Page 57 of Firefly Effect

Evie laughs, music to my ears. “We’re talking about Jimmy here.”

I make a face, not hiding my sarcasm. “Of course.” Biting down on my lip, I consider not adding to my thoughts, but I can’t help myself. “Just because someone is going through a hard time doesn’t excuse their behavior toward you. You don’t have to accept it.”

She blinks at me once, twice, and I wonder if I did, in fact, cross the line giving her unsolicited advice. “You’re right.” A smile blooms on her face. “I just know I could take him if things got heated again.”

I chuckle and tilt my head. “Well, that is very true.” My hand slides over the center console to her leg, a gesture that fills her cheeks with that perfect shade of pink I love.

We have to drive around Main Street to get to the small parking lot behind Firefly. I jog around the car to help Evie out and slip my hand in hers before walking her to the bar’s entrance. Just like I do every single time we’re together, I search my thoughts for any possible reason I can find to get more time with her.

“Thank you for driving me home,” she says lightly, “even though I could have walked from the market.”

Her teasing eyes linger on mine as she backs through the doorway to Firefly. I step forward, too, resting one hand on the open door and the other on the door frame. “What can I say? I prefer scenic detours.”

She takes another step back, but it’s too far. I lean forward and take her hand then pull her back to me. My arm slides around her waist to hold her as close as physically fucking possible as I crush my mouth to hers. A soft, sexy moan vibrates from her throat.

Evelyn Vaughn is the perfect match to my every need. She’s intoxicating, imaginative, fiery, and resilient in the way she blazes through life despite all it has thrown at her. Goodness pours out of her, the brightest light in the darkest day. She’s a firefly, through and through. My firefly. The only light I’ll ever need in the dark, cruel world.

When I finally pull my lips from hers, my eyes are blurred, my head buzzing, and my resolve to leave dwindling. “How about a tour?”

My bold question is met with a look of shock, and I start to second-guess my confidence. This is all still so new. I don’t want to fuck anything up.

“I’m not inviting myself in to… I mean—I was only curious, that’s all.” I take a shaky breath. “I always wanted a secret room as a kid.”

Her lips curl into a smile. “Didn’t we all?”

Her gaze burns into mine as she pulls me into the building. I lock the door behind us and follow her to the aluminum spiral staircase. She plants one foot on the second step, her ass stretching the soft fabric of her skirt. She looks over her shoulder, catching my inappropriate stare, and a smile teases her lips. “Follow me to my lair, Doctor Reed.”

Losing all sense of control, my arm shoots forward, hooking around her middle. I pull her back, her height on the stairs now matching mine. I bury my face in her neck and take in her delicious scent. “You drive me so damn crazy, you know that? I’ve been wanting to hold you close all night.”

She relaxes into me, her body warm. “Just imagine how close you can hold me when we get upstairs.”

A growl rumbles in my chest, and I let her guide me the rest of the way. She turned out to have been joking about a secret book to pull to enter her apartment—instead, there’s an actual door handle on one end of the bookshelf that she unlocks with a key.

When we’re inside, she swings her arms up, gesturing to showcase her place. “Here it is. The infamous upstairs apartment.” She smiles and turns around to catch my reaction.

I tear my eyes from her long enough to get a full view of the whole place. It’s just one big room, for the most part. The bookcases from the outside flow naturally into the room, and a small brick fireplace takes up the same wall as her bed, with closet doors on the other side. There’s a small kitchenette on the opposite wall with a pantry next to it, and on the other side of the door is a bathroom.

None of the decor matches, but somehow it all looks perfect together. The living quarters are small but cozy, and the vibe fits Evie perfectly—simple and rich with what I’m guessing is her favorite literature.

“Originally, this was just a nook in the upstairs library, but Patrick converted it to a bedroom while he was between homes. After he bought the house you’re living in now, he turned this into an office, but he never used it. When I moved here for good, it became my home. He thought I should have a place of my own, and I was secretly so happy.” She smiles proudly. “Is it silly that this is all I’ve ever dreamed of? To own this bar and live in this little apartment behind a hidden bookshelf?”

I shake my head, fascinated even more with the woman who has completely stolen my attention. I would have never thought I could possibly be even more into Evelyn Vaughn than I already was, but she’s so far beyond that—she’s the lifeline I never knew I needed.

When her hand slips into mine and she walks me to the edge of her bed, I almost can’t believe it. I’ve taken my time, letting Evie warm up to me, hoping she will one day trust me, praying she will finally admit what I’ve already realized. I’m hers. She’s mine. Not a single fucking thing on this Earth could be more certain.

So when she reaches for my shirt and starts to slip it up and over my arms, my dick instantly begins to harden.

She tosses my shirt onto the floor then starts on my jeans, never taking her eyes from mine. “Aren’t you going to ask me to say it?”

My heart thunders in my chest, desperate for me not to fuck up. “Only if you’re ready to.” I swallow hard, hating my trickle of fear that she’s messing with me right now, working me up to just let me down. I’ve been taking care of myself for years at this point, but the past month has been the fucking worst. I never knew my balls could ache for release like they do when I’m thinking about Evelyn Vaughn.

She’s got me naked now, save for my green boxer briefs that leave little to the imagination. I’m hard as a rock, tent pitched and ready for the long night ahead.

Her hands move to my chest then slide down like she’s examining every inch of my body’s terrain, then she grips the elastic of my briefs and begins to tug. “What do you want to know, Lincoln?”

I growl at her teasing fingers as they slowly peel down my underwear. “Tell me you’re mine,” I say, and my cock springs free.

Her eyes open wide. “Oh my,” she says, practically salivating. She’s felt me before, but she’s never seen me bare. Now she can witness firsthand how happy I can make her.

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