CHAPTER 35
Adam
M y job is done.
I opted for planning and prep when jobs were being doled out so that I could enjoy the banquet with my girls and leave when I decide I've been here a socially acceptable amount of time.
Thoughts of Eve have kept me in a perpetual state of semi-hardness all day, and I'm not going to stay at this thing any longer than necessary.
That will only serve to keep me from getting Eve home and into my bed where she belongs.
I receive a text from Cal and head back toward the grand hall to greet them at the door.
There are more people in here than there should be.
Whoever is supposed to keep people moving into the ballroom isn't doing their job.
Jackasses . People move out of my way as I walk toward the large, ornate double doors.
I don't say anything, and I never have to.
People just instinctively don't want to be in my path.
I'm almost to the doors when I see them walk in.
I see Cal first because the guy's Mount Everest. Then, Ace, on his left arm, in a short white dress.
Too short. This girl lives to piss me off.
I'm working up an impressive scowl when a woman moves out of the way, and I see Eve on Cal's right arm.
She's wearing a short black dress with long sleeves.
It's molded to her every curve and fuck has she got the curves.
Her dress isn't any longer than Ace's and I instantly know that she didn't pick it out.
Her gorgeous chestnut hair is down and styled in large waves.
She's wearing makeup. I've never seen her wear makeup.
Ace did this too. She's stacking up the reasons why I will be pissed at her until further notice.
I finally catch Eve's eye, and she smiles.
Relieved to see ME. That feels so damn good.
I'm not sure how someone like me can be a relief to anyone, but it feels good to be her safe place.
Eve drops Cal's arm and takes a step toward me before Cal reaches out and grabs her, pulling her back to him.
He whispers something in her ear, and she points to me, saying something I'm still too far away to hear.
Manchester Hall is where all of Eden University's campus events are held.
It's enormous. Even the foyer is large enough to lose a person.
Cal looks up and sees me, then gives me a wink and releases Eve.
We're walking toward one another, and once I reach her, I pull her into me, breathing her in. Honey and jasmine. I'll never tire of this scent.
"I've missed you."
She laughs softly into my chest. "You saw me this morning."
Keeping hold of her, I pull back to look her in the eyes. "Are you saying that you haven't missed me?"
"I've missed you, sweetie."
I quirk a brow at her. "Sweetie?"
"I'm still working out the endearment kinks. It's a no on the sweetie?"
I nuzzle her jaw and nip her neck. "You already know there's nothing sweet about me."
"Mmmm yeah. True." She's breathless. I make her that way. I can make her tremble just with my words. I can make her crumble with just my touch.
"There you are, Cap. Well done brother. It looks great.
" Cal reaches us with Ada still on his arm.
She clings to him in a different way than Eve does.
Eve feels safe with Cal. She trusts him and they've gotten close very quickly.
Cotton too. I'm grateful for these relationships because I can't be everywhere at once.
I trust Cal and Cotton with my life and Eve is my life.
Cal looks at Ada differently than he looks at Eve though.
He always has. I used to think it was a protective instinct, but now I've seen him with Eve, and I see the differences; I can't ignore it anymore.
I look pointedly at where Ace is hanging on to Cal's arm, and look back up to Ace, meeting her eyes.
She starts to pull away, but Cal reaches up with his other hand and places it over hers on his forearm.
He squeezes her hand, looking down at her with a reassuring smile.
Ah fuck. I definitely have to address this.
Not here but, it needs to be dealt with.
Ace is off limits to everyone. She's especially off limits to this asshole who's gotten more tail than Hefner.
I glance at my brother with a look that says, 'We will definitely be talking about this later.
' He just continues to smile and says, "Let's get these beautiful women a drink," before guiding Ace in the direction of the open bar.
I grab Eve around the waist and pull her along with me, following behind them.
When we reach the bar, Cal orders a vodka tonic.
He hasn't even asked Ace what she wants, and he ordered her favorite drink.
This could just be from years of knowing and hanging out with one another.
I wonder if Cotton knows her favorite drink.
I look to Eve. "What do you want to drink?"
She looks apprehensive for a split second. I would've missed it if I wasn't so attuned to her.
"A Coke is fine. Thanks."
I turn to order her a Coke when Ace steps in. "Not a chance! You are drinking with me. We had a deal."
"There was no deal."
"You told Vaughn you would let go and have a good time."
"I definitely didn't say that." All of Eve's statements are very flat and I know that Ace has been hearing what Ace wants to hear. Typical Ace.
Ace's voice is becoming increasingly more whiny with each new plea. "C'mon, Eve. I wanna have fun and I need you there with me. Pleeeeeeeease." She whines like she's six again and we're back at Marco's Candy Shoppe.
Eve looks heavenward as though she's asking for patience from the Lord himself. "What exactly are you asking me to do?"
"I want to find your drink tonight."
"My drink?" Eve is noticeably confused. It's obvious that she doesn't drink, and she doesn't realize that Ace wants to discover what her favorite drink will be.
"Yeah. You'll try different drinks until you find the one that you like the most. I get first guess."
"Oh, me second." Cal pipes up quickly.
"I definitely want in on this," the bartender chimes in, clearly overhearing our conversation.
She's tiny and blonde with a short haircut. I'm pretty sure that I've heard Ace refer to girls with hair like this as having a Paxie cut or something like that.
"I'll go last, and I'll win," I say to the group that now includes the bartender. Pulling Eve into me, I place a chaste kiss on her lips.
"I don't like alcohol," Eve says to no one in particular.
"How do you know if you've never tried it?" Cal asks Eve with an Ace Ventura chin rub.
"Well shit. You've got me there, don't ya." The defeat is clear in Eve's tone. She's giving in.
Ace squeals with excitement "Okay so I already know my guess. I've been working on it all day. Your favorite drink will be a vodka tonic."
Cal looks at Ace with disappointment. "You worked on this all day and the best you could come up with is your favorite drink?"
Ace looks mock wounded and says, "You'll see."
Cal turns to the tiny bartender and says, "Well, you heard the woman. Another vodka tonic, please."
The tiny woman busies herself behind the bar before placing the vodka tonic on a napkin in front of Cal. He hands it over to Eve and she looks apprehensive. She smells the drink and makes a face.
"That's pungent." She sucks in a deep breath and takes a drink. We all hold our breaths and wait to hear her review.
She coughs and splutters before saying, "This tastes like bad decisions and regret."
Everyone but Eve and Ace start laughing.
Eve is still looking like she swallowed acid, and Ace is bummed because she lost. The rest of us are amused by my comical girlfriend.
I don't even know if she tries or if her words happen to come out funny and she's just as surprised as everyone else by what she says.
"My turn," Cal says rubbing his hands together. He has a fiendish grin on his face, and I know he thinks he has the perfect drink in mind. "Bartender, please get the lady a Moscow Mule."
Idiot. That definitely isn't it.
Ace leans over the bar so the bartender can hear her above the noise. "What's your name?"
"It's Viv."
"It's nice to meet you," Ace calls back to her. "Viv, this is Cal Ashford," she gestures to each of us as we're introduced. "Eve Mason, and my brother Adam Davenport. I'm Ada."
"Nice to meet ya'll."
Cal and I nod in greeting while Eve gives a small wave and a tentative smile. She's uncomfortable, but she's masking it well. Viv hands Cal the second drink and he passes it to Eve, rubbing his hands together once again.
Eve looks more nervous than she did with the first drink. She steels herself and throws it back. We all watch as though Eve is rolling dice, and we have a personal stake in how they land.
She clears her throat and sucks in a breath like she's trying to cool down her mouth. "It tastes like motor oil and dirt had a demon spawn and named it Cal Ashford."
The entire group, including Cal, erupts in laughter. It takes us several moments to regain our composure. I have Eve hugged tightly to me, and I'm still chuckling softly into her hair when Viv finally speaks up and claims her guess.
"I don't think I can take anymore." Eve pleads to the group."
"Oh c'mon, Eve. Go big or go home." Ace says to Eve from too close to Cal's side.
Eve seems to realize something, and she turns, walking away.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ace calls after her.
"Going home," Eve says over her shoulder as she continues walking away.
"Ah, for fuck's sake, Eve."
Ace is quick to chase her down and drag her back.
This girl. No one makes me laugh, and that's all I seem to do around her.
She has won over every single person she's met so far, and I love how close she and Ace have become.
They're both so comfortable with one another.
Neither of them seems to worry about offending the other.
They're just themselves when they're together. It's exactly what I wanted.
"Are you ready for this one, beautiful? I think I have the ONE." Viv is using elaborate hand gestures to sell Eve on her drink guess.
She passes another drink to Cal, who hands it off to Eve. This time, she drinks quickly without hesitation.
Her eyes widen and she holds up the clear glass to inspect the contents. "This looks like heaven, but it tastes like armpit and the apocalypse." Again, she has most members of the small group in tears.
"Damn it! I really thought I had you with that one." Viv exclaims to Eve.
Eve is still making a face and shaking her head like she can't get the taste out of her mouth. "Are you okay?" I ask her.
"No, but I'm still hilarious, so that's something."
Still laughing, I kiss my girl. I ignore everyone around us as I deepen the kiss, tasting the mixture of different liquors on her tongue. Pulling away, I whisper into her ear, "My turn." She smiles against my cheek.
"Viv, my lady, will have a Highball. Use the McCallen I hid in the corner."
Everyone looks at each other. Some are rolling their eyes and others are grinning like they already know I've lost. Cal hands Eve the drink, and she looks at me with a small grin.
"Bottoms up." She says to me as she tips up the glass.
I realize now that I actually care about winning this game.
I want to know her instinctively. I want to be the authority on all things Eve.
I love ordering her new things and watching it become her latest favorite. I need my drink to win.
Eve finally speaks up after what feels like an eternity. "Five stars on Yelp."
Pride swells in my chest at this simple victory.
"There you have it ladies and gentlemen.
I'll collect my prize now." I grab Eve, lifting her off her feet and claiming her mouth once more.
I have one arm wrapped tightly around her waist and the other hand tangled in her hair, pressing her mouth to mine.
I feel myself get hard and I know she does too because she presses into me and runs her hands through the hair at the back of my head.
A throat clears from somewhere nearby, and I remember that we aren't alone.
Not even close. We break the kiss, and I slowly lower her back to the ground, keeping our bodies flush together.
I remember the day in the hall when I kissed her in front of a group of people and she lapsed into a panic.
As I look into her eyes now, all I see is heat and love.
Both are for me. She doesn't even seem to notice the crowd, which is far larger than the one in the hall.
I wonder if she's even aware of how much she's improved.
"Damn. Could we have done that to her if we'd won?" The bartender, who is very fucking lucky to be a girl right now, asks the group.
"He's a little possessive about that one, actually. We've only recently been allowed to touch her and we're his family." Cal reports to the tiny Viv.
Cotton finally joins the group. He looks surprised to see Eve with a drink in her hand. "What are you drinking there Mason?"
She holds the drink out away from her body and examines it. "The tears of my enemies...and whiskey...a lot of whiskey."
Cotton laughs and wraps her up in a hug, that she returns with equal affection.
If it were anyone outside of this group and her roommates hugging her like that, I would be mechanically removing their limbs right now, but this is exactly what I want.
At first, I thought I wanted Eve to myself.
I didn't think I would share my life with her or share her with anyone else.
The more I learn about her and the more I fall in love with her, the more I want every part of her to be tangled up in every part of me and my life.
I want her to love and be loved by my people.
So far, so good.