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chapter 25- epilogue
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I Just Want You prologue
Nine years ago...Eva Cole spent the afternoon of her seventeenth birthday curled up on her narrow bed, sobbing uncontrollably.Everything about her life was a disaster. It was never going to be better-and what if she was one of the unlucky people who peaked in her teenage years?What if this was the best it was going to be?Seriously, she should just throw herself out her dorm room window and be done with it.Of course, she was only on the fourth floor, so she was not going to actually kill herself. The most likely event was maiming.She sat up and wiped her face. "Given the distance to the ground and the speed at impact," she murmured to herself, then sniffed. "Depending on my position..."She reached for a piece of paper. "If I fell feet first-unlikely, but it could happen-then the majority of the stress would be on my..."She started doing the calculations. Bone density versus a hard concrete landing or a softer grass landing. Assuming a coefficient of-Eva threw down the pencil a
I Just Want You chapter 1
Present dayLiam Sanz had driven two days straight to get to California. He could have flown his jet, then picked up a rental car for the month he was going to be forced to stay at Emmett's house, but he'd needed the downtime to clear his head.His assistant had been frantic, unable to reach him in the more rural parts of the country, but he'd enjoyed the silence. There hadn't been enough silence in his life for a long, long time. Even when he was alone, there were still the damn ghosts to contend with.He drove down a long driveway toward a barely visible log house.The place stood surrounded by trees with a view of a lake behind. There were windows and stone steps, along with a heavy double wood door.Liam parked, then climbed out of his Mercedes.Emmett's house had been built just recently, nearly ten years after the death of his friend, but Liam had a feeling that Emmett had left detailed instructions on what it should look like.The place reminded him of Emmett, which was both go
I Just Want You chapter 2
The next morning Eva woke up feeling much better about everything. After leaving out food for Liam, she'd escaped to her room, where she'd had a bath and a good cry.Some of her tears had been about her brother, but a lot of them had been for herself. For the geek she'd been and the losses she'd suffered.After Emmett had died, their father had totally lost it. He'd been less than useless to her. Within a year he'd started dating nineteen-year-olds, and in the eight years since, his girlfriends had stayed depressingly young.She'd been on her own and she'd survived.Wasn't that what mattered? That she'd managed to get the help she'd needed to move forward and thrive?She turned on her clock's radio and rocked her hips to the disco music that blasted into the room.She was sorry she'd missed the disco years-the music had such a driving beat. Of course, she was a total spaz on the dance floor, but what she lacked in style and grace she made up for in enthusiasm.After brushing out her
I Just Want You chapter 3
"You had more than one?" he asked, frowning slightly. He knew only about her nose.She sat up and leaned toward him. "Breasts," she said in a mock whisper. "I had breast implants."His gaze involuntarily dropped to her chest. Then he jerked his head to the right and focused on the weight bench next to him."Why?" he asked, determined not to think about her body and especially not her breasts, which were suddenly more interesting than he wanted them to be."After I lost weight, I discovered I had the chest of a twelve-year-old-boy. I was totally flat. It was depressing. So I got implants. I went for a jumbo B—which seemed about right for my newly skinny self."She stood and turned sideways in front of the mirror. "I don't know. Sometimes I think I should have just gone for it and ordered the centerfold breasts. What do you think?"He told himself not to look, but it was like trying to hold back the tide. Against his will, his head turned and his gaze settled on her chest. Eva raised he
I Just Want You chapter 4
Liam spent a couple of hours in the loft office, working. He called his assistant back in Austin."They're building more roads in Pakistan," Raina Patmore told him. "They're looking at maybe an eighteen-month contract, but we all know those things take longer. And Sister Angie called. They want to take in another convoy of medical supplies."His business provided protection in dangerous parts of the world. His teams allowed building crews to get their jobs done and get out.The work was dangerous, often a logistical nightmare and extremely expensive.His corporate clients paid well for what they got.The corporate profits were channeled into funding protection for those providing relief efforts in places often forgotten.He'd grown up in the shadow of the Sanz Formation, a philanthropic trust that helped the poor.His critics said he could afford to be generous-he had a trust fund worth nearly a billion dollars. What they didn't know is he never touched it. A vow he'd made to himself.
I Just Want You chapter 5
"Not much to tell.""It's tough, isn't it?" She leaned against the counter opposite his. For once, her eyes weren't bright with humor or challenge. "Being who we are and trying to get involved. The money thing, I mean."Because they both came from money. Because they'd been raised with the idea that they had to be careful, to make sure they didn't fall for someone who was in it for the wrong reasons.Without wanting to, Liam remembered sitting in on a painful conversation between Emmett and Eva. He'd tried to escape more than once, but his friend had wanted him to stick around to make sure Van really listened."Guys are going to know who you are," Emmett had told her. "You have to be smart and not just think with your heart."Eva had been sixteen. She'd writhed in her seat as Emmett had talked, then she'd stood and glared at him."Who is going to want me for anything else?" she demanded. "I'm not pretty. I'll never be pretty. I'm nothing more than a giant brain with braces and a big n
I Just Want You chapter 6
Eva sat up and took Sloane's hands. "I love and admire you, but you are desperately wrong."I hope so, for your sake."But her friend sounded worried as she spoke. Eva appreciated the show of support. They were never going to agree on this topic. Better to move on.She released Sloane's hands and grinned. "So Derrick is right next door. Whatever will the two of you get up to late at night?"Sloane flushed. "Lower your voice," she whispered. "He'll hear you.""Oh, please. He wouldn't hear a nuclear explosion if he was focused on something else, and when I walked by his room, he was already booting his laptop. We're safe.Don't you love how I got the two of you into the house while everyone else is far, far away?""I guess," Sloane said with uncharacteristic indecision. "I know something has to happen soon or I'll be forced to back the car over him. He's such a sweetie. And you know I really like him, but I don't think I'm his type."+Eva groaned. "He doesn't have a type. He's a nerd.
I Just Want You chapter 7
Eva arrived home from dinner with her team feeling just full enough, with a slight buzz.They'd taken the shuttle van into town and that had meant no one had to be a designated driver.Wine had flowed freely. Well, as freely as it could given no one drank more than a glass, preferring the thrill of intellectual discussion to the mental blurriness of too much alcohol.+But just this once Eva had passed up the wine and gone with a margarita. That was fine, but she'd ordered a second one and was absolutely feeling it as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.As she reached the landing, she was two doors and was reminded that it was also the same floor with Liam's bedroom.What an interesting fact, she thought as she paused and stared at the firmly closed door. He was in there. By himself, she would guess.So what exactly was he getting up to?She was pretty confident he was stretched out on the bed, watching TV or reading.But this was her buzz, and she could imagine him waiting for her
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I Just Want You chapter 25- epilogue
His arm draped around Sarah's shoulders, Ian looked around at the Sixth Heavens who'd finally gathered together again. Emmett had brought about this reunion, thanks to his will. Emmett had always been the glue that had bound them together, and now they were his legacy. Ian looked down at Sarah. They'd been married just weeks, but they'd been the best damn weeks he'd had in a long time. Since before his mother and Emmett had died, in fact. He felt alive again. They'd gotten married in an intimate ceremony in Napa Valley. Eunice and Gary had served as the matron of honor and best man. Because it was summer break, he'd been able to fly them in, along with their kids, for a family vacation. He grinned thinking about how thrilled Sarah's friends had been to get away to a romantic place, even if it was with the kids in tow. He and Sarah would be in the same situation in a few years, especially if they kept having the same steamy nights they'd been having the past few weeks. Sarah glanc
I Just Want You chapter 24
"I love you, Eva. I have for a long time. I always thought..." He shrugged. "I thought there was something between us back then. But you were young and I was young and then Emmett got sick. I couldn't deal, so I ran. You know all this. I ran, but I couldn't let go. I took the coward's way out. I spied on you. You were right to call it that. I kept track from a distance, where it was safe. Where I was safe."She had to sit down. Her legs felt weak and the room was spinning. Instead she reached for him, and he caught her and held her as if he might never let go. "I missed you," he murmured, speaking into her hair. "I missed you so much. Not just the past three weeks, although they were hell, but for the past nine years. I'm sorry I didn't know before. I love you, Eva. I want to be with you. I want to make this right." He grabbed her by her upper arms and held her in front of him. "Can you forgive me? Can you tell me what to do to make it right? Can you ever care about me?" She began
I Just Want You chapter 23
He hadn't expected to ever see her again. Then she'd been here and he'd been thrown. She'd wanted to seduce him and he knew he couldn't let that happen. Because of what he owned both her and Emmett. Liam's POV ;I walked into the empty living room and stared at the perfectly arranged furniture. It was all so comfortable. I wanted to throw things, break things, mess it all up. Because life wasn't tidy or comfortable. It was a pain in the ass. I turned to leave, then spotted a DVD case on the floor, by the sofa. Someone had dropped it. Or left it on purpose. Eva? Sloane? Emmett? I picked it up and stared at the plain black cover. Someone had stuck on a piece of paper covered with a single word. Emmett. Against my better judgment, I walked to the DVD player and put in the disk. Then I turned on the television and braced myself for the pain. Someone had taken the time to transfer Emmett's home movies, I thought as I watched snippets of the first confusing days at Yale. There were sh
I Just Want You chapter 22
Eva's POV cont'd ;I blinked several times, then swallowed. "I can't stay with you, Liam." He hadn't thought about me leaving until I said I had to, and now he didn't want me to go. I scrambled out of the bed and pulled on my clothes. "This is crazy. All of it. I don't know what I was thinking. I had this great plan. Sloane warned me, but did I listen? And I'm supposed to be the smart one." "What are you talking about?"I slid on my T-shirt, then looked at him. "You have to stop it, Liam. You're not allowed to spy on me anymore. I know you'd call it looking after me. Whatever it is, you have to stop. I'm a grown woman and I can take care of myself. If there are mistakes to be made, then I'll make them. Stop protecting me.""I don't want to.""This isn't about you."He didn't understand. They'd just made love. It had been great. So why was she leaving? And when the hell had it gotten so cold in this room? "Just like that?" he asked, getting angry because it was easy and something h
I Just Want You chapter 21
Liam's POV cont'd ;"Damn you, " she cried. "I hate this. Do you know how much I hate this? I wasn't even a person to you. I was a project. You couldn't be bothered to get involved yourself." "It wasn't like that. I wanted you to be safe. I didn't want you with the wrong guy."Just a sec…we've got a ad loading up."Yes."She dropped her arms to her sides, then stared up at me with tears in her eyes. "So who's the right guy? Or does he exist?" "I don't know.""It's not you."She wasn't asking a question, but I answered it anyway. "No. I'm not him." "Just the devil?""I'm not that bad.""You are to me," she said and turned away. "You shouldn't have done it, Liam. It's a zero-sum game. All or nothing. You can't hide in the middle. Emmett would be disappointed, and so am I. It would have been better to just disappear. At least that would have been honest. I could have respected that.""I don't need your respect," I said, then realized that maybe I did. For some reason, Eva's opinion m
I Just Want You chapter 20
That made Eva almost smile. "You don't approve of it either." "I don't approve one way or the other. I'm worried about you. I think you wanted to sleep with Liam for a lot of reasons, and none of them have anything to do with punishing him.""You think I'm still in love with him.""It would explain a lot."Eva rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. In love with Liam. Was it possible? The way her personal life was going, it made sense. He'd spent the last ten years doing the least he could justify when it came to her, and she might have spent the same amount of time desperate to give her heart to him. ************Liam's POV ;I was staring at my computer screen when Derrick walked into my office. "What's up?" I asked. "You hurt Eva," Derrick said. "That's not right. You can't be so insensitive that you wouldn't know how much the information about Justice would bother her. Not to mention the fact that someone she respected and thought of as a friend had been spying on h
I Just Want You chapter 19
He took her arm and led her into the kitchen. She didn't like anything about this. After folding her arms over her chest she said, "So talk." His dark eyes were unreadable. "Justice isn't who you think." She'd thought maybe her father had been in an accident or had a heart attack. But Justice? "Not who I think? You mean like secretly a woman?""I'm serious, Eva. I have some information on him. His background. He's not the man he's pretending to be. He's in it for the money."A thousand different thoughts flashed through her brain. At any other time she would have paused to marvel at the exquisite structure of the human mind—of how it could hold so many contradictory ideas at any single moment. But right now all she cared about was being strong enough to punch Liam in the stomach. "What the hell are you going on about?" she asked, her voice low and cold. "Why would you know anything about Justice?" "I had him investigated."Anger burned hot and bright. "You have no right to get i
I Just Want You chapter 18
Eva needed coffee more than she needed air. It had been another long night but not for any fun reasons. She'd tossed and turned, not sure what to do with her life—something she hadn't wrestled with in years.She was supposed to have things together by now. She was supposed to know her heart as well as she knew her head. Or did being so damned smart mean she was destined to be stupid in other ways?The coffee had barely begun to pour through the filter when someone rang the doorbell. She hadn't seen anyone else up yet so she walked to the front door and opened it.Justice stood on the porch. He held a single red rose in one hand and a stuffed bright-green monkey in the other."It's possible I behaved badly yesterday," he said with a shrug. "More than possible. I want things to work between us."She didn't know what to say. While she was relieved to not be fighting, she wasn't exactly in the mood to throw herself into his arms. Which meant that there was a whole lot more for them to dea
I Just Want You chapter 17
They bounced through the wake of a boat, then settled onto smoother water. Eva leaned against him, her thighs nestling him. The image of her naked, hungry and ready filled his mind.For once, he didn't push it away. He let it stay there, arousing him, making him want to pull into shallow waters and make the fantasy real.He didn't. Instead he headed back to the beach, where her friends were being shown the right way to board a Jet Ski.There was also a new addition to the group. A dinghy had been pulled up on the beach, and Justice stood slightly to the side, staring at Eva."How about something with a little more power?" he said, pointing to the twenty-five-foot boat anchored offshore.She climbed off the Jet Ski and pulled off her life jacket. "I need to stay here," she told him. "This was my idea."Justice glanced around. "The nerd brigade will be fine." He grabbed her hand. "Come on. It'll be fun."Liam wanted to step between them the way he had with surfer dude. But this was diff
