Page 27 of Silent Cravings

However, I had a hard time believing anything related to an evening alone with Evan could be described as safe.

10

EVAN

By the time we reached the porch wrapping around the first floor of the house, the short run from the car left us soaked. “Holy shit!” Valentina shouted over the rain and thunder, caught between laughter and irritation as she shook out her hair now that we were sheltered from the downpour. “I just hope the weather isn’t like this for the?—”

“Don’t say it,” I warned before she could get the words out, pressing buttons on the keypad to unlock the front door. “Let’s not jinx ourselves.”

“I didn’t know you were superstitious.”

“I’m not. But let’s not invite trouble.” Everything surrounding the wedding was going smoothly. Almost too smoothly. I couldn’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop the way it did whenever something good came along. I wasn’t taking any chances.

I ushered her inside and closed the door on the storm, taking it from deafening to a dull roar in an instant. The lack of sunlight left me flipping a light switch, and Valentina whistled in appreciation as she took it all in. “This is reallybeautiful,” she announced, walking slowly through the entry hall, gazing up the stairs, and turning around in a slow circle. “How long have you had this house?”

“I’ve lost track of time. A couple years? It made more sense than camping out on a couch in my office or getting a hotel room every time I worked late.”

“What kind of square footage are we talking here?” she asked, admiring the ornately carved banister alongside the stairs.

I loved the way her mind worked. “Around twenty-five hundred. And right now, you’re too wet to sit on any of my furniture,” I pointed out, peeling off my drenched jacket. “At the risk of pulling out an old cliché, let’s get you out of those wet clothes.”

Her lips pulled together in a frown. “We are working tonight,” she reminded me, all stern and prim.

“Yes,Mom,” I retorted with a grin. “That doesn’t mean I want you ruining my furniture with that wet dress you’re wearing.” A dress I would have liked to tear off. She looked good enough dry, but now she was something out of a fantasy, the fabric clinging to every curve.

Only when she shivered did I shake off my wandering train of thought and announce, “I’m sure I can find something for you upstairs.”

I led the way since I wasn’t sure I could keep my hands off her ass if I was behind her. I was an ass guy, and hers was second to none.

“How often do you stay here?” she asked as we climbed the winding staircase.

“Maybe a couple of nights a month.” Nights like the one currently shaping up. The wind howled, and the windows rattled hard enough to make me wonder whether we’d lose power. What a great excuse to light a few candles.

What the fuck, Evan?

“I guess you have somebody to take care of it for you?” When I shot her a curious look at the top of the stairs, she shrugged. “No dust. It doesn’t smell all closed up and musty.”

She didn’t miss anything. “I have a housekeeper who comes out once a week to keep the place aired.” I led her down the hall to the suite sitting at the far end and opened the doors to my bedroom. “The closet is this way,” I explained, leading her past the bed and trying like hell to fight the urge to throw her on it.

We had an entire house to ourselves and a storm raging outside. It was a recipe for all kinds of fun.

“I am so damn jealous.” She let out a disbelieving laugh on entering my closet, which was roughly the size of my office at the country club. “I would kill for this kind of closet space.”

I pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a faded T-shirt from the drawers where I kept casual overnight clothes. “Here. These will do. You can dry off in the bathroom if you want.” I opened the adjoining door and turned on a light inside before beginning to unbutton my shirt.

She cleared her throat and looked away, but not soon enough to hide the flash of hunger in her eyes. “Thanks. I won’t be long.”

“You sure you don’t need any help?” I offered. “I could towel you off.”

She could roll her eyes all she wanted. I wasn’t fooled. “I think I can manage on my own. And I wouldn’t want to tire you out,” she added with a teasing little grin as she swung the bathroom door shut. “Remember, you said you would help me with the seating chart.”

“Of course, that was just a way to get you here.”

“No shit, Sherlock. But I’m holding you to it.” I couldn’t be mad as I changed into sweats, looking forward to the night ahead.

My anticipation cooledwhen Valentina took over the dining room after printing her spreadsheets in my home office. With rain lashing the windows and lightning flickering in the distance, she looked over her work with narrowed eyes. Somehow, my clothes made her hotter than ever. She had knotted the oversized T-shirt at her waist and rolled the waistband of the sweatpants a few times so they wouldn’t drag on the floor.

Just looking at her, my mind conjured up all the different ways I wanted her.

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