Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
E van woke to a wonderful scent next to his nose.
When his eyes opened, he inhaled sharply.
Mercedes and her gorgeous curls rested on the pillow next to his.
Memories of last night spilled over into this mind, and a surge of desire raced through him.
Wow. It was the only word that came to his mind right now.
The night had been a mind-blowing scene of passion and emotion.
The love he felt for this woman expanded and covered everything near him.
As he gazed at her lovely features, he wanted to make love to her again, show her exactly how he felt and what she did to him, but they’d been up late and she probably needed her sleep.
He’d never be able to go back to sleep with her curled up right there. Carefully sliding out, he picked up his clothes from the floor and slunk from the room. Once he tossed the tux onto his bed, which hadn’t been made from the day before, he jumped in for a quick shower, then into his truck.
At the bakery down the street, he picked out some pastry and coffee for her and a hot chocolate for himself. She was most likely still asleep, seeing as it was barely eight, but he hated to be away from her for any length of time.
What if she thought it was a mistake, though?
She’d claimed she wasn’t drunk, but he’d seen her with a few glasses of wine throughout the day.
He hoped she didn’t regret being with him.
It had been the most amazing night of his life.
Sure, he’d had sex before but never with a woman who meant this much to him, where every moment was filled with thoughts of her.
Easing back inside, he crept to her room. The door was ajar. Hadn’t he closed it? He was pretty sure he had because he hadn’t wanted the shower to wake her.
Peeking inside, his heart skipped. Mercedes sat in bed, her eyes wet. Pushing the drinks and bag of pastry onto her dresser, he dashed to her.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
She bit her lips. “Nothing. Just something in my eye.”
“Mercedes,” he growled her name at her obvious fib. “You were crying. Did someone upset you? I’ll punch their lights out.” He held up his hands in fists.
A tiny smile finally reached her lips. “You’re going to punch your own lights out?”
Fear roiled inside. “What did I do? Do you regret last night? I knew you’d had too much to drink. I shouldn’t have pushed.”
She reached out, took his hands, and kissed his knuckles. That made the anxiety bubbling inside him slow to a simmer. “No, that’s not it. I woke up, and you weren’t here. You hadn’t left a note or told me where you were going. I thought you were the one with regrets.”
He heaved a great sigh at the relief he felt. “I’m sorry. You were sleeping so peacefully, I hated to wake you. And you know I’m not much for writing. I figured I’d be back before you woke up. I got you something.”
He dashed to the dresser and picked up her drink and pastry. “I got you a coffee with all that fancy cream you like and a half dozen Elephant Ears at that French bakery you go to.”
Her eyes got misty again, and he panicked. Quickly, she shook her head. “That’s so sweet. Thank you. I love the Elephant Ears they have there. I’m sorry I overreacted.”
He handed her the cup and pastry bag. “It’s okay. I worried that you’d regret being with me. I’m hardly a catch like my new brother-in-law.”
After taking a bite, Mercedes frowned. “You have to have more confidence in yourself, Evan. You’re a great guy. Believe me, I’d never have let you move in with me if you weren’t. I certainly wouldn’t have started a relationship with you.”
Evan sipped at his own drink as she continued. “You’re loyal to your family and friends and a lot of fun to be around.” Her eyes lowered for a moment. “When you touch me, it’s quite thrilling.”
Her confession got him thinking about last night’s antics and how he was eager to participate in them again. He wouldn’t push it right now. “I like touching you. I’ve wanted to since I was a teenager. The crush I had on you was huge.”
“You mentioned that. I still can’t understand why you didn’t tell me before. I could have avoided a lot of terrible dates.”
“I was afraid you’d shoot me down. It wouldn’t be the first time. And how do you know I would have been any better than the other guys you dated?”
Her eyes narrowed. “We’ve already discussed this. You are not a dud. We’ve done lots of fun things together over the years.”
“But they weren’t dates. We still haven’t had an official date.”
Mercedes crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the ceiling. “Maybe not an official one, but they were unquestionably better than many of the dates I’ve been on.”
Evan took a few minutes to nibble on his pastry and drink his hot chocolate. When he finished, he said, “Should we go out on a real date?”
Mercedes nodded. “It could be fun or it could be the same as always between us—which is also usually fun.”
Evan thought about the coming week and what his schedule was like.
He’d hate to wait for the weekend. It was too far away.
Of course, he’d see Mercedes every night at home, but this date thing was important to both of them.
It signified the start of their actual romantic relationship, as opposed to their friendly relationship.
He took her cup and placed it on the bedside table next to his, then moved the bag with the few remaining pastries. “Mercedes Martineau, would you like to go out with me Tuesday night?”
Her face beamed with happiness, and it filled him with the same emotion. “I’d love to.”
Cupping her face, he followed through with all the dreams he’d been having about her for what seemed liked forever.
Mercedes sat impatiently on the couch as Evan stomped into the house after work. She’d gotten used to his heavy footfalls and knew it was his way of trying to get the road dust off him and not that he was upset.
“Date night. Shower first. Will you be ready?” he signed as he popped his head in the living room doorway.
“I’m ready now.”
He winked and headed to his room, where a few moments later, softer footsteps sounded on the way to the bathroom.
The water turned on, and Mercedes paced the floor.
He was usually quick in the shower, so there wasn’t much time.
He hadn’t said what they were doing, so she’d donned a pair of colorful flared leggings with a matching boho top.
If they were going anywhere fancier, she’d need to change.
Evan wasn’t the super fancy sort, though. She might be safe in this outfit.
Five minutes later, she’d just sat down again when he stood in the doorway wearing jeans and a dark green Henley.
He looked so good with his hair still slightly damp.
Yeah, the tux had been a wonderful change, however this was the Evan she knew and loved.
There was no doubt now that her feelings for him were love.
Their night together had cemented that fact in her mind.
“Am I dressed okay?” She stood and twirled for him.
He laughed and held out a stack of index cards. “Depends what we’re doing.”
Pausing mid-twirl, she said, “You didn’t plan something.”
The grin on his adorable face hit her in the heart. “I planned a bunch of things. Pick a card. Any card.”
“What is this for?” Were they playing cards tonight? Not exactly what she’d pictured for their first date. And those weren’t playing cards.
“This is what we’ll do on our first date.” He spread the cards into a fan and held them face down. Her hand hovered over several of them before she plucked one from the stack. She didn’t look at it yet.
“Who decided what went on these cards?” Were they only activities that he’d enjoy?
He pushed the rest of the cards together and dropped them on the end table. “I wrote some; Carli helped me with others. I also Googled great date night ideas.”
“Interesting. Like a mystery date.”
“The activity is a mystery, not the person you’re dating. That’s me.” He laughed at his joke.
She waved the card back and forth in her hand, then dramatically flipped it over. BOWLING.
“Um … I’m not very good at bowling. I think I’ve only gone a dozen times in my life. Growing up on Cape Cod, we had access to the beach all year round. Even if it was too cold to swim, we’d still walk or drive by.”
He tugged her toward him. “This is an opportunity to learn something new. I’m excellent at bowling, so I can teach you how to be better.”
“You can try. Is this okay to wear?” She sure as heck wasn’t getting a bowling shirt.
“Everything you wear is perfect. You’ve got pants on so I’d say it’s acceptable. You’re so graceful, though. I’d bet you could still bowl in a skirt.”
That image didn’t instill confidence. Her stomach grumbled, and a thought hit her. “Did you eat on your way home? Because I haven’t had anything for supper. I figured we’d be eating out.”
He pulled his denim jacket off the back of the chair and slipped into it. She shrugged into her fall coat as well.
“They’ve got food at the bowling alley. We can eat first or get something and eat while the other person is taking their turn.”
Food at the bowling alley. It wasn’t what she’d anticipated, but it would do. She assumed it was casual fare, something she was happy to eat.
Evan led her to his truck, which was surprisingly clean, and soon they were at the bowling alley. Inside, he steered her toward the snack shack. “Why don’t we eat first so we can concentrate on teaching you to bowl without your stomach rumbling?”
“Oh, yeah? How would you know?” She looked at him curiously.
He grinned. “I know your hungry face. And I know enough to make sure you eat when it’s there.”
She should feel insulted, but the fact he’d noticed stuff like this about her made her warm inside. “Thanks. How’s the food here?”
He shrugged. “It’s like any food from a casual eating place. Good but nothing gourmet.”