Page 105 of Our Lips Are Sealed
“Don’t be ridiculous. We can’t go anywhere. Ben is in Texas, and that stupid article just came out. More attention means there’ll be more reporters coming around to harass us. Did you know some guy followed Jamison to one of her classes yesterday, shouting questions?”
“Yes, I did,” Samuel said. “Like I also know about the attractive female reporter that cornered Abe the other day. I’m proud of him. Beautiful, strong women are his kryptonite, but he didn’t break.”
“I’m serious.”
Samuel ran a hand down her arm. “So am I. You’re not eating or sleeping well.”
“My not sleeping is more your fault than the rest of this mess.”
“Very true.” Samuel pulled her into his arms. “However, my dad is coming back from Texas today and can handle my stuff. I’ll need to work a little while we’re gone, but not much. Cohen will be in town to spend his leave time with Jamison, and he can monitor things at Haven.”
“I don’t know how he’ll be able to keep an eye on Haven House. Jamison isn’t going to let him out of her bed. She’s done nothing but pout since he left.”
“God help him.”
Evie hugged his midsection and tilted her head to look up at him. “But what about the article? It said the information came from a source close to the family, and I believe it. They knew stuff that no one else could have known.”
“I said I would handle it. The article is no more.”
“What did you do?”
“I did what I had to do.”
When she pressed further, Samuel shook his head, refusing to elaborate, and went on to explain what he had planned. The first stop was going to be Selah’s place, then on to Josie’s house for a long weekend. After that, they would head over to his cabin.
“On the way home, we can swing by the Georgia project.”
“I know I mentioned a road trip before, but that sounds like an awful lot of driving,” she complained. “Can’t we take a plane? You know, you do own a few.”
“Don’t wimp out on me.”
They left by noon and spent the next few days in Atlanta. Evie divided her time between shopping for baby clothes online with Lenora and watching Samuel help his brother assemble nursery furniture.
She hadn’t realized the sight of Samuel doing manual labor was something she needed in her life, but it most definitely was, and Evie let him know how much she enjoyed the show later when they went to bed.
“What are you doing?” he hissed when she kneeled between his legs. Not listening to him, Evie wedged his boxers lower to swirl her tongue over his tip while Samuel curled upward, halfheartedly attempting to push her away. “Selah will hear you, and I’ll never live it down.”
Uninterested in stopping, she wrapped two hands around his painfully hard length and slid him into her mouth.
“Good fucking God,” he groaned when he hit the back of her throat. “Don’t listen to me. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Keep going.”
Practice made perfect, and she’d been practicing quite a bit lately. Teeth placement was no longer an issue, and settling in, she released him with apopof her lips to lay kisses on his throbbing shaft.
“I think it’syouthey’ll hear tonight,“ she whispered, as deep guttural moans vibrated out of him as she worked him into a frenzy. “You really need to learn how to control yourself, Samuel.”
When their time with Selah and Lenora was over, they headed to Josie’s home on the North Carolina coast, arriving in the early afternoon during a strong thunderstorm that ended up lasting for days. Trapped in the house, Evie bonded with Josie over stories of Samuel’s childhood antics. She learned things about him she’d never known.
“Did you actually set part of the gardens on fire at Parkland Grounds?”
Josie elbowed Samuel, who didn’t care at all for his stepmother’s humor. “The child thought he could set off a rocket over the pool, but didn’t plan on it landing in the hydrangea bushes,” she answered for him. “Miranda was so pissed.”
“It wasn’t my fault the wind knocked it off course,” he griped, rising from the couch to go to bed. “I’m done listening to you two. Don’t stay up late.”
But they did, talking about everything. The past. Her mother. Miranda. Not only did Evie learn new things about Samuel, but she also heard stories she’d long forgotten. Memories that had been tucked away in the recesses of her mind. When it was time to leave, she and Josie hugged each other tightly in the driveway.
“Bring my boy back to visit soon,” Josie told her. “And have SiSi come with you next time. She needs to get out of that damn house.”
Evie promised she would and hugged her one last time. Josie whispered in her ear before letting go. “While you two being together is totally fucking bonkers, I want you to know that I’m happy for you, and I think Miranda would have been, too.”
