Page 7 of Royal Bastard

3

Evie

“Hey, I’m going to that new Thai place when we finish today, do you want to go with me?” Alana broke my concentration and I looked away from the brief I was typing up.

“I can’t…” I started to brush the invitation aside but then realized how much money I’d put into the bank over the last month. I hadn’t realized this job would benefit me in that way—not that much anyway—and decided to treat myself. “You know what? That sounds nice actually. Thanks.”

My decision didn't have anything to do with our boss or the hope that he might go to dinner with Alana, as he sometimes did. I really had found a new confidence in myself since starting this job, and it came from more than just the fact I had money in my bank account. I’d learned new skills; Alana and I had become friends, and men looked at me with interest. Overall, every day showed me more of just what I could accomplish.

“Great! We should be done by five, I'll make a reservation for five-thirty.” Alana moved on with a happy bounce in her step, it was the first time I had accepted one of her dinner invitations. Currently unattached and with no children of her own, she spent a lot of her evenings by herself.

I’d invited her to dinner at my apartment, a complex provided by the government for those in need, and she’d been gracious enough to accept. I still found it difficult to cook for one person when I’d spent so many years cooking for four and I often made far too much, even when I tried to only make enough for one. I'd also gone for dinner in her much nicer apartment.

We never talked about Henry or about other people from work, just our daily lives, the television shows we liked, and what our hopes were for the future. She knew I wanted to get custody of my daughters back and fully supported me. I knew she wanted to go back to school to be a chef, but she thought it was a silly idea and less lucrative than the job she had now. I thought it would also be a more physically demanding choice but like her I liked the idea of cooking for a living. When I cooked I felt at peace and the world made sense. Lately I'd had little that gave me peace. Until now, that is.

I went back to my task and tried not to think about the handsome man who’d made it all possible. Henry was very handsome and he had the most provocative eyes. He also made me feel at ease when he was around and often made me laugh when he wiggled his eyebrows or made a joke.

He knew my situation and didn’t judge me as many people had. My life had never been simple, and I was still saving money to afford an attorney to fight Aaron. Henry never treated me with disrespect or in a way that would demean me. He was just inquisitive, attentive, and kind. I was developing a rather serious crash on him, but it was my secret and one I never planned to divulge to anybody.

Just the thought of my crush on him was enough to make my cheeks hot. In many ways I still thought of myself as Aaron’s wife and the thought of having a crush on another man seemed wrong. He was single, and I was legally unattached so there really was no reason to be embarrassed or ashamed, but I’d had such steamy dreams about him that I lived in a permanent state of embarrassment around him.

When you’ve dreamed about having a man’s head between your thighs it can be very hard to look him in the eyes afterwards. Since the day I met him I’d had these kinds of dreams about him. Henry was very different compared to my ex-husband. Where Aaron was tall and starting to put on weight, Henry was lean and muscular. Henry was a year or two older than Aaron, but he was in much better shape and far more handsome.

It probably was not fair to compare the two, but Aaron had always been less concerned about appearances and more concerned about keeping his family at home. He hadn’t even wanted the girls to attend public school, but I’d insisted. He’d always wanted control and our past ensured that I gave it to him. Even after he’d left me and installed his new girlfriend in our house he tried to control me. He abused his position as my husband before our divorce was finalized to have me involuntarily committed and kept me there so I missed the court dates for the custody hearings.

I’d suffered with depression and anxiety after he’d kicked me out, but it was nothing that should have warranted institutionalization. When I was released, a court appointed attorney helped me to obtain the final divorce, but it tormented me that I wasn’t allowed to see my daughters and that I hadn’t been allowed the chance to explain why I hadn’t been at the hearings. I really wanted my daughters back, but I also knew I needed to take time for myself.

For now, I allowed my mind the small indulgence of a fantasy or two about my boss. He was definitely worthy of any woman’s fantasy. My treatment after I was released had left me with little confidence, although I had little to begin with. A month after I started here at henry’s firm, my confidence had started to soar.

“Evie do you have that brief ready yet?” The man who filled my thoughts lately now stood behind me while he waited for an answer.

I was in the office I shared with Alana, just in front of his, and turned in the office chair to look at him. “Yeah, it’s ready.”

And so am I, I wanted to add, but held my tongue. My eyes fell down to my knees and my cheeks became even hotter, so I stared at his shoes.

“Has it printed?” His sensual voice drew my eyes up once more to his face, and our eyes locked together.

His were smiling, mine probably looked terrified. The way he made me feel, like a woman without inhibitions, was kind of scary, but he made me feel alive too, even without trying. The fact his gaze met mine was something that always made me feel good.

“Evie?” His smile was indulgent while he waited for my answer.

I barely stopped myself from the eyeroll at my own stupidity, but I think I saved myself when I turned back to the laptop in front of me and sent the file to the printer. “It’s just printing now.”

“Thanks so much. How are you doing today?” His question made me turn back around.

“I’m good, just a little tired, my dreams kept waking me up.” I gave a bland smile, one I hoped wouldn’t invite questions because I really hadn’t meant to admit that.

“Oh? Bad dreams?” He looked concerned and shifted forward, his brows knitted together. Did he want to save me from my bad dreams, I wondered?

“Not really, just, disturbing.” I wanted to turn back to the screen, but I faced him instead.

“Maybe some nice music would soothe you while you’re asleep?” Why did he look as though he’d winced just then? “I’ve, ahem, heard that music is good… for sleep.”

His cheeks turned a little pink and my head tilted to the side a fraction. Was he blushing? Why would he blush?

“Right, I need to look this over. See you later, Evie. Thanks so much, you’re doing a fantastic job!”

I knew Henry was a very serious man most of the time, and that he was very driven by his career and his philanthropic endeavors, but he’d only mentioned something that could help me sleep. Surely his morals weren’t so rigid that even chat about a thing like the best way to sleep would make him blush?