Chapter 13 #3
“Ugh…get out of my brain,” she mumbled, turning her phone over and ignoring her brother’s texts.
In twenty-four hours, she was going to leave and have to deal with all her feelings and frustrations about pretty much everything.
But for now, all she wanted was to just finish her work here for Milo, have a fun dinner with everyone, and then have one last night with Slater.
And she seriously hoped that last one didn’t involve sleep.
Pushing aside all the sexy things she wanted to do with him one last time, Evie forced herself to focus on what needed to be done here in the office.
There was a patent that needed to be filed, several appointments that needed to be confirmed, and calendars that needed to be synced so that East Coast and West Coast could communicate during proper work hours.
Milo had brought a team of six here to Harbortown, but none of them were in the office today.
The transition of moving cross-country, finding places to live, and all that went with it meant that the last month had been mildly chaotic.
Come Monday morning, they would have everything settled and ready for them to work just like they did back in Seattle.
“The only thing missing will be me,” she said miserably.
She’d asked Milo about hiring an assistant here for them, but he was confident that she’d be able to handle everything remotely. And while she was away on vacation for the next ten days, Evie’s assistant would handle everything.
They were a well-oiled machine, and she knew it was a good thing. It meant things ran smoothly, there were no surprises, and she could relax about taking time off and not coming back to any major issues.
It was predictable.
Just like me.
Now she was even more depressed.
Suddenly, it felt like her entire life wasn’t okay with her anymore, but again, was it all because she didn’t want to leave Slater?
The thought never had time to take hold because her assistant was calling, and Evie was beyond grateful for the distraction.
Milo came back to the office for his conference call, but Evie was completely done for the day. “Take the car and go back to the resort. I’ll have Nora pick me up later.”
“Are you sure? I mean…I can probably find something to do.”
But he shook his head. “Don’t be silly. Go back to the resort and enjoy the rest of the day. I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”
It was pointless to argue, so she simply thanked him, gathered her stuff, and left.
The drive back to the resort didn’t take long, and she allowed herself to take in the beauty of it all. It wasn’t like it was so different from the Pacific Northwest, but there was still a uniqueness to it that she marveled at.
Driving through the resort gates, she looked up at the massive lodge and wished she had spent a night in one of the rooms. She could have at any time, but when given the choice between a room to herself or a cabin with Slater, there had been no contest.
“Maybe on my next visit,” she whispered as she grabbed her satchel and climbed out of the car.
There were guests going about their day and she waved to a few before she headed off on the path to the owners’ cabins.
She had thought about texting Slater and letting him know she was heading back, but if they were going to make a clean break, she didn’t want to spend their last day together being clingy.
No matter how much she wanted to be.
At the cabin, she was about to unlock the door when it opened. Slater greeted her with a sexy grin as he reached out and gently tugged her inside. He was shirtless, his hair was damp, and there were still a few water droplets on his chest from his shower that she desperately wanted to lick off.
“Milo texted that you were on your way back, so I figured I’d be here to greet you,” he said, walking backward toward the bedroom.
There were several questions on the tip of her tongue, but she ignored them all and simply let her satchel and tote bag drop to the floor as he led her across the room.
As soon as they crossed the threshold of the bedroom, Slater hauled her in close and kissed her until her knees were weak and she barely knew her own name.
When they broke the kiss, Evie pulled back slightly and whipped her shirt up over her head and tossed it aside, not caring where it landed. Her back hit the mattress seconds before Slater’s body covered hers. His mouth claimed hers, and then it was madness all over again.
Something she loved.
Her hands raked up into his hair as she wrapped herself around him, holding him as close as possible, even as she cursed the fact that they were both still dressed.
Well, except for their shirts.
With his hands roaming all over her bare torso, she wondered if it would always be like this—if she weren’t leaving—or if the need and urgency would lessen over time.
It had to, right?
She’d never been in a relationship long enough to know. Plus, she’d never been in a relationship where she felt this strongly.
Hell, she’d never been in love.
And yeah, she knew without a doubt that she was in love with Slater.
Had probably always been in love with Slater since the first day he swaggered into Milo’s office and handed her a cup of coffee.
As if sensing her thoughts, Slater broke the kiss, lifted his head and looked down at her.
His expression was intense. “I know we need to meet everyone for dinner, but I needed this. I needed you,” he said gruffly as he reached up and caressed her cheek, studying her face. “I didn’t want to wait until later.”
She couldn’t hide her smile. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
His own smile was slow and sexy as hell.
“We’ve only got a couple of hours, and I want to use every damn second making you feel good, Evie.
” Ducking his head, he kissed her cheek.
“I want to make you scream my name as you lose control.” He kissed her other cheek.
“I want to take my time loving every inch of you. And tonight, when we come back here after dinner, I want to do it all again. All night.” He kissed her lips.
“Sweetly.” Another kiss. “Until you beg me to stop.”
With a slight shiver, Evie’s hand moved from his hair down over his shoulder and chest before dropping to her side. “That’ll never happen,” she whispered, her eyes drinking in the sight of him. “I never want you to stop.”
“Good,” he said with a curt nod, right before he slowly leaned in to kiss her again.
After that, everything changed—their movements became less frantic.
Touches became soft caresses. Kisses lingered rather than devoured.
It was all slow and sensual and so damn perfect that she wanted to cry because it wasn’t fair.
This wasn’t just sex; this was making love and it was erotic and sensual on a whole different level that she never knew existed.
She lost track of time, and her focus was solely on Slater and the pleasure he was giving her, and on giving it back to him.
I love you…
The words played over and over in her mind, but she couldn’t make herself say them, partly because he was making her body feel so many things that her senses were on overdrive. But the bottom line was that she was afraid.
Afraid to say the words and ruin the moment.
And afraid that she’d say them and he wouldn’t say them back.
So for now, she held on to him, cataloging every touch to memory, knowing the clock was ticking. They were going to need to meet their friends soon, and even if they stayed up all night, the sun was still going to come up tomorrow and take her away from here.