Evan's Addiction (52 page)

     “Evan, are you certain that you’re going to beat the charges?” I
asked as we approached the entrance.

     He stared down at me with that ever-present smirk but his gaze was
serious. “As the sunrise, and if I don’t you have permission to kick my ass.”

     I sighed with relief. “Now you have me hoping the morning never
comes.”

     His fingers attacked and I was almost screaming as he opened the
door. Several people were standing in the foyer and turned to stare at us
curiously as we walked in. Jabbing my elbow into Evan’s side I jerked away and
straightened, assuming a sober stance. Evan wasn’t having it; he hauled me back
into his side and walked us up to the hostess desk.

     “Can we have a table for five in the bar?”

     Of course we’d beaten the others here with Evan’s mad driving
skills.

     The girl at the podium smiled at him in that manner all women did
causing me to grit my teeth in annoyance. My grinding didn’t ease when she
looked me up and down in a way that said; “
What are you doing with him?’
Yeah, he was a hot guy in a suit and I was in yoga pants and a sweat shirt with
my hair in a haphazard bun, but she was in black work pants and a polo work
shirt so it’s not like she had a right to judge my ensemble. And now that she’d
been so nice as to point it out self-consciousness washed over me at how
un-put-together I was. Looking around I could see that everyone else was
dressed to rock Friday night except for me. 

     Ms. Brunette, with too much make-up, smiled her slut lips at Evan.
“Right this way.” Grabbing a stack of menus she directed us to a high top table
near the dart boards and after telling us the waitress would be with us shortly
she walked away, but not without ogling Evan’s ass as she did.

    
Skank
!

     “What’s with the evil eye?” Evan asked.

     I climbed up into the tall chair and stuck my face in the menu.
“Nothing.” I grumbled.

     His hand stroked up my back as he took the chair next to mine.
“You’re right.” At his short response I peered over at him in confusion.
Leaning closer to me he gently wrapped his fingers around my neck. “She’s got
nothing on you.”

     My throat clogged and I swallowed the emotion down with
difficulty. “Except a truck-load of make-up; how can she even smile with that
mask on?”

     With a grin blowing up his face Evan leaned forward to kiss me. I
didn’t hesitate in returning it, and got instantly lost in the intensity of it;
clutching at his shirt almost desperately. 

     “Gross, keep the PDA on the LD or my IBS might act up.”

     David’s voice woke me up to where we were and I tried pulling
away, but Evan’s hand on my nape kept me immobile as he gave me one last drawn
out nip and lick to my lips before slowly drawing back to glance past me at
David.

     “You’re about two minutes too early.” He growled.

     David plopped down in the seat next to me, grinning at both of us.
“In two minutes you probably would have had her on the table making her the
meal.”

     My already flushed face went hotter and I slapped at David’s arm.
“Shut up.” 

     Evan’s hand landed on my thigh…really high in my thigh…and he
leered lustily at me. “He’s not lying.”

     Oh god, I was going to burst into flames. Raising the menu I
blocked both of their smug faces, but I was unable to block out their chuckles.
Thankfully, Nic and Carrie arrived just as the waitress strode up and the
mortifying moment passed. Nic and Evan ordered beers, while David, Carrie and I
ordered sodas. Evan put in an order for three appetizers as well.

     The hours flew by as we ate, talked, and played bar trivia. Then we
started up a game of darts. One game led into a couple more and before I knew
it we’d finished our food, the guys were on their fourth beers, and Carrie and
I were fighting for last place in a game of 300.

     “This game is unfair.” I grumbled as my dart fell short of the
board yet again. “The dart board is clearly constructed for taller people. The
game should have some kind of handicapped for the altitude disadvantaged…you
know, like golf. Carrie and I should be allowed to move at least a foot
closer.”

     Lining up my last dart I tossed it and it struck the board this
time giving me a total of fifteen points for this round. The guys were getting
over fifty points each time.

     Arms circled my waist and Evan’s lips tickled my ear. “It’s not
how tall you are, it’s all in the arm and wrist movement.”

     My body instantly melted back against his. He’d been touching me
all night and my blood was at a constant simmer because of it.

     Turning in his arm I set my palms on his lower abdomen and grinned
up at him playfully. “Well, then this game is obviously geared toward men
because we all know how in shape your dominant arm and wrist are from all the
exercise it gets.”

     My gaze was locked with Evan’s scorching one, but I heard Carrie
sputter from Nic’s lap.

     David chuckled. “I never thought of that. I’m going to have to go
home and practice.” That had Carrie laughing harder. 

     Evan waggled his brows. “I’d gladly give them a break for
something softer, hotter…” He leaned close to my ear. “Tighter and amazingly
delicious.”

     I whimpered, arching into him involuntarily. I was reaching the
end of my tether and was afraid that soon the crowd of people filling the bar
wasn’t going to be enough to stop me from jumping him.

     “You about ready to go?” Evan nipped my ear.
Oh god, he was
reading my mind.
I nodded my head. “Thank fuck, because I’m about ready to
explode.” He groaned. Giving one last tug to my ear he leaned back to glare at
me hotly. “Hey guys, Shaw and I are going to head out…” He turned with me in
his arms to face the table. “I’m going to settle up our bar tab, Nic, and then
if you guys want to stay, or head back to the
house
, that’s up to you.”

     The three identical grins thrown my way said they heard his
emphasis on
house
and knew he was pushing Nic to take Carrie there
instead of the apartment. When Evan strode away to pay the bill I let my gaze
follow him so I didn’t have to suffer their amusement.

     Alas, my ears were wide open.

     “Soooo…you and Evan going to go practice darts?” David drawled.

     “Don’t make me kill you, because l really like you not dead.” I
growled joining them at the table, but still not meeting their eyes.

     They chuckled and left it at that as Carrie scrambled off Nic’s
lap to take her turn at darts.

     It was incredibly awkward knowing that they knew Evan and I were
leaving to go have sex. No wonder Carrie was blushing all the time when Nic
pulled her into her room, and then later when she came out. If Nic was as good
as Evan then that probably added to her red, glowing face.

     My core tingled in remembrance, and anticipation.

     My gaze was still fastened on Evan’s backside…mostly because I
couldn’t pull it away…and while he was at the bar talking to our waitress a
girl stepped up next to him. I frowned unconsciously. Women had been walking by
our table all night trying to catch all the guys’ attention, and several had
even approached. A number of them recognized Nic and Evan from having played on
UVA’s lacrosse team and used that to start up a conversation.

     When Nic and Evan made it apparent that they were taken—mostly by
way of pulling Carrie and me onto their laps—and David made it clear he wasn’t
interested either, they had moved on. This had allowed me not to get too
perturbed at their disgustingly, obvious ploy of trying to pilfer our men.

     And here was yet another one attempting to snag him. Had she been
waiting for him to step away, or was it all coincidental? 

     I waited for him to brush her off like he had all the others…only
he didn’t. Instead, he smiled down at her. They were smiling at each other.

     What the hell?!

     Okay, don’t blow it out of proportion Shaw. They could know each
other…just as friends.

     My gaze narrowed as the girl moved closer setting her hand on
Evan’s forearm and giving him a sultry…slutty…look.

     That was more than a friendly gesture. She was giving him the go
sign. And while Evan wasn’t observably taking her up on it, he wasn’t shaking
her off either. His head began to twist in my direction and I glanced away
hastily. After a couple seconds I peered back and found them still standing
together. Her hand was off his arm, but their sides were almost touching as
they leaned on the bar talking. Why wasn’t he moving away from her, or she
flouncing away because he called her a skanky two bit whore? Why had he looked
back at me; was it to make sure I wasn’t watching him?

     “It’s not what you think, Shaw.”

     I jerked my gaze around to Nic. “What?” I frowned. All three of
them were staring at me fixedly and I didn’t like it.

     Nic raised his brow. “You have an expression on your face that
tells me you’re judging something from a narrow viewpoint.”

     I slit my eyes on him. “You don’t know what the hell I’m
thinking.”

     “Shaw, don’t.” David warned with an anxious expression.

     I wasn’t sure if he was warning me about jumping to conclusions or
that he recognized that my tension gauge was escalating fast and that I needed
to watch what came out of my mouth. My gaze flickered over to Carrie to see her
watching me even more anxiously than the guys. I took a deep breath, because I
had
been close to biting off Nic’s head—more than I already had—and I truly didn’t
want to do that.

     I bared my teeth in a facsimile of a smile as my chest caved in on
itself. “Well, I’d better get out of here before I do something to embarrass
everyone then.”

     “Shaw, don’t go. I’m sure it’s innocent.” Carrie protested
fretfully.

     Jumping to my feet I hugged her. “Sure it is, but I still need to
go.” My agreement didn’t clear away her concern. I didn’t blame her because I
didn’t really say it like I meant it. “David, can you take me home?” I headed
for the door. If he didn’t follow me I’d start walking home, and David knew
that I would.

     I marched out the doors and a couple seconds later David caught up
with me. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait for Evan?”

     “Nope.” I clipped shortly.

     He sighed and slung his arm over my shoulder hugging me into his
side. “I think you’re wrong, but okay, my car is this way.”

     I wrapped my arms around myself and followed David around the
building towards the back. Why would Evan put himself at risk for a felony
charge for me but then turn around and cozy up to another girl? Did he like
getting into fights? No…Nic and Seth had mentioned at the police station that
Evan never started fights. He would jump in to cover a friend’s back, but they
said he never instigated them.

     I just didn’t understand it; we had been about to leave and have
sex. You’d think he would have been set for the night. But it’s not like this
had never happened to me before. Back in high school I’d made plans with guys
before, meeting up with them at parties, but then I’d show up and they would
have moved on to someone more attractive and who wasn’t trailer trash, and that
girl in there had been prettier, confident, and her clothes screamed designer. 

     I pressed my fist into my aching chest. It had really only been a
matter of time before Evan wondered what the hell he was doing with me.

     We were almost to David’s car when suddenly I was grabbed from
behind and whipped around. Evan took a hold of both my arms and scowled down at
me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

     Clearing my expression of surprise and putting a lid on my raging
emotions…
I hope
…I shrugged. “I was ready to go, and you appeared to have
changed your mind.”

     I tried wrenching away but he wasn’t allowing it. “No, I was very much
ready to go, but I was waiting for the waitress to get back with the credit
card slip.” He growled down at me.

     “You looked like you might have another reason to hang out there.”
My lid was rattling from my boiling emotions.

     Evan’s lips thinned. “If you’re talking about Heaven; then no, I
was in no way waiting there for her.”

     I snorted past my tight throat and gave him a useless shove that
didn’t send him anywhere. “Heaven!? Are you fucking serious? Is that her
stripper name, or her 1-900 moniker?”

     His eyes rolled. “Be nice, and yes, that’s her real name.”

    
Be nice!
I gave him another heave. “Nice is for doormats.
And how do you know that’s her real name? Did she show you her license? Was
Heaven
offering to show you a glimpse of her namesake, by chance?” Words were spewing
forth without any thought.

     “
Heaven
and I are old friends and she was only saying hello,
that’s all.” He pulled me close, tighter, trying to control my struggling.

     The lid blew off. “Ohhh, she was one of your calendar girls. Her
hand on your arm was saying more than just ‘
hello’
, and she was nearly
on top of you. Was she looking to sign up for another subscription?” I stomped
on his foot.

     “Ouch…shit, Shaw…will you stop it.” He lifted me up off the ground
slightly. “Yes, she and I used to sleep together, and she did extend an
interest in getting together again, but I told her no. I would have walked away
from her after that but I was still waiting for my credit card slip, and I
wasn’t going to be a dick to a girl I’d parted as friends with. You wouldn’t
want me to be one of those guys, would you?” 

     His words and calm tone were like a switch, turning down the fire
of my anger. Unfortunately, my emotions underwent a rapid ninety degree turn
and tears began filling my eyes.
Shit, I hated crying
. In a way, I
wanted to stay mad that he and that girl had a previous relationship, but I
wasn’t that irrational. I still didn’t like it though.