Page 97 of EverGreene
“You gave me a key to your house, so I can’t break in anymore. Kind of ruined all my fun, so I thought I’d recreate the magic here.”
I walked inside the office and retrieved an unassembled Bankers Box from the stack leaning against the wall, taking it to my desk to assemble it.
“I spoke to the prosecutor’s office this morning. They aren’t pressing any charges for Travis’s death.”
I stopped what I was doing and gaped at her, incredulously. “Were charges even on the table to begin with? The psychotic fuck tried to kill the both of us. If what you did wasn’t self-defense, I don’t know what is.”
“You don’t know his parents. They were very insistent thatI must have tricked him into absconding from parole and lured him to my house.”
Maybe his parents need to be paid a visit from a couple of masked men.
“You have that crazy look in your eyes that you get whenever you’re thinking of doing something that could get you arrested.” Ever stopped typing, eyeing me warily.
I shook my head, plastering on a wide grin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That does little to comfort me.”
I folded down the sides of the box and picked up the lid to assemble it as well. “All I’m saying is, a throat punch gets the message across.” Box assembled, I opened my desk drawers to search for any personal effects that may still be in there.
“So, this is all real, then?” Ever stood up and leaned against the edge of her desk. Her pencil skirt had ridden up from just below her knees to about mid-thigh, commanding my attention away from packing. “I’m going to miss having you here.”
I laughed. “No, you’re not.”
“No, really! I am. Sure, I may have despised you at first, but you can’t deny that the heated, sexual tension between us made things a little?—”
“Frustrating?”
“But in a good way.”
I met Ever’s eyes, seeing in them the myriad of ways I’d envisioned claiming her in this very office.
“Oh,” she said, quickly breaking eye contact and turning her attention to her desk to rummage through one of its drawers. “I have something for you.” She pulled out the mug I’d claimed as mine and handed it to me. “Sorry, I stole it. It was probably childish of me, but it felt so damn good at the time.”
“That’s okay, I stole it, too.”
“What? You didn’t! From where?”
“You mean from whom? I’m a little concerned you think I shoplifted it from somewhere as opposed to just taking it from someone here.”
“I’m not sure which one is worse.”
“Truth be told, it was a mug that was purchased by the firm for communal use.”
“Then why were you so protective of it?”
“I saw you using it, and I didn’t want anyone else’s lips touching anywhere yours had been.” Ever’s mouth fell open as I packed the mug inside the box. “That reminds me. I have something for you, too.”
“I’m almost too afraid to ask.”
I opened the bottom drawer and pulled out the peacock feather, walking around my desk. “I think this belongs to you.”
Ever eyed the feather, looking from my hand to my face. “How many did you pluck?”
“A couple. One to send to you and one I couldn’t bring myself to part with.”
“What’s so special about this one?”
I ran the feather along the soft, smooth skin of her cheek, slowly moving it down her neck. “I’ll give you one guess.” My eyes moved down her body and back up again.
