Her Beast_A Dark Romance Page 14

  Now this would be the place to raise a child, I thought, suddenly much calmer.

  An idea was taking shape in my mind.

  The law office of Schiller and Schultz was in a small commercial plaza and when I parked my car, I saw that there was a Starbucks across the street.

  Oriental has more going for it than Minnesott Beach, I mused as I parked the car and headed toward the coffee shop. I could stay here.

  I wondered if I was losing my mind considering such an option.

  Your home is in Seattle. You can’t just throw away your entire life there to move back to Hicksville, North Carolina.

  My mind was far too unfocussed for me to commit to anything right then.

  The appointment was at nine o’clock and my watch told me I had fifteen minutes.

  As I entered, ordering my latte, I stood by the counter to stare out across the parking lot.

  My eyes immediately rested on a white car which had just pulled in and I felt a spark of excitement flash through me as I recognized the vehicle.

  The driver’s side door opened and a long, graceful leg appeared followed by another before a tall, stunning blonde fully exited, tossing her hair over the shoulder of her white romper.

  With her purse slung over her shoulder, she sauntered toward the door, sunglasses blocking the cobalt blue eyes I knew were carefully hidden beneath.

  Vyolet pulled the glasses atop her head, digging into her purse for her wallet.

  “Evan?”

  The barista handed me my coffee and I nodded in thanks, taking it and joining my friend’s daughter in the line.

  “May I buy you a coffee?” I asked.

  She turned her head at the unexpected question, the word “no” ready to spring from her lips but her mouth froze in an “O” as she recognized me.

  “Evan!” Vyolet gasped. “What are you doing here?”

  I smiled, holding up my latte.

  “Getting a coffee. They are reading my sister and Charlie’s will today,” I replied. “My appointment is at nine so I have a few minutes to kill.”

  Instantly, her face softened.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she murmured, her eyes wide with compassion. “If there is anything I can do…”

  “That’s very kind,” I told her. “I would love to buy you a coffee if you have a minute to chat.”

  “Oh, you don’t need to –”

  “I insist,” I interrupted. “It’s the least I can do for such lovely company.”

  To my mild amusement, Vyolet’s cheeks turned pink.

  She’s blushing!

  I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen a woman blush.

  Seattle women were cynical, unimpressed.

  Vyolet Viera was a refreshing blast of summer air to their frigid winter cold.

  And she really was a woman in every sense of the word.

  As she ordered her coffee, I found myself admiring her svelte but curvy frame. There was not an ounce of fat on her body but her hips and breasts filled the tiny outfit perfectly.

  Vyolet seemed to have a hypnotic effect on me. It seemed that in her presence, I temporarily forgot about my woes and pain.

  Instead, I was enthralled by her beauty and radiating sweetness.

  She made me want to do very bad things to her.

  “Evan?” she called and I realized I had fallen into a twisted reverie far away from the bright coffeehouse in which we stood.

  I almost blushed as I moved to sit with her.

  “Where is Alex?” she asked.

  “Your mother was kind enough to take her for me,” I explained.

  “If you should ever need someone to watch her while you are working over the summer, I am happy to do it,” she told me and I eyed her appreciatively.

  “Are you still in school?” I asked.

  She chuckled.

  “In a manner of speaking,” she replied. “I teach Grade School at Pineland Elementary on High Street.”

  I blinked.

  “You’re a school teacher? Like your mother?”

  Vyolet stared down at the counter and nodded, apparently embarrassed.

  “Yes,” she murmured. “I have always admired my mother. I knew I wanted to teach from the time I was very young.”

  I was taken aback by the guilelessness of her words.

  How many women in the mid-twenties want to be like their mothers?

  Staring at her, I suddenly felt I was talking to someone from a completely different century.

  “I imagine that you will be heading back to Washington after the will is read,” Vyolet asked and I thought I caught a hint of wistfulness in her voice but perhaps that was only wishful thinking on my part.

  “I haven’t decided what my next course of action is,” I confessed. “Truthfully, none of my options seem overly appealing. I am trying to focus on what’s best for Alex but I’m going in blind here. What the hell do I know about raising kids?”

  I paused, chewing on the insides of my cheeks.

  I didn’t know why I had said so much to her. It sounded desperate, whiny and angry but it felt good to speak my insecurities aloud.

  “I don’t think anyone is ever prepared to raise children,” Vyolet volunteered gently. “The best laid plans of mice and men, right? I have yet to meet anyone who claims that they were perfectly equipped to deal with the challenges of child rearing.”

  My mouth relaxed slightly into a small smile.

  “I guess that is saying a lot given your background with children and parents,” I sighed and Vyolet chuckled, shrugging.

  We sipped our coffees silently for a minute.

  “What would you do if you were me?” I asked. It was a genuine question. I wanted some feedback from an unbiased party and I had so few of them in North Carolina.

  Vyolet sat back and studied my face carefully.

  “I could not imagine what it’s like to be you,” she answered honestly. “All I can offer you is the knowledge that Oriental’s school system is very well rated and Oriental is a wonderful, safe place to live if you want to leave Minnesott Beach but stay close by.”

  The plaintiveness in her words sent a shiver through me.

  There was no mistaking her subtle “friendly” advice.

  She wanted me to stay nearby.

  Our eyes locked and Vyolet licked her lower lip, the plump pinkness yearning to be bitten.

  I wrenched my eyes away, feeling a familiar sensation in my groin.

  This is Vyolet Viera! This is Oscar’s daughter. Get your head out of there before you cause a scandal in this town and violate an innocent girl.

  But I could not let go of the fact she was so obviously a woman.

  “Oh! I think you’re late for your appointment,” she cried suddenly, glancing at her cell phone.

  As I looked at my wristwatch, I saw that she was right.

  It was five after nine.

  I had completely lost track of time in her company.

  “Damn!” I jumped to my feet and grinned apologetically at her. “Thanks for taking note. I think you are far more distracting than I expected.”

  Again, her cheeks stained red and she tried to hide her expression behind her blonde hair but it was futile.

  “I will walk out with you,” Vyolet offered and together we hurried toward the parking lot.

  “Who else will be here?” she asked, digging into her purse for her keys.

  Suddenly I froze in mid step to stare at her.

  She glanced back at me and did a double take on my expression.

  “What is it?” she demanded. “Did you forget something?”

  I shook my head slowly.

  “I have no idea who else will be there,” I said, the realization filling me with worry for some inexplicable reason. “Maybe no one.”

  Who else could there be? Both our parents and Charlie’s parents were also deceased. Charlie was an only child and I was Jocelyn’s only sibling.

  Unless there was someone on Charlie’s si
de whom I did not know…

  “Evan? Are you all right?” Vyolet asked, stepping toward me and placing a hand on my bicep.

  I looked at her pleadingly.

  “I don’t want to go in there alone,” I whispered, hating myself for confessing such a thing to her. It made me feel weak and inept.

  A look of understanding crossed over her face and she shrugged nonchalantly. I wondered if she could read my inner thoughts.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied sweetly, slipping her hand into mine. “You’re not alone. I’m coming too.”

  She led me toward the offices and in that moment, I knew that it did not matter whose daughter she was or what the age difference; there was a yearning in me to know Vyolet Viera in the most intimate way.

  And I feared that no amount of suppressing that feeling would prevail.

  4

  Vyolet

  I did not join him inside the lawyer’s inner office but instead waited in the small outer lobby under the unusually watchful eyes of a middle-aged receptionist.

  As I sat there, I wondered what she was thinking.

  Does she wonder who I am, waiting on this handsome man? Is she jealous? Does she think I’m Evan’s lover?

  A part of me hoped so and I reddened at the idea.

  This is how Maya thinks. She is rubbing off on me, I thought, dismayed with myself.

  As he had feared, Evan found he was the only person in attendance for the reading.

  I felt as if I was in the office with him, my nerves slightly shot as I tried to sit still and resist to urge to pace about the office.

  I had made plans to meet a friend for lunch but as I remained in the firm, I texted Josie and told her I had a headache.

  I don’t know what inspired me to lie. Josie wouldn’t have cared if I had simply canceled without explanation but a small, guilty part of me wanted to keep my newfound connection to Evan a secret at all cost.

  It’s because you know whatever attraction you have toward him is wrong and you’re trying to hide from your own guilty conscious, I thought, annoyed with myself for indulging in such a childish crush on my father’s friend.

  Evan had been conferring with the attorney for just over two hours and when he finally came out, I could read the exhaustion on his face.

  I jumped up eagerly as he shook hands with the lawyer and walked toward me.

  Offering him a timid smile, I looked at him expectantly.

  “Was it as bad as you expected?” I asked softly.

  He glanced over at the nosy receptionist who seemed to be leaning forward to listen to the details.

  Grabbing my hand, he led me outside into the bright July sunshine without a word and I found myself clinging to his hand as if savoring the feel of his skin against mine.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he sighed, unlocking his car with the key fob.

  I did not hesitate to climb into the passenger seat, despite the fact my car was still parked in the lot.

  It seemed natural that I would go with him.

  He squealed out of his space and I could clearly read the tension on his face.

  “I just need to go for a little drive and clear my head before I pick up Alex,” he told me, eyeing me through his peripheral vision.

  “Sure,” I replied. “You were in there for a while.”

  Evan was quiet for a long while and he followed the roads down toward Whittaker Point along the Neuse River.

  I didn’t push the issue, sensing he didn’t want to talk about it.

  “They left me everything,” he said finally as the car slowed to a park near the tip of the point.

  No one was around but the screeching gulls who dove around almost maniacally as they taunted one another.

  “The house, the cars, the insurance money, their savings. They have some money put aside for Alex’s school but they have entrusted everything to me.”

  I waited for him to continue because I could see there was so much more he wanted to say.

  His breaths seemed to be coming out in short rasps and I longed to look inside his mind for just a moment to see what it was that tormented him.

  “I am so torn,” he said woefully. “Should I stay in the house and ensure that Alex gets it when she’s old enough? Should I sell it and put the money aside for her to use?”

  “Have you spoken to Alex about what she wants?” I asked simply.

  He scoffed and I felt myself tense slightly.

  “She’s six, Vyolet. What does she know about long term planning?” he demanded and I felt myself bristle at his tone slightly.

  “Just because she is young does not mean she doesn’t have feelings,” I replied quietly. “Maybe she feels the same way as you and doesn’t want to live in the house because it is too painful for her. Maybe she would like a change, even if it’s the next town over.”

  I hated that I sounded like I was selling Oriental to him but I could not help but get excited at the idea of having him living so close to me.

  Even though nothing can ever happen between us, I thought hastily, lowering my eyes.

  I felt him staring at me, his smoky irises burning into me and goosebumps pricked my skin as if he had brushed over my arms with his fingertips.

  “Look at me,” he ordered and I felt as if his words magnetically drew me to his face.

  “Yes?” I whispered, my insides quivering as his hand reached up to cup my face.

  “You are so beautiful,” he murmured but as I tried to shift my gaze away, his fingers tightened around my chin and he held me firmly in place.

  “Don’t look away,” he instructed. “Look at me.”

  I licked my lips nervously, wanting him to kiss me as I sat staring at him with naked yearning.

  His eyes raked over my face, along the lines of my cheeks and finally resting on my lips.

  I felt my eyes half closed, my body leaning in to taste his mouth against mine but he kept me waiting.

  “Do you want me to kiss you?” he asked, his voice taking on a tone I had never heard before. It gave me shivers and I tried to nod.

  “Say it.”

  My voice seemed trapped in my chest as I continued to watch him, his mouth mere inches from mine.

  “Tell me what you want,” he said again and I was sure my face was on fire. Never had a man asked me to beg for a kiss but the warmth spreading through my body was too uncomfortable to deny.

  I needed his kiss.

  “Please kiss me,” I whispered.

  “I can’t hear you,” he said, pulling his face back. Instinctively I moved forward but his grip only grew tighter.

  I bit on my bottom lip.

  “Kiss me!” I cried, wriggling in my seat as I felt a rush between my thighs. “Please!”

  He nodded slowly, drawing my cheeks toward his to rub our skin together.

  Without warning, he parted his mouth, pushing his lips to mine and a bolt of energy surged through me as if I had been shocked.

  He tasted as delicious as I had expected, his tongue exploring my teeth until he grabbed onto my tongue and began to suck on it.

  I gasped, my eyes wide as I stared at him in disbelief but he only nursed harder until his teeth nipped down and I yelped, a shock of pleasure coursing down my spine.

  I pulled back and he released my face, a long finger trailing over my cheek.

  “My God, you are so beautiful, Vyolet,” he murmured, turning the key in the ignition and racing out of the point, pursing his lips together as if to relish the taste of me.

  I was silent all the way back to the Starbuck’s parking lot because that was how long it took for my heart to regain its normal rate.

  I can’t say for certain when I made the decision to ignore my inner voices warning me to keep my distance from Evan Collier but when I think about it now, I don’t recall them being that loud in the first place.

  After the kiss, I could not erase him from my mind.

  The attraction I had for him was unlike an
ything I had ever experienced with another man.

  It went beyond his smoldering attractiveness. I could see something dark and tormented in his eyes, something I wanted to ease and comfort.

  I assumed that it was a result of his sister’s death as when I saw him with Alex, he was compassionate and kind, a cloud of sadness hovering above his head.

  Who better to help him through the devastating loss of his sister and the trials and tribulations of raising a small child than a school teacher with the utmost patience and understanding?

  Surely fate had put him on my path for I could not stop images of his ruggedly handsome face from entering my mind at all hours of the day and night.

  It was unlike me to entertain the thoughts that were crossing my mind when I looked at his full lips and envisioned them trailing their way down my stomach toward my center.

  At night, I lay awake, my fingers gently stroking at the slick cleft between my legs as I pictured him on top of me, thrusting himself inside.

  Inevitably, I would release, my face burning with shame but it did not stop me from continuing with the fantasies.

  To my chagrin, I did not find myself alone with him again after that day and I wondered if it was by design or bad luck.

  I wanted nothing more than to finish what we had started at Whittaker Point but suddenly the fates ceased smiling upon us.

  Suddenly I feared that whatever opportunity we had to be together had somehow slipped us by in our caution.

  On Sunday dinner, I casually brought the subject of Evan up to dad as we sat outside for a late afternoon barbecue.

  “So dad, what has Evan decided about staying in Minnesott Beach?”

  “Uncle Evan!” mom scolded me and I swallowed the bile which rose in my throat. I pretended to ignore her.

  “Dad?”

  “He’s selling Jocelyn’s house,” dad informed me, taking a swig of his beer and I felt my eyebrows raise.

  “Oh really?” I murmured. “Where is he moving then?”

  “I think he’s going back to Seattle,” mom replied.

  I felt my blood run cold.

  “What?” I screeched. “What do you mean he’s going back to Seattle?”

  Maya glanced up from her spot by the pool, her eyes widening with interest but I paid her no mind.