Chapter Sixteen
E va watched Simon interacting with his brothers and extended family and marvelled at the happiness that bloomed through her entire body. This man was everything she’d ever wished for, everything she’d never believed could be in a real person.
But he was, and he was right in front of her.
She loved him. More and more each day. She hadn’t told him so yet, she didn’t want to rush him, but she had a feeling she’d fallen for him the day they went to the movies. Matty adored him and had become his little shadow when Simon was around, and Simon had even set up the spare room at his place with bedding and toys that he’d thought Matty would like.
He had. He’d squealed with joy and not left the room for hours when Simon had shown him that he had a space of his very own when they stayed overnight. His thoughtfulness and kindness to a child not his own continued to blow her away every time she saw them interact.
“Next round is on the house!” Max called, bursting her from her thoughts, his words creating even more shouts and cheers.
She couldn’t help the laugh that left her at that. People would do anything for free booze.
Champagne bottles popped and the beer tap didn’t stop as the guys handed out glass after glass until everyone had a drink in their hands. Eva glanced around when she felt her wine glass leave her fingers where she’d rested her hand, the base of the glass between her fore and middle fingers, her palm flat to the bar.
A grinning Simon pushed a glass of bubbles into the space he’d stolen her wine from.
A very nervous-looking Simon.
She raised a brow at him, and he shrugged. “To toast,” was all he said.
“To the parents to be!” Max yelled, and everyone lifted their drinks.
Eva turned on her stool and raised her own glass to her lips to take a sip. The bubbles fizzed and spat at her nose, and she jerked the glass back quickly at the sensation.
“What the …”
Holding the fancy crystal flute up to eye level, she squinted at something in the bottom. Bubbles danced in thick lines around an object, and she held it up to the light of the downlights in the ceiling above her.
Is that …
She blinked a few times, just to be sure she wasn’t seeing things, then her gaze flew to Simon who’d come around the bar to stand in front of her. He reached out and cupped her jaw, the seriousness of his expression sending goosebumps flying all over her.
“I love you, Eva. I’ve wanted to tell you for ages, but each time I tried I got all nervous and tangled up, so I’ve tried to show you instead. I want to be there for you and for Matty, to be the one you turn to, to give you both all the love you could ever need.”
Eva’s stomach somersaulted. He loved her. He really did.
She’d hoped, of course. She’d felt the care in his touch, seen it in the things he did for her and her son; but she hadn’t wanted to get ahead of herself, hadn’t wanted to read something into it that she’d wanted so badly, just in case she was seeing things that she wished were there.
Simon leaned his forehead to hers. “Marry me, Eva Adams. Let me be that person for you. Let me be the one you lean on.”
Eva’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Tears stung her eyes as Simon pulled back to look at her.
Apprehension flashed over his face. “If it’s too soon, I—”
“Yes,” she managed. She nodded, unable to get enough air to reply properly. She placed her glass on the bar, sucked in a deep breath and tried again. “ Yes .”
Relief flooded his eyes, that tightness leaving his face. He closed his eyes briefly. “Thank God for that. I was worried for a second.”
Eva threw her arms around his neck and held tight. Simon’s arms wrapped around her, and she’d never felt anything so wonderful as the contentment and excitement that suffused her.
“I love you, Simon. I’ve loved you for so long.”
His arms tightened and his head went to her shoulder. “You and Matty mean everything to me.”
He pulled back and Eva looked at the bar where she’d left her glass, only to find it now empty of champagne. A sly grin smirked back at her from Max’s happy face. The ring still sat at the bottom, glinting in the light from above. He’d known.
Simon picked up the glass and tipped it, the ring tumbling out into his hand.
He held it up, a gorgeous kite-cut emerald, surrounded by three small marquise-cut diamonds either side of it, set in a simple rose gold band.
It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“How did you know I’ve always wanted an emerald?” she asked as the ring touched the tip of her outstretched hand.
Simon looked up at her, a cheeky grin widening his mouth. “Your mum. I asked her.”
Eva’s eyes flew wide. Her mother knew about this?
“Wait until I see that woman,” she grumbled.
Simon slid the ring onto her finger and the room erupted around them, making her jump. She looked up to see everyone watching them.
Simon turned to face the crowd. “She said yes .”
Laughter and cheers peppered the large group of people as he turned back to her and grabbed her head, his mouth hitting hers to kiss her senseless.
He pulled back a little, intense emotion rippling across his face as he held her gaze. “She said yes,” he whispered.
“Here’s to the happy couple!” Max called again, and everyone cheered and lifted their glasses again.
Eva shook her head and laughed, embarrassed but so damned happy she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. People swarmed them to congratulate them both, so many that Eva’s head spun by the time Simon grabbed her hand and helped her off the stool.
“Come upstairs with me. Max said he has a few spare shirts up there in the room and I want to change out of this wet rag.”
He gestured to his shirt, still wet from the soaking when Gabe had sprayed him with the soda gun. He pulled her after him toward the hall, then the grand, wide stairs that led to the upper level.
Eva fought to contain her grin, both at the gleaming rock on her hand and for what she knew would be Simon’s reaction to what they’d done upstairs.
Max had requested a change. A big one. The plans Simon had seen were a carbon copy of the original Cow that had burned down. But the real plans had sat beneath it, so that he wouldn’t get suspicious.
The real plans were identical on the lower level; but now, instead of a mish-mash of single rooms and a few tiny bathrooms upstairs that all opened off a singular, straight hallway that ran the length of the building—a throwback to the past when it was used as hotel accommodation—now it held a brand-new, open-plan, four-bedroom apartment that took up the entire level, with French doors that opened onto a rebuild of the original wide verandas on all four sides.
It was beautiful.
Designed with regard to the time period of the building, but with all the modern touches, inclusions and finishes. She was so proud of how it had come out, of how she’d been able to match everything that Max had asked for, the things that he knew Simon loved.
She’d always known Max had intended on giving his brother the apartment. What she hadn’t known was the business partnership part. Keeping Simon from going upstairs had been a continual nightmare, requiring the combined effort from her and Max and his entire family over the last couple of months.
He’d questioned it a few times, Max’s diversions and reasons becoming more ridiculous each pass.
They reached the top level and Simon stopped dead. Her hand was still tight in his own, and his clenched around it.
Where the narrow hallway was supposed to be, now sat a large foyer with wide double doors directly in front of them.
“What the…” Simon looked at her, frowning. “Did I just enter a time warp or something? Where’s the hallway?”
Eva’s grin burst out. “Gone.”
One eyebrow rose and a sardonic expression washed over his face. “You don’t say.”
She gestured at the foyer. “Do you like it?”
Nodding as he glanced around, Simon said, “It’s really nice. Fancy, but not pretentious. That make sense?”
Eva’s grin widened. “Very much so.”
Max and she both knew that Simon would never feel comfortable living in one of those places that had been renovated within an inch of its life, all original feel and flavour having been washed out of it, leaving it bland and generic, even if incredibly upmarket.
“Open the door,” she urged.
Still looking at her strangely, Simon did as asked and pushed one of the heavy doors open, it having been left unlocked on purpose.
The door opened opposite an inbuilt double cupboard, for storage of coats and shoes, a white console table to the left beyond the second door, holding a vase with some seasonal flowers. Tasmanian oak floorboards stretched away into the open-plan living and dining room, the wide kitchen beyond that to the far left.
Simon stopped dead in the entryway and simply stared.
Eva couldn’t tell if the blank shock on his face was good or not. As if poked, he stumbled forward, looking around him in a daze.
Max had asked her to help Darby style the apartment to what they hoped would be his taste. From the expression on his face, she wasn’t sure they’d got it right. He moved further into the room and touched the plush Hamptons-style sofa with trailing fingers as he walked past. The silence stretched and Simon moved off toward the open, wide area that led to a short hall on either side.
The bedrooms.
Turning to his right, he opened doors, glancing into the rooms as he worked his way back toward her, standing in the opening to the living room.
Simon didn’t look at her as he moved past, still touching things gently, almost reverently, as he walked to her left, heading for the office, then slightly further on, the master bedroom.
The walls were painted in muted pale blues and greens. A hint of colour along with the white trims and doors. Paired with pale floorboards, the atmosphere was that of functional beauty.
Simon opened the master bedroom door, stood there a moment, then disappeared inside. Eva followed. He hadn’t gone into any of the others.
She stopped at the doorway and saw him looking into the ensuite bathroom, hands braced on either side of the open doorjamb. Simon sighed, a great heaving of his shoulders as the air left his lungs.
He straightened and turned, looking right at her for the first time since entering the apartment. His stare burrowed down to her soul.
“You did this?”
A quiet question. Three measly words.
“Yes,” she whispered, still uneasy and uncertain what he actually thought of the place that was now his . “Surprise?”
He surged toward her and grabbed her in a tight, breathless hug, squeezing all air from her chest.
“Simon? What is it? If I got it wrong, please tell me. If we messed up somehow—”
He pushed back from her and held her at arm’s length, his expressive eyes wide, glittering with unshed emotion in the soft lighting of the bedroom. “Wrong? You think this is wrong?”
Before she could answer he held out his arms to the sides. “Eva!” He shoved a hand through his hair. “This is freakin’ amazing. I’ve never seen a place so damned beautiful. I-I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to feel because I never expected this up here. I thought it would be exactly the same poky room, the same tiny bathroom and lounge, not a freakin’ dream house! Everything you’ve done is as if you plucked it right out of my head and plonked it”—he gestured around them—“here.”
Happiness threatened to overwhelm her with his words. Relief almost exceeded the happiness. The grin that burst out was full and uncontrolled.
Laughing, Eva shook her head. “You scared me! I thought you hated it. Darby chose most of the furnishings, I just went along to help with some of the styling. Max and I nutted out the floor plan to what would be the most useful for you. He told me what he wanted, and we went from there.”
He stepped forward and cupped her face between both his hands. “You are incredible . I have no words for how amazing this is. It’s truly mine?”
He said those words as if not actually believing it.
“Yes. Max did this for you . He never had any intention of moving back here. It’s all in those documents he gave you downstairs. Legally, this apartment and everything in it is one hundred per cent yours. It’s your home.”
“You guys are beyond…” Simon bit his lip and shook his head, then narrowed his eyes. “There’s no damned dry shirt up here, is there?”
Eva laughed so hard tears stung her eyes. “ That’s what you’re focused on?”
Simon plucked at his still-wet shirt. “I kinda need one.” His face softened and he lifted her chin with a finger. “I can’t believe he did this for me. It’s a little overwhelming. And you built it. That’s fucking awesome, Eva. You are fucking awesome.”
Heat flushed her cheeks. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to him saying things like that about her. And he said them all the time. Was always complimenting her. Supporting her. Championing her.
“Well, I had help,” she muttered.
That slow grin tilted his delicious mouth. The one that made her see stars.
How did I get so lucky as to meet him?
Eva glanced at his shirt. “You’re right. You are a bit on the damp side. Maybe you need to get this off…”
She slid each button through its hole, working her way up his chest. By the time she got to the top his increased breathing matched her own. She slipped the shirt down his strong arms and dropped it to the floor. The snap on his jeans was loud, each click of the zip as it went down another notch was as if a shot fired.
Eva pushed the thick material past his slim hips, and it slipped down his legs to his ankles. Simon toed off his shoes and stepped out of his jeans, his gaze fast on her face as hers dropped to look at his fine body.
Oh, boy.
What a body.
A totally aroused body.
Eva hauled her dress up over her head and dropped it from her fingers. It landed in a soft drop of puddled material near her feet.
The underwear was fast to follow.
The ring, though, that stayed right where it was on her finger.
Naked and self-conscious as hell she stepped backward. Eyes wide, Simon took in her naked form as she did her best to stand there and not fidget while he stared. He bent and dug in his jeans pocket, pulling out a condom.
Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and pulled, then turned and walked into the ensuite bathroom, dragging him along behind her.
Eva reached in and flipped on the shower tap, waiting for the water to heat up. Satisfied the water wasn’t going to freeze her to death, Eva stepped into the spray and let the luxuriant heat flood her body.
Gentle hands touched her waist from behind.
She stepped backward and leaned into his warm body. His arms came around her, hands splayed wide on her belly, his head coming to rest on her shoulder. Fast, deep breaths expanded the chest behind her.
He pressed his face to the side of her head. A whispered, “I love you,” sent shivers cascading all over her. She’d never get sick of hearing those words from him. So new, yet they’d already wound so deep into her heart.
She slid her hand up into his hair and held him to her as he began to kiss her neck.
Strong hands cupped her breasts and massaged, then naughty fingers pinched her nipples, making her gasp. A light chuckle sounded near her ear.
Eva bit her lip to stop the smile escaping. The cheeky bastard was teasing her. His hands found every bare inch of skin. Each touch resulted in an exquisite moan from her.
Open-mouthed kisses peppered her shoulder and neck. His hands slipped down her body, one going between her legs to cup her sex. She shivered.
A finger pressed into her flesh and stroked. She bucked against him, the rock-hard rod of his erection pressing into the crease of her ass. Eva let out a small moan, the feel of his finger on her, oh, so nice.
“This okay?” he murmured.
She leaned her head back against his chest and nodded. “Yes.”
Desire curled and twisted, surprising her with the intensity.
“Put your hands on the wall.” Simon’s voice, though gentle, brooked no argument.
She did so, leaning forward to reach. He moved behind her and tapped the inside of her foot with his own to move her stance wider. Eva looked over her shoulder at the crackle of the condom wrapper.
She bit her lip, nervous at what she was about to say to him. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to?”
Simon glanced up, confusion in his eyes. “Don’t have to what?”
She flicked her gaze downward momentarily. “Use that. I had a contraceptive shot last month. I’m covered.”
Surprise widened his eyes. “You want me bare?”
Heat flooded her cheeks and she nodded. “If you want to?”
That slow, sexy smile was back. “Hell, yes.” He tossed the condom out of the shower onto the vanity counter. “I’m healthy. I got checked out after our first night together.”
Her breath puffed from her lungs. “Me too. Just in case we ever got to this point.”
Simon leaned in and licked her neck, sending shivers cascading all over her as he stroked and played her body. He nuzzled her slick skin. “I know this probably isn’t fabulous timing, but I wanted you to know that later on, if it’s something you want, I’m not averse to trying.”
Eva frowned, his words not computing with the sensations running rampant in her body. His roaming hands weren’t helping matters, either. “Trying?”
She felt his deep breath and sudden stillness against her back. Simon’s deep voice rumbled in her ear. “For another little one.”
Eva’s breath stopped. If asked, she’d have said even her blood had stopped flowing. “A-a baby?” she whispered.
Hope flooded her heart. Is that what he meant?
Simon kissed her neck then tugged on her ear. “Yes. A… baby.”
Turning her head, she caught his expression. She searched his eyes and nothing but open honesty stared back at her. “You mean it.”
He huffed what sounded like it was supposed to be a laugh. “Well, yeah.” He cupped her breasts again, gently moulding them to his hands. “Not immediately. I…” He breathed deeply. “I don’t think I’m there yet, babe. In here.” He tilted his head and water dripped from the longer top layers. “But I wanted you to know that it’s not off the table, that I’m open to the idea that you might want more in the future. That Matty should have a brother or sister.”
She scanned his face. She could tell the idea scared him, but this man behind her was prepared to face those fears if it was something she wanted.
He really loves me that much?
“And you would want that too? Not just because I might?”
A slightly nervous smile flickered on his lush mouth. “Yes. I always wanted kids. I always wanted the noise and energy of a big family.” His smile emerged properly and turned cheeky. “And just a heads-up—twins tend to run in the Jameson family.”
His gaze pulled from hers and fell to her wet breasts, his face darkening with desire as she drew breath to reply.
“Now face the front, before I have to discipline you.”
A shiver of anticipation rippled down her spine. She could handle being disciplined by him, if he continued to look at her the way he currently was.
Facing front, Eva’s eyes widened as he bent her further and pulled her hips backward, the wide, blunt head of his cock sliding over her sex, then resting at her entrance.
She drew in a deep breath, then he pushed inside her. Her breath burst from her; his moan as he reached full depth weakening her knees.
“ Oh, Eva .”
Two words. Two words said so gently, so reverently that they burst her heart wide open and curled up inside it.
Pulling out almost all the way, he started to move. Slow, gentle thrusts. Measured. Deep. Controlled.
Fingers gripped her hips, firm but careful as he slid in and out. Her head fell forward, unable to hold it up any longer; able only to feel the slow, gentle glide of his body into hers. She tried to grip the tiles under her fingers, but couldn’t, instead flattening her palms to the wet ceramics as the warm water of the shower tumbled over them both.
She closed her eyes, giving herself over to him, to the pleasure that wound through her blood so slowly, so sensuously as he kept up that steady rhythm.
In.
Out.
In.
No sound other than the water from the showerhead permeated the room. It hissed and sprayed, coating them in warmth as he made love to her from behind.
Eva bit her lip. He filled her so fully, his position behind her making him feel even thicker. Each deft stroke of his body heated her blood, stepping it up, raising it incrementally toward boiling point. Toward the point she could never pull back from. A point that would tie her soul to him for eternity.
She held back a moan when he changed angle slightly, hitting that spot deep inside, making her gasp. She dug her fingers into the tiles, desperate to gain some grip, even though his tempo never changed.
He hadn’t said a word. She hadn’t heard anything other than that first soul-deep moan and those two words from him the entire time he’d been inside her, but she was fast approaching complete ecstasy.
Her breathing quickened and she forced herself to remain still and in place where he’d put her. He slid deeper this time, buried all the way, seating his entire length inside her. A soft burst of breath left her lips.
No thrusting. No uncontrolled pounding.
No.
Just a deep, measured glide.
She couldn’t control the shudder that shook her from head to toe. For some reason she felt super sensitive and each successive slide of him into her almost fried what little brain matter she had left.
But he didn’t move any faster.
In.
Out.
In.
In its own way it was even more explosive than any animalistic coupling would be. Goosebumps peppered her arms.
He tilted her hips a little more and slid in again, a satisfied growl from him causing a responding moan that she’d been holding back. She shivered at the sound. Pure pleasure. That’s what that sound was.
Pure, utter bliss.
And it led straight to her core.
She bit her lip and rode through the wave of pleasure that flooded her, wanting him to take her, pound her, grind deep into her. But he didn’t move any faster.
And when he came…
She shuddered again. When he came, she’d be right there with him. She was holding on by the barest thread as it was.
Eva gasped, her channel gripping that thick length.
Oh, heck.
Her hand slammed against the tiles, and she pushed backward, impaling herself on his cock.
Hell, yes.
She was trying to control it, but her body was betraying her.
Another louder gasp; then a moan, and her back arched.
Her sex gripped him harder. He reached around her and slid his fingers over her clit, and she was gone. She cried out, unable to stop the deluge.
He clenched his hands on her hips and buried himself into her all the way, as deep as he could go, then held her there as she came around him.
Simon moaned. His cock jerked inside her, then spilled. Eva locked her knees, nearly dropping to the floor of the shower as waves of bliss flooded her.
He hauled Eva upright, her back to his chest.
Simon buried his face in her shoulder, his arms wrapped tight, cocooning her. She turned her head to the side to give him better access. She’d never felt so cherished, so adored. She never wanted it to end.
He cupped her face and turned her head, his mouth taking hers in a deep, soul-destroying kiss that rocked her to her toes. She couldn’t help the moan that left her. She opened her eyes to see his beautiful blue ones smiling down at her.
“I can’t believe you’re mine,” she whispered.
He pulled back a tiny bit, his lips grazing hers as he spoke. “Believe it, babe. I’m yours. Always. Forever.”
The End