First Love

“I’m glad you two were able to meet,” I said loudly, cutting Kendra off. I grabbed the tray of food in one arm before stalking over to Eva and tucking her into my side. “Thanks for lunch. We’ve got plans, so we’ll eat while we get ready.” Then I dragged Eva to the elevator and headed back to the bedroom.

We were both starving, so I managed to avoid any questions while we devoured our food. Once we’d finished, I cleared away the dishes and the tray, setting them on a dumbwaiter that went down to the pantry and hit the button to start its descent.

“We have an appointment,” I told Eva as I crossed the room and entered the closet. The personal shopper had followed my instructions perfectly, so I was able to grab the outfit I wanted without taking the time to hunt it down. A pretty white summer dress was on the hanger with a clear bag that contained shoes, jewelry, and a hair clip that had belonged to my mother.

“What’s going…?” Eva had followed me into the closet, but when she stepped inside, she stopped and gasped. “Holy sh—crap!” She looked around, her face a mask of wonder and awe. “This is like my dream closet on steroids.” I laughed but caught her arm as she started to walk around.

“You can explore to your heart’s content later,” I told her with a wink. “Right now, you need to change so we aren’t late.” I handed her the outfit I’d chosen and turned her around, then patted her bum to get her moving toward the bathroom.

“Late to what?” she asked over her shoulder.

“You’ll see,” I answered evasively. I wasn’t sure how easy this was going to go, but one way or another, I was going to be making love to my wife tonight.

I put on a suit and figured I’d wait in my office, but when I opened the bathroom door to tell Eva, I was shocked to see that she was ready to go and almost knocked on my ass by how fucking gorgeous she was.

“Put your eyes and tongue back in your head, Tucker,” she teased as she sauntered toward me. “This dress is stunning, and if it’s for what I think it is, I don’t want you ruining it by trying to get me out of it.”

If I wasn’t desperate to have Eva legally tied to me in every way, I might have pouted. Which was ridiculous. I didn’t pout. I wasn’t a child being denied its favorite toy. Although the situation was strikingly similar…

After a few deep breaths to calm my body down—not very successfully—I laced my fingers with Eva’s and led her toward her future.

Chapter 8

Tucker

“My mom and dad are going to be so mad,” Eva moaned as we walked into the office to file our paperwork. She hadn’t made any objections to my plan for us to get married tonight, but she’d been fretting over her family’s reaction. “Trevor and my dad just might kill you, Tucker.” I chuckled when I glanced at her face and saw the very real worry there. “I’m serious, Tucker!” she whisper-yelled since we were the next in line.

A college-age, hipster-type guy sat behind the desk looking bored until we stepped up to the window. His eyes were covered by round, red-framed glasses, but they didn’t hide the way his gaze swept over Eva, lingering on her chest. I growled and leaned down, getting in the pipsqueak’s now frightened face. “Those glasses won’t stop me from blackening both of your eyes if you don’t stop staring at my woman.” He swallowed hard and put his head down.

“Don’t be such a caveman,” Eva scolded.

I narrowed my eyes, and my arm tightened around her. “You’re mine, Eva. I don’t give a fuck if it makes me a caveman. I don’t want other men looking at you as though they’re picturing you naked. That image belongs to me alone.”

Eva rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the heat that flared in their blue depths or the pleased little smile that curved her lips. Yeah, she didn’t want to admit it, but obviously my possessiveness made her hot. Which was fine by me because I could guarantee it wasn’t going to get any better.

As we walked away, I returned to our previous conversation. “I already asked your dad and brother for permission to marry you, Eva-bear,” I said as I tucked her into my side and kissed her temple.

I thought she would be relieved and relax, but I was proven wrong when she poked me in the side and hissed, “That’s great, but who is going to protect you from my mom when she realizes that she wasn’t at my wedding?”

I certainly wasn’t looking forward to facing Blair after this, but ultimately, it didn’t matter. I would do anything to have Eva, and until she was legally mine, I would mow down any obstacle in my way. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.