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Two weeks of nursing Eva has felt like a lifetime and no time. She’s no less stubborn when she’s sick. Worse probably. But I’m grinning like a sailor in a brothel when Davey’s message comes in. She loves me. And table sex is my new all-time favourite.
He’s taken the bait but time is tight. An hour?
––––––––
I reread the message and check that Eva’s in the shower before I call Cactus and push the bedroom door shut. Karen answers. Great.
“Hey. Can you tell me who’s available right now? Female?” I keep my voice low and quiet.
“I am.” Not ideal.
“Okay. Anyone else?”
“No,” she huffs. Fuck! She’ll have to do.
“Yorkies. Within the hour. You’re going to need a wig. Blonde. Light blonde and light blue jeans. Any top. Not too sexy.” I wouldn’t give her one of Eva’s, even if there were time.
“Who am I meeting?”
“Maybe no one. That’s not the plan.”
“Okay...but if the plan changes...?”
“De Luca.” Her breath sucks in, in a noisy vacuum.
“De Luca, as in Dan De Luca. Eva Adams’s husband?”
“Ex-husband,” I grate.
“And if I say no?”
“Then find me someone else who’s available and stop messing me around,” I growl.
“Oh! I’m messing you around! Oh! I see!”
“Karen...” I begin, trying to be calm when I speak. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you got hurt. I did tell you...I warned you...”
“But it wasn’t true, was it?” she spits, her breath hissing down the line. “You can do a relationship now, can’t you?” I sigh, tilting my head back to the ceiling. “Or are you just fucking her too?”
“Eva and I are none of your business. We’re none of anyone’s business. All I’m asking is that you do your job. The target is irrelevant.”
“It’s plenty bloody relevant, Will! I loved you.” She gasps as though she said too much and I gape at the phone, Karen’s rapid, shallow breaths drowning out the silence. “I’ll be there,” she says quietly.
Idiot! my brain sneers.
“I’m sorry. I really am,” I tell no one as the dead tone fills my ears.
I reply to Davey with the time and location, hoping Karen will show, and drop the phone on the bed. I need a shower too.
The bathroom is full of steam when I close the door soundlessly behind me and creep up to the shower cubicle. Eva’s head turns a little, as though she knows I’m there, even with her eyes shut and face turned up to the spray.
I open the door and step in behind her. It thumps when I close it and I step in closer, under the spray, my naked body an inch from hers.
We’ve had sex a lot the last few days, but after nearly two weeks of sleeping in the same bed as her, without allowing myself to touch her anywhere fun, my body wants more.
I trail one finger down her spine, through the archipelago of shampoo suds on her skin, as her lower back arches. She wants more too.
My hands slide through the soap to her hips and pull them closer, tight against my body. Her back presses into my front as she reaches over and wraps a hand around my neck, her head rolling to my opposite shoulder.
I lower my mouth to her ear and pull her lobe between my teeth as my hands move around to her belly. She sighs, soft and sexy, and my dick hardens further. She smiles as though she can feel it. I press against her, to make sure she does.
I slide one hand to the opposite hip, my forearm across her belly, and slowly raise the other to cup her breast. Her back arches further, pushing into my touch as her fingers clutch my hair. Her free hand covers mine on her hip and she pushes it lower, at an angle. My breath catches when I realise what she’s doing and I groan, my tongue tracing the tendon in her long neck, the fingers of my right hand toying with her nipples relentlessly. Stretching and pulling.
She skates our hands lower, through her pubic hair and lower still, until she groans and I suck on her neck lightly. Our fingers dip inside her and back up, over her clit. She draws in a sharp breath and guides my hand higher again, towards her hips.
I drop my mouth to the curve between her neck and shoulder as she slides our joined hands around her body to mine. I puff out a quick exhale as she wraps our hands around my throbbing cock. And moves them. Slowly. Up and down. Again. And again.
I groan as my hips begin to grind and I rest my cheek against the back of her head. “Inside me,” she breathes, and I guide myself to her entrance as she presses into me.
“Put your hands on the wall.”
She unwraps her arm from around my neck and places her hands, fingers spread wide, on the tiles.
I pull her hips back a bit more and hold on. “Tell me if I hurt you,” I insist. She’s not as fixed as she thinks she is.
Eva pushes back harder, rising up on her toes. “Fuck me.”
It’s deeper this way. The angles are different. We move and thrust together, slow and sensual at first, building to a fast, hard fucking that makes her scream until she’s panting, her chest and cheek against the tiles as I call out my release and pour myself inside her.
I pull her against me and fold down to the floor, still panting and twitching. “Better?” I ask with a laugh.
“Hmm.” She snuggles up against me as though she could sleep right here. I wrap both arms around her and listen to her steady breath and the water pouring down over us for several more minutes before I lead her from the shower.
––––––––
An hour or so later, I throw Eva’s overnight bag into the boot of her car and jump in to the driver’s seat, since my car is getting valeted. I got some very strange looks when they came to collect it and saw the blood on the back seat.
This has got to be the least comfortable car I’ve ever driven. I grumble to myself as we leave the country lanes behind and head for the motorway.
“What?” Eva asks, looking over at me and frowning.
“You need a new car.”
“No, I don’t.” She returns her stubborn gaze through the windscreen.
“I could get you a new car.” A convertible. She’d look sensational in a sporty little—
“You could, and I could drive it up your arse. Now drop it!” I don’t understand the venom in her tone. Her jaw is set firm. She really means it.
Why? Why can’t she just...let me.
I want to take care of her.
Why do you want to take care of her? my brain asks again. And the answer is suddenly blindingly obvious. Because that’s how you know. That’s how you know someone loves you. When they do things for you that have nothing to do with them. Like Gran. The only person who ever took care of me. But Eva doesn’t see it like that. I wonder again if it’s something to do with De Luca. She said he was controlling. I wonder if that’s what’s worrying her?
When we stop in Escape’s car park, I lean over to kiss her. I’m trying to apologise, but that’s hard to do when you’re talking to yourself. She’s out of the car and hurrying away before I’ve said two words.
I jog inside after her, watching her walk towards the deserted bar. “Eva!” I snag her arm as she crosses the threshold. “Wait. What did—”
“I. Don’t. Need. It. My car works fine. Just drop it.” Her cheeks are flushed, her voice rising. I keep my own voice soft and soothing.
“Let me take care of you. Please.”
“I can take care of myself, Will!” I know that...
“But you don’t have to. I want to do that. Sweetheart, I don’t want to control you. There are no strings attached. I want to love you. Forever.” That’s all I want.
I lean in and brush my lips over hers, and her attention catches on something. She screams, “No!” and I’m on the floor before I know it, her body covering mine as gunfire rings out and glass shatters, raining shards over us, her face in my neck.
“I hope that was a goodbye kiss,” a deep voice growls. It takes another second for me to realise what’s going on. De Luca.
My brain is stuck for a second too long and Eva’s body is wrenched from mine. The terror on her face makes me feel sick and enraged in equal measure. But when his mouth moves close to her ear, I want to end him. “I waited for you. Why didn’t you show?” She flinches away and I know I need to find an angle.
“You going to play nice now, or do I have to kill you before I take my wife home?” It’s Eva’s reaction that scares me. She gives up fighting against his restraints. In a second. For me. She’d go with him, to save me. She’s trying to take care of you, my brain whispers and I understand. That she loves me. Really, really loves me. Like no one else ever has. Not the way she does.
Her eyes lift slowly to mine. The resolve is as plain as her pupils. This isn’t how it’s going to be. I lunge for her but De Luca is fast and lodges the business end of the gun under my jaw.
“Back the fuck up,” he snarls, his lip curling.
“No! No. Please. I’m coming. Let’s just go.” My world slams into blackness. She wants to go with him...? Doubt spreads through my brain like a virus and creeps around my throat, closing off my airway. My reason.
I watch his mouth seal on hers before she moves away from me and presses back into his chest. It’s all I can do to stay standing. Her chin dips down and her eyes squeeze shut. And then her head snaps back into his nose. The growl that rips from his throat kills the doubt dead. The blood pouring from his nostrils restores reason.
She’s still trying to protect me. But it’s my turn now. He coughs when Eva’s elbow drives into the space under his rib cage, and I knock the gun from his hand.
I’ve waited for this. Planned it. Dreamed it. And now I get to act it. My fist connects with the underside of his chin with practiced precision, snapping his head back.
Eva looks okay. Scared but okay. I return my attention to the man I’d do life for. He lunges and I dodge; he flies past me and I shove him to the ground. “Get up,” I growl.
He’s on his feet fast and lands a punch I don’t even feel, before I work his torso over, picturing the bones and organs being pounded and broken, until he locks his arms around me and takes us both down to the ground.
He rears up and Eva cries out. I watch his elbow pull back high...and then Eva is there, trying to yank him off me. No! I roll to the side as his elbow snaps back, right into her face.
A roar vibrates in my chest and I wrap my legs around his, then toss and pin him, knocking him clean out before all hell breaks loose just outside the door. I only care about one thing.
I spring to my feet and see Eva sprawled on the floor for a second time. “No! No, baby!” I lift her head and shoulders and press her to me as the room fills with soldiers and guns. Davey is dragging a guy, who’s barely conscious and covered in blood, around by his T-shirt.
His eyes go directly to Eva. “Fucking ambush,” he spits. “They knew De Luca was otherwise occupied and went for it.”
“Meaning?”
“Bells and Gary. Summer, Mum and...Mae.”
My stomach drops. I’m shaking as I try to ask...
“She’s fine. They’re all fine. Not a hair out of place. He...” He shakes the guy he’s dragging around like a ragdoll and his head flops like a wet fish. “...will be sorry he was fuckin’ born by mornin’.”
De Luca groans and his leg twitches. Davey dumps his doll on the ground and stalks over to De Luca. His leg swings back and his boot connects with the prone figure’s ribs. Crack!
“Wakey-wakey, now. You and I need to have a little chat.”
De Luca coughs, his knees pulling up. And then he croaks, “Davey?”
“Oh yeah. The very same.” He leans in, closer to his face. “And I brought my crowbar.” He turns his attention to the company of special ops. “Get him up!” he barks and De Luca is hauled to his feet and thrown into a chair. One of the soldiers sidesteps my way as Davey drags a chair around to directly in front of De Luca.
I can’t see his face. He’s wearing a balaclava, but it’s Sid’s voice talking to me as Davey laughs at De Luca. “Good going,” he says quietly. “De Luca is no soft target.” I glance up at him, but he’s looking at Eva. She groans and I pull her closer.
“Eva? Sweetheart, can you hear me?” She groans again and I stand, supporting her head, and lift her into my arms. She doesn’t need to be here. De Luca watches us go, his jaw working under his skin as Davey takes things up a level.
I carry Eva through the lobby and past the coffee bar, where some of my staff are herded and guarded by two more soldiers. There are gasps, wide eyes and gaping mouths. I can tell the soldiers are watching too, but they don’t speak. One nods ever so slightly at me. I have no idea who.
I stride through the door of the lounge and carry her to the sofa, where I snuggle her up and stroke her hair for who knows how long, until she comes around and pushes herself up a bit. “Hey.” I give her a weak smile that weakens further as I take in her newest bruise.
“Hey,” she says, her lip trembling. And she bursts into tears. I do my best to soothe her. To comfort her. And my head tries to come up with a reasonable-sounding explanation.
But I don’t need to. Davey almost sprints into the room, blood running down his arm, which he rubs off with his hand and then drags his palms over his T-shirt.
“Blue?” Eva gasps and sits up straight, her eyes following Davey’s progress. His head is down as he pulls the bottom of his T-Shirt up to clean his blood splattered face. Davey’s head snaps up when Eva makes a choking sound and he walks faster, stopping arm’s length away. He stoops a little, looking right in her eyes. “Blue?” After a beat, he reaches out and swipes her from my grasp, pressing her to him with one huge arm.
“Davey?” Her voice is shaking.
“Yeah, Blue. It’s me.” His eyes meet mine as she breaks down again and he mouths, “Thank you.”
He settles on the sofa with Eva in his lap, patiently rubbing her back, and I’m pretty sure he’s occasionally smelling her hair.
I’m waiting. For the shit to hit the fan. It doesn’t take long before Eva’s quiet and lucid enough to start asking questions. And I’m glad it’s not me who has to justify this one.
I sit silently and listen to him explain it all to her. The operation, the plot to capture her and Summer... And I’m surprised but grateful when he all but calls me a hero. It hasn’t escaped my notice that he’s left out some key points.
“Will gave us Dan. When he found out I was your brother and not some lunatic stalker, he lured him out of hiding and we came up with a plan to bring him in. He stole your phone, remember? Twice.” She gasps, her eyes flying to mine.
“Now do you believe I love you?” I ask quietly.
“You bloody idiot! You could have been killed!”
“I only ever loved you, baby,” I whisper as I pull her back to my chest and wrap my arms around her. Eva’s shoulders are shaking with renewed tears.
––––––––
By the time I go up to bed, after arranging rooms for all personnel, Eva is stretched out on one side of the L-shaped sofa and Davey is lying on the other half, his head next to hers. They’re both asleep, their hands joined with duvets half over themselves. It takes all of my self-control to leave her there and not bring her to my bed.
For now, she needs him more than she needs me. I’ll live with one night without her. I’ll have her for the rest of my life.