What was wrong with her? Was there anything wrong with her? She had no prior experiences to go by. All she knew was Lucian. She knew what he liked and she knew that she liked it too. She couldn’t imagine it being any other way between a man and woman. She needed him to be in charge. Otherwise nothing would ever happen, because she certainly wasn’t asking.
She pressed her fingers to her forehead. Dear God, she was like a brainwashed puppet. Yes, Lucian. Please, Lucian. Thank you, Lucian. Yet every word out of her mouth was genuine. She wanted to be polite to him because she respected him. She wanted to thank him because he thought about her more than he did himself. She wanted to please him. Everything she did somehow always brought her back to him. She was addicted to Lucian.
Chapter 40
Christmas Cards
Once they arrived at the house, their things were brought in and Jamie joined them for a late lunch. Evelyn found it difficult to look at Jamie after the last time they were in the dining room together, but his easygoing disposition helped. It was almost impossible to associate the carefree man with the one who watched her come with nothing but pure lust and intensity in his eyes. It was easier to forget about what he’d seen when they were at the penthouse, but when they were at Lucian’s home the past came hurtling back to her.
“Are you enjoying your holiday, Scout?” Jamie asked as they sat in the library after lunch. Lucian was called away for a few moments with an important business call.
The library wasn’t overly formal, which didn’t really match the name. Rather, it was like a cozy living room, but a television was absent and the walls were covered with books. She sat cross-legged on the overstuffed sofa facing Jamie. “Lucian has a way of making every day feel like a holiday.”
Jamie’s cheeks were dusted with freckles that made his pigment appear darker than it was. He was actually quite pale. When he smiled, like he did now, twin dimples formed in his freckled cheeks. His smile was quite charming. “Lucian does have that ability when he chooses to use it. I think you’ve been good for him. I haven’t seen my friend this lighthearted since we were children.”
Lucian definitely had an intense side. He brought that side out when they were intimate, but it wasn’t the same as the severe side she’d caught glimpses of when he needed to accomplish something important. She had no doubt that Lucian could have anything he wanted, because his determination and tenacity was almost frightening at times.
“I’m enjoying myself,” Evelyn said.
“I’m glad,” Jamie admitted. “I hope that you stick around for a long time, Scout. I like you. I like what you do for my friend and I like the kind of girl you are. Luche’s never had a girl like you before.”
“What do you mean, ‘a girl like me’?”
“Tough. You’re not a pushover. Lucian’s extremely domineering with women. Not everyone can handle a demanding male and draw a line between being submissive and being completely subjugated. You won’t lose yourself to him. You’ve a strong little will under all that beauty.”
“Thank you?” What did you say to that? Domineering with women . . . Lucian didn’t have women. He had her. There had better not be any other women.
The sound of Jamie’s laughter eased the tension weighing on her face. “Relax, Scout, I meant it as a compliment. Oh, yes,” he said holding his trim belly. “I think you’ll be quite wonderful for Lucian. As a matter of fact, with the fierce look you just had on your face, I wonder if maybe I should fear for the day that Lucian truly pisses you off, because trust me, love, he will.”
She believed him. When Lucian returned, he seemed flustered. “Evelyn, will you get me a drink, please?”
Caught off guard, because Lucian rarely requested her to wait on him, she did a double take. He wasn’t looking at her, so she simply stood and went to the bar. Crystal was incredibly heavy for glass. Evelyn’s hand trembled as she tipped the decanter over the tumbler. Lucian and Jamie were speaking in hushed tones over at the sofa. Distracted by trying to hear what they were saying, she almost overpoured and spilled all over the bar.
Amber liquid topped the glass, almost forming a bubble. If she moved the glass, the placid surface of liquor would ripple and make a mess. Her eyes shot to Jamie and Lucian, then back to the glass. Leaning over, she put her lips to the rim of the glass and sipped. Fire burned through her esophagus like tunneling lava. She gasped and choked.
Her eyes watered and she turned, fighting to suck in a deep breath. A bottle of cool water was shoved in her face. Her hands gripped the bottle and drank from it greedily as someone patted her back. Swiping a finger under her runny eyes she turned, totally embarrassed. She was such an idiot. Never a dull moment.