Chapter Sixteen
Lark only knew that Evan was going to take her out to dinner. Since she didn’t know any details, like if it was a fancy place or not, she erred on the side of cute and casual, deciding on a ruffled sleeve tank and a short skirt with her favorite pair of leopard print sandals. In her purse, she had her wallet and phone, and at the last minute she grabbed a few condoms from the box in the nightstand. If she and Evan had sex tonight, she wanted to be prepared. She thought he might be the sort of guy who was prepared also, but she didn’t want to leave anything up to chance. She liked him so much, she was liable to be okay with a no-condom tryst if she was all caught up in the moment, and that was not what she wanted.
Better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them.
Although that was what her mom used to say about a sweater, not condoms.
Snorting, she zipped the condoms up in the small side pocket and shouldered her bag. There was a knock at the door, and her stomach flipped.
Evan!
Hurrying to the door, she opened it and smiled at her sexy man.
When had she started thinking of him as hers? Probably the moment he’d swooped in and saved the day with the safari tour.
He kissed her with a smile. “You look amazing, Lark.”
“Thanks, you do too.”
He was wearing dark jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His dark hair was styled, and his eyes were glittering with happiness.
Wait. Did his eyes just change color from caramel to amber?
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She nodded, thinking she’d just seen a trick of light or something.
“Yep. What’s on tap for tonight?”
“The most amazing date that ever was. I hope.”
He took her hand, and she followed him outside, closing and locking her door behind them. “Well, so long as we’re together, I know it’ll be amazing.”
“Damn, I missed you today,” he said.
At the large SUV, he opened her door for her. “I missed you too.”
When he was behind the wheel, he said, “I hope you like chicken wings.”
“Oh, I do! But only sweet barbecue ones; I’m a wimp with spicy food.”
“Great, there’s a place I love to go to with my brother. They have ten different sauces. Auden’s the only one I know who can eat the hottest one, but I can get pretty close.”
“Sounds perfect.”
At the restaurant, they had wings and waffle fries, teasing each other about how messy it was to eat wings. Then they walked over to a strip mall arcade and played skeeball until they won enough tickets for a tiny eraser that looked like a unicorn.
“He’s so cute I’m going to name him Fluffernutter,” she said as they walked out of the arcade hand in hand.
“What?” Evan asked with a chuckle.
“Haven’t you ever had a fluffernutter sandwich? It’s my sister’s husband’s favorite—peanut butter and marshmallow fluff.”
“Ugh,” he said, making a face. “Do you like that?”
“I like marshmallow fluff in hot chocolate, not on bread. But Rayanne loves the sandwich, so I always keep both on hand.”
“It’s a cute name for your eraser.”
“Do you think there were ever unicorns?” she asked as she climbed into the SUV and smiled at him.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe? There’s probably lots of things out there that we don’t know about.”
“Like bigfoot?”
“You believe in bigfoot?” he asked, arching a brow.
“Why not? Just because I’ve never seen him doesn’t mean he’s not real. I also believe in the Jersey Devil.”
“Oh, well, that’s one hundred percent fact.”
She leaned over and kissed him. “I had the best time tonight. I feel like I’ve known you forever.”
“Me too, sweetheart.”
She bit her lip and then said, “Are we still planning for a sleepover? Which sounds super corny now that I said it out loud.”
“One hundred percent. I can’t wait to show you my place.” He hummed, and it sounded almost like a growl. He coughed, clearing his throat, and gave her one of his devastating smiles. After he shut the door, she watched him walk in front of the SUV.
That was the second weird thing she’d noticed, first his eyes changing color and then the growl.
Well, her subconscious was working overtime it seemed.
They drove to the safari park, taking an access road around the perimeter to the back, where he entered a code to open a gate in the stone walls that surrounded the park.
“You live at the park?” she asked as the SUV moved forward.
“I thought I told you that.”
“Um, I think I’d remember.”
“Sorry,” he said. “I thought I mentioned it. The park has an apartment complex for employees. It was finished recently, and I was lucky enough to get one. I’m the only one who’s living there right now. I’m still moving out of my other place though, so I’m not quite moved in yet.”
“That’s pretty cool that you can live at the park. I didn’t even realize there were apartments here.”
“Yeah, it was designed to not be visible from the park so we don’t have to worry about guests trying to get into it. It’s also enclosed with a fence, so no one can get near it without a code. It’s nice and private back there.”
He parked in front of the end unit and turned off the engine. He stared out the windshield, and she felt like the air in the SUV changed suddenly. It was thicker, electrically charged. Her skin prickled and her stomach flipped as sexy thoughts traipsed through her mind.
He turned slowly, and she saw his eyes practically glowing in the darkness. That amber color...what was she seeing? It was so other but not in a scary way.
She whispered his name and unbuckled her seatbelt.
He undid his seatbelt, twisting in the seat to face her.
“Your eyes,” she said. “They’re mesmerizing.”
“I’m crazy about you, Lark. I hated being away from you, but I don’t want to scare you by being too intense.”
She scooted a little in the seat, leaning against the console. “I don’t mind your intensity. I like it. I’m crazy about you too. I woke up in the middle of the night worried about you. I almost called you, but I was afraid to wake you up because I’d had some kind of weird feeling I couldn’t explain.”
His brows rose. “You did? When?”
She thought back to when she’d woken up in a cold sweat, worry for Evan the only thing on her mind. “It was after midnight. I kept opening the phone app to call you, but I thought you’d think I was nuts.”
He cupped her face. “Baby, someone tried to break into the park after midnight. I was with the security team when it happened.”
“Holy shit! Are you serious?”
“Very. They were...some guys who thought they could come in and cause trouble. We stopped them, threatened them, and sent them packing.”
“You’re not on the security team, right?”
“No, but I was out late, and they tried to get in through the gate back here. The park is super safe; I don’t want you to worry about being here or worry about me. The security measures we have in place are why they weren’t able to get in.”
“I’m glad. And I’m not worried about being here. I feel safe with you.”
He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “I’m glad too. I want you to feel safe because I’d do anything to protect you.”
“How was it possible that I woke up worrying about you at the exact time that you were dealing with intruders?”
He inhaled slowly, and she heard a low rumble, a soft growl. His eyes were still that odd amber.
He certainly had some animal-like tendencies.
Which seemed fully crazy, but also? Kind of right. And sexy.
“Because we’re meant to be together. We talked about love at first sight, and I feel very connected to you. Hell, I’m half in love with you already, and I can’t wait to get you inside my place.”
“I feel connected to you too.”
How else could she explain why she wanted to be with him all the time, how empty she felt when they were apart, and finally...waking up when he was facing danger.
“You’re my soulmate, Lark,” he said roughly.
Something deep within her sang out at his words.
“You’re mine too.”
Their lips met and parted, their tongues dancing and sliding together. He tilted her head and deepened the kiss, his fingers pressing lightly into her skin. She was overwhelmed by the scent of his cologne; she swore it was stronger and even better smelling suddenly. She wanted to roll around in his scent and carry it with her.
She let out a moan, and he leaned away, sucking on her bottom lip for a moment.
“Come inside with me, Lark. Stay with me tonight. Be mine.”
“Yes to all that.”
He was out of the SUV and opening her door so fast she wasn’t sure she hadn’t imagined how quick he moved. He scooped her into his arms and lifted her from inside, then kicked the door shut. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his throat. “You smell so good.”
“You do to me too.”
He opened the apartment door and carried her through, stopping only long enough to lock it before he stalked through the house.
In the bedroom, he set her on the bed, and she pulled him down with her as she stretched out on her back. He kissed her hungrily, and she kissed him back, her body flooding with heat as he pulled her tank up her body, his fingers skimming her stomach and making it clench.
Breaking from the kiss, she wiggled free of the tank as he pulled it over her head. He slipped a finger between the cups of her bra and tugged experimentally, grinning when the center clasp popped open. He spread his hand over her breast, pushing the cup aside, then lowered his head and took her nipple into his mouth. She arched up under him with a groan, sinking her fingers in his soft hair and cupping his head. He sucked and licked her nipple until she was pleasantly aching, and then he did the same thing to the other, teasing her and driving her wild with his lips and tongue.
She slipped free of the bra as he kissed his way down her stomach, undoing her skirt and slipping it over her hips with a soft snarl. The skirt went airborne, and she grinned at his enthusiasm.
He moved from the bed and took off her sandals, and then he straightened.
“Like what you see, female?” he asked, his voice low and rough.
“I love it,” she promised. “I want to see more. All of you.”
His fingers fumbled on the buttons of his shirt, and in his haste he ripped several free. And then he was bare from the waist up, his muscles flexing as he stripped fully. She went up on one elbow to watch him strip. He was so sexy. So very much hers.
He straightened slowly, and she let out a gasp at his cock, thick and long and ready to go.
She laid back on the bed and reached for her panties, but he beat her to them, sliding them off her legs slowly and dropping them to the floor. She spread her legs and bent her knee, beckoning him with her fingers. He kissed his way up her legs, and she shivered as he spread her open fully and gazed at her center.
“Mine,” he said, his voice rough and guttural.
“I am, Evan, I so am.”