Chapter Seven
Chapter Six
Jacqueline
I choke up as I pull into their driveway. This is the last time I’ll be in their home. Evan and I haven’t labeled what this is between us except great sex. We both know we want different things, so this isn’t going to work, but my heart wants him. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t want to get married.
“Come on in, girlie, we’re cooking in the kitchen. Or rather, Autumn is and I’m just watching because I can’t cook.” Noelle grabs my hand and practically drags me straight to the kitchen. I don’t even get to take off my coat. I’m unwrapping my light brown scarf and matching jacket, setting them on the chair as I step into their beautiful farmhouse kitchen. I love the open pale green design of the room. It looks like something in a magazine. I forget that Evan’s actually wealthy.
“Jackie, you’re here,” Autumn cheers, mixing something in a large bowl. “I’d give you a hug, but I’m a bit busy at the moment.” She giggles.
“That’s okay. Where is your father?” I questioned.
“He’s in town, running to pick up some last-minute things,” Noelle answers, popping her but on a stool and then sliding the one next to her out for me.
“You sent him?” I ask, taking a seat.
“Yes, but he’s good. You know more than anyone else that he’s back to normal. Besides, he wants to feel independent, and this is his way to show us.”
“Sure.” Maybe it’s me feeling a bit insecure. I expected him to be here to greet me when I arrived. Gosh, I’m acting like a teenage schoolgirl with a crush instead of a grown woman who has been in relationships before.
I spent the next hour helping the girls when he returned. “Hello ladies,” Evan says, walking in with several bags. His eyes land on me and then linger. A sultry darkness appears in his tiger gaze. and my body instantly reacts, ready to jump into his arms like the greedy little cock slut he’s made me. I’ve never found older men attractive, but damn, I want Evan beyond belief. I crave him.
“Dad, did you get everything we needed?” Autumn asks, breaking that trance we had.
“Of course I did. Owen and I are going to have a talk for a minute in my study.” He suddenly ignores me and walks out of the kitchen. My body feels like it’s going to explode, and I could use some air.
My cell phone rings and I’m grateful for the distraction until I see who it is. “Excuse me. I need to take this.” I step out of the room and answer the call. “Hello, mother.”
“Oh, don’t hello mother me. I heard you were sleeping with one of your patients.” My eyes locate the nearest seat because I can feel my blood pressure drop.
“What? Where did you hear that bullshit from?” I challenged.
“Watch your language, young lady. I can’t believe you would behave that way. Your father was just like you and look where it got him.” Look who was talking. Did she ever look in the mirror?
“Did you call to ruin my day, or did you have something important to tell me?”
“If I was you, I’d leave that client alone or you’ll lose your license and career.” Since when did she give a shit about my career? And then it all makes sense.
“Again, where did you hear such utter nonsense?” There’s no way she got that information on her own. We aren’t on speaking terms and we don’t live in the same state so there is no way in hell she’d be aware of my life unless she was snooping or someone was filling her in. And there was only one person who’d love to shit on my life.
“Word spreads.” Just like her legs.
“Don’t call me again.” I’m not sure why I bothered to answer her call. We’ve been estranged for years. Things went south when she tried to sleep with Alex. He hadn’t given in to her seduction because he wasn’t attracted to her, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
“Gerald isn’t going to tolerate your behavior.” And my suspicions had been verified.
“Enough,” I hissed, ending the call.
As I tuck away my phone and go to storm back into the kitchen, I run into Evan. He hooks his arm around my waist and drags me into the bedroom. “Let me go.”
“No, beautiful. I didn’t get to greet you properly.”
“Oh yeah?” I’m in the mood to pick a fight or fuck so he better be careful. My mother brings out the worst in me and Evan had already got me hot and bothered.
“I didn’t think my daughters would appreciate it if I mauled you in the kitchen. Especially when you were practically grinding your pussy all over the damn stool. I bet if I put my face on that fucker, I could taste your cunt. Someone horny?” He had no idea. Then again, the thick length that pressed against my belly told me he totally understood my predicament.
“Yes, but you could have given me a normal greeting.”
“Yes, but I’m trying to keep myself together since you’re leaving me tonight. Fuck, I could stuff you like the damn bird.” He spins me around and pulls down my pants and panties. Dropping down to his knees, he parts my folds and eats me out, violently, smashing his face in my ass and cunt. I’m grinding back, letting him get all sticky. “Ride my face,” he says, muffled through his meal. I bite my tongue to hold back as I come. He spins me around and sucks on my clit before standing and spinning to face the wall.
“This is going to be fast.” I nodded.
He’s not kidding. One thrust and he’s buried deep inside. We both take a moment as he fills me completely. Several pumps and my soaked core clenches around him and he stills as his orgasm hits. He kisses the back of my neck and then pulls out.
I’m so exhausted, trying to collect myself, I barely register that he’s fixing my clothes for me. I smile at him as he leads me to the bathroom. “Come on, we can’t have them catch us.”
“I feel like a naughty teenager,” I say as we quickly wash up.
He wags his brows and then presses his finger to his lips. “Let’s see how long we can stay hidden then.” Evan swings me into his arms and leads me to his bed, tossing me on the mattress, tasting my lips while his hands roam my body. “Woohoo, what is this second base?”
“I think so.” We laugh and continue.
We kiss several times and then break apart when Autumn calls out for us. “We better get back to them. I’m sure I have to help with the preparations.”
“I’ll lend a hand as well.”
“Why don’t you hang out with your future son-in-law? I’m sure you two need some serious bonding time.” I kiss his cheek. He doesn’t settle for a simple kiss. No, he pins me to the wall and slams his lips on mine and we make out again. Once we’re both panting, finally we break apart.
An hour later we’re in the middle of dinner when the doorbell rings. It’s Owen’s young uncle Nick. The man is just a few years older than Owen. Evan looks at me several times, watching my eyes as if he’s gauging my desire for the newest guest. Is he actually jealous? We’re not in a relationship and tomorrow Evan will be able to chase all the ladies in town. He reminded me again that we were not going to be together so I’m not sure what his problem was.
As the night continues the night goes from fun to crazy. As Nick is leaving, some girl from town named Caroline tries to burst through the door. She attacked Owen in an attempt to get at Autumn. I’d been in the dining room, so I missed most of the chaos, but I still managed to call the cops. That bitch needed to be handled, and she was dealt with quickly. Unfortunately, she’s the mayor’s little sister, so I’m not sure how much trouble she’s really in, but either way I’m so ready to leave. My heart can’t handle being around Evan anymore.
“It’s been a wonderful evening, but it’s getting late, and I have to work tomorrow morning.”
“Oh my goodness, do you really have to go?” Noelle is a treasure and I’m going to truly miss her. As fiery as she is, her heart is good.
“Yes, I do. I’m going to have to go,” I sigh. Each of the girls gave me a hug.
“Girls, she’s been a wonderful nurse, but she has a job.” My heart stalls at his words. Nurse, not friend, not lover. Just a nurse. Those stolen, passionate moments we had meant nothing. Tonight is the last time I’m going to see them. From his words that was without a doubt clear. I had to make my escape. I could feel the bile rising in my throat.
“He’s right.” I give him a brief smile and then add, “Thank you for inviting me to dinner. It was wonderful even if it was crazy as hell.” It was a mistake to cross that boundary between nurse and patient that we did. “I have to go and I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll walk you out,” he says. A part of me wishes he wouldn’t. Making the break would be a lot easier if he stayed inside. I nodded and then he grabs my coat and purse.
As we reach my car and I grab the handle, he stops me. “Jacqueline…”
“What?” I ask, wondering if he’s going to tell me that he wants more, but he just freezes.
“Um…”
The chill of the night is only amplified by his silence. “What do you want for me Evan?”
“I don’t know.” He closes his eyes and keeps his head down.
“If you don’t know then what are we doing here?” I asked. Where the hell is the confident man who had me pinned to the wall?
“I know that I can’t be without you.” My heart does a little flip, but then it lands with a dud.
“Well that isn’t enough. What am I supposed to do? Just wait until you no longer want me?”
“Jacqueline, I’m obsessed with you. I’m never going to not want you. But I’m not sure what it is you want from me. Like that asshole said, I’m a lot older than you. I’m too old to give you the life you deserve.” My heart cracks in a million pieces because he tells me everything in those words. We definitely don’t have a future.
“You don’t want any more children or anything like that,” I point out. Something passes over his expression. I can’t read it in the shadows, but it doesn’t matter because he answers my question. It dawns on me that we’ve been having unprotected sex, but then again, he might have had a vasectomy a long time ago.
“Jacqueline—"
I cut him off. “You don’t have to say anything else. We are on different pages. It was fun and different.” I shake my head. “Take care, Evan. Remember, don’t rush anything.” I kiss his cheek and slide into my car before I lose my nerve. I was only there to help him get better, not because he sees me as anything special. He proved that right now.
Leaving had been the hardest thing I had to do in my life. I never realized how much I could love someone and still be able to walk away, but I had no choice. I had an obligation in another town. Someone was waiting for me, and they required my attention. I couldn’t just up and leave that person stranded just because my heart wanted something else. I wasn’t that kind of person no matter what.
I barely made it home because my eyes were clouded; tears spilled down my cheeks. As I walked into my place, I dropped my purse and coat and then climbed straight into my bed, stopping long enough to kick off my shoes.
****
When I woke up my eyes were crusted closed with from the crying I’d done the night before. I felt like total shit, but what could I do. At least it was still early enough to prepare for work. Brewing my coffee, I hopped in the shower and washed away Evan’s scent. As I did, it hurt; it was a must because there was no way I could handle the heartache while breathing him in. Besides, my asshole boss would be back today, and he might have something dickish to say.
With everything prepared and my makeup on, I resemble something close to a human again. I got to work on time, but when I arrived, my boss was waiting, and he was scowling at me. There goes any hopes for a semblance of a mediocre day. “We need to have a discussion, Ms. Frost.”
I put my palm up and stopped him from adding to his diatribe. “Unless you have someone to replace me today, you might want to wait until the end of the day for this discussion.” That was the only warning he was getting. Another shitty comment out of his mouth and I’d walk out. My heart was in tatters and this man only added to the problem.
“Very well. We’ll speak after work today. Don’t try to get away before the day is through.” He was tiptoeing that line.
“Trust me when I say I won’t.”
I walked away from him without trying to snap on the bastard. Had he forgotten the way he treated Evan or that he called my mother? There was no way that she called him and what made him believe that Evan and I had a thing. Sure, we had a fling, but he wouldn’t have known it because we kept our relationship inside his house, and it had ended just as fast as it began.
When the day ended, I packed up all of my things because I had a feeling that it was a matter of minutes before I walked out of here for good.
“You’re trying to cut out before meeting me?”
I whipped around and glared at him, causing him to take a step back. “No, I was gathering my things. I’m not trying to stay here all night. I might not have a family to go home to, but I’d like to go home and get some sleep. Now, what would you like to discuss?”
“It’s come to my attention that you’ve been a bad girl.” The lecherous tone in his voice matches the way he’s staring at me from head to toe. His eyes linger inappropriately too long at my chest.
“Excuse me? First, I’m a grown woman. Second, when you speak to me, please address me without ogling me.” I slid on my coat to keep his eyes off chest.
“Forgive me, but I was doing no such thing. Although I’m surprised you are bothered by it considering you like older men. We have proof that you are having an affair with Mr. Sager.”
It takes every inch of self-control to hold back the urge to slap his smug face, but he’s the type to react and I’m not sure I can handle the consequences. “What? You are out of line, and you don’t have any said evidence.”
“I witnessed you two the other day. He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
“What does that have to do with anything? He was my patient. I think you’re being irrational. You were gone so I couldn’t confront you about your actions, but Evan did, and my mother called me. How did you get in contact with her since I haven’t spoken to her?”
“She was on your list of emergency contacts.” If I didn’t already feel violated. My skin crawls at the way he’s gone into digging into my personnel file.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Jackie, you are crossing a line and you better decide if you want to be working here.”
“You crossed a line. You violated my private records and I’m not sure why.”
“Because you’re seeing one of your clients.”
“I’m not sure what gave you that idea in the first place.”
“I saw you at the restaurant with him,” Dr. Stewart growled. Goodness, he sounded jealous. He steps closer to me as if he’s losing patience with me.
Shaking my head, I’ve come too close to danger. Moving into the direct path of the camera, I look up into it and then he does the same thing. When I face him again, recognition hits him. Everything has been recorded. “I quit. You are sick. You’re not my boss and if you dare try to report me, I’ll contact the medical board.” I grab my things and walk out.
I’m quick to run to my vehicle. Luckily, my next assignment isn’t tied to the clinic like Evan was. He can’t get involved in this one and he won’t know where I am. My suitcase is already packed and I’m traveling before I know it. All I want to do is call Evan and beg him to protect me, but it’s stupid because we were just a casual fling. A dumb move on my part that landed me running from my perverted boss .