Bound for Christmas (14 page)

“Where is he?”

Slowing raising disappointed eyes to her, her patient said, “His room.”

Picking up the cordless phone, she set it next to him on the couch. “If that asshole is still on the porch before I reach the top of the steps call the cops.”

With haste she moved to the steps.

“Evan has been hurt enough, Zoey,” she barely heard the older man’s words.

Those words hit her in the heart, she knew that James was dealing with his own guilt from how far he’d pushed his son away when Evan needed him most. When they had needed each other.

“I know, Mr. Douglas, I don’t plan on hurting him anymore.” Up the steps she went until she reached Evan’s closed bedroom door. Knocking softly she waited.

It took long agonizing moments, but finally he called out for her to come in.

Inside she saw him seated in a chair in the corner of his room. She had only been in the master bedroom once before when she helped him box up his parents things. Last week his father had insisted Evan take their old bedroom since it was easier for James to be downstairs. Since then she noticed Evan had gotten a new mattress, higher than the other one and changed the colors of the room to a dark green and gold pattern instead of the faded blue and yellowed white it had been from his mother’s decorations before she died.

“Have you come to inform me that you quit?” His voice was a blend of anger and anguish.

“No.” She crossed the warn carpet floor until she was standing before him at the side of the bed. “I came to remind you that I love you.”

“You can’t say that to me when you belong to someone else,” he growled leaning forward his eyes dark and blazing.

She wasn’t afraid of him, she knew Evan would never hurt her.

“I was his wife Evan, but that ended three years ago before I moved to North Carolina to start my nursing career.”

“If that’s the case, why is it that Pretty Boy doesn’t know that?”

“His own selfish bubble. Being raised in a small town where you’re rich and get anything you want handed to you can make some people look away from what they don’t like.”

“Why did you hide all this from me? At anytime you could have told me you’d been married before and I wouldn’t have been blind-sided when some asshole comes to my door telling me he has a claim on you.”

She sat down on the side of the bed, so many emotions in the last half hour made her tired. “Shame I guess. Trying to forget past mistakes.”

He nodded. “Tell me about it, Zoey. I want to hear it all. If this is going to work between us there can be no more secrets.”

She glanced down at her hand, now she wanted to cry. Because of her omission, she’d come close to losing a man that meant everything to her.

Evan leaned forward and took one of her hands in his. “Talk to me.”

Blinking to clear her vision, she felt twin tears run down her cheeks. “Winston and I are from the same hometown as you know. Well, I don’t think he even knew I was alive until my senior year when I made cheerleading captain and also won the Miss Teen Paris Pageant the second year in a row. I was the center of attention at different community events and like a bee to honey Winston was drawn to me. I was flattered. Winston played the charming man, somehow even convinced my boyfriend at the time to break it off with me so he could swoop in.”

She exhaled and allowed the rest of the memories to flow around her mind. “We were the talk of the town. He convinced me to marry him the summer after I graduated. My mom tried to convince me not to do it. I didn’t listen I felt like Winston needed me. I’m the oldest child, used to taking care of my siblings and Winston loved for me to do things for him. Shortly after we married I realized he liked for me to do everything; pay the bills, cook for him, service him sexually, work, keep myself looking perfect and support him. He never kept a job long, no matter what it was. He was restless and lazy. I worked two jobs to keep our rent paid on the large house he wanted and pulled from my saving when it wasn’t enough or Winston needed something. Which was always.”

She gazed out the window across the room, not realizing for how long until Evan squeeze her hand. “What happened?”

Looking back at him, she continued, “As he became more dissatisfied with his life and his father stopped supporting his expensive habit he started taking it out on me.”

“Did he hit you?” Evan looked as if he were about to get up out of the chair and find Winston.

“No. But, verbally he’d put me down. Yell at me when we couldn’t afford something. Then he started cheating on me. When I refused to sleep with him any more after I caught him in a restaurant bathroom having sex with our waitress, he told me I was a terrible wife and didn’t understand his needs.”

“I wish you would have told me this before so when he showed up I could have put my fist in his face and followed it up with slamming the front door.”

 She covered his hand that still held hers. “He’s out of my life. That’s all I ever wanted. When he left town a month later with the judges daughter I prayed he’d never come back. You see my pride kept me from telling anyone how bad it was. I know my mother suspected, but she never said anything until I moved back home for a year waiting for my divorce to go through. I focused on school and kept to myself and my family. After I graduated I applied for jobs in Charlotte and moved here three years ago and never looked back.”

Getting up, he sat beside her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. “You were young and naïve, but worse, the fucker played on your emotions.”

It felt good to lean against him, knowing he still wanted her in his life. “Are we okay?”

“More than. I love you I was going to tell you tomorrow in Vegas as we stood on the balcony and looked out over all the dazzling lights of a big city. However, I need you to know it before any other old flames show up.”

She leaned back and looked at him. “There aren’t any more.”

“Good.” He kissed her.

Sliding her arms around his neck she leaned into him and deepened the kiss.

Growling Evan pulled away. “If we don’t stop I’ll have you bound to the bed for Christmas and to hell with everything else.”

Laughing, she shimmied out of his arms and moved away. “That sounds divine, but it will have to wait until tomorrow’s trip. We have a hungry man downstairs waiting for his holiday dinner.”

“True.” Evan rose from the bed but stopped her at the door. “In about a year my dad should be well enough to not need around the clock care.”

“If he keeps up with his progress he will be more independent in a few months.” She stared at Evan wondering where he was going with the conversation.

“Then hopefully we can be married next summer and expecting our own little one for you to care for by Christmas. If you want.”

Leaping up, she threw her arms around him. “I want. Yes, I want.”

Chuckling, he said, “Calm down woman, this isn’t the actual proposal. I think I can do better than tossing it out on our way to dinner.”

“It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as I have you in the end.”

“Always, my angel.”

*           *           *

“Ladies and gentleman, we are now ready to board our flight to Las Vegas beginning with our first class passengers.”The ticket agent announced.

Zoey got up from her seat. Evan had already been on the plane with the rest of the crew for thirty minutes. She was amazed how calm she felt, but she knew that was all due to the man that would be behind the wheel. A man she trusted with her life.

After she had her boarding pass scanned, she headed down the jet bridge and was happy to reach the end of the narrow corridor and see Evan waiting at the door of the plane for her. He allowed the flight attendant to greet the other passengers as they passed, while he kept his gaze on her.

“Hi, my angel.” He took her hand and helped her across the threshold.

“Hi, yourself.” She disregarded the stares of the people around them.

Evan escorted her down the aisle to her seat. Taking her small suitcase for the three days they would be away, from her, he placed it in the overhead compartment. In her window seat, she sat down and placed her purse under the chair in front of her as she stretched her legs out.

She snapped her seatbelt and looked up at the man leaning over her.

“How do you feel?”

“Fine. I told you before with you handling this bird I have no worries.”

“Good. I love you.”

Reaching up she cupped his face. “I love you, Pilot Douglas.”

Lowering his head, he kissed her. “I have to get back to the cockpit, enjoy your flight.”

“Definitely. Now get to work.”She waved him away with a smile.

He winked at her. “See you in Vegas.”

Author Bio

I'm simply Yvette Hines, some people call me SASSE or SASSE Yvette. I'm an erotica author that loves pleasurable hours between the sheets. Whether it is a blended tale of interracial lovers, the clandestine bite and wicked passion of a paranormal lover, another world romance of mates, or the sting of a commanding whip against tender flesh. Even better, make my day and toss in two gorgeously, decadent men who only want to pleasure their woman. I write Short and Sexy, Sensual Erotica (SASSE). Occasionally, you may get a full length novel from me. However, life is too busy and most of us have more than one job, family and other activities that don't allow us long hours to read any more.
I've been penning erotic tales since 2007, on the hedonistic side of the romance genre. However, I've been writing romance under a different pen for a while. I'm eclectic by nature.
I'm married to my best friend. A guy that makes me laugh 'til I can't breathe. A man who steals my breath every time he walks into a room. I believe in happily ever after like the rising of the sun depended on it.

I'm a member of Chesapeake Romance Writers and RWA.

You can find out more about me at: http://yvettehines.com

Facebook, Twitter (SASSEYvetteH) or email me [email protected]