk walk. I clip on my iPod, plug in my earphones, and put the music on shuffle. First up is Fall Out Boy. Once JT comes on, I speed up to a full-out run. I try to focus on my workout and shut out the image of the sexy quarterback in the room with me.

As I continue my run, Evan moves to the rowing machine. Watching his toned legs stretch and glide with the machine, all I can think about is how much I would like to feel my own legs wrapped around him right here and right now. I close my eyes and images of our morning calisthenics flood my mind. Arms, legs, lips, tongues, all tangled and woven together.

“Juliette, are you trying to kill me?”

I look up and Evan is sitting, watching me. “What?” I can see his mouth moving, but I cannot hear him until I take off the earphones.

“Baby, you’re barely dressed, running, sweating, biting your lip, and I swear I heard you let out a moan. What are you trying to do to me?”

I slow the machine down so I can answer without losing my breath. “There are a great number of things I would like to do to you, if you must know.”

“Really? Care to elaborate? As a guest here, it’s my duty to make sure your stay is a pleasant one, Miss Fletcher.” He’s eying me with the look of a predator ready to attack its prey.

“I was just thinking about how that bench you were sitting on over there is the perfect height for me to get ... traction.” I take a big gulp of my water and wipe my face off as the machine slows to a complete stop.

“Care to test out your theory?”

“Later.” I plant a chaste kiss on his lips. “I’m going downstairs to take a shower and get ready. Save a little energy for me tonight.” His hair is slightly damp with sweat and he smells so manly. I never knew the smell of sweat could be so freaking hot. “Mmm ... definitely later.”

“Are you ready, beautiful?” Evan pulls me in for one more kiss before we leave for our long drive.

“Ready when you are, handsome.” I look at him and smile. He looks absolutely edible in his dark washed jeans and untucked white button-down shirt. He’s wearing cologne that smells clean and musky.

Evan opens the door for me, and off we go. It’s really a joy to ride in Evan’s car. I’m used to driving simple, uncomplicated cars. This car is a machine. There are controls on the steering wheel, a navigation system on the dash, heated seats, and climate control. I wouldn’t be surprised if this vehicle could safely get us to the moon and back.

We arrive at my mother’s a little after one o’clock. Not too far from the house, we find a parking spot on the street. Evan comes around to open my door, takes my hand, and together, we stroll down the sidewalk.

Each house we pass is nearly identical to the one before it. To say that each home is separated by an alley would be an exaggeration. The space between each is barely wide enough to drive a motorcycle through. When I lead Evan down one such alley, I explain, “This is their house. We don’t use the front door. The side door takes us right to the kitchen. Ready?”

“Absolutely. Let’s go, lead the way.” He doesn’t seem the least bit worried or anxious. My only worry is that we will have enough to talk about for the next two hours.

Evan opens the door for me and I lead us inside. Just as I suspected, my mother is standing at the kitchen counter, peeling the potatoes. She takes one look at us and exclaims, “Juliette – you’re home.” Walking directly over to me, she wraps her arms around me and welcomes me home. “And this must be Evan.”

“Mom, this is my boyfriend, Evan McGuire. Evan, this is my mother, Genevieve Fletcher.” Evan offers to shake her hand, but my mother grabs him and hugs him, too.

“I’m so pleased to meet you, Evan. Please, call me Genny.” We sit at the table together. Evan puts his arm around the back of my chair and unconsciously touches my shoulder, rubbing gentle circles with his thumb. Upon occasion, he finds a renegade strand of hair that needs to be tucked back in its proper place behind my ear. We make small talk for a few minutes with my mother about traffic and the weather.

“Juliette, why don’t you take Evan inside to say hello to your grandmother? She should be getting the china out of the cabinet for dinner soon. You can help her set the table.”

I take Evan by the hand and we make our way into the living room where we find my grandmother. She smiles when she sees us together. She and I are a lot alike in so many ways. She is strong-willed, opinionated, and not afraid to speak her mind. I spent many weekends with my grandparents when my mother and father first separated and I developed a very close bond with her.

Introductions are made and Evan is his usual personable and gregarious self. She asks Evan a few questions about where he grew up, where he went to school, and what he does for a living. He patiently answers each of her questions and tells her he works for the NFL.

“Do you?” She studies him for a moment. She is no fool. I can tell she’s working out everything in her head. His size, his grace, his athletic build. “Now, Evan, I don’t follow football, but I would guess that a big strapping boy like you doesn’t exactly have a desk job there. Would I be correct if I assumed that you are a professional football player?”

Evan looks to me for a sign about how much he should divulge. With a simple nod of my head, he knows it’s okay to explain. “Yes, ma’am. I play for the New Jersey Sentinels.”

I am quite proud of my grandmother. She cuts right to the quick, and discovers in five minutes what it took me a week and a half to figure out.

My grandmother escorts us into the dining room and shows us the plates she would like to use for dinner tonight. “Oh, Evan, Genny and I would like to thank you for the flowers. They’re lovely.”

I glance at the table, and sitting in the center is a beautiful arrangement of mixed color tulips in an exquisite green glass vase nearly overflowing with at least forty vibrantly colored flowers.

“When did you do this?” I whisper in his ear as we set the plates.

“I called Callie while you were on the phone with Auggie last night.”

I give him a kiss and whisper in his ear, “Remind me to thank you properly later.” He never ceases to amaze me.

We join my mother in the kitchen and everyone pitches in to help prepare dinner. Evan busies himself mashing potatoes and my grandmother is checking on the ham in the oven.

My grandmother has a lot of questions for Evan. One of her main concerns is for his safety. Again, I’m in awe of my grandmother. This is a conversation I should have had with Evan myself, but we’ve only just reconnected yesterday.

Evan becomes very animated and alive when he talks about football. He explains to her all the safety rules and precautions that have been put into place. He also explains to her that as back-up quarterback, he doesn’t get a lot of plays, but when he does, it’s the job of the offensive line to protect him.

Just watching my mother and grandmother react to him is amusing. He has them eating out of the palm of his hand. They are hanging on his every word. There is no doubt, he has won them over. And then some.

“That’s why it is so important that I keep myself in top physical form. It keeps me from getting seriously injured,” he explains. Hearing that convinces me that I will never again interfere with one of his workouts like I did today. I need him healthy and fit when he takes the field.

“So, do you two get to spend much time together? Professional football must be a very demanding career,” my mother asks.

“Well, mom, to tell you the truth, for the next few days, Evan and I will be seeing a lot of each other. I’m staying at his house until I can get a security system installed.”

“Is your landlord having it installed?” she questions.

“No, Mom. Evan is having it installed for me. Auggie and I had an intruder in the house when we weren’t home.”

After ascertaining that I was safe and that nothing was stolen, she asks if I notified the police. Evan gives me an ‘I told you so’ look when I admit that we filed a report last night.

I explain to her why I wasn’t able to bring a homemade dessert today and she completely understands.

The rest of our dinner conversation seems to focus mainly on my present career. When I explain for the tenth time that I’m hoping to transfer to Wilkinson’s Sweet Shoppe this summer, my mother seems somewhat satisfied.

After dinner, my mother and I are standing at the sink washing while my grandmother sits and Evan clears the table. The moment Evan leaves the room for more dishes, I ask my mother for her impression.

“Juliette, it’s very clear that he’s absolutely crazy about you. Do you love him?”

“It’s a little soon, but I’m pretty sure I do,” I have to admit.

“I’m not sure about this professional football career; I really don’t know a darn thing about football. But it will take a lot of sacrifices on both your parts to make this work.”

“I know, mom.” She’s right.

“Well, then go in with your eyes completely open and don’t hide anything from him. When you’re worried, tell him. When you’re happy, share it with him. Let him in, Juliette.”

She’s right. She usually is.

“Did you have a nice dinner, Juliette?” Evan asks me as we drive towards our next destination.

“I did. Thank you. You really made an impression on them both.” I squeeze his hand and weave our fingers together.

“Your grandmother’s got a very keen sense of observation. She was onto me immediately.”

“Yes, she was.”

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 632