Page 63 of Fall Into Temptation
“First time in the big house?” Eva asked Tanbark with a grin.
The kid nodded. “Yeah. I thought it would be funny to put some soap in the park fountain. Only I got soap on my hands, and the whole bottle fell in.”
“And that’s a jail-able offense?” Eva asked, eyeing Donovan with amusement.
“Destruction of public property,” Donovan reminded her.
“Ah. I didn’t realize that carried jail time in Blue Moon.”
“Only when your parents try to teach you a lesson by turning you in and not paying your bail,” Donovan told her.
Her lips quirked. “What is bail for destruction of public property these days?”
“Fifty bucks.”
“I’ve got forty on me. Would that buy my friend here some freedom tonight?” Eva asked, digging into her purse.
“Sold,” Donovan breathed. “Let me get the form.”
Three minutes later, Donovan was shoving Tanbark out the door on his way home with instructions to never deface anyone’s property again. Eva waited in his office. When he returned, he found her sitting in his visitor’s chair holding her book.
“My, Sheriff. What interesting reading habits you have.”
“What kind of eventual fiancé would I be if I didn’t support your talents?”
She laughed and shook her head. “You keep bowling me over, Donovan. How can you be so sure about your feelings for me? Aren’t you the least bit concerned that this is your version of dumping a gallon of dish soap in a public fountain?”
“Eva.” Her name caught in his throat with the rawness of what he felt for her. “The feelings are real, and the sooner you accept that, the faster we can enjoy each other.” He sat on the edge of his desk, his legs stretching out on either side of her chair capturing her between them.
She chewed on her bottom lip, worrying a problem.
“Might as well spill it. What’s going on in that very imaginative brain of yours?”
“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to tell you this, but since I haven’t signed the non-disclosure agreement, oh well. The Beautification Committee says we have to wait until I either get over my abandonment issues leftover from my mother on my own or until spring, when we’re up on the matchmaking docket, and then they will commit all committee resources to fixing me so I’m relationship-appropriate.”
“Is that so?” Donovan asked. He took her by the hands and drew her up out of her chair to stand between his legs.
“And Summer and Julia suggested that I not have sex with you until after Halloween so I can be sure that your feelings are real and not heavily influenced by some celestial bodies.”
“You’re lucky I’m a mature man intent on listening to your concerns and not making a good celestial body joke right now,” Donovan said, skimming his hands up her arms.
“From where I stand, I’m very lucky,” Eva breathed.
Donovan threaded his fingers through her hair, brushing it back from her face. “The first time I saw you, you wore this short gold dress and these glittery shoes that no woman should be able to walk in. Your hair was down, like this,” he said, smoothing her curls. “Your eyes were brighter than all the stars in the night sky. You were so happy for your sister. And you were laughing at something Beckett was saying.”
Her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but no words came.
“I was standing there, in the middle of the happiest day of someone else’s life. And it was like something punched me in the chest hard enough to knock the wind out of me,” he admitted. “I’ve never felt anything like that before in my life. It was New Year’s Eve, one of my best friend’s weddings, and I felt likemyfuture had just started.”
“Wow.” Eva’s breath left her in a rush. “Do you have any idea how romantic you are? Also, do you mind if I take notes?”
“I’ll write it down for you,” he promised, tracing a thumb over her lower lip. “I tried to find you at midnight that night.”
Eva breathed in. “I was with Evan and Aurora under the cake table.”
“Lucky them,” Donovan said. “You went home, back to your life in South Carolina, and I kept waiting for the day that I wouldn’t think about you. For the time when I wouldn’t try to pump Gia and then Emma for information about you. I kept waiting to get over you.”
“Did it work?” Eva whispered.
