Читать книгу The By Request Collection - Kate Hardy - Страница 15

Five

She’d avoided him for two days. Two. Damn. Days.

Graham had gone to bat for her, going against his brothers, and Eve had dodged his texts and calls. The fact that he’d thrown away all common sense when Eve had pleaded with him to not ruin her father spoke volumes. That’s something someone in a relationship would do. They weren’t in a relationship. They had sex. Private, sneaking-around, amazing sex.

Well, they had been. But when he’d been at her place and they’d been intimate, she’d turned down any further advances the morning after. Did she want to call this affair quits? Too bad. He wasn’t ready and her body’s response to his touch told him otherwise. Not that he would beg. Hell, no. And he didn’t want a relationship, but he certainly wasn’t ready to end this.

Even if he wanted something more, he was too swamped with being a partner in his law firm to feed any type of relationship. Sex was a stress reliever and Eve was definitely on the same page, though she may have been fighting herself on this matter. She was just as vigilant in her career and wanted nothing more. So, when she ignored his texts, it shouldn’t have bothered him...but it did. Eve wasn’t one to play games, and if she wanted to put on the brakes, he imagined that she’d just tell him so.

Then, as if she hadn’t been silent for two days, she texted him to say she needed to talk.

He didn’t like the sound of that. The whole we-need-to-talk thing was such a veiled subject and he didn’t like how it eluded to the fact that she may want to call this quits.

Eve possessed every quality he’d ever wanted in a lover. She was career driven—so she wasn’t monopolizing his time—she was passionate and damn if she didn’t challenge him...in bed and out.

He’d never cared when another woman blew off his calls, though that rarely happened. The few times it had, he’d moved on. No worries. Yet with Eve, he wasn’t going to have her call it quits without seducing her one last time. If she wanted to move on, he wouldn’t stop her, but he sure as hell would give her a send-off she’d never forget.

Just the thought of getting his hands on her again had Graham hurrying to get to her office. He’d purposely waited until it was good and dark before setting out. With the skies darkening earlier this time of year, he was able to log in more hours with her.

Damn. He shouldn’t keep track of the hours he’d spent with her. He should be going with the flow in this casual hookup arrangement. But he was human and Eve turned him on like no one else ever had. So what if he wasn’t ready to put the brakes on just yet?

Graham wasn’t oblivious to the fact that he hadn’t seen anyone else since that night at the ball when he’d seduced Eve. Had he ever gone this long with the same woman? Other women would think things were getting serious, but not Eve. She knew the boundaries. Besides, even if they wanted to make this something more permanent, no way in hell would their family feud allow that to happen. The last thing he wanted was his brothers or her sisters in their business.

No, it was all about sneaking and seducing. That was the name of the game. He’d been looking for a label and he’d found one. Simple as that.

So what if he had a designated bay in her second garage all to himself. He refused to believe this was serious. Hiding his car when he visited her at her house was merely precautionary, that was all. If one of her sisters or assistants stopped by, he could easily hide in one of the rooms of her sprawling mansion. A car would be a bit harder to explain if it was out in the open.

But now he was at her office, parking in a public garage, so there. Why the hell was he arguing with himself? He’d rather concentrate on Eve and how quickly he could have her on her desk panting his name. Ironically, she was the perfect distraction from the investigation and beating his head against the wall where Sutton was concerned.

Graham took the elevator up to her office. Nobody would be there this time of the evening, and Eve wouldn’t have requested he come if her assistant or any other staff members were hanging around. Their offices had quickly become the go-to choice for late-night rendezvous.

As he made his way down the wide, tiled hall, the intense, familiar scent of Eve’s jasmine perfume enveloped him. Would he ever tire of smelling it? When she’d wrapped herself around him after her bubble bath the night before last, he’d inhaled that sweet scent. Everything about Eve was a punch to his gut. The desire for her hadn’t lessened one bit—if anything, he only craved her more. That was dangerous territory to venture into, but he was in complete control. He had to be.

Her office door was slightly cracked, a sliver of light slashing the dark floor tiles. Without bothering to knock or give a warning, he pushed open the door and found her at her computer. As Graham moved closer, he realized she was staring at her screen, scrolling with her mouse, but she didn’t seem to be focusing in on any one thing.

She hadn’t said a word, hadn’t even turned to acknowledge his presence. As he came behind her chair, he glanced at the screen. Photo after photo of Eve with her sisters and their father in various places and times continued to scroll up the monitor. Sometimes she’d stop, scroll back down, then commence to go up again. Eve was a brilliant photographer. The images around the entire floor of her office proved that. She claimed her photography was a hobby, but he knew full well if she ever opted out of the real estate industry, she could turn pro without fail.

Graham swallowed. Whatever she’d called him here for had to do with that old bastard. Talk about a mood killer.

When she didn’t say anything, Graham surveyed her spacious office overlooking the city. The floor-to-ceiling windows showed off a brilliant Chicago skyline dotted with lights. As he turned, he noted the built-in bookshelves on the far wall were full of books, mostly on photography and real estate. When Eve was passionate about something, she put her whole self into it. He could attest to that.

But the fact that he admired and cared about her hobbies was even more dangerous than having his physical desire escalate. Getting too personal meant setting down roots. He wasn’t about to set down roots with any woman. Ever. Let alone a woman whose family bitterly rivaled his.

Graham walked back to the desk, setting his hip on the edge beside her chair. The picture she’d homed in on now was of a smiling Sutton surrounded by his daughters. This had to have been taken recently. Eve wore that killer red suit she’d had on a few days ago and Sutton wasn’t looking well. But he actually smiled in these pictures. Graham didn’t want to see his old rival as a human being capable of such emotions.

“I’m almost done,” she told him, without turning. “I have a few more to upload.”

Graham didn’t want to see Sutton’s face on the screen another second, especially not with Eve smiling back from the picture. Guilt twisted the knife in his chest. He had no right to hate the relationship between Eve and her father. He had no right to...what? Be jealous? No way was he jealous. That was absolutely...

Damn it. Maybe he was jealous. How did a man like Sutton deserve love and loyalty from someone so caring and trusting as Eve? Sutton was a bastard and that he’d managed to raise three amazing women was a miracle.

Sutton may have been a conniving jerk, but he’d made the right choice putting Eve in charge of his company. There was no one better to run Elite Industries. She had a vision, something fresh that would drive the company into the next several decades. She was brilliant, independent and charming. She had all the traits that would make Elite expand in the exact ways she wanted it to because she refused to take no for an answer, and she refused to fail.

“I saw my father today.” Her soft words cut into the silence. “Grace and Nora happened to be there at the same time. Dad knows I always have my camera on hand, so he wanted family pictures in case...”

Graham didn’t like that vulnerable, lost tone in her voice. Selfish as Graham was, and as much as he loathed Sutton, he wasn’t going to let Eve grieve alone. The loss of a parent was still too fresh, too painful for him. Nobody should have to face such emptiness on their own.

Squatting down beside her chair, he gripped the arms and turned her to face him. Finally, her bright green gaze landed on his. “It’s good you have these pictures. Many family members don’t get to say goodbye, let alone capture the final memories.”

Moisture gathered in her eyes as she nodded. When one lone tear slipped down her cheek, Graham reached to swipe it away. But his hand lingered on her cheek, his thumb sliding across the darkness beneath her eye.

“You’re tired,” he said before he could catch himself. “Maybe you should go home and rest.”

“I’m fine. It’s only seven. I wouldn’t sleep now, anyway.”

Stubborn. Hardheaded. So much like himself, he felt as if he were looking in a mirror. Still, he wouldn’t let her work herself to death and that had nothing to do with their intimacy. He wouldn’t want to see anyone this exhausted and worn down.

“What time did you come in today?”

She pursed her lips and looked away. “I think five. Or maybe it was five yesterday and six today. I can’t remember right now.”

He clenched his teeth and counted backward from ten. She was pushing herself too hard and someone needed to intervene.

“You have spreadsheets scheduling your bathroom breaks at work and you can’t recall when you came in or how long you worked today?”

Eve’s sharp gaze collided with his. “So?”

“You’re working too hard. You’re going to break if you don’t slow down.”

Narrowing her eyes, Eve stood up, but Graham didn’t get out of her way. “That’s the second time today someone has said that to me. My apologies if I look tired. I’m in negotiations with a company we want to take over, my sister is pressuring me to bring a date to some silly costume party and my father is dying. I’ll try to look less exhausted tomorrow and double up on concealer.”

Her words sank in and Graham got to his feet and reached up to cup her shoulders. Closing the miniscule gap between them, he brought her body flush against his.

“I’ll be your date.” Because no way in hell was another man going on her arm.

Eve blinked away her unshed tears. “You can’t be my date. Nora and Reid are hosting the party at my dad’s. You think they’re just going to let a Newport onto the Winchester estate?”

Graham shrugged. “I’ll wear a mask and a great costume. Introduce me as whoever you want. But I’m your date.”

“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’ll go alone.”

So long as no schmuck was escorting her, Graham was fine. Still, part of him wanted to go with her, but she was right: that was ridiculous thinking. They weren’t a couple, so why pretend to be one? He hated how his instant go-to idea was to be with her as her date. They didn’t date. Sneaking around after dark, parking their cars where they couldn’t be seen and sending texts in code was not dating.

Circling back around to the original topic, Graham asked, “What are you doing to yourself?” Sliding his thumbs beneath her eyes, he let out a sigh.

Eve blinked but remained silent. Something was going on with her. He wasn’t sure what, but he wasn’t leaving until he knew. Maybe it was the stress from her father’s illness and from buying another company, just as she’d said. But could it be something else?

“If you want to end things, just say so.”

Her eyes widened as she shifted back slightly. “What?”

Graham dropped his hands. He couldn’t touch her and not want her, but he’d be damned if he begged. “If you want to bring this arrangement to a close, that’s fine.”

The color drained from her face. She started to step back, but hit her chair and lost her balance. Graham reached around to grab her, but she pushed away. Struggling out of his hold, she ended up moving around him and putting a good bit of distance between them.

“That’s fine?” she repeated. “If you’re that detached from this...whatever this is, then leave.”

Careful of his next words, Graham slid his hands into his pockets. Eve was clearly on edge and his blasé words hadn’t helped. He hadn’t expected her to be so upset. Still, this was useful information to have. Clearly she wasn’t calling him here to break things off.

He closed the gap between them, following her when she took two more steps back. Those expressive green eyes remained locked onto his, but her never-ending steely determination had her jaw clenched, her nostrils flaring.

“I’m not leaving,” he finally replied. She may try to be fierce, but she looked as if she’d break at any moment. “Tell me why you called me here.”

She blinked once, then shook her head. “It can wait.”

When she attempted to skirt him once more, Graham reached out to grip her biceps. “Stop running. Tell me, Eve. I haven’t heard from you in two days and I haven’t felt you beneath me in just as long. What’s going on if you’re not ending things?”

She continued to stare at him as she bit the inside of her cheek. Whatever she was gearing up to tell him must be something major. Obviously she wasn’t going to tell him to take a hike, but what else was there? Did she have news on Sutton she was afraid to share?

Eve pulled in a shaky breath, her body trembling beneath his hands. She was scared. Whatever was going on had her terrified because he’d never seen Eve this run-down, this unsure of her words.

“Just tell me,” he stated, sounding harsher than he intended. “My mind is spinning and I have no clue what you want to tell me.”

“I’ve rehearsed this in my head, but now that you’re here, I can’t find the words.”

Worry coursed through him. They may not be a serious item, but Graham wanted to reassure her he wasn’t some unfeeling ass. He framed her face and nipped at her lips.

“Whatever you need to tell me, we’ll deal with it. Are you sick? Is it something with your dad you think I won’t care about? What, Eve?”

Her dark lashes rested against her cheeks as she let out a sigh. Finally, she lifted her lids, and her eyes locked onto his.

“I’m pregnant.”