Page 36 of Fall Into Temptation
Joey ambled out the front door. “Morning, everyone.”
“Morning, Joey,” everyone replied.
“Good luck with this hot mess,” Joey said, jerking her thumb in Eva’s direction and tossing her bag over her shoulder.
“Ladies,” Donovan turned to address Gia and Emma. “You’re going to get your shot at the interrogation, but I call dibs. Okay?”
“Soften her up for us,” Emma said sternly.
“You heard your sisters. Let’s go,” he said, hauling Eva up onto the porch and into her kitchen. He shut the door behind them and made himself at home fixing a pot of coffee.
Eva yanked the refrigerator open harder than necessary and, not finding anything that looked good, slammed it again.
“You’ve got some thinking to do,” Donovan said conversationally as he poured the water into the reservoir.
“Oh, do I?” He looked up at her with a bland look, and she felt like a petulant six-year-old. “I’m sorry,” she offered.
“I think you’re probably going to need to clarify that apology. Lying. Ducking out on me last night. Ignoring my calls. What do you think that does to a guy who thinks he’s in love with you?”
“Jesus, Donovan. We haven’t even had a first date yet. Let me catch my breath!”
“I’ve been letting you breathe since I laid eyes on you.” The coffeemaker sputtered to life. “You let me know when you’ve had enough oxygen.”
He was hurt, and she’d done it to him. Her choices had hurt him and even though it wasn’t her intention, she still felt a heavy blanket of guilt. Eva walked around the island to face him. She stepped between his feet and leaned against him, running her hands up his chest to his shoulders.
The man wasn’t ready to forgive her, but his body had other ideas. Donovan Cardona was stone hard against her.
“I’m sorry for lying to you about what I do for a living. Especially after you told me that you didn’t want any lies or secrets between us. I’m sorry for running away last night. I got overwhelmed. I like you.” She looked at his chest. “I really like you. And I’m sorry for hurting you and hiding from you.”
His hands moved from the counter to her hips.
“I don’t want to screw this up,” she continued. “But to me that means taking things a little slow until I can wrap my head around the fact that Sheriff Sexy is into me.”
His fingers squeezed into her flesh. “I think that’s a reasonable request.”
“You can’t love me, yet,” she told him. “Not without knowing me.”
“Then let me get to know you.”
“I guess we could give it a shot.”
“Why is that so hard?” he asked her, inching her chin up so she would meet his gaze.
She wrestled with the answer, the vulnerability it would uncover.
“Ugh. Fine. I was eight-years-old when my mother left. And everyone was so worried about how I was handling it, worried I’d crack. When people ask you a thousand times a day how you’re doing, you learn that ‘fine’ gets the job done. I didn’t want anyone to be worried about me when we were all hurting.”
“Honey,” Donovan said, pulling her in closer. “That was a long time ago. I think you and your sisters can handle the real stuff. You don’t have to worry about hurting them with the truth, and they don’t have to worry about you breaking. You’re all grown up now.”
“Oh, hell. I’m so sorry, Donovan,” she whispered. “Everything’s happening so fast. I don’t know how to catch up.”
“We’ll slow it down as long as you’re in this with me. You’re not just leading me on for plot research or something, are you?”
She stiffened against him. Now was not the time to tell the man he was the star of her new book. Rather than lie, she laughed and brought her arms around his neck and stood on his boots. “I find youveryinspiring.”
This time he kissed her. And this time, the world disappeared. His mouth moved over hers whispering dark promises that sounded both terrifying and tender. She could feel the energy of need racing just beneath his surface. The idea that she could feel something like this? It was dizzying. Eva molded herself to him and enjoyed his groan when her hips cuddled against his erection.
“You guys about done in there?” Beckett called.
