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We came down from the high, and I waited for the awkwardness to set in, or the regret, but neither came. There was only an overwhelming sense of peace, of…happiness.
“Are you okay?” I asked, rising above her and tucking a curl behind her ear. That had been way harder than I’d intended to be with her.
“Better than okay.” She grinned. “I’m fucking great.” She leaned up and kissed me. “How long do you think you need before we can do that again?”
My cock jumped in answer, already rising for more.
“Now,” I answered with a kiss. “Now is good.”
And it was.
10
EVIE
“You’re joking,” I said as Maxim walked us toward the historic white building in the heart of Charleston. We’d just finished a lovely low-key dinner up the road at a little local place with to-die-for pasta and absolutely no hint of paparazzi in sight.
Maxim smiled at me, something that continuously made my heart flutter the more he did it. And the grin he gave me? It was different than the ones I saw in magazines or online sports articles and gossip rags. This was genuine, vulnerable, and real.
Mine. That smile belonged to me.
Evangeline is mine.
The words he’d uttered almost two weeks ago when he’d claimed me for the first time rippled through my body like an electric current.
I couldn’t help but return his enthusiasm, even if I felt like I needed to pinch myself the last week and a half. A week and a half of unhinged passion, untamable lust, and unmatched joy. After that first time…
My cheeks heated with the rush of memories spilling over me like warm honey.
Well, we hadn’t been able to keep our hands off each other, something I never in a million years thought I’d be able to experience. I mean, who would’ve ever guessed that Maxim Zolotov would insist on taking me out on a surprise date just so we could get some air?
“Do you like this one?” Maxim asked as he held one of the double doors open for me.
“I love it,” I said, admiring the white architecture of the local bookstore. “It focuses on local talent as well as hosts historical tours highlighting the rich past of Charleston. It was one of the first places I checked out when we moved here.”
“Of course it was,” he said.
I arched a brow, stepping close enough that our bodies brushed as he continued to hold that door open. “What?” I teased. “Not used to having a girl around who actually loves to read?”
He pursed his lips, and I was immediately distracted. Those lips had done unspeakable things to my body. Had kissed every inch of my skin and discovered spots of pure pleasure I’d never known existed before.
“Evie,” he said, his voice low as he leaned down a fraction. “I’ve never known you to have claws.”
I chuckled. “I don’t have claws—”
“And yet that little dig at the past women in my life was a bit sassy.”
I parted my lips, then closed them as I shook my head. “You’re right,” I hurried to say. “I’m sorry. That was incredibly unfair of me. I have no idea who you’ve been with and what they enjoyed.” For all I knew, Maxim’s past conquests could’ve been freaking scholar geniuses who just happened to be models and A-list actresses too.
“Hey,” he said, tipping my chin up with his free hand. “Don’t apologize. I like it when you get sassy.”
I grinned up at him before I walked into the store, stopping just inside it where a joyful looking woman waited for us.
“Good evening, Mr. Zolotov,” the lady said, then gestured behind her. “The store is all yours. I will be next door at the café. You have my number, give me a ring when you’re done.” She smiled at the pair of us, then headed to the doors we’d just come through and flipped the open sign to closed, and shut the doors behind her.
“Wait, what?” I asked, flashing a confused glance up to Maxim.
“I thought you’d like the bookstore all to yourself,” he said.
I gaped at him. “You…” I shook my head, glancing around the totally vacant store. “You rented out a bookstore for the night?”
Maxim smirked. “Well, technically it’s for a few hours. They have a ghost tour meeting here at ten p.m..”
I glanced at my watch, then back up to him. “You rented the place for five hours?”
“Yes.” He said the words so casually, like people did this all the time. “You love books,” he said, a burst of apprehension flickering over his features.
“I do,” I said, still slightly stunned.
Maxim stepped toward me, his hands gentle on my shoulders. “Then why do you look so confused?”
“It’s just that people don’t do this in my world, Maxim,” I said.
He furrowed his brow, his hands dropping away from my shoulders as he took a step away from me. I felt the distance like a tug to my heart. “It’s too much,” he said, that iciness so common in his blue eyes taking over the relaxed happiness from earlier.
