Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Eve
A Month Later
I stand on the rooftop deck of my brand new house, staring over the river that separates my place from the buildings just on the other side. I rented this house sight unseen, so I wasn’t really prepared for the view.
The University of Washington Medical School stares back at me, set apart by a mere quarter of a mile and a little bridge. I knew that my new house was close to where I’m going to school but… the realtor really undersold just how close. I feel like I could bring a rock up to the rooftop here and hit the medical school on a good day.
Looking out at the school fills me with a burst of hope. Things are definitely going to be different here, that’s for sure. It’s late afternoon in early August, the weather hot and humid. But things are looking brighter now, especially for me.
My controlling father is three thousand miles away. I have this nice new house in a hip neighborhood, to live in and explore. And I’m finally going to start med school, albeit a semester later than all my peers.
If only my mom could see me now… I think she would be proud. A little knot of sadness forms in the pit of my stomach at the thought. Losing her changed everything. It changed me. Watching her suffer from uterine cancer before she died, and not being able to do anything about it, was torturous. After she died, I told myself I never wanted anyone to suffer that way again. I decided eventually to become an OB/GYN so I could try to save as many lives as possible. We’ll never know if catching it earlier would have saved my mother or not, but it would have at least kept her around a little longer if we’d treated it sooner.
Walking into the living room, I peel my pants off and toss them on a chair. Then I sprawl on the couch. I look around for a second, taking the whole of the airy first floor space in. It’s all decorated in light gray and white, even the slate floors.
I love that it’s all mine.
Pursing my lips, I decide that what this room needs is some color. Not much, just a few pops. Some colorful throws and pillows. Some whimsical decorations and family photos. And definitely a few houseplants are in order.
I stand up again, heading over to the huge bay window that the draws light into the living room. I squint down into the yard, spotting a blue plastic bag stuck in a shrub, blowing this way and that when the wind changes directions.
Seriously? I’ve been in this house for like five minutes. Certainly not long enough for my yard to be filling with trash. I grab my phone as I’m waiting for my father to call; it wouldn’t be wise to miss his communication, even though I don’t know exactly when it will happen.
My father has a crazy temper, one that makes my personality seem sparkling by comparison. Anything can set him off, so… I’ll just keep my phone close by until he deigns to call me.
That plastic bag in the bushes? He would hate that.
I hurry to the front door, flinging it open and pausing to make sure my t-shirt is pulled down long enough to cover my panties before trotting down the front steps. I snag the plastic bag and head to the trash bins, placed discreetly along the side of the house.
As I make my way back, I see a flash of something orange on the steps. A fluffy little kitten startles at the sound of my footsteps, skittering off the porch and darting into the bushes.
I wait for a second to see if it will come back. But it isn’t interested in my attentions, apparently.
I am worried that is going to be a recurrent theme here in Seattle.
Sighing, I head back up to my front door. Steeling myself against the heat, I reach for the handle, which startles me by not turning. Frowning, I rattle the door handle for a few seconds.
Yeah, the door is locked.
I’m locked out of my house. Not only that, but I’m not even wearing pants.
Making a frustrated noise, I hit the door. Then I look down to the phone in my hand.
Who can I call? My half-brother Aiden and his girlfriend Olivia are over an hour away. The real estate agent might have keys, but she’s on the other side of the city. If I can even reach her, that is…
Groaning to myself, I turn and trot down the steps of my porch. I walk outside of my fence, wrapping my arms around myself. God, how stupid can I be, getting caught outside with no keys, no shoes, and no pants?
The heat rises off the pavement, stinging my bare feet as I walk down to the end of my block. There, my quiet residential side street meets up with a bridge that runs over the river to the med school. A car passes me as I hop onto a perfectly manicured lawn, trying to decide which way to go.
On one hand, the med school isn’t that far away. And I know I would be welcome there… if they are open on the Sunday before classes start. There are some businesses that I noticed in the neighborhood on the way in, but I have no idea if they are going to be friendly or not.
A few joggers pass me as I stand here, feeling like I’m a stranger in a strange land. One guy runs past me, stops, then backs up. He is tall and broad, wrapped in black running leggings and a black t-shirt. Wrapped around his waist is a lightweight black jacket.
“Eve?” he asks.
I take him in for a second, my face turning red, before recognition hits me.
The hot guy I’ve practiced my flirting on? The rich heartthrob that I have dreamt about since I moved here? My adopted half-brother’s brother?
That’s exactly who stares back at me, his expression just short of a deer in headlights.
“Carter?” I’m more than a little surprised to see him here. “What— why?—”
“Jesus Eve,” he breaks in. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you wearing any pants?”
I wrap my arms around myself again, my forehead creasing. “I just moved in down the street. I locked myself out of my house.”
“For fuck’s sake. Why did you even come out without clothes?” Carter immediately starts peeling off his jacket, still breathing a little harshly as he offers it to me. His bare arms are something to behold, the muscles bulging a little bit. You know, just enough to make me drool. The jacket is still warm from his body heat, the slick fabric curling under my trembling fingers.
It feels like decadent armor against the prying eyes of the entire neighborhood.
“I can’t take your jacket!” I protest.
He shakes his head, disgusted. He leans down, using his height to intimidate me. And it actually kind of works. “You’re going to take the jacket and you’re going to be grateful about it.”
That stops me short. Carter is one of those guys. Those handsome and rich guys that hardly ever hear the word no. He always manages to be more bossy than me, which puts me on unsure footing.
He’s just lucky he’s hot.
“Thanks,” I say, but I wrinkle my nose as I say it. Wrapping the jacket around my waist, I do my best to act casual. “What are you doing here?”
“Come on.” He grabs my arm, towing me in the opposite direction from the bridge. “I keep a place a few blocks from here. I’m starting a new job close by soon, otherwise I would probably be in Port Angeles like Aiden.”
His hand is warm against my skin. I shiver even though it’s hot as Hades outside. He eyes me sternly.
“I don’t have shoes on,” I say, like it isn’t obvious.
“It’s just another block this way. Don’t be melodramatic.”
I roll my eyes a little. Even though he’s helping me, he’s just so… pushy and domineering about it. Carter is just like all the guys at my father’s golf club. Only he’s hardly in his thirties, unlike all those sixty-something windbags.
Also he’s like… dreamy. Or something.
He stops outside a tall gray house. It’s well-maintained and tidy, with a tiny patch of lawn and a white picket fence. When he releases me and opens the gate, ushering me inside, I resist a little.
“This is your place?”
He scowls at me. “Yes. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get inside before one of us melts from merely standing under the sun. Is that okay?”
Carter doesn’t wait for an answer. He just barges ahead, eager to get inside. I can’t help the pout that takes over my expression. I follow him up the porch steps, watching as he pulls off his shoe and digs the key out.
Then he lets himself in, standing by the door with an impatient expression. I hurry inside, appreciating the instant coolness. He closes the door behind me, leaving me to look around the large kitchen area. I can see a couch, a tv, and a couple doors off to the right. There are stacks of moving boxes tucked away out of sight in front of the TV. There’s also a stairway that leads up to, presumably, bedrooms and perhaps an office.
“Did you just move in?” I wonder aloud.
“Can you tell?” He shoots me a look. “I just moved in a couple of weeks ago.”
“It looks like you’re still in the middle of unpacking.”
I cut my eyes at a jumble of cutlery sitting on the counter and Carter frowns. He points to the phone clutched in my hand, all but forgotten in the excitement.
“Is that working still?”
“Yeah, I—” Glancing down at the screen, I see that my phone is on silent somehow. Not only that, but there are two missed calls from my father. “Shit.”
A sigh is already on Carter’s lips. “What?”
“Umm.” I drop the phone to my side. Calculating the amount of trouble I’m now in with dad will take more time than I have. I dart my tongue out to wet my bottom lip. “Nothing. It’s just… how did I not know you were going to be here? Living a few blocks away, I mean.”
He shrugs. “You didn’t ask, as far as I know. It’s not like I knew you were going to show up here either. Though I don’t exactly mind knowing that you live close by.”
“No?” I ask, giving him a teasing smile.
“Nope.” He smirks faintly and shakes his head. “You know, living this close, I can tutor you on my methods of memorizing body parts. I am very thorough.”
His teasing tone isn’t lost on me. In fact it makes me tremble, just slightly.
Carter steps closer to me, making me aware of how much space he takes up in his small house. I color, even though I started the flirtation. I may talk a big game, but I don’t actually know how to follow through with any it.
At the moment, I find myself tongue tied, my gaze dipping down to his mouth.
Oh, the things I’ll bet he can do with those lips and that tongue.
“So… if you’re free…” I start, taking a step toward him, angling at closing the distance. His gaze is more than interested, slipping down to my mouth, my tits.
When we finally bang, I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be amazing. I’m starting a new school in a new city. Why not leave my old uptight habits behind along with my old life?
Suddenly an alarm goes off, startling both of us. He looks at his watch. He groans. “That’s my one hour reminder. I have to shower. I have an appointment and I can’t be late.”
My mouth twists. I step closer, bridging the gap between us. I don’t quite touch him, but I look up at him with a meaningful gaze. “Not even for me?”
It comes out sounding more like a whiny little girl than the breathy sexpot that I meant it to but… I meant the question in earnest. Carter slowly shakes his head.
“The dean waits for no man,” he declares. “Even you, tempting seductress though you are. We can rain check for tonight or tomorrow if you want.”
That makes me pout.
“I’m not sure,” I say.
He slides me a sideways glance, then glances at his watch again. He heads for one of the doors toward the back of the house. “I really have to get ready. And I assume that you don’t want to join me in the shower so… I’ll leave you to figure out who you’re going to call, Eve. I’ll be thinking about you when I’m in the shower, though…”
Then he pulls his t-shirt up over his head, exposing miles of smooth ridges of muscle. His arms aren’t the only thing worth drooling over… he has an amazing chest, incredible six pack abs, and an Adonis belt that most women would probably kill over.
My jaw drops. Carter just smirks, throwing the t-shirt at my head.
“Stop staring,” he says slyly, his tone teasing. “It’s not ladylike . And get someone on the phone that can unlock your doors. Also, feel free to find a pair of jeans or shorts in my dresser, so you aren’t so…exposed.”
Snapping my jaw shut, I glare at him. But my glare is kind of lost on him because he just disappears behind one of the white doors. In my hand, my phone starts to buzz.
I look down at the screen.
Daddy.
He’s calling for the third time. He’s going to be pissed when I finally talk to him. Swallowing hard, I just let it ring until it goes to voicemail. In the meantime, I look up the closest locksmith, calling as soon as the line is clear.
Sliding my gaze back to the door that Carter vanished through, I sigh. At least I’ve already found one familiar face… though I wouldn’t call Carter friendly, exactly.
Then again, I’m pretty used to not having any friends. Sighing, I start to make arrangements to get back into my house.