Pippa called it. But for real though, where do you think Eva is hiding? Spoiler alert! You won't believe it.
The view from the apartment was terrific. Especially at night. It overlooked the city, the twinkling, colorful lights almost making her believe she was in a fairyland. Two months were enough. Weren't they? He had to miss her as much as she did him and would probably forget the past when he saw her again. She'd caught glimpses of him when he came and went to work. He wasn't the same, confident man she'd known. Dare she think it was because of her? When she finally called Pippa, her assistant had told her how desperate he'd been to find her. According to her, he was begging. Then again, how could he not? He thought he'd lost the woman he loved. Of course, anyone in his position was bound to lose their mind. Eva sat back, planning her comeback. She'd stayed out of sight to the point that no one knew where she was. Even the Paparazzi couldn't find her. Lincoln believed she just needed privacy to finish her book and that she'd sold her house because she wanted to get away from the stalker
He got in the car and left! Eva smiled at the girls, annoyed by their squeals and hands. Each had an outstretched hand toward her wanting to touch her and if she could, she would slap them away. But she was their beautiful, kind, goddess and she couldn't afford to offend them in any way. There were times she wished she could change her face. Be someone else even if it was for a few hours. But how many personas could she have before they all became too much? Eva.B. was enough. She'd already spent years perfecting it and was good at it. It was the one those around her loved the most. So smiling wider, she said, "I'm so glad to see you all but don't you have classes?" "Skipping it was so worth it," one of the girls at the back said "I never thought I would get to meet you in person" "Me too" "Guys, come on. I'm happy to see you but education is important" God, could they get out of her way? Mason had left with that woman. She was the one with injuries but he'd chosen her. The ne
"What the fuck, Alden? What did you do?" Mason asked barging into his office. He'd been in the middle of a meeting when Eva called. He couldn't believe she finally wanted to talk to him and for a moment, he had thought she would at least explain herself. What he hadn't expected was for her to go off on him, calling him a coward. She'd thought he had sent Alden to do what? Talk to her on his behalf? "I don't think we've ever fought over a woman before. It was bound to happen at some point in our lives but I'll have you know I don't like it" "We're not fighting over anyone. You crossed the line and you know that" "What if I told you I'm about to do more than cross a line?" He got up, rounded his desk, and came to stand in front of him "What if I told you I want her for myself?" "Bullshit" "She's pretty, smart, and successful. What man wouldn't want her?" "I know what you're doing Alden and I'm warning you, Eva is off limits. She's not like the rest" he wasn't stupid. Alden wa
He knew the second she came to. She stirred, nuzzled his chest, and lifted her eyes to his. Mason brushed her hair from her face, his other hand dragging her up his body until they were face to face. He had so many questions but at the moment, he was just going to enjoy having her in his arms again. Being with her, kissing her, touching her, having her all to himself. "If I say I want you again, will you believe it?" "They say actions speak louder than words. So let's see" he said, snaking a hand between them, gently brushing his fingers over her folds "I believe you now" She playfully slapped his shoulder "Keep going then. Why'd you stop" "Because you need to rest and I need to get to work" "I'm fine, Mason" "Are you sure? I went pretty hard on you yesterday" "You're right. I might not be able to walk properly for the next few days" "I'm sorry" he wasn't. He would never be sorry for ravishing her body. She was probably covered in bruises and he wished he could mark ever
"Are you hiding?" She rolled her eyes "Hide from what? You, who keeps on pestering me all day long? Seriously, Mason, I didn't think you had a nagging streak in you" "Well, I'm trying to keep you here so I have to check in on you every hour to make sure you're not across Europe or Africa" a week had passed since they met his parents and since he'd dropped the three big words. Eva hadn't said it back, which was fine with him because he wasn't trying to force her to do something she wasn't ready to do but he'd had to keep an eye on her. Make sure she didn't bolt. Back at his parent's house, he'd seen the panic in her eyes. And Mason was sure that she would slip through his fingers if he wasn't careful. He'd called his mother and they'd confessed they weren't happy because of the article that had made him out to be a cheater. They weren't angry at Eva but they thought she could have handled it better. He told them the same thing and they apologized. Promising to make it up to her. E
*Flashback* "Lincoln, can we talk?" "What's up?" Sabrina wrung her hands. She was afraid to speak up but this needed to be said. If they didn't take action soon, it would only get worse. To the point of no return. She was also aware of how protective Lincoln was of the twins. He never wanted them to feel like they were alone so he went out of his way to give them whatever they wanted. There was nothing wrong with that. However, she thought the first thing he should have considered was to take them to counseling. The crash they were in might have left them traumatized, especially Eva. She wasn't herself. According to Rossy, she'd changed and they thought it was just a phase. Given time, it would pass. But how much time? It had already been two years. "Have you noticed Eva's change?" "Change? How?" She took a deep breath "She's acting strange" "How strange? I don't understand what you're saying, Sabrina" "Just hear me out first, please" she begged.
"Fuck! Of course, he called you too" "Why are you here?" Mason asked narrowing his eyes at Alden "Are you following me?" "Fuck no. I'm not that idle" "Then?" Before he could answer, Jensen came from the back of the restaurant and strode toward their table. "Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to see you. Thank you for keeping my business afloat" "Why did you call him?" Alden accused, a flash of anger passing through his eyes. "To save myself time" he pulled a chair from the next table and sat down. It was midmorning and the restaurant was almost empty. When he got the call, Mason had almost cancelled this meeting. Digging into Eva's past without her knowledge was wrong. He trusted what she told him. But then Jensen had insisted he go and there he was. What he didn't understand was why Alden had shown up too "You both asked me to look into Evangeline Becker" Mason swung his eyes to Alden "You did what?" "Why would you look into her? Is because you don't trust her?" He accused ba
"Hey, where are you? You left early" "I needed to see someone. I'll call you later?" The line went dead. Mason looked at the black screen of his phone, the lines on his forehead crinkling in puzzlement. He'd woken up to find Eva gone. At first he thought she was in her apartment but there was no one there so he called her. Only for his calls to go to voicemail. She'd only answered it three hours later to give him a once sentence reply before hanging up. That feeling of apprehension was back, crawling up his spine inch by inch. They hadn't talked about the guy at the restaurant because he didn't want to set her off. That alone was enough to tell him something was wrong. If he couldn't even ask her simple questions without being afraid of driving her away or setting her off, then they had serious problems. The envelope was tucked away in the safe at the apartment and suddenly, he had this urge to look inside. Get it over with so he'd stop being so anxious. But i
"If that call has lasted more than five seconds, consider yourself..." "What? Fired?" Eva retorted, reminding him of the first time he'd met her. She'd changed but at the same time, she was still the same person who had changed her clothes in his office while he watched. Back then, he'd known he would never forget her. "In trouble. Who are you talking to?" She took the phone off her ear and pressed a button. A woman's voice came through "... decide which cover you want. I've emailed you the samples" "Yes, Miranda. Thank you for calling. Please email her the rest of the conversation, she'll get back to you when she isn't busy" Mason cut the call. "I still had a few questions to ask" "You were supposed to join me in the shower ten minutes ago" he said his hands busy unbuttoning the summer dress then pushing it off her shoulders. She only wore panties underneath which he also slid down her legs. On his way up, he palmed the little bump. Soon she was going to start showing. He
"Hey" she whispered through the crack in the door. "Let's go" "Where?" "Hurry up before..." Mason trailed off when he spotted someone else standing behind her. "Before what? Also, this is her sister. Eva is busy. She's not going anywhere with you" "I can't sleep without her, mom," he said ignoring a grinning Rosslyn. Sometimes he forgot Eva had a carbon copy of herself. Aside from the hair, he couldn't tell them apart. But he was confident that with time, he would be able to find that one difference between them without relying on their physical looks. "He sounds like when he was five insisting he couldn't sleep without his stuffed animal. Would you like me to put you to bed Mace?" "No, I want my wife. Stop hiding her from me" two days. He hadn't seen her for two days and he was getting antsy. It wasn't as if it was their first time getting married or sleeping in the same bed. Why were they preventing him from seeing her? "You'll get to see her tomorrow after the wedding
"A spanking?" Why did her voice sound so small? It was supposed to be sexy and seductive. It had taken her a long time to settle on that particular piece of lingerie. The lace garter covered half of her stomach which was supposed to hide her belly and make her feel confident but instead, she felt ready to bolt. Mason's eyes were on her, his gaze dark and burning. In the past, it used to make her feel empowered. Beautiful. Strong. But now, she wanted nothing more than to pull the blinds of the tall windows, so she could hide behind the dark. The sky outside was grey, lights already shining in the city below them. Eva moved towards him. Telling herself that if he loved her, he would have to accept her imperfections. She was done trying to be perfect. When she stopped beside him, he hooked a finger on the strap behind her thigh and gruffly commanded "Turn around" she obeyed, turning her back to him "Fuck Eva, your ass looks even better than I remember" she startled when his teeth sunk i
"Now what?" He'd held her as she cried, assured her there was no one else then her stomach decided it wanted food so they were sitting in her small dining room while she moved the salad she'd ordered for herself around the plate. "You should eat, Eva, and don't tell me you're not hungry" she was glad to see he was back to his bossy self. He hadn't changed one bit. He was still handsome and fit and so breathtakingly gorgeous while she'd let herself go. She didn't care what she wore, indulged too much in unhealthy food and it showed. She grabbed a salad once in a while and went worked out when she felt like it. But she was happy. After living under so much pressure, she liked not caring about her public image or what people would say. Until she saw Mason. Now all the doubts were creeping in. What if he didn't like this version of her? She'd worked on getting it back. Had been forced to peel away the so many layers she'd stacked on top of each other in order to get to that one. If he did
"Why don't they deliver?" "Their delivery guy was run over yesterday and they're looking for a new one. The guy isn't dead. He's at the hospital. Imagine how sorry they were that they felt the need to explain themselves. Poor guys" "Get to the point, Pippa" "So, yeah, that's what happened. I would pick up the food but I have an appointment with my OB/GYN. Cravings are a bitch, Eva. Please just pick up the order for me. I'll owe you big time" it sounded like bullshit. "I haven't been back for long but you're already a pain in my ass" "I love you too. I'll text you the order details. Thank you" she hung up. Eva removed the phone from her ear and stared at it. Wondering how she'd gone from Pippa's boss to her assistant. She'd ordered from the restaurant they'd gone to four days ago and she wanted her to pick it up for her because their delivery guy was unavailable. If she wasn't pregnant, Eva would have rolled her eyes and gone back to working. Shaking her head, she grabbed her
Tick. Tack. Tick. Tack. "Sir?" "Something's not right with this contract but I can't put my finger on what it is" "Shall I send it back to the legal department?" "Yeah, you do that. Tell them to find out what the problem is" he said pushing the papers away and leaning back on his chair. If he wasn't so distracted, he would have figured out what the problem was. But he couldn't concentrate on anything. Hadn't been able to do it since he bumped into Eva yesterday. It took him a moment to realize his secretary was still standing there "What is it, Marsha?" "You're still holding the pen. Is there something else I should do?" "No. Leave" "Are you sure sir?" "As sure as I am that if you don't close that door behind you in the next five seconds you'll be out of a job" "I'm right outside. Tell me if need something else" she said closing the door. Alden threw the pen on his desk and ran his hands over his face. Why had she come back? Two years had already passed and Mace was ju
"I couldn't go through with it""Why not? I'm sure they would have been happy to see you" Eva snorted "Yeah right. I'm sure anyone in their right mind would be happy to see someone who framed them and almost caused their miscarriage. Let's be real, Rossy" "I asked Linc and he said you were more than welcome to go see them. And before you lose your shit, it was a hypothetical question. He doesn't know I'm in contact with you. But he's an agent, Eva. If he wanted to find you, nothing could stop him" But he hadn't. Because he was still mad at her. "Anyway, I'll go visit them some other time" she'd gone to see them but the moment she arrived, she'd chickened out and drove away from there as if the devil was on her tail. Part of her recovery was being able to handle rejection without ape shit and she believed that she could. Just not at the moment. "Like some time this year or next year?" "Get off my case. I have stuff to unpack" she said eyeing the boxes
TWO YEARS LATER "Morning Ava" she grumbled a response, her mind miles away. But Lilly wouldn't be Lilly if she didn't jump in front of her and command her attention "I said good morning""Good morning to you too. Now can you get out of my way?" She snapped at the young woman who only smiled. Undeterred by her tone."What are you cooking up in that head of yours today? Could it be more adventures of our beloved couple?""Out of my way. I'm in a hurry""If you give me a sneak peek, I'll do your coffee run for the rest of the month""I never should have spoken to you that first day" she had been the first person to speak to her. Showing up at her door with an apple pie as a welcome to the town, then her eyes had gone round. She introduced herself and Eva made the mistake of telling her that she had a niece whose name was Lily. Since then, Lilly had taken it upon herself to introduce her to the rest of the town "Don't let her glare scare you off, she's real
"Why Mr. Adler, are you nervous?" "A little" he admitted sheepishly, feeling like a teenager who was about to do it for the first time. Only Eva could make him feel like that. They'd had sex on every surface of the apartment but it still excited him to know he would be inside her soon. Feel the way her body squeezed him and shook when she came around him. Reacquaint himself with every dip and curve. She took off her sweater laughing, making him smile. He loved it when she laughed. "I'm pretty sure it's not your first time" "Doesn't stop me from being nervous" "Lose the clothes, Adler" she ordered, heading upstairs. He followed her, undressing as he went. At the landing, she stepped out of her skirt, throwing a sultry look over her shoulder before veering off to the bedroom. His cock came alive, reminding him how long it had been since they were together. He'd jerked off to his hand more times than he could remember. Not wanting to pressure her into anything. At some point, he e