Page 68 of From Us, Forever

“Evy.” An enthusiastic voice reached our ears.

My eyes almost bugged out of my head when Tay crashed into Evelyn, pulling her into a tight hug. The once-pierced and emo-looking bassist of the Crash Riders looked like a put-together Barbie with her shiny blond hair and flowy dress.

“So nice to see you, Tay,” Evelyn said as she pulled back from the hug.

Tay’s pale blue eyes met mine. “J.J., it’s been what? Five—six years?”

“Close,” I replied, greeting her with a half hug.

“Come on, Will has set you guys up on the second floor.”

We went deeper inside the house, and buzz and clatter were in full swing for the wedding tomorrow.

“Wow, this is amazing,” Evelyn exclaimed in awe, peering at the large room decked with warm wooden floorings and walls, a California king with soft yellow sheets, and a balcony overlooking the mountains and the fields outside.

“Yeah, I know. The view is something here.” Tay smiled. “I’ll leave you guys to it. The party starts at seven, so just come downstairs when you’re ready. If you need anything, give me a call. Will was sorry he couldn’t welcome you, but he’ll see you guys tonight.”

“He shouldn’t be. He’s getting married, so he should concentrate on that, but thanks, Tay,” Evy replied with a smile.

Tay waved us goodbye and softly shut the door behind her.

I crashed onto the bed and folded my arms behind my head. “Well, we have a few hours to kill. What do you say that we make the most of it?” I raised a suggestive brow.

She spun from gawking at the view and bracketed her hips. “Oh, what do you suggest, mister?”

“What do you think?” I had to catch my breath at how beautiful she looked, the disappearing sun casting a halo around her.

“Well, I have an idea.”

I frowned as I watched her grin as she walked to the other side of the bed and stretched out on her back. “A far better one,” she said, propping her head on the pillow.

“What is that?” I asked, turning toward her.

“Come here.” She tapped on her chest.

“Gladly.” I draped myself over and seized her lips in a demanding kiss, but she pushed me away.

“Not this. Lie down here.” She forced my head to lie flush on her chest. “You need to sleep.”

“No, I don’t,” I moaned, but she held me down, tightening her small arms around me.

Something about listening to the sound of her heart, her soft fingers kneading my hair, and the warmth from her skin wrapped in her vanilla scent drifted me to sleep.

I woke up to the sound of the zipper cracking through the air. My glassy eyes landed on Evelyn, who had her hair up in a bunch of rollers and a silky robe clinging to her body.

“Sorry, did I wake you up?” She placed the dress bag on the nearest table and crouched beside me.

“Nope.” I grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her to me.

“Jay, don’t ruin my makeup. I spent hours on it, and I had no idea what I was doing.”

I laughed, brushing my lips softly across hers. “How long do we have?”

“Thirty minutes.” She sashayed off to her dress. “You have plenty of time. I think I will always be wildly jealous of men because they get ready in ten minutes but always look like they spent hours.”

“Not as good as you,” I commented before hopping into the shower, more awake than ever. The sleep did do me good. My girl knew exactly what I wanted.

Minutes later, I was ready, rolling up the sleeves of my shirt.

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