“Gotta say, you made me proud as fuck sticking up for me the other night.”
“Everything I said was true,” she said without hesitation.
Her frank words healed a part of his heart. “You fucking slay me every time, doll face.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
Chapter Eleven
Evonne woke up the next morning, wishing everything the previous day had been a bad dream. Paul’s death had hit her hard. She peered over at the warm, gorgeous body beside her and regretted the decision she knew she had to make. Easing from bed, she grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and crept across the room into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, she placed a call to the phone number she knew by heart.
“Hello?”
“Levi…I’m ready to make a deal.”
“Evonne, my sweet. You were starting to hurt my feelings with your resistance.”
“I’ve, uh, come to my senses. I want to meet up, but only if you promise to leave my family and my friends alone,” she said.
“Hmm, tempting, tempting. But you realize I will get yo
u eventually. So what am I gaining?” Levi asked.
“Fun sooner and a willing participant you can teach.” She licked her lips, closing her eyes at the imagined horrors he had planned.
“Oooh, my sweetheart wants to learn? Yes, this pleases me.” His voice deepened.
Her stomach lurched. “Okay, do we have a deal?”
“Yes, I think it’d kill them far more to see you on my arm.” He chuckled. “Time and place, my sweet, and remember…I’m not a patient man.”
“Tonight or tomorrow morning. I’ll call you when I get away.”
“See that you do. I’m not a man you want to play, Evonne. You have two more members of your family left and your mother has aged nicely. I never did mind a mature woman. I think I could show her a thing or two,” Levi said.
“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll find a way.”
“See that you do.” He disconnected.
With shaking hands, she set the phone on the counter, undressing with the heavy heart of a person about to enter prison. They were set to move today and sometime in the chaos, she needed to slip away. A feat that would be nearly impossible, given the fact Rocky was watching her like a hawk now. She stepped into the shower and wished the water could wash away all her drama. In such a short amount of time, her life had gone from a charted, controlled wonderland to complete chaos.
Perhaps the thought of being the owner of your own destiny was bullshit. This had been like seeing behind the curtain and realizing the wizard was a fraud. In life, you got tossed about like a boat in the middle of the stormy sea and the only thing you could do was hold tight and navigate as best you could. Is this what they mean by the sins of the parents passing to the child? Thoughts of her mother brought her back to a new set of issues she’d yet to give much thought to. If my father isn’t my father, who the hell is?
She emerged from the shower, feeling like concrete shoes had been taped to her feet. This would be her goodbye. A tentative plan had been hatched, but the thought of pulling it off made her queasy. Walking into the lion’s den was never wise. But she’d be damned sure she didn’t go in defenseless. For once, she applauded the things her father had forced her to learn. Feeling like a snake slithering in the grass, she walked back into the room and studied Rocky.
With his beautiful features relaxed in sleep, he looked younger. While she would never admit it aloud, he had the face of an angel, a warrior covered in lean muscle and olive skin. Strands of his ebony tresses fell over his forehead and she smiled, pleased that only she got to see him this way. She walked over to the bed and sank down on the edge, brushing the hair from his forehead as she traced his brow and the strong jawline that kept his beauty masculine.
Rocky stirred and his eyes fluttered open.
“Morning, gorgeous,” she said softly.
He moistened his lips with his tongue and cleared his throat. A lazy smile appeared on his tempting lips. “Shouldn’t I be pitching you that line?”
“Turnabout is fair play. I hate that your lashes are longer than mine,” she said.
He laughed. “Genetics, mama. And don’t let anyone else hear you say that girly shit. It might challenge my manhood.”
“Shut the fuck up,” she said, mocking his way of speaking.