Page 42 of Sin City Lights

“So I’ve heard. Word has it the 2024 reveal went great.”

Adam nodded.“It did. We missed you there.”

“I was a little busy too.” His lips curved into a sly smile.

“Congratulations again. How’s married life?”

“I highly recommend it.” He spotted Eve behind Adam and regarded her with brown eyes full of interest.

“Where’s Connie?” Adam’s gaze searched the boat deck.

“Here I am!”

A fiery redhead appeared from inside the cabin, leaped onto the dock, and launched herself at Adam. She kissed his cheek.“Howareyou? We haven’t seen you in forever!”

He briefly hugged her back and quickly stepped away.“Missed you too.” He turned, took Eve’s hand, and pulled her to stand by his side.“Connie, Jim, this is Eve Layton. Eve, meet Connie and Jim Rogers.”

•

The sea breeze caressing her face, Eve sat on a tan cushioned bench at the back of the boat, sipping a tangy margarita, watching Adam work his line. He pulled it tight, then gave it slack again, and he’d been doing that for nearly half an hour. At one point, he’d swiftly divested himself of his shirt, and her eyes feasted on his sculpted upper body. She had seen more male bodies than she cared to recall, many equally fit, but it was the way he moved, she realized, that set him apart from all the others.

Beside her, Connie also held a margarita glass and looked, but she only had eyes for her new husband. Eve watched her drag her tongue over her lips as Jim bent down to retrieve a long pole with a hook on the end.

“So, how did you meet Adam?” Connie asked, eyes trained on Jim’s backside.

Eve almost choked on her margarita.“I ran into him at a club.” Well, timeline aside, that was true.

“He seems to like you. It’s good to see him finally with somebody.”

“Oh?” Eve prompted, hoping for more.

“Adam hasn’t dated anyone in years. Not that Jim and I haven’t tried to set him up. He was polite and met with them, but it was always one-and-done. Jim and I were getting worried that he’d work himself to death. It’s all he did. I’m glad he finally found someone.”

Eve didn’t attempt to correct her; this wasn’t the first time she’d been mistaken for a client’s girlfriend. She followed Connie’s gaze, watching Jim laugh at something Adam had said.

“How long have you two been married?”

Connie looked at her husband adoringly.“Four weeks and two days. Would you believe we literally met on the mats at our MMA gym? I swear, when I first saw him on the mats, I knew he was for me, and then he asked me to grapple with him. I was so nervous because I’d never grappled before.”

Beaming, she recounted how Jim had proposed, on Valentine’s Day at sunset, on top of a mountain they had just finished climbing.“This was his great-grandmother’s ring.” She lifted her hand to show off a slim, rose-gold band with five tiny sparkling diamonds set to resemble a flower.“If every woman found a man like Jim, this world would be a happy place.” She fully turned to Eve and made intense eye contact.“Hold on to Adam, Eve, he’s one of the good ones. Besides, with those names, how can this not be a perfect match?”

Eve didn’t know what to say.

She was saved by Adam.

“Eve!”

“Yes?”

He motioned for her to come to him. She surged to her feet, gave Connie a smile, and quickly handed her the margarita. She navigated the swaying deck and came to stand beside Adam.

His blue eyes sparkled.“You want to help me land this fish?”

“Sure. What do I need to do?”

“Come stand in front of me.”

He raised his hands, and she slipped underneath, feeling his hard body settle against her as he lowered his arms to ensconce her in them. Immediately, she regretted and thrilled in it at the same time.

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