Chapter 4
EVIE
Two days…
It’s been two days since I met eyes with…him. I don’t even know his name, and I still can’t stop replaying that moment over and over in my mind. The intensity. The strength. The confidence. It’s been fueling the fire within me as my sessions with Charles have increased. Significantly.
I can barely find a moment in the day to get my work done without being distracted and reaching for his drawer.
I was in the middle of drafting up some graphics for some social media ads when I thought of the moment he threw Brad on the floor and stood there like my protector, causing my body to go hot.
Consumed, I threw myself onto the bed, stuffed Charles down my pants, and closed my eyes. Then came four of the most intense orgasms I’ve ever experienced in my life.
But after that? Hollowness. A vacuum. A feeling of longing that I have not been able to shake.
Who is he? Some kind of superhero?
I’m desperate to know, but I’m also terrified. I’m dying for him, and I’ve never even kissed a guy. The closest I came was when I almost pressed my lips against Tyrese Wilson’s in the back of his mom’s shed for a dare when I was seven.
Even then, I chickened out and ran home crying.
Just like I did two nights ago at the party.
Knowing I won’t be able to work at home, I pack my things and go to my favorite coffee shop.
My quiet table in the corner is free, so I order a latte and take a seat.
Air pods in, walls around me, I feel safe.
Charles isn’t here to distract me, and maybe, just maybe, if I focus hard enough, I will be able to get him out of my mind.
But about ten minutes later, I hear the chimes signaling the front door opening. Casually, I glance up from my work, expecting to see another college student or a local hipster enter, but when my eyes land on the man stepping in, I completely freeze.
My stomach flips, and every muscle in my body goes tense as his scent enters my nostrils. A godly aroma of pure masculinity that nearly levels me.
Part of me wants to scream. Part of me wants to throw up. But I’m also tingling all over.
It’s him…
But it can’t be. It’s impossible. How could he have found me?
Reese, of course. Duh. I’ll kill her. She’s been trying to set me up with a guy for years now. I guess she saw a juicy opportunity and took it.
As he walks toward me, it’s like the whole world stops moving…
My eyes move without thought, devouring the sculpted lines of his statuesque body. How can a man be built to such perfection? Terrible, naughty thoughts enter my mind as he comes closer.
And then I see his hands…
The same thick, strong, callused hands from the party that saved me. God, I just want him to open a jar for me.
Without a word, he takes the seat in front of me and stares at me like I’m a problem—a problem he intends to solve. He radiates a calm authority that makes me want to get down on my knees in front of him.
This close, I can see amber in his dark brown eyes, blazing like embers in the night sky.
He just stares at me for what feels like an eternity. I hide my hands under the table, praying he doesn’t see them shaking. He probably thinks I’m going to just scurry away, like I did the other night.
In fact, that’s just what I’m going to do.
Trembling, I slap my laptop shut and begin to stuff it in my bag. But as I’m getting to my feet, he speaks, and his voice hits me like a tranquilizer, knocking me back into my seat.
“Congratulations.”
Is he talking to me? My breath comes in spurts as I try and fail to look at him. “F-for what?” I stammer.
“You’ve done something no other woman has done.”
His voice goes right through me, burying itself in my chest. My breasts tingle and my nipples go hard at the memory of him saving me, asking me with such ownership, “Are you okay?”
“What…what’s that?” God, I sound like such an idiot. But my brain just is not working. It’s like I’ve been hit by a bolt of lightning.
I might be imagining things, but I could swear the edges of his mouth twist up the tiniest bit, indicating the hint of a smile. “Yes.” He nods. “You made me come back for more.”
“I did?”
He nods again, slower this time. His eyes examine me, making me even more self-conscious. “You don’t need to be scared. I’d be gentle with you.”
My lips move on their own. “You would?”
This time, he actually smiles. “Unless you don’t want me to.”
I’m terrified of this man. But at the same time, I’m more turned on than I’ve ever been. Even as I shift in my seat, I feel the soak between my thighs. My body is so aroused it’s almost painful.
“Sorry…I’m not good at this.”
“Good at what?” he asks. My pulse is pounding between my legs, and his mouth is moving, but I can barely hear him over the roaring in my ears.
“This,” I stammer. It’s time to go.
“I’m not asking you to be.”
He leans forward, placing his hands on the table. Those hands…so big…so strong…
…I bet he could tear my clothes off me without even trying…
“My name is Dawson.”
“I need to go,” I say, trying to escape for the second time.
“I need you not to run—” he starts to say, but my legs are listening to me, so I’m going. Speed-walking out of the coffee shop and down the sidewalk. I’m halfway down the block when the urge to turn back hits me.
I have never been so turned on. Not in my entire life. And I know already, with certainty, that Charles isn’t going to be enough for me. Not today.
But what am I supposed to do? Go back there and throw myself into Dawson’s musclebound arms? If I didn’t have a panic attack, I’d have to tell him I’m a virgin. Then he’d be the one running for the hills.
No, I keep moving until I’m back to my car and don’t stop hyperventilating until I’m back at my apartment. Charles is right where he should be, and even though I know he’s not going to be enough, I try anyway.
Lying in bed, picturing Dawson’s face, replaying his voice, I come three times.
“I need you not to run.”
Rolling over, I bury my face in my pillow to muffle my moans. Ass in the air, I imagine what it would be like to have him behind me, gripping my hips, doing whatever he wants with me.
Finally, I slump down on my stomach and turn Charles off. If only I wasn’t such a wimp. If only I could actually talk to the man of my dreams. Maybe then I wouldn’t have this empty feeling inside.
But no. I’m destined to be alone.