Return to You

Well,
she'd just have to try to run into him again tomorrow night.
    She turned around and gasped.
    Everett leaned in the doorway, arms folded. His face
was lost in the shadows, but she could imagine his enigmatic look.
She could feel the way his eyes took in her clothes, or lack
of.
    "I didn't hear you come in." She congratulated
herself for the evenness of her voice.
    He said nothing but kept watching her. He finally
broke the silence. "You've changed your hair."
    Her hand darted to her freshly styled head.
"Yes."
    He dropped his casual pose and stalked over to her.
He stopped in front of her, close enough that she could see the way
his pale eyes burned even in the darkness. He touched a strand of
her hair, rubbing it between two fingers. "I've never seen your
hair down."
    "No, you haven't."
    His eyes traveled down the length of her body. She
shivered at the intensity and felt her nipples tighten almost
painfully.
    He pulled away. "If you're cold, you should take
care to put something on your feet. Or wear something more
substantial."
    She gaped at him incredulously. "Everett Parker, for
a man of your intellect and shrewdness, you are awfully ignorant.
If you'd open your eyes and take a look at me maybe you'd see I'm
not cold." She lowered her voice. "I've never been cold around
you."
    Satisfied at the way he was gaping at her, she
turned to leave. But what had she accomplished? The loss of her job
most likely.
    She stopped in her tracks. She
was not going to
lose her job for nothing. If she was going to be unemployed, it'd
be because she grabbed what she wanted most in life.
    Him.
    She whirled around and marched back to Everett.
"Take me out to dinner."
    His forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Excuse me?"
    "Take me out to dinner," she repeated through
clenched teeth.
    "We always go out to dinner," he said slowly, like
he was trying to reason with a five year old.
    She pointed a finger at his nose.
"Yes, we always have dinner together. Several nights a week for the
past seven years. But for once, I want you to take me to dinner. Just the two of us.
Someplace romantic. Tomorrow night."
    He stared at her, his eyes inscrutably blank.
    P anic
gripped her stomach. This was it—this was where he'd tell her she
was delusional and that she should pack her bags and move to
Siberia.
    "Tomorrow night, then." He watched her for another
long moment before brushing past her and disappearing down the
hall.
    Lainie covered her mouth with her hand and collapsed
against the kitchen table, trembling, her body boneless. "Oh
my."
    She did it. She was going on an official date with
Everett Parker.
     
     

Chapter Twenty-six
     
     
    His old bed creaked ominously when Michael dropped
onto it. "Kill me now and put me out of my misery." He covered his
eyes with an arm and tried to relax.
    He couldn't, and it was Olivia's fault.
    Where the hell was she? He'd been trying to reach
her all evening. He called her store but there was no answer. He'd
called the farmhouse and left a message for her there. Then he'd
called twice more. The knowing amusement in Granny Mae's voice
prevented him from calling again.
    He frowned at the Princess Leia poster still taped
on the ceiling over his bed. He needed Olivia. The day had been
hell, and all he wanted was her drugging kisses and to feel her
come apart in his arms.
    He didn't want to think about where she might be.
Only the force of his will stopped him from imagining her in
Lurch's company.
    His window squeaked.
    Hope spiked in his heart. He looked over to see an
elegant leg hike over the ledge, followed by the gorgeously
striking face that haunted his dreams.
    Olivia grinned at him. "That's okay. I don't need a
hand."
    He watched her, bemused, as she climbed in and
closed the window behind her. "I didn't think I'd see you tonight,"
he said.
    "I know I didn't call." She stopped abruptly. "Do
you want me to leave?"
    " No . Hell no." He rushed to her and
pulled her close. As soon as he touched her, the tension faded and
relief flooded into its place. He knew that should have worried
him, but all he could think of was the way Olivia fit so perfectly
into his body. In her heels, he didn't even have to bend down to
kiss her. So convenient. "God you taste good."
    Her lips curved under his. Instead of replying, she
gave him more of herself. How did she know what he needed?
    He gripped her tighter. "I'm glad you're here," he
whispered against her lips.
    She pressed her hips into his. "I can see that."
    "More