For Love & Cookies, page 14
“Panties are pointless when you’re close enough to touch me. Time to lose the rest of your clothes, Lachlan.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I laugh softly and am immediately silenced when he stands before me naked as the day he was born with his eager length reaching skyward. Yes! Without another thought, I take a step forward and stroke him with both hands. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he guides me to the edge of the bed. His hands caress my sides and curl around to knead my breasts. The sensations he causes with his hands are beyond comprehension. Each sensual touch sends spikes of increased need through me, as if how much I need him could grow more.
Lachlan lowers his head and takes one taut nipple into his mouth while his fingers descend southward. When he plunges two fingers into my core, I slow my strokes. His thumb circles my swollen clit, and a needy sound falls from my lips. The beginning of an explosive orgasm builds in my low belly.
“Condoms?”
“Plural?”
“Hopefully,” he replies.
I exhale slowly. “In the drawer.” I point to the bedside table.
“I like how you were prepared for tonight.”
“Didn’t want to miss another chance to feel you deep inside me.”
He pauses at my words.
I slow my strokes. “Lachlan. Did I say something wrong?”
He grabs the strip before replying, “No. You continue to surprise me each day.”
“You do too.”
He sears my mouth with his. I could survive on his kisses alone, but I don’t want to. He pulls my lower lip between his teeth. The sting of his teeth is amazing.
“You like it, too, huh?”
“Guess so.”
Hoisting me to the middle of the bed, he then climbs over me. I widen my thighs in invitation.
“You’re perfect, Eva.”
“Maybe for you. Despite my outward urgency and statement earlier, it’s been—”
“Same for me. We’ll go slow.”
He tears a packet from the strip and rolls it on. Nudging my thighs wider, he settles between them and rests on his forearms. Our eyes are locked on each other as he pushes forward inch by glorious, torturous inch. My fingernails score his shoulder blades as I adjust to him.
“You good?” he whispers while closing in to kiss me.
“I need a minute before you move.”
He lowers his lips to mine and kisses me as if he’s never been in this moment before, which I know isn’t true. He adds a sliver of space between us, and I drop my head. Sealing his mouth over mine, he withdraws slowly, then buries himself to the hilt again in slow increments. Each time he thrusts forward, he masterfully heightens my release to glorious levels.
I surrender to the demanding pressure and careen over the edge into unmatched bliss. “Lachlan,” I scream his name as my inner walls pulse around him.
His chest muscles tighten and strain before he empties into me with deep, hard thrusts. Lachlan lowers his forehead to my shoulder while we catch our breath.
A few minutes later, he pads to the en suite bathroom to dispose of the condom. I follow and clean up as well. When we return to the bed, he gathers me close and rolls us onto our sides. His eyes meet mine. They look different than before. The emotions he’s been keeping under lock and key are obvious and transparent. I’m sure mine are as well.
Narrowing the gap, I set my lips to his and kiss him deeply. Otherwise, I might spill the thoughts in my head, including how neither of my other partners connected with me like Lachlan inside the bedroom. Clearly, I’ve been missing out.
“Care to share what you’re thinking?”
I wrinkle my nose. “I will if you will.”
“While I admit it’s been too long for me, that was incredible and far exceeds every experience before it,” he shares.
“I would go further than incredible and say exceptional.” I crane my neck. “We should clean up and get moving.”
“Promise to save the rest of the thoughts for another time?” he asks.
“Hell yes!”
With a tender kiss, he pushes to standing and helps me up from the bed. He turns on the water for the shower and motions for me to step inside.
“Can you keep your hands to yourself while we rinse off, or should I wait until you’re done?”
“No promises, but you aren’t waiting. Get in there,” he demands.
I twist my hair up in a clip and join him in the steamy enclosure. Lachlan follows immediately. Aside from some kissing and touching, we manage to clean up and get out of the shower moderately quickly.
“This towel is warm,” he states.
“I know. It’s amazing, right?”
“Yes. It needs to be added to my bathroom as soon as possible.”
I laugh and locate my dress on the floor. It doesn’t take me long to slip back into it or for Lachlan to put on his clothes either. Once we’re ready, we put the flowers in water and leave for our first official date.
With a sweet kiss to my forehead, he links our hands and leads me to the passenger door of his SUV.
Chapter Sixteen
Lachlan
It dawns on me as I walk to the driver’s side of my truck that this could be my last first date ever. While the order isn’t normal by most standards, she’s… I can’t even put into words how well suited she is for me and Lilah.
Since my daughter was born, I never put my needs ahead of hers. Perhaps it was the wrong choice. Perhaps it was the right one because I hadn’t met Eva yet. The nudges from Lia and the guys made me open up to the possibility of finding someone willing to take a chance on a single dad with a unique set of circumstances with his child’s mother.
Eva squeezes my hand, dragging me back to the present. “You okay?”
“Better than okay.” I pull into Morgan’s lot and escort her inside.
“Good evening. Welcome to Morgan’s, Mr. Hagen, Miss Washington. Your table is right this way.”
Eva tightens her grip on my arm. “What are you up to?”
I smile. “Your best first date ever,” I whisper for only her to hear.
The hostess escorts us to a small private dining room in the rear of the restaurant overlooking the harbor.
Once she leaves, Eva says, “You should’ve told me you went to all this trouble.”
“It wasn’t trouble. Plus, pushing our reservation was completely worth it in my opinion. Don’t you agree?” I pull out her chair.
She replies once I’m sitting beside her, “Absolutely worth it.”
Our server approaches with a bottle of wine and two glasses after we’ve had a few minutes to review the menu. I preselected wine and dessert—the wine because I know they needed to order it and the dessert because I love it and it takes an hour to prepare. The good news is Morgan’s is closer to the daycare center.
“Good evening. Did you choose your appetizer?”
We place our entire order, and he leaves.
“Can I ask you a few questions?”
“Of course,” I reply.
“How much do you like country music?”
I raise an eyebrow. “How?”
“Nearly every station in your SUV is preset to country,” she states.
I drop my head. “Do you hate it? It’s either love or hate. Truly there’s no in-between.” I’ll give up country music for her.
“I’m not sure about that. I like some country music but not all.”
“Meaning?”
“Popular musicians I like include Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and Chris Stapleton. Older musicians like Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, and Kenny Chesney are fine too.”
“I can work with that.”
She laughs softly. “Tell me about your family.”
I exhale sharply.
“You don’t have to if it’s a tough subject.”
“You should know about them. It’s kind of wrapped up in Lilah. My parents, Arthur and Bridget, have been married for forty-five years. I have twin brothers named Cormac and Duncan, who are eight years older than me.”
“The picture in your office is of you and your brothers?”
“Yes.”
Our server delivers our salads and refills our water.
She sets her hand over mine. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“I want to. When I learned about Clare’s pregnancy, my family urged me to marry her.”
“You refused?”
“As horrible as it sounds, I wasn’t in love with Clare and didn’t foresee a long-term relationship with her. My parents’ marriage was one forged out of mutual understanding of two immigrant families. My mother wanted a guy who remained in Ireland. Don’t get me wrong, I believe they love each other now, but they didn’t in the beginning. Their marriage is about shared bonds, moving to America, and children, not passion. I didn’t want to start a marriage out as barely friends and hope for the best knowing full well divorce isn’t an option. I want all of it—shared bonds, children, mutual interests, and most of all, passion.”
“They disowned you?”
“For lack of a better way to put it, yes. When I learned of Clare’s diagnosis, I instantly put Lilah above everyone else, myself included. I only cared about her well-being. Sharing that I was moving away for Lilah didn’t go over well. Despite my best efforts, my parents don’t respond to my emails or calls.” Eva is the first woman who asked, and I was willing to share every aspect of our story. That fact alone tells me she’s special.
“I’m sorry. What about your brothers?”
“We talk occasionally, but I haven’t seen them since I moved here. Both successfully chased their professional sports dreams. They’re busy.”
“Family is family. Grant and I have been in different states for over five years, but we always made time for each other. I’m sorry you didn’t experience the same in the recent past.”
“I am too. Lilah is amazing and perfect. I keep reminding myself, moving was the right choice, and they’re missing out, not the other way around.”
We dig into our entrées, which effectively ends chatting about my family. Honestly, it’s been me and Lilah against the world since we moved here. Well… until Lilah spilled her cookies at Eva’s feet. Since that moment, she has been on my mind. Little did I know she would move here less than a month after meeting at the party.
“Are you working in two weeks?”
I pause and run through the schedule in my mind. “No, I don’t think so.”
She takes a deep breath. “I realize it may be difficult, but will you come with me to a work event?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“It’s in Boston.”
“Oh.”
“I can ask Maggie to watch Lilah. That way she has company, and you won’t worry.”
“Yes. I want to attend with you.”
“Thank you.”
“Is this event fancy? Will you need to wear a smoking-hot dress without panties?”
Her skin turns a light shade of pink. “It’s fancy-ish. I don’t know about my lingerie yet. I’m meeting with Kelly to look for a dress next week.”
“When you choose the color, let me know. I’ll make sure my suit matches perfectly.”
“Okay.”
Our server approaches. “Sir, would you like your dessert here or to go?”
I glance at my watch and note that we have about thirty minutes before we must leave to get Lilah. “Here, please.”
“Very well,” he replies and scurries away.
“I didn’t hear you order dessert,” Eva notes.
“It needs to be preordered because it takes an hour to create.”
“Oh. Wow! I’m intrigued.”
“It’s decadent and delicious.”
She turns her gaze toward the harbor.
I thread my fingers into hers, causing her to look at me. “I love seeing you jealous of a nonexistent woman. I meant no dates when I said it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she huffs.
“Your secret is safe with me. I had the dessert at Smithson’s engagement party.”
She wrinkles her nose at me. I lean over and kiss her tenderly. “Thank you.”
Our server sets the dessert between us.
“That looks too pretty to eat,” she states.
“Never.” I scoop out a bite of the chocolate soufflé with coffee ice cream and offer it to Eva.
She moans when the decadent flavors hit her tongue. It sounds quite similar to ones I drew from her earlier this evening.
I bring my mouth near the shell of her ear. “You may not moan like that outside of the bedroom.”
Her eyes flash with a thought, but I don’t press her on it. “I’ll try my best. This is by far the most amazing thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
“Eva.” This woman will keep me on my toes every day for the rest of my life if I let her in completely.
She laughs. “Dessert. Most amazing dessert I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
I groan and request our bill. Offering Eva my arm, I escort her to the truck and drive to the center.
“Do you want to stay here or come inside?”
“Come inside, if you don’t mind. I assume she knows we’re going on a date tonight.”
“Not at all. Yeah, she does.” I enter the code and follow Eva inside.
“Mr. Hagen. Lilah had a good night. She’s watching a movie in the school-age room. I’ll get her for you.”
“Thanks, Casey.”
Soon thereafter, Lilah appears with her backpack on and ready to go home. “Hi, Daddy. Miss Eva, you look very pretty.” She takes one of our hands in each of hers.
“Thank you, Lilah.”
“How was your dinner?”
I lift my eyes to meet Lachlan’s. “Very nice. Did you have a good time?”
“Yes. I like having fun here instead of learnin’ all the time.” We walk to the SUV, and Lilah hops into her seat with a little assistance from her father.
Lachlan opens my door and waits for me to settle into the passenger seat. Once he starts the truck, he takes my hand in his and drives toward the cottage. Lilah begins off the ride chatty, asking questions about our dinner, but after five minutes, the questions slow and then stop altogether.
“She fell asleep.”
“Does she do that often?”
“It’s way past her bedtime. The night we walked on the beach, she was snoozing when I arrived.” Lachlan pulls as close to the cottage as he can.
After opening my door, he offers me his arm and leads me to the porch. “I had an amazing evening with you.”
“Me too,” she replies. Then, shaking her head, she adds, “With you.”
“I understood.” I lean in and kiss her softly. “Will you be at soccer in the morning?”
“Possibly. I need to go over the perfume project again before I send it to Shirley for review.”
“Other than soccer, we’ll be home all weekend.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I finish the review. Good night, Lachlan.”
“Sweet dreams, Eva.”
She sets her lips on my cheek. “They won’t be sweet. My dreams will be a replay of earlier tonight.”
“Can’t say mine will be any different. I’ll call you after she’s in bed.” I can’t seem to force myself to walk away from her despite my sleeping daughter in the car. I don’t overthink it; I draw her into my arms, use the pillar of the front porch to obscure us, and kiss her deeply. “I want to strip you out of this dress again and have my way with you.”
“I wouldn’t object. However….”
“I know. I’ll call you when I get home.” With a quick kiss, I retreat to my truck.
I guess the guys were right. I needed to go on a date to find a woman willing to take on me and my little family. One actual dinner alone and I can see spending a long time with Eva walking beside us. Eva joining us for dinner and waking up with her on weekends. No, weekends would never be enough. Every day. I want to wake with her every single day. It would require dropping each wall I have around myself and Lilah and allowing her to see all of me. I’m terrified we’ll be too much when you throw Clare into the mix.
Chapter Seventeen
Eva
Despite a glorious evening out, I’m up quite early in the hopes of making it to soccer to watch the kiddos. I mean all three, but it’s mostly for Lilah. Who am I kidding? I want to see both of them. Last night was by far the best first date I’ve ever had. The incredible sex beforehand was eye-opening. Delicious soreness exists in places it never has before, and I need more, so much more.
I have two solid hours to review the boards before sending them to Shirley.
With the boards and memo set up on the desk and around the room, I check and verify that the images match the notes and the storyboards are correctly labeled. Each board has my name above the company name, as requested by the perfumery. It’s out of the ordinary, but I followed the instructions as requested. With painstaking precision, I take photos of the artwork and upload them to the office server along with a message to Shirley. I’m concerned more than ever about work with the information Jodie shared. How much trouble is the company in?
I rush through the shower. Last week I learned you can order ahead at the Perk. I do this morning, pick it up, and hustle to meet Lachlan and Lilah at the field. Unfortunately, when I arrive, Lilah has already joined her team.
“Morning, gorgeous,” Lachlan whispers. “Lilah is going to be so excited you’re here.”
“Morning.” I hand him coffee and a croissant. “Are you?”
He laughs softly, leans closer, and says, “More than you could ever know. I can share more later if you want. Did you finish your work?”
“Yeah, I sent it to her.”
“How do you feel about the campaign?”
“Really good. My contact loved the preliminaries. I was shocked when they sped up the timeline, though.”
“I’m sure it’s perfect. Your brother is approaching from the right.”
I drop my head in acknowledgment of his words and take a sip of my latte. Grant was never around to screen my boyfriends. I’m truly not sure how this will shake out. “Morning, Grant.”
My brother hugs me loosely. “Morning,” he grumbles in response. Then he greets Lachlan. “Hagen.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I laugh softly and am immediately silenced when he stands before me naked as the day he was born with his eager length reaching skyward. Yes! Without another thought, I take a step forward and stroke him with both hands. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he guides me to the edge of the bed. His hands caress my sides and curl around to knead my breasts. The sensations he causes with his hands are beyond comprehension. Each sensual touch sends spikes of increased need through me, as if how much I need him could grow more.
Lachlan lowers his head and takes one taut nipple into his mouth while his fingers descend southward. When he plunges two fingers into my core, I slow my strokes. His thumb circles my swollen clit, and a needy sound falls from my lips. The beginning of an explosive orgasm builds in my low belly.
“Condoms?”
“Plural?”
“Hopefully,” he replies.
I exhale slowly. “In the drawer.” I point to the bedside table.
“I like how you were prepared for tonight.”
“Didn’t want to miss another chance to feel you deep inside me.”
He pauses at my words.
I slow my strokes. “Lachlan. Did I say something wrong?”
He grabs the strip before replying, “No. You continue to surprise me each day.”
“You do too.”
He sears my mouth with his. I could survive on his kisses alone, but I don’t want to. He pulls my lower lip between his teeth. The sting of his teeth is amazing.
“You like it, too, huh?”
“Guess so.”
Hoisting me to the middle of the bed, he then climbs over me. I widen my thighs in invitation.
“You’re perfect, Eva.”
“Maybe for you. Despite my outward urgency and statement earlier, it’s been—”
“Same for me. We’ll go slow.”
He tears a packet from the strip and rolls it on. Nudging my thighs wider, he settles between them and rests on his forearms. Our eyes are locked on each other as he pushes forward inch by glorious, torturous inch. My fingernails score his shoulder blades as I adjust to him.
“You good?” he whispers while closing in to kiss me.
“I need a minute before you move.”
He lowers his lips to mine and kisses me as if he’s never been in this moment before, which I know isn’t true. He adds a sliver of space between us, and I drop my head. Sealing his mouth over mine, he withdraws slowly, then buries himself to the hilt again in slow increments. Each time he thrusts forward, he masterfully heightens my release to glorious levels.
I surrender to the demanding pressure and careen over the edge into unmatched bliss. “Lachlan,” I scream his name as my inner walls pulse around him.
His chest muscles tighten and strain before he empties into me with deep, hard thrusts. Lachlan lowers his forehead to my shoulder while we catch our breath.
A few minutes later, he pads to the en suite bathroom to dispose of the condom. I follow and clean up as well. When we return to the bed, he gathers me close and rolls us onto our sides. His eyes meet mine. They look different than before. The emotions he’s been keeping under lock and key are obvious and transparent. I’m sure mine are as well.
Narrowing the gap, I set my lips to his and kiss him deeply. Otherwise, I might spill the thoughts in my head, including how neither of my other partners connected with me like Lachlan inside the bedroom. Clearly, I’ve been missing out.
“Care to share what you’re thinking?”
I wrinkle my nose. “I will if you will.”
“While I admit it’s been too long for me, that was incredible and far exceeds every experience before it,” he shares.
“I would go further than incredible and say exceptional.” I crane my neck. “We should clean up and get moving.”
“Promise to save the rest of the thoughts for another time?” he asks.
“Hell yes!”
With a tender kiss, he pushes to standing and helps me up from the bed. He turns on the water for the shower and motions for me to step inside.
“Can you keep your hands to yourself while we rinse off, or should I wait until you’re done?”
“No promises, but you aren’t waiting. Get in there,” he demands.
I twist my hair up in a clip and join him in the steamy enclosure. Lachlan follows immediately. Aside from some kissing and touching, we manage to clean up and get out of the shower moderately quickly.
“This towel is warm,” he states.
“I know. It’s amazing, right?”
“Yes. It needs to be added to my bathroom as soon as possible.”
I laugh and locate my dress on the floor. It doesn’t take me long to slip back into it or for Lachlan to put on his clothes either. Once we’re ready, we put the flowers in water and leave for our first official date.
With a sweet kiss to my forehead, he links our hands and leads me to the passenger door of his SUV.
Chapter Sixteen
Lachlan
It dawns on me as I walk to the driver’s side of my truck that this could be my last first date ever. While the order isn’t normal by most standards, she’s… I can’t even put into words how well suited she is for me and Lilah.
Since my daughter was born, I never put my needs ahead of hers. Perhaps it was the wrong choice. Perhaps it was the right one because I hadn’t met Eva yet. The nudges from Lia and the guys made me open up to the possibility of finding someone willing to take a chance on a single dad with a unique set of circumstances with his child’s mother.
Eva squeezes my hand, dragging me back to the present. “You okay?”
“Better than okay.” I pull into Morgan’s lot and escort her inside.
“Good evening. Welcome to Morgan’s, Mr. Hagen, Miss Washington. Your table is right this way.”
Eva tightens her grip on my arm. “What are you up to?”
I smile. “Your best first date ever,” I whisper for only her to hear.
The hostess escorts us to a small private dining room in the rear of the restaurant overlooking the harbor.
Once she leaves, Eva says, “You should’ve told me you went to all this trouble.”
“It wasn’t trouble. Plus, pushing our reservation was completely worth it in my opinion. Don’t you agree?” I pull out her chair.
She replies once I’m sitting beside her, “Absolutely worth it.”
Our server approaches with a bottle of wine and two glasses after we’ve had a few minutes to review the menu. I preselected wine and dessert—the wine because I know they needed to order it and the dessert because I love it and it takes an hour to prepare. The good news is Morgan’s is closer to the daycare center.
“Good evening. Did you choose your appetizer?”
We place our entire order, and he leaves.
“Can I ask you a few questions?”
“Of course,” I reply.
“How much do you like country music?”
I raise an eyebrow. “How?”
“Nearly every station in your SUV is preset to country,” she states.
I drop my head. “Do you hate it? It’s either love or hate. Truly there’s no in-between.” I’ll give up country music for her.
“I’m not sure about that. I like some country music but not all.”
“Meaning?”
“Popular musicians I like include Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and Chris Stapleton. Older musicians like Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, and Kenny Chesney are fine too.”
“I can work with that.”
She laughs softly. “Tell me about your family.”
I exhale sharply.
“You don’t have to if it’s a tough subject.”
“You should know about them. It’s kind of wrapped up in Lilah. My parents, Arthur and Bridget, have been married for forty-five years. I have twin brothers named Cormac and Duncan, who are eight years older than me.”
“The picture in your office is of you and your brothers?”
“Yes.”
Our server delivers our salads and refills our water.
She sets her hand over mine. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“I want to. When I learned about Clare’s pregnancy, my family urged me to marry her.”
“You refused?”
“As horrible as it sounds, I wasn’t in love with Clare and didn’t foresee a long-term relationship with her. My parents’ marriage was one forged out of mutual understanding of two immigrant families. My mother wanted a guy who remained in Ireland. Don’t get me wrong, I believe they love each other now, but they didn’t in the beginning. Their marriage is about shared bonds, moving to America, and children, not passion. I didn’t want to start a marriage out as barely friends and hope for the best knowing full well divorce isn’t an option. I want all of it—shared bonds, children, mutual interests, and most of all, passion.”
“They disowned you?”
“For lack of a better way to put it, yes. When I learned of Clare’s diagnosis, I instantly put Lilah above everyone else, myself included. I only cared about her well-being. Sharing that I was moving away for Lilah didn’t go over well. Despite my best efforts, my parents don’t respond to my emails or calls.” Eva is the first woman who asked, and I was willing to share every aspect of our story. That fact alone tells me she’s special.
“I’m sorry. What about your brothers?”
“We talk occasionally, but I haven’t seen them since I moved here. Both successfully chased their professional sports dreams. They’re busy.”
“Family is family. Grant and I have been in different states for over five years, but we always made time for each other. I’m sorry you didn’t experience the same in the recent past.”
“I am too. Lilah is amazing and perfect. I keep reminding myself, moving was the right choice, and they’re missing out, not the other way around.”
We dig into our entrées, which effectively ends chatting about my family. Honestly, it’s been me and Lilah against the world since we moved here. Well… until Lilah spilled her cookies at Eva’s feet. Since that moment, she has been on my mind. Little did I know she would move here less than a month after meeting at the party.
“Are you working in two weeks?”
I pause and run through the schedule in my mind. “No, I don’t think so.”
She takes a deep breath. “I realize it may be difficult, but will you come with me to a work event?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“It’s in Boston.”
“Oh.”
“I can ask Maggie to watch Lilah. That way she has company, and you won’t worry.”
“Yes. I want to attend with you.”
“Thank you.”
“Is this event fancy? Will you need to wear a smoking-hot dress without panties?”
Her skin turns a light shade of pink. “It’s fancy-ish. I don’t know about my lingerie yet. I’m meeting with Kelly to look for a dress next week.”
“When you choose the color, let me know. I’ll make sure my suit matches perfectly.”
“Okay.”
Our server approaches. “Sir, would you like your dessert here or to go?”
I glance at my watch and note that we have about thirty minutes before we must leave to get Lilah. “Here, please.”
“Very well,” he replies and scurries away.
“I didn’t hear you order dessert,” Eva notes.
“It needs to be preordered because it takes an hour to create.”
“Oh. Wow! I’m intrigued.”
“It’s decadent and delicious.”
She turns her gaze toward the harbor.
I thread my fingers into hers, causing her to look at me. “I love seeing you jealous of a nonexistent woman. I meant no dates when I said it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she huffs.
“Your secret is safe with me. I had the dessert at Smithson’s engagement party.”
She wrinkles her nose at me. I lean over and kiss her tenderly. “Thank you.”
Our server sets the dessert between us.
“That looks too pretty to eat,” she states.
“Never.” I scoop out a bite of the chocolate soufflé with coffee ice cream and offer it to Eva.
She moans when the decadent flavors hit her tongue. It sounds quite similar to ones I drew from her earlier this evening.
I bring my mouth near the shell of her ear. “You may not moan like that outside of the bedroom.”
Her eyes flash with a thought, but I don’t press her on it. “I’ll try my best. This is by far the most amazing thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
“Eva.” This woman will keep me on my toes every day for the rest of my life if I let her in completely.
She laughs. “Dessert. Most amazing dessert I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
I groan and request our bill. Offering Eva my arm, I escort her to the truck and drive to the center.
“Do you want to stay here or come inside?”
“Come inside, if you don’t mind. I assume she knows we’re going on a date tonight.”
“Not at all. Yeah, she does.” I enter the code and follow Eva inside.
“Mr. Hagen. Lilah had a good night. She’s watching a movie in the school-age room. I’ll get her for you.”
“Thanks, Casey.”
Soon thereafter, Lilah appears with her backpack on and ready to go home. “Hi, Daddy. Miss Eva, you look very pretty.” She takes one of our hands in each of hers.
“Thank you, Lilah.”
“How was your dinner?”
I lift my eyes to meet Lachlan’s. “Very nice. Did you have a good time?”
“Yes. I like having fun here instead of learnin’ all the time.” We walk to the SUV, and Lilah hops into her seat with a little assistance from her father.
Lachlan opens my door and waits for me to settle into the passenger seat. Once he starts the truck, he takes my hand in his and drives toward the cottage. Lilah begins off the ride chatty, asking questions about our dinner, but after five minutes, the questions slow and then stop altogether.
“She fell asleep.”
“Does she do that often?”
“It’s way past her bedtime. The night we walked on the beach, she was snoozing when I arrived.” Lachlan pulls as close to the cottage as he can.
After opening my door, he offers me his arm and leads me to the porch. “I had an amazing evening with you.”
“Me too,” she replies. Then, shaking her head, she adds, “With you.”
“I understood.” I lean in and kiss her softly. “Will you be at soccer in the morning?”
“Possibly. I need to go over the perfume project again before I send it to Shirley for review.”
“Other than soccer, we’ll be home all weekend.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I finish the review. Good night, Lachlan.”
“Sweet dreams, Eva.”
She sets her lips on my cheek. “They won’t be sweet. My dreams will be a replay of earlier tonight.”
“Can’t say mine will be any different. I’ll call you after she’s in bed.” I can’t seem to force myself to walk away from her despite my sleeping daughter in the car. I don’t overthink it; I draw her into my arms, use the pillar of the front porch to obscure us, and kiss her deeply. “I want to strip you out of this dress again and have my way with you.”
“I wouldn’t object. However….”
“I know. I’ll call you when I get home.” With a quick kiss, I retreat to my truck.
I guess the guys were right. I needed to go on a date to find a woman willing to take on me and my little family. One actual dinner alone and I can see spending a long time with Eva walking beside us. Eva joining us for dinner and waking up with her on weekends. No, weekends would never be enough. Every day. I want to wake with her every single day. It would require dropping each wall I have around myself and Lilah and allowing her to see all of me. I’m terrified we’ll be too much when you throw Clare into the mix.
Chapter Seventeen
Eva
Despite a glorious evening out, I’m up quite early in the hopes of making it to soccer to watch the kiddos. I mean all three, but it’s mostly for Lilah. Who am I kidding? I want to see both of them. Last night was by far the best first date I’ve ever had. The incredible sex beforehand was eye-opening. Delicious soreness exists in places it never has before, and I need more, so much more.
I have two solid hours to review the boards before sending them to Shirley.
With the boards and memo set up on the desk and around the room, I check and verify that the images match the notes and the storyboards are correctly labeled. Each board has my name above the company name, as requested by the perfumery. It’s out of the ordinary, but I followed the instructions as requested. With painstaking precision, I take photos of the artwork and upload them to the office server along with a message to Shirley. I’m concerned more than ever about work with the information Jodie shared. How much trouble is the company in?
I rush through the shower. Last week I learned you can order ahead at the Perk. I do this morning, pick it up, and hustle to meet Lachlan and Lilah at the field. Unfortunately, when I arrive, Lilah has already joined her team.
“Morning, gorgeous,” Lachlan whispers. “Lilah is going to be so excited you’re here.”
“Morning.” I hand him coffee and a croissant. “Are you?”
He laughs softly, leans closer, and says, “More than you could ever know. I can share more later if you want. Did you finish your work?”
“Yeah, I sent it to her.”
“How do you feel about the campaign?”
“Really good. My contact loved the preliminaries. I was shocked when they sped up the timeline, though.”
“I’m sure it’s perfect. Your brother is approaching from the right.”
I drop my head in acknowledgment of his words and take a sip of my latte. Grant was never around to screen my boyfriends. I’m truly not sure how this will shake out. “Morning, Grant.”
My brother hugs me loosely. “Morning,” he grumbles in response. Then he greets Lachlan. “Hagen.”
