Falling In (The Surrender Trilogy 1)

The next few days passed much the same. Lucian worked while Evelyn watched television. She visited the salon on days he had other obligations. He purchased her a laptop, but she didn’t show much interest in the Internet. He assumed she didn’t really have computer experience, so he showed her how to play games like Scrabble, but again, she didn’t seem interested. For some reason he suspected it made her uncomfortable, so he didn’t push.

There was a change since he’d discovered what Evelyn’s life outside of his world was truly like. Perhaps he’d become more attuned to her or perhaps she’d given up on keeping so many secrets. He understood the weariness he sometimes saw in her. There was a tiredness about her that came, not with the excursion of a day, but with the unending battle that had been her life.

It seemed an unspoken agreement that she’d take some time to simply be. He’d notified Tamara Jones of Evelyn’s leave of absence and assured the manager that—when Evelyn was ready to return to work—she would. He preferred her home, so he hadn’t pressed the subject. It was clear she needed this time and he was happy to provide it.

They often had breakfast in the condo and dined in the restaurant for lunch. In the evenings, they either ordered in and played chess or he took her somewhere in the city. After offering to take Evelyn to a local club, she admitted that she didn’t know how to dance. He arranged to have a teacher come in twice a week for private lessons in one of the Patras ballrooms.

There were quiet moments here and there when a sadness stole over her eyes, so hopeless, it disarmed him. She’d admitted to missing Pearl, something he couldn’t quite comprehend, but empathized with all the same. He never denied her the chance to call or visit her mother, but she seemed reluctant to take that step. He assumed she just needed a little more time.

He’d gotten reports from the facility regularly about Pearl’s slow progress and that seemed to satisfy Evelyn to some degree. He knew she missed her mom, but visiting her, she explained, wouldn’t take that longing away. He finally was beginning to understand that, while Pearl lived, Evelyn’s mother was gone. She was mourning and afraid to hope for more.

After the past few weeks, Evelyn was emotionally tender. He enjoyed the moments her feistiness showed, liking that challenging, playful side of her, but he also valued her softer side, which shared whispered confessions about her past and fears for the future.

They made love regularly. Evelyn was developing her own addiction to sex, which pleased him greatly. Lucian took great joy in those moments when he caught her gazing at him with bashful need. It amused him to press her buttons in those moments and tease her into confessing what it was she wanted. Just thinking about it made him hard with lust.

She sashayed by his desk, eating an apple and wearing a pair of loose-fitting cotton pants and one of his dress shirts. He turned and grabbed her hips, halting her progress and pulling her onto his lap. His hands wandered over her curves. Guiding her hand to his mouth, he bit into the juicy fruit.

She sighed and snuggled into his hold. He cupped her breast through her shirt and slid his other hand between her legs. She squirmed and pulled away from his touch.

He frowned and pulled her back. “What’s wrong? Are you sore?” She lowered her face and looked away. “Evelyn, answer me. Did I hurt you?”

“No.”

He turned her chin until she met his gaze. “Then what is it?”

She sighed. “I’m getting my period.”

Lucian’s mouth opened and shut. A million thoughts occurred to him at once. Most prominent, however, was the realization that she wasn’t pregnant. Disappointment bloomed within him and he tried to hide it.

“Oh, well, that’s okay.” Something else seemed to be on her mind. “What else is bothering you?”

His hands gently massaged her thighs and she relaxed again. “It occurred to me that we haven’t been very responsible as far as . . .”

“Birth control?” he offered grudgingly.

She nodded.

“Well, we should talk about that.”

“I like not having anything between us,” she admitted. “But I don’t really know much about our other options.”

“Are you opposed to using nothing?” He had to ask.

She pursed her lips and frowned at him. “Lucian. Be serious.”

Okay, definitely not ready for that.

“Okay, well, how about if I make you an appointment with Vivian? The last time I talked to her she mentioned wanting to see you again.”

“Do you think I should?”

His heart clenched at her question. Every time Evelyn placed trust in his guidance, they were one step closer to where he needed them to be. “I’ll make the appointment and we’ll go together.”