Page 3 of Keeping Eveline

Eveline gripped the straps of her purse a little tighter. Now that she was inside, her nerves faltered, but she’d come this far; no way could she walk away. “Hi, I was hoping I could see Kyle Matthews.”

“Do you have an appointment?” The receptionist’s eyes narrowed, as if she didn’t trust Eveline’s motives.

“No, I’m afraid I don’t.” Eveline kept her smile open and friendly.

“I’m afraid Mr. Matthews isn’t in yet, and his week is all booked up. I may be able to see if I can fit you in next week.”

Was she telling the truth? Why would she lie? Did Kyle get a lot of strange women coming in to see him?

Eveline wouldn’t be surprised. He had the whole brooding, mysterious guy act down pat. It was what had drawn her to him in the first place, not to mention the sexy wisps of gray mixed through his dark hair.

When he smiled…she checked her thoughts when she noticed the receptionist looking at her expectantly.

As much as she wanted to see Kyle right now, she had no choice but to take her up on the offer of making an appointment for the next week.

She’d taken today off work specifically to come here; she’d have to come up with another reason to be late back from lunch or late to work. Unless Kyle took appointments after-hours—Gerald did, and now she knew why.

“That will be fine. Is there a chance that I can get an appointment for after five? I’m not generally available until then.”

Of course, it was a risk to drop in unannounced, but if Kyle had seen her name on his appointment schedule he’d probably cancel—just like he’d do now when he checked his calendar. If he did that, she’d still turn up.

“He doesn’t do after-hours appointments. The latest I can give you is four, next Wednesday. Will that work?”

Damn, that was a whole eight days away, but it was better than nothing and her leaving a half hour early wouldn’t be too much of an issue. Actually, if she remembered correctly, Gerald would be out all day next Wednesday, so the timing was perfect and it wouldn’t matter if she left before she was supposed to. “Yes, that will be great.”

The auburn-haired woman tapped at her keyboard before looking up with another polite smile. “What’s your name?”

“Eveline Durville.”

Damn, maybe she should’ve thought to give a false name so Kyle wouldn’t cancel on her.

No, she was an honest person, and she wouldn’t start lying now.

“All right, you’re booked. We’ll see you next week.”

Behind Eveline, the soft swish of glass sliding over carpet sounded. She whirled and came face-to-face with the man she’d wanted to see.

Her heart skipped a little when she took in the dark suit Kyle wore. The way his hair was cut close to the side of his head emphasized the gray at his temples, and his white shirt enhanced his dark blue eyes.

His smile transformed into a thin line of disapproval when his gaze landed on her. His eyes narrowed.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Chapter Two

“I, um, hi.”

Behind Eveline, Yolanda’s eyes were wide saucers—no doubt shocked at his outburst.

In the office, Ox was cool and calm, even when shit hit the fan. He’d never sworn at a client. Although this woman wasn’t a client.

He couldn’t believe Eveline Durville was standing in his office.

She had balls, he’d give her that. Especially considering who she worked for. At least she wasn’t feigning not knowing who he was as she had the night they’d met.

Of course, his body reacted immediately, like it had the first time he’d seen her laughing in a bar. Not to mention, he was fighting the urge to haul her close and slam his lips over hers to see if she still tasted as good as he remembered.

Giving himself a mental shake and ignoring the urges of his body, Ox pinned her with a hard stare. “I repeat. What the fuck are you doing here?”

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