Looking down at Evie who rested her head on his shoulder in the car, he wondered what they would have thought about her. Chuckling to himself he knew his mother would have gotten a kick out of her and his father would have loved to have a sparring partner with her.
They had plenty of time to drive from New York to Boston to catch their flight. He could tell by the way she kept playing with the strap on her bag she was nervous someone was going to stop them going through security, but when no one did he could see her visibly relax. Thinking she would fall asleep as soon as they were in the air because of all the stress he was surprised she stayed awake for the whole flight. Well, he assumed she did since every time he woke up because he was worried about her she was sitting there staring out the window. However, since he didn’t get much sleep the night before he was unable to keep his eyes open or even comfort her.
Pulling up in front of the home generations of Maldonos had owned, Anthony filled with a feeling that this was where he needed to be. He made sure Evie wouldn’t tip over when she was no longer propped up by him he got out of the car. Going around to her side while the driver got their suitcases, he reached in and grabbed her. She fit so perfectly in his arms and when she wrapped her arms around his neck, he just wanted to take her up to his bedroom and spend the day making love to her. He liked having her here with him. It was nice to have someone stand by his side when he’d been alone for so long.
Laying her down on the bed in the guest room, he smiled when she whimpered as his arms released her. He knew that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. He wanted to get some work done but didn’t want to be too far away when she woke back up, so he got his files and sat down in the sitting area of her room. Anthony got to work planning what they would be doing while here.
*
Evie opened her eyes to the richest room she had ever seen. It was old world meets new. Classic antiques next to modern conveniences, yet somehow it worked. She sat up but stopped mid-stretch when she noticed Anthony watching her. “Hey.”
“Good morning. Sleep well?”
“Yes, is it really morning? Did I sleep for the past twenty-four hours?” Her body didn’t feel like it had been in bed that long.
“No, it’s just after noon. I’m glad you are awake, I didn’t want you to sleep too much, jet-lag and all that.”
“Thanks. So, why are you here?”
“I live here.”
“Ha-ha, no I mean here with me in this room.”
“Since you were asleep when we got here I was worried you wouldn’t know where you were when you woke up.”
“Thanks, but it couldn’t have been much fun for you.”
“On the contrary, watching you sleep was an enlightening experience.”
Not sure how to take his words she decided not to comment and change the subject. “What are all those files for?”
“Just going over the information on Jeremy again and coming up with a plan. I feel like I should have this memorized by now.”
“Would you like to fill me in on the plan?”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about dressing up and acting. Sorry to disappoint.”
Sticking her tongue out, she got out of bed and walked over to her suitcases. “I need to get cleaned up. What are the plans for the rest of the day?”
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine, why?”
“Because I’d like to go out to Sutton’s country manor today. It’s only a couple of hours drive but it would give us a head start.”
Evie had never been to London before and was hoping for a little bit of sight-seeing, but it appeared that she was going to have to settle for seeing it from the car. “I’m fine. Can I have about a half hour or so? And maybe some coffee?”
“Sure, I’ll see to that. The kitchen is two levels down.”
“Thanks, I’ll be there.”
At the door he turned back around. “Do you want me to wash your back?”
Shivering at the thought she shook her head. “Not if you want to get out to the Sutton’s in the next day or so.”
“Right, well then, I’d better go.”
Standing there with a shirt clutched to her chest, she wondered how she’d had the strength to turn him down.
*
The trip out to the Sutton’s went too quick for Evie. She was awed and amazed at how different everything looked. She loved the architecture, loved the look of the buildings which were hundreds of years old. You could almost feel the history radiating off of them.
“This is their country home?” She leaned forward to get a look at a home which was bigger than anything she’d ever seen. “I’m going to get lost in there.”
“I guess this isn’t the time to tell you that this is the smallest of the homes they own.”
“Nope, I don’t want to hear about it. What am I going to say to them? We couldn’t have anything in common.”
“You have more than you know. Just relax and be yourself.”
“What if I curse in front of them? Shit, I just know I will. See?”
Laughing, he reached over and grabbed her hand. “You’ll be fine.”