Only One Night (Only One 3)

Miller is next. He slaps my stomach. “Go get ’em.” I shake my head and watch them make their way out. They are stopped twice, and I even see Miller just hold up his hand to say hello, not stopping for pictures. He definitely has changed. The old Miller would be in the middle of that, making sure everyone got a picture.

I turn back to the crowd, standing with Andrew, who talks to the guys. My eyes find her again; it’s magnetic. She sings along with the song, and she must feel my eyes on her because she looks over at me. She winks at me, making me laugh, then walks back to her table. Grabbing a shot and taking it, she then takes her glass of wine and chases it down.

I stand here with my hands in my pocket and my heart hammering in my chest, wanting to go over to her. I want to talk to her. I want to hear her say my name one more time. If only for tonight. If only for one night. I see her walking around, and it looks like she’s going toward the front door. She’s leaving, I think to myself. My chest tightens as I see her head disappear. I turn toward Andrew to say something to him and see that he’s at the bar having shots.

I’m about to walk out with the hopes I can catch her one last time. I am about to take a step forward when I see her walking toward me from the other side. She stops in front of me, her eyes on mine. “Why are you watching me?”

Chapter 6

Evelyn

“Why are you watching me?” I ask him, and my heart beats so fast and loud in my chest, I don’t think I would be able to hear him answer. My knees get a little weak from looking at him. He has to be the most handsome man I think I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t seem to stop looking at him or for him. The pull to him is beyond my control.

This whole time, he’s been watching me from afar. I know this because I’ve also been watching him. From when I walked away from him before, I’ve been dying to go back to him. To talk to him, to touch him, to see his smile, his smirk, his laugh. He is all that and a bag of chips.

I’m waiting for him to answer when a waitress comes over to us, asking if he would like anything to drink. She stands there looking at him. “Scotch,” he answers her. “Neat.” He looks at me, his eyes turning a deep blue. “And an apple martini.”

“Vodka,” I say. “Grey Goose, cranberry.” She nods and walks away. “Does this mean you have to buy me another one?” I ask him, moving closer to him while someone tries to walk around us. His hand comes out again and goes to my hip. His touch shoots through me. This has never happened to me, and I wonder if it must be the shot of tequila I just had. I really just did it so I could psych myself up. This was stupid, my head screams at me. This whole thing is absolutely insane. If someone told me this story, I would think they have lost their marbles.

I met this man three hours ago, maybe five. But ever since then, all I can do is think about him and his lips. His beard, wondering if it is soft and how it would feel between my legs. His smooth voice, the way he said my name. The way he held my hip, his thumb moving softly up and down. My senses are all on alert around him. I swear I can feel him staring at me, and even at that, I can’t help looking over at him to see if he is watching.

“What do you want, Evelyn?” he asks, leaning down, his face so close to mine all it would take is me to turn just a bit, and his lips would be on mine. He stands up, and now I stand closer to him, so close that there is no space between us. My hands are at my sides, but I want to reach up and hold his hips. I want to hold his hips and tilt my head back and have him kiss me. The music is still playing in the background, but I’m lost in him. I can only see him, and it’s frightening that this man has this hold over me.

I get on my tippy toes to get closer to him. “That is a loaded question,” I say, swallowing down the lump in my throat. “What do you want from me, Manning?” I watch him as I ask him this. Two can play this game. He’s driving me crazy. I wait for him to answer. The seconds feel like hours. I see him swallow as his Adam's apple moves. I’m about to grab his jacket with my hands, but the waitress comes back over and interrupts us.