Mastered (The Enforcers 1)

His jealousy evaporated because she was doing this—all of it—for him.

He sat back, a small smile on his lips as he watched Evangeline tilt her head to look up at Silas’s much taller frame.

Then she simply reached into the container, pulled out a cupcake and held it out for Silas to take.

“Hi,” she said, repeating her earlier introduction to Hatcher. “I’m Evangeline. I promise I didn’t poison your cupcake. Just Maddox’s. And”—she leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially—“I made sure his had sprinkles and pink frosting.”

Laughter sounded behind her, but she kept her solemn attention on Silas as he slowly reached out, his palm up. She gently set the cupcake down in his hand and he stood there in bewilderment, a perplexed look in his eyes as if he had no idea what to do with Evangeline.

That makes two of us, brother.

“We’re having fucking cupcake parties now?”

Zander’s voice boomed over the quiet room with the effect of a gunshot. Evangeline jumped, knocking the cupcake from Silas’s hand. As it fell to the floor, it landed on his pants, leaving a glob of frosting.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Evangeline said in a stricken voice even as she hurried to scrape the frosting from Silas’s knee. “I hope I didn’t ruin your pants. That was so clumsy of me.”

Mortified tears sprang to Evangeline’s eyes, and her embarrassed flush extended from her cheeks all the way down her neck. She no longer looked at any of the men in the room. Instead her gaze was solidly focused downward as she scrubbed ineffectually at the mess on Silas’s pants.

Drake cursed, wanting to murder Zander on the spot for the damage he’d inadvertently done. For a few brief moments, Evangeline had overcome her shyness and uncertainty and had begun to relax around Drake and his men. Now she looked as though she’d like nothing more than for the floor to open beneath her and swallow her whole.

Silas sent Zander a killing stare and then to everyone’s eternal shock, he leaned down and carefully took hold of Evangeline’s hand that was still brushing frantically at his pants.

“Evangeline,” he said quietly. “It’s all right. It wasn’t your fault. If Zander had anything resembling manners, he wouldn’t have barged in here and scared you half to death. You can be sure I’ll send him the dry-cleaning bill.”

Drake sent Zander his own murderous glare, one that promised retribution. Zander’s look of puzzlement only served to enrage Drake further because the stupid fuck had no idea what he’d just destroyed in three seconds’ time.

Evangeline’s expression remained worried, tears still glistening in her eyes, and she nearly dropped the container she held in her other hand because she was trembling so much. Silas rescued it and set it aside before reclaiming her hand so that he held both in his.

Now that Silas’s grip ceased the shaking in her hands, the quiver of her chin was more pronounced. It looked as if it was taking every bit of her control for her not to burst into tears and flee the room as fast as she could.

Drake couldn’t bear her obvious despair and opened his mouth to bark a command that would clear the room in seconds, but before he could speak, Silas tightened his grasp on Evangeline’s hands and stared down directly into her eyes, sincerity radiating from him.

“If there’s another left, I’d love to have one,” Silas said, as if she were offering him the moon.

Drake watched as every single one of his men’s mouths dropped open as Silas effectively soothed Evangeline’s fear and embarrassment with a few simple words and a comforting touch.

Evangeline’s smile would have lit up an entire city block as she reached for another cupcake and delivered it into Silas’s waiting hand. Then Silas sent Zander a withering glare over her head.

“You owe the lady an apology,” Silas said, his voice like ice. “Drake’s lady.”

“Ah hell,” Zander swore. “I guess I just ruined my chances for a cupcake.”

Drake saw Evangeline sneak a glance into the container and for a moment, he thought she was going to give Zander one, but instead she picked up the cupcake and turned the container upside down, signaling that there were no more.

“Sorry,” she said quietly. “But this one is for Drake.”

The others snickered and Maddox looked at Zander with a somber expression.

“Trust me, dude. You do not want to get on the bad side of this one.”

Drake ignored the goings-on as Evangeline hesitantly entered his space, walking behind his desk to stand in front of his chair that he’d pivoted around to watch her exchange with Silas.

“I’m sorry I was late,” she whispered. “We weren’t really in a traffic jam. I overslept.”

Drake fought his smile but then gave up, not giving a fuck who saw his reaction to the angel standing in front of him holding a cupcake.