Chapter Three #2
“Only when I really want something.” I’m overwhelmed by his spicy masculine scent when he steps closer to me, resting his hand on my shoulder.
“Give me two hours, Evie. If you don’t have fun, I’ll never bother you again.
” His hand slides up my neck and pulls the band from my hair, letting it fall to my shoulders.
Warm breath bathes my ear, his lips hovering a centimeter away while he whispers, “Come with me, Evie.”
Damn. It. All. “Give me ten minutes,” I murmur, surrendering to him. It’s either go out with him or strip him right here. Either way, I know how this will end. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to climbing this man like a tree.
After a quick change into jeans, a red long sleeved blouse, and black converse sneakers, I run the straightener through my hair a few times and call it good. Showing up like this, he’s lucky I don’t go in pajamas.
“You’ll need a jacket, love,” he says with a smile that makes me want to take all these clothes right back off.
“It’s chilly.” I grab my jacket, and he takes my hand as I lock the door.
“I’m parked down the street,” he tells me, keeping hold of my hand while we walk.
I expect a sports car, the sort that screams playboy or mid-life crises, so I’m surprised when he opens the passenger door of a dark mid-sized sedan.
A satisfied smile settles on his face as he pulls into the flow of traffic.
“Alright, you’ve got me in your car. Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Your surprise better not include a bed.” Because I don’t have the willpower to say no.
“Well, damn, I’ll have to think of something else.” He glances at me when I take out my phone. “What are you doing?”
“Setting my alarm for two hours.” I can’t help but grin when his laughter fills the car.
When he lays his hand on my knee, I don’t hesitate to cover it with mine.
We pull into the empty parking lot of the Indianapolis Zoo and he smiles at the confusion on my face.
“Is this where you plan to dump my body? Because White River’s probably a better option. ”
“And waste a body like that? Never.” He parks at the front of the dim lot and hurries to open my door for me. I wonder if he’s the gentlemanly type in bed as well? “Do you like animals?”
“Of course.”
“What’s your favorite animal?” He wraps his arm around my shoulders as we walk toward the darkened entrance. “Bonobo’s, but Mason, it’s closed. They won’t let us in.”
“I donate to their cause, plus a friend of mine works here. He’ll meet us at the gate. A bonobo is a monkey, right?”
“A chimp. They’re our closest relatives.”
“Reed! About damn time.” A thin blond man greets us at the gate. “Come on back.”
Mason nods at his friend. “Larry, this is Evie, my date.”
Larry grins and shakes my hand. “Poor girl. Would you like me to lock him up so you can escape? Call you a cab?”
“Not yet, but I’ll keep it in mind.” Mason shakes his head, and I laugh. “I like your friend.”
“Watch it, baby,” he growls, pulling us hip to hip.
We follow Larry along a dimly lit path through the exhibits until he stops. “You’re just in time to feed him,” he says, unlocking a heavy metal door.
Feed what? What am I walking into? It suddenly occurs to me I don’t really know either of these men. They could be leading me into a tiger’s cage. Mason squeezes my hand when I retreat. “Feed what?”
“Oh, nothing dangerous, Miss. He’s just a baby.”
Mason wraps an arm around me, and I lean into his warmth. “I wouldn’t put you in danger, love. Trust me.”
Nodding, I allow them to lead me inside. Just a baby, he said, but a baby what? Baby monkey, fine. Baby tarantula or alligator, not so much. When we round the corner, I freeze at the sight of a full grown panda asleep behind a wall of glass.
Larry shakes his head and says, “She’s sedated, poor thing. She’s ill and hasn’t been able to nurse her cub.”
“Will she live?”
“I hope so.” Larry disappears behind a partition.
Mason runs his thumb along my jaw as I stare at the beautiful sleeping bear. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, she’s beautiful,” I exclaim, moving closer to the glass. “I’ve never seen a panda. I heard a zoo in Georgia has one, but…”
“Yes, this is only temporary and the public won’t see them,” Larry says, returning with a bundle wrapped in a gray blanket. “Tomorrow they’ll be moved to an animal hospital where they’re better equipped to care for them.”
My heart stops when he pulls back the edge of the blanket to reveal a tiny white and black fuzz ball. “Oh! So adorable!”
“He’s six weeks old so his fur is starting to come in. He can’t see or stand yet, not for another two months or so.” Tiny cries emanate from the little creature. “He’s hungry,” Larry says, producing a bottle. “Would you like to feed him?”
“Feed him? I want to take him home,” I reply as he gently rests the bundled cub in my arms. Mason leads me to a small sofa and sits beside me while I put the bottle to the cub’s mouth. After a second, he latches on, and I laugh with delight.
The click of Mason’s cell phone camera makes me look up. “You’ll want to remember this,” he says with a soft smile.
“Look at him. Isn’t he the most beautiful thing?” I run my fingers through the silky fur on the cub’s belly.
“Almost,” Mason replies with a grin, and I feel a blush climb my cheeks. I’m in so much trouble.
The little guy falls asleep by the end of the bottle, and I’m able to spend a few minutes just holding him.
His fur is thin and downy soft under my fingers.
This is one of those things I know I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
The average person doesn’t ever see a panda outside of a T.V.
screen, and I held one, fed him. It’s an amazing experience.
“I should put him back in the incubator,” Larry says. “We have to keep him warm.”
“Of course.” I reluctantly hand him over. “Thank you so much for letting me visit.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you could see him.” Larry returns the baby panda to its bed and walks us out the door.
“So,” Mason teases with a grin. “Want to go hold the snakes before we leave?”
“Sure, I had a five foot ball python when I was a kid.”
“Of course you did.” He laughs. “Is there anything you’re afraid of?”
Right now? Him, but there’s no way I’m admitting that. “Spiders.”
“Ugh. I’m in total agreement.”
Larry says goodbye to us at the gate, and Mason tucks me against his side as we walk to the car. He’s so warm, I can’t help but lean into him, and he drops a quick kiss on my temple. “Well, did I keep my part of the bargain? Did you have fun?”
We stop beside the car, and I slip my arms around his waist. “That was amazing. I’ll never forget it. Thank you for bringing me, for showing me something so rare and special.”
“Like you,” he murmurs, sliding his hand into my hair to cup my head.
“Are you comparing me to a panda?” I whisper, my breath catching as his gaze drops to my lips.
“Rare and special,” he murmurs, his mouth grazing softly across mine with the softest of kisses. “My panda.”
Who the hell could resist this man? When his soft lips press firmly against mine, every inch of my body tingles. My skin flushes with heat as he takes my mouth with his, nibbling and sucking. His hands cup my face while his tongue flicks between my lips.
A small moan escapes me when he deepens the kiss. I don’t know how long we stand there, exploring and tasting. Time seems to have no meaning when I’m in this man’s arms. “Come home with me,” he says when we break the kiss. “I promise I’ll make it good, Everly.”
God, I love how he says my name. “Are you promising I’ll have fun?” I tease.
“Time of your life, love.” My phone alarm blares and he gives me a crooked smile. “I’ll need more than two hours this time.”
* * * *
I expect an apartment or condo downtown, so I’m surprised when we head north of the city. “You live in the suburbs?”
“Not exactly. I like my privacy. No close neighbors to hear you scream my name.” I shake my head at him, but can’t help the grin on my face.
“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not a screamer.”
“I take that as a challenge.”
We pull into a gated community, and he stops to enter a code at the gate, waving to the security guard as we pass through.
The neat streets are lined with two and three story houses, all well spaced and immaculate.
I can almost smell the money. How does he afford this?
I can’t imagine owning a charity brings in much.
“What do you do? I mean other than Striking Back?”
“I teach Mixed Martial Arts a couple days a week.”
That explains that body. All those muscles, soft-hearted, and he can fight. I feel my panties trying to pull themselves down. “Did you ever fight professionally?”
He looks at me like I’m trying to trick him. “Are you serious?”
“Sorry, I just thought if you taught, maybe you used to fight.”
“I did. I retired a few years ago. Now I teach, help train the next generation of fighters,” he replies, pulling into a circular driveway at the end of a cul-de-sac. A large two story brick home looms large in the dark.
“I can actually see stars out here,” I remark with a grin as he leads me to his front door.
“I like being outside the city, away from all the noise and pollution.”
“Me, too. I love the country.”
“Make yourself at home,” he says, leading me into his living room. “I’ll start a fire.”
I take a seat on his long black sectional couch, and my eyes don’t leave his body as he squats to arrange the logs in the fireplace.
His shirt rides up, showing a bare strip of skin above his jeans, and I wonder if he’s a boxer or briefs man.
If it’s boxer briefs, I’m going to lose it.
After lighting the fire, he heads toward the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Water, please.”
When he returns, he hands me a bottle of water and places another on the coffee table. ‘So, you like the outdoors? Do you like to camp?”