Page 1 of The Man of the House

1

EVAN

Iwant her. So damn much and with every fiber of my being.

That shouldn’t be the first thought to come to mind whenever I see her, but lust clouds whatever sense is left in me.

And yet, I stand here, behind this invisible line I can never cross. Loving her from a distance feels like drowning in silence. I ache to speak, to let her know what I feel, but knowing the words would shatter everything. So I keep it all locked inside, watching, waiting ... but with the full understanding that some dreams are meant to stay just that—dreams. Nothing more.

After all, I fell in love with Elena, my stepdaughter, way before I met her. For the fifteen months I was married to her mother, Gina always talked about Elena. What she was like as a kid, as a teen, as a young adult. What she liked and hated. What she did when she thought Gina wasn’t looking.

Gina told me everything about her, and it felt like I already knew who she was. Maybe not all, but I got a good sense of what Elena was as a person, and it was hard not to fall for someone like that, even if she made it clear she didn’t approve of me, what with how she acted around me at her mother’s funeral a year ago.

“Hi, Evan. It’s been a while. I know I was rude when we met, but I think we just started off on the wrong foot. How about I introduce myself again, and we can wipe the slate clean?” Elena clears her throat. “Hi. I’m Elena, nice to meet you.”

I stare at her like an idiot, even though my brain screams at me that the polite and decent way to respond is by accepting the handshake. Unfortunately, there’s nothing polite or decent about the direction of my thoughts.

My whole world tilts on its axis. It’s like getting unmoored and trying to navigate the waters in the middle of the fucking Pacific Ocean.

I have never felt so lost or unsure of the ground I stand on.

Mustering whatever strength I can find, I wrap my hand around hers, and it takes everything in me to suppress the shudder threatening to overcome me. Every limb, every nerve ending, every inch of my body comes alive for the first time.

I can feel the pounding in my temples, the rush of warmth down south, the front of my pants getting increasingly tighter, more uncomfortable, and more obvious to anyone daring to look.

Guilt and desire dance around each other as raw need sweeps over my head.

I shouldn’t feel something this intense, especially to my stepdaughter. Sure, she’s a grown woman, and her mother and I never really consummated our marriage because it was anything but romantic.

Still…

It’s not a good look.

“I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong? You look angry.” Elena tugs her hand back, her eyes narrowing, blue with threads of golden caramel radiating from the pupils. She runs her fingers through her strawberry blonde hair and looks around the house—the place where she grew up and where I now live. It must be weird for her.

“No. Sorry. I…” I’ve lost the ability to speak and think. My thoughts are all over the place, and I can’t seem to get a grip on myself and these rioting emotions inside me.

“I get it. It’s not the best of days. This day will always remind you of what you’ve lost.” She shoves both hands in her back pockets, unable to meet my eyes, a slight frown creasing her forehead. It’s the most she’s ever said to me. A year ago, she only ever gave me a nod and a grunt.

“You lost her, too.”

“I’ll help you pack her things, okay? I know I told you I’d come back and get around to it, but I’ve been busy.” Elena bites her bottom lip, and it takes everything in me not to reach out and graze it with my thumb. “I’ll leave at the end of the week and be out of your hair, I promise.”

Thinking of her leaving makes my stomach drop. I don’t want her to go. No, fuck it. I don’t even want her out of my sight. I want her with me. I want to know her inside and out. I want to … bury myself deep within her walls.

Shit.

I open my mouth to tell her she can relax, and I’ll take care of Gina’s things, but Elena spins on her heels, walking with her suitcase to her old bedroom.

I’m coming apart at the seams. I just know it. The last time I saw her, I had everything under control because there were things I needed to attend to. Plus, she stayed at a hotel and kept her distance from me.

This time, it’s different. Knowing she’s sleeping a few doors from mine makes it harder to keep my desires under control. I have wanted this woman for as long as I can remember. Now she’ll be staying under the same roof as me for a week. A week. I can barely rein in my feelings, and I’ve only been in her presence for less than an hour.

Imagine what can happen in seven fucking days.

I am so sorry, Gina. I didn’t want this. I never thought I would be unable to control myself around her. I underestimated her presence and how much magnetic draw she’d have on me.

Fuck me. Where the hell will I go from here?

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