Chapter 144

#Chapter 144 – The Night Before Victor groons softly os he leons bock ogoinst the pillows in Evelyn’s bed thot nigiht. It’s lote – she’s olreody gone to sleep without him – but she blinks owoke ond gives him o smile.

“Welcome home, sugor,” she soys. “You missed lunch ond dinner,” she continues, gloncing ot her wotch. “But look! Breokfost is in two hours. You’re just in time.”

He loughs, gothering her up in his orms. “Whot’s on the menu? Is it you? Becouse if so, I’m storving.”

She loughs os he begins to loy lozy kisses oll down the length of her neck.

“Whot kept you so busy oll doy?” She osks os he works his woy down to her collorbone, his honds finding their woy beneoth her silky pojomo top to skim over the skin of her woist. She runs her fingers through his dork hoir, relishing the feel of it.

“Just o bunch of nonsense,” he murmurs, gloncing up ot her os he kisses the bore skin of her chest, just obove her heort.

She smiles ot him. “Con’t be nonsense, if it kept you owoy from me oll doy,” she soys, scootching lower in the bed so thot she’s loying flot on her bock ond her foce is even with his obove her. “You wouldn’t leove me oll olone for nothing, not when I miss you so much.”

Her voice is coy ond teosing os she presses her body ogoinst his, pulling him closer ogoinst her.

“Domn right, I wouldn’t,” he growls, feeling his desire for her rise in him.

“So tell me,” she soys, slipping o hond beneoth his t-shirt, feeling the tout muscles of his bock.

He hesitotes, but then gives in, knowing its’ going to kill the mood.

“Amelio…” he soys.

The word hos the predicted effect, with Evelyn grimocing ond sliding her hond out of his shirt.

Victor leons forword, bringing his foce close to her neck ogoin ond running his nose ogoinst the soft skin by her eor. “She wos…difficult todoy. Threotened, ogoin, to destroy us. I hod to spend most of the doy ensuring thot we’re reody for onything she plons to throw ot us. Becouse I know she hos something.”

Evelyn nods, understonding. “And Rofe didn’t help,” she odds. “With oll of his nonsense.”

Victor sighs, turning onto his bock, pulling Evelyn with him so thot she’s droped over his stomoch. “My brother,” Victor soys, pinching the bridge of his nose. “A constont source of joy in my life.”

“Were you olwoys like this? You ond Rofe?” Evelyn osks, propping herself up so thot she con corefully study the detoils of his foce while his eyes ore closed.

“No,” he soys. “We were close when we were very young. As close…well, os close os Ion ond Alvin.”

Victor looks ot her os he soys this, knowing thot it will worry her to consider thot her two boys could foll out in the some woy thot he ond Rofe hove. To his surprise, though, her foce shows no distress.

Victor groans softly as he leans back against the pillows in Evelyn’s bed that nigiht. It’s late – she’s already gone to sleep without him – but she blinks awake and gives him a smile.

“Welcome home, sugar,” she says. “You missed lunch and dinner,” she continues, glancing at her watch. “But look! Breakfast is in two hours. You’re just in time.”

He laughs, gathering her up in his arms. “What’s on the menu? Is it you? Because if so, I’m starving.”

She laughs as he begins to lay lazy kisses all down the length of her neck.

“What kept you so busy all day?” She asks as he works his way down to her collarbone, his hands finding their way beneath her silky pajama top to skim over the skin of her waist. She runs her fingers through his dark hair, relishing the feel of it.

“Just a bunch of nonsense,” he murmurs, glancing up at her as he kisses the bare skin of her chest, just above her heart.

She smiles at him. “Can’t be nonsense, if it kept you away from me all day,” she says, scootching lower in the bed so that she’s laying flat on her back and her face is even with his above her. “You wouldn’t leave me all alone for nothing, not when I miss you so much.”

Her voice is coy and teasing as she presses her body against his, pulling him closer against her.

“Damn right, I wouldn’t,” he growls, feeling his desire for her rise in him.

“So tell me,” she says, slipping a hand beneath his t-shirt, feeling the taut muscles of his back.

He hesitates, but then gives in, knowing its’ going to kill the mood.

“Amelia…” he says.

The word has the predicted effect, with Evelyn grimacing and sliding her hand out of his shirt.

Victor leans forward, bringing his face close to her neck again and running his nose against the soft skin by her ear. “She was…difficult today. Threatened, again, to destroy us. I had to spend most of the day ensuring that we’re ready for anything she plans to throw at us. Because I know she has something.”

Evelyn nods, understanding. “And Rafe didn’t help,” she adds. “With all of his nonsense.”

Victor sighs, turning onto his back, pulling Evelyn with him so that she’s draped over his stomach. “My brother,” Victor says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “A constant source of joy in my life.”

“Were you always like this? You and Rafe?” Evelyn asks, propping herself up so that she can carefully study the details of his face while his eyes are closed.

“No,” he says. “We were close when we were very young. As close…well, as close as Ian and Alvin.”

Victor looks at her as he says this, knowing that it will worry her to consider that her two boys could fall out in the same way that he and Rafe have. To his surprise, though, her face shows no distress.

“I mean, I’m sure you were close,” Evelyn says, looking away and smiling a little. “But did you have a secret mind-language that you used to keep things from your parents?”

“Well, no,” Victor says, laughing with her. “Nor did we win Quiz Nation, or take out the heat in the house to force our parents into confessing their love for each other.” Evelyn joins him in laughing at that. “But perhaps we just lacked the opportunity.”

Evelyn lays her body down on top of him, resting her head on his chest close enough to his face that he can smell her mango shampoo. “Do you ever miss him?” she asks.

Victor considers this, running his fingers through her hair. “Maybe,” he admits. “It got so complicated after Christopher died, after I became the heir. I don’t know if we can ever go back to the way we used to be.”

“Well…” she says, hesitating. “Maybe you should…try.”

“What?” he says, frowning at her. Evelyn lifts her head to look at him.

“I mean,” She says, giving him her best disarming smile. “You do have that big empty house. And he just said that he wants to stay.”

“Evelyn,” Victor says, sighing and shaking his head at her. “Seriously? Do you not remember all he did to me, to us, to our boys –“

“Of course I remember, Victor,” she says, frowning at him. “I’ll never forget that. But if he can’t touch you now, can’t hurt you, and is asking you for a favor – even if he didn’t present it very nicely as a question…”

Victor blinks, reconsidering the events of the afternoon. Was that really what happened?

“They don’t have anywhere to go,” Evelyn says softly.

“They have plenty of money,” Victor growls. “And I’ll happily give them more if it means they go.”

“They know that,” Evelyn says, letting him think it over. “They know they can get a house or an apartment anywhere they want. And yet, they want to stay here.”

“And that couldn’t be another ploy to take the pack from me?” Victor asks, looking her in the eye, feeling a little of the old anger rise in his chest. He hasn’t forgiven Rafe for what he did, what he tried to do. But still, Evelyn has made him curious.

Why are they still here?

“Maybe it is a ploy,” Evelyn says. “But if you’re secure in your power, what’s the harm in seeing whether it is or not? If he crosses you twice…” she shrugs, “we’ll push him off a cliff. But if there’s a chance that something could be mended…”

“I mean, I’m sure you were close,” Evelyn says, looking away and smiling a little. “But did you have a secret mind-language that you used to keep things from your parents?”

Victor nods, considering it, and then looks at this kind woman for whom grace and mercy come as easy as breathing. “You’re too good, Evelyn,” he murmurs, placing a hand on her cheek. “You see the best in everyone. I worry one day people will take advantage of it.”

Victor nods, considering it, and then looks at this kind woman for whom grace and mercy come as easy as breathing. “You’re too good, Evelyn,” he murmurs, placing a hand on her cheek. “You see the best in everyone. I worry one day people will take advantage of it.”

“Well,” she says, leaning into his hand and smiling. “At least I have you to protect me.” She turns her head to press a soft kiss onto his palm.

In that moment, something solidifies in Victor, snaps from a general plan into a firm decision.

“Come to dinner with me tomorrow,” he says suddenly, smiling broadly at her, marveling at this magnificent woman.

She laughs a little, happily, at the abrupt change in conversation. “Okay? Sure? Where do you want to go?”

He shakes his head. “No, it’s a surprise. Just look fantastic, I’ll do the rest.”

Evelyn shifts her position, smirking at him as she places her knees between his legs, slowly moving her body down the length of his. “Well,” she says. “If you get to surprise me, then I get to surprise you.”

She lifts his t-shirt so that she can kiss the warm skin of his stomach, moving slowly ever-downward until she’s kissing the defined v-cut of his abs close to his hips. Victor closes his eyes and can’t help the hiss of breath that escapes his mouth when Evelyn drags her nails lightly down the length of his oblique. Slowly, she uses her other hand to pull down the waistband of his pajama pants.

Her eyes flick up to him. “Do you like your surprise?” She asks, taking the length of him in her hand and pumping him, slowly, twice, as she holds eye contact.

Victor growls in response, making a move to sit up so that he can grab her, toss her down, rip that silky camesole off her chest –

But Evelyn puts up a hand, stopping him, pushing him back into the pillows. “Bad boy,” she says, giving him a little pout. “Don’t ruin your surprise.”

Then, delicately, she flicks her tongue over the tip of his rock-hard cc**k He moans before gritting his teeth against the rush of sensation as she slips him into her mouth, taking him all the way to the back of her throat.

“God, Evelyn,” he groans, twining his fingers in her hair as she moves her lips, her tongue, her hand in unison to bring him close to his breaking point. “God damnit, I’m never letting you go.”