AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Man, I wish I could remember," Andrew said, frowning and shaking his head. "Is Val an actor or something?"
I kept my trap shut, sealed with invisible duct tape.
"Yeah," Krista said, "now that you mention it, he does seem familiar."
Jeremy, Krista's fiancé, jogged up to us. "Hey, Eve, great to see you." He hugged me and slipped an arm around Krista while still watching me. "Why didn't you tell us you have a famous guest?"
"Famous?" Krista said. "You know who he is? We've been trying to figure out why Val looks familiar, but Eve won't tell us."
"He's Val Silva, the soccer champ who took the Brazilian team to the Olympics and scored the goal that won them a gold medal."
Please, please, please let that be all he knows.
"An athlete?" Krista said. "Well, that explains the sizzlin' bod."
"Yeah, he was an athlete," Jeremy said. "I think he's a model now. He used to like to strip buck naked at the end of every winning game."
Aw, fuck. Why did I have such sucky luck? I'd met Jeremy several times before, but I didn't know him well. Why couldn't he be the kind of guy who played video games all day? No, of course he had to be a soccer fan.
Krista looked at me like she'd never seen me before. "Evie hooked up with an exhibitionist?"
Jeremy squinted like he was thinking hard. His expression brightened, and he lifted a finger. "I remember the rest. Val Silva was notorious for being a nudist, but he got to be really infamous after everybody saw his sex tape."
I winced. Double fuck with a side of shit and a goddamn on top. The universe was punishing me for all my past transgressions. Sleeping with Cody and Aaron. Sleeping with Quentin. Spying on Val while he gave himself a happy ending, getting naked with Val in public, doing him in the hot spring, the list went on and on. Since Val arrived, I'd become a sex-crazed moron.
No, I hadn't done anything wrong. So what if everyone knew about Val's sex tape? I had no desire to get entangled in a relationship with him. His past had no bearing on my life or anything we did together. A surprise visit from my family had knocked me off balance, that was all.
My sister gaped at me, though I got the impression it wasn't all horror. There seemed to be a bit of awe in there too. "Evie, you naughty girl. No wonder you're glowing. A man like Val could perk up any woman."
I crossed my arms over my chest and said nothing, hoping my small smile came off as enigmatic.
"Everybody thinks I'm the bad girl in the family," Krista said. "All I did was flash my tits during Mardi Gras. But Evie, you… Wow, I didn't know you had a wild streak."
She sounded impressed rather than disgusted.
I excused myself to mingle with my guests, claiming I needed to check on whether they needed anything. Really, I needed a break from the pseudo-inquisition from my smart-mouthed siblings. For the rest of the day, I juggled spending time with my family and struggling to take care of my guests at the same time. When Dad and Andrew heard about the burst pipe, they insisted on fixing things for me. Val volunteered to help them, but they needed supplies first.
Val insisted I go with him into town to get those supplies.
And yeah, he wore clothes.
Well, sort of. His shorts were so short and tight they could've passed for briefs. His short-sleeve shirt was looser-fitting. He'd opted to wear the same sandals he'd had on when we sneaked off to the hot spring. No matter what he wore, he looked good enough to lick and nibble and fondle from head to toe.
Mm, I'd done all of that this week.
I drove the truck, though Val tried to talk me into letting him take the wheel.
"You're a guest," I said. "It's bad enough you insist on helping with the repairs. I am not letting you drive. Enjoy the scenery like a good little tourist."
"Are you upset about what happened? Your family knows about us."
"Everyone knows." I glanced at him sideways. "I'm sorry about the parental inquisition. My dad has never done that before."
"Should I be offended or flattered he gave me special treatment?"
"Not sure." I steered the truck around a corner while I thought about whether to tell him what my sister and brother had figured out. What the hell. Val wouldn't care. "Andrew and Krista know about your, um, antics on the football field. Krista's fiancé, Jeremy, recognized you. And he had also seen the sex tape."
"I know. Jeremy, Andrew, and I had a good long chat. They're very protective of you."
