Jasper had had such fabulous plans for them both...
But he’d catch up with her, he promised himself, gripping the steering wheel that much more tightly. He knew where she lived in Boston, too. Maybe it would be even more satisfying to kill her there, and bring the whole thing full circle.
Chapter 13
“I swear I’ve got to buy you some groceries,” Amarok said as he peered into her empty fridge.
Evelyn turned from where she was standing at the stove. “You’re not excited about another bowl of oatmeal?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Do I look excited to you?”
“Not especially.” But he did look good. He always looked good.
“Let’s go out,” he said.
“I don’t have time. I’ll miss my flight. I have to leave in an hour.”
“So miss your flight. Stay here.”
She paused from stirring. “Are you kidding?”
“No.”
“I can’t do that! I have meetings and conference calls and... myriad things on my to do list.”
“Myriad,” he repeated dryly.
“Yes.”
“Don’t you ever act irresponsibly? Do something simply because you want to?”
“I wouldn’t get very far with my goals if I did that.”
“Okay. Never. We can work on that too.” He leaned against the counter. “So when are you coming back?”
“In a few weeks.”
When he didn’t say anything else, she glanced over and found him watching her with a look that made her catch her breath. “What are you thinking?”
“I want to try something.”
This made her a little nervous. “What?”
“I want to hear you talk dirty.”
She gaped at him. “You can’t be serious!”
“Why not? They’re just words. Words can’t hurt you. It’ll be a great place to start.”
“Start what?”
He smiled. “Getting to where we both want to go.”
She didn’t bother trying to tell him she wasn’t interested, because she was. And she was intrigued by his suggestion, in spite of herself. “How dirty?” she asked. “Give me an example.”
“Ah, so you like the idea,” he said, obviously pleased.
She felt a flash of embarrassment, and a bit of insecurity too. “I’m not sure I’m capable of it.”
“Sure you are. It’s not hard.”
“So you would like me to say...what?”
The volume of his voice dropped, and his eyes took on fresh meaning. “Are you going to fuck me when I see you again?”
Her mouth went instantly dry. “Yeah, um, that’s probably not something I’d ever say, but I have to admit that it would probably work for you. With someone else.”
He slid a little closer. “There’s just one problem with that.”
His gaze suddenly felt like a laser that could melt bones. “What’s that?”
“I’m not interested in anyone else.”
She returned her attention to the oatmeal. “Amarok, you know my story.”
“We’re not going to discuss ‘your story’ today. That’s in the past. We’re moving forward, and in that spirit I think you could use a few lessons.”
“On talking dirty.”
“Yes.”
She propped one hand on her hip in a challenging pose. “And you’re going to teach me?”
“Why not?” His grin went a little crooked—not to mention a little lecherous, but endearingly so. “We can practice while you’re gone,” he said. “And don’t tell me you’d rather see how you do with someone else first. That’s bullshit.”
She shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re getting into. I’ve barely kissed a man since—”
“Barely?” he interrupted. “Or you haven’t kissed a man?”
“There’s been one or two.”
“Dates?”
“Work associates. I pretty much steer clear of dating.”
“Did you want to kiss them?”
“Not really.”
“Well, there you go. That makes a big difference, right?”
Her gaze lowered to his lips. She wanted to kiss him. She’d wanted to kiss him since the first day she’d seen him pacing like a caged panther in the mayor’s office, angry that she’d even propose an institution like Hanover House be built anywhere near his beloved hometown.
“Do it,” he murmured.
Obviously, she’d given away her thoughts. “Do what?” she asked, playing dumb in hopes of a reprieve.
He wasn’t about to allow her to back off now. “Kiss me. I can tell you’re tempted. I’ll let you, and I won’t do anything, I swear. I won’t even touch you.”
She studied his square jaw, the slight cleft in the middle of his chin, the razor stubble that covered that area—and his full, soft-looking lips. “I’m afraid of where it might lead,” she admitted.
“I just told you. It won’t lead anywhere.” He gripped the counter behind him as if to show that his hands would stay there. “One kiss before you leave. That’s it.” He winked. “And maybe you’ll like it well enough to want another when you get back.”