Charlie nudged the door open and peeked inside. Eva watched his face for signs of suspicion that maybe he’d heard she and Will the night before, but she saw none. “Hey, I’m making eggs. Did you want some?”
“Sure, one. Over easy,” she huffed.
Charlie frowned at her. “You okay?”
She realized she was still breathing a little heavier than she wished. “Yeah, just woke up from an intense dream. That’s all.”
He seemed satisfied. “Will said he might have something safe for you to help with today, if you want.”
Did he now? “I’ll get dressed.”
Charlie disappeared and closed her door, finally allowing her to release a long breath and let her muscles relax, but it was too late to retrieve the sweet haze she had gotten herself into. Pushing herself out of bed, she threw on her bathrobe to grab a quick shower—seeing Will in person was better than just lying in bed dreaming about him, anyway.
She shuffled down the hall past Charlie’s room and to the bathroom, the door of which was closest to the living room. Will wasn’t on the couch, but like he heard her coming, he appeared in the kitchen doorway and looked right at her, hand frozen on the bathroom doorknob.
Eva stopped and smiled when she saw him, his gaze running up her legs to her face, and then back down again as he lifted a cup of coffee to his lips. A fresh heat erupted the entire length of her body under that lusting gaze, and she could feel a blush spread across her cheeks. Turning her head to the floor to hide her silly grin, she pushed her way into the bathroom.
When she got out of the shower, Charlie and Will were already down at the bar, so she took her time getting ready and drying her hair. Whatever job they had for her couldn’t be very important, she suspected, so she didn’t rush. Can’t believe they’re even considering letting me out of my tower. She poured herself a cup of coffee, enjoyed the egg Charlie had left her warm on the counter, and used the cordless phone to give Laura a call.
“Hey skank. Are you busy?” She teased as soon as she heard her friend’s voice.
“Oh, on the contrary!” There was tension in Laura’s voice. “I just had some pop singer cancel on me with no notice after I already cleared my calendar to accommodate her stupid ass. What’s up, sweet cheeks?”
Eva sighed, walking to the window to peek out and make sure the men weren’t coming back through the meadow. “I did something bad last night.”
“Why, what—” said Laura, then stopped as realization came over her. “Ohhh, you’re the skank! Eva, you didn’t!”
“I did,” she said with a grin.
“Oh, God, tell me everything. I’m in the worst dry spell.”
“Then maybe I shouldn’t tell you anything, because…”
“Shit, was he that good, Eva?” Laura groaned into the phone and shut a door, probably to her small city office. “You ridiculous bitch. You’re so lucky.”
“Laura, you have no idea.” Eva licked her lips and looked around again, like she was secretly afraid someone was watching her. “Remember Richard, the bartender at Andy’s? What we used to fantasize about when we’d sit there watching him work?”
“Oh, God, you mean… on the bar?”
“Mmhmm.”
Laura let out a groan like a grumpy zombie, and there was a soft thump, and then a few seconds of silence. Eva laughed as she listened to Laura grasp for the phone and bring it back to her ear.
“Sorry, I dropped my phone in impotent fury,” said Laura. “Eva, I’m so proud of you, girl. How much better do you feel?”
Eva laughed. “So much.”
“Is all that drama over, then?”
“No, we’re still hunkered down here. I’ll let you know when it’s done. Will says it shouldn’t be much longer, if his instincts are right.”
“Oh, Will,” said Laura in a dreamy, exaggerated way, like she was in a Disney movie. “You better be a little careful, girly. I can hear love in them there hills.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” said Eva, stepping away from the window and toward her coffee. “I just had sex with the guy. I’m still riding the O-train endorphins. I’m not dumb enough to fall in love with some… whatever he is.” Enigma. Yes, what girl in history has ever fallen in love with a mysterious stranger?
“Maybe he’s a sex robot sent from the future to protect you from non-sex robots from the future,” offered Laura with a mouthful of what Eva suspected was a breakfast donut.
“Well, that would be an easier problem to solve than the one I have, wouldn’t it?” she laughed. “I could just reprogram him not to be an asshole. Or to not talk at all.”
Laura sighed. “One day, when the matriarchy finally rises. Seriously, though, technically he is your second fuck since Rick, so just be careful with yourself.”
“He’s third,” confessed Eva. “I went home with a guy a few months back, I just didn’t tell you.”
“Okay, now I’m serious when I call you a skank!”
“So just don’t worry about me!” Eva finished with a giggle. “I get it. Sex good, love bad.”
“No: sex good, love good, love with scary fighter jerk dude bad.”
“Sure.”
“Hey, someone’s at my door, I’ve gotta run. Call me later,” said Laura. She made kissy noises into the phone before she hung up as Eva shook her head laughing.
She may have laughed about it, but Eva took Laura’s warnings seriously. It was half the reason she chose to call her. She couldn’t admit to her best friend that she already felt like she was treading in dangerous territory with Will, and had called to help ground herself in reality before she had to face his soft dark eyes and full lips that glistened invitingly whenever he ran his wet tongue over them…
“Christ, get it together,” she muttered, shaking her head as she retreated to the bedroom to finish getting ready.
She lingered around the house after getting dressed, picking at her book and finishing off the last of the pot of coffee. The morning sunshine lit up the white kitchen in the most perfect, beautiful way that made her reluctant to leave until it had fully passed. Her body and mind finally felt relaxed together for the first time in what seemed like years and she wanted to soak up every second of that feeling. Life with Rick had taught her the value of embracing whatever happy moments arrived, before they passed her by forever.
At least the small ones, she amended honestly. She knew she could still use a push with the big ones, like she admitted to Will the night before. And like Will gave her.
Will. Just like that, she could feel his hands on her, roaming up her chest. Sexiest enigma I’ve ever met.
It was nearly noon by the time she wandered down to the bar to see what was going on and find out more about the job Charlie had referred to earlier. She brought her book with her, like a shield against the swords of boredom she knew were waiting. The forest meadow felt more alive and blazing with color than usual—or maybe it was just her.
As she passed through the back door, she almost ran directly into Will, who was crossing for the kitchen. A surprised noise escaped her throat as she reflexively hopped back.
“Pardon me,” he said, looking down at her with a soft expression, but no smile. He seemed to be searching her face for something.
Eva couldn’t fight her own half-grin. As close as they were, she was almost overwhelmed by the smell of his musk, now familiar and evocative. It drifted through her body as if it were trying to urge the heat in her core to seep out from between her legs to meet it. “Morning.”
“Sleep well?” he asked. She couldn’t detect a hint of teasing or lust in the question.
“Better than I have in months,” she said in a breathy way. She waited for a good response, but Will just nodded and continued on into the kitchen.