Yes. Finally. That was what she had been craving. His warm lips against hers. Evan tried to keep it soft and light, but Juliet had no interest in that. She pulled him hard against her and stood up on her tiptoes so she could get even closer.
“Juliet,” Evan murmured against her mouth. “I’m not sure we should—”
She became even more aggressive in her kiss. “Not sure we should what?” Juliet finally asked.
Evan broke away just for a moment so he could look her in the eyes. “I just want to make sure this is what you really want.”
“I’m pretty sure I want this more than I want to continue breathing.”
With that, Evan scooped her up by the waist and spun, placing her on the kitchen counter. He grabbed her hips and slid her forward so they were as close as possible. And kissed her again, stealing her breath.
Yes, this was how Juliet wanted to feel, had thought she would never feel again. Evan’s lips brushed over the underside of her jaw and down her neck. She couldn’t stop the soft moan.
“I’ve waited a long time for this,” Evan murmured against her throat.
“It’s been a long time for me, too.” Juliet found she could say it without bad memories coming up to swamp her.
Evan pulled back a little so they were looking eye to eye. “I’ve wanted you for years, Juliet. But it was never the right time.”
She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer. “Well, it’s the right time now. For both of us.” Then she reached down and pulled Evan’s shirt over his chest and head, letting it fall to the ground. Heat coursed through her. Everywhere their bodies touched was on fire.
Evan didn’t say anything, just swung her up in his arms and carried her to his bed.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Evan lay in bed, watching Juliet curled up next to him, sound asleep. His mind was blown by their lovemaking a few hours before. Better, hotter, just plain more awesome than he would’ve ever expected.
He had tried to keep himself on a tight leash. If Juliet had any moments of panic, he wanted to be able to stop and help her through it.
But evidently the only panic she’d experienced had been about him not getting their clothes off fast enough. A couple steps up the stairs, while he was carrying her, she had been running her hands all over his chest and kissing his neck. He’d stopped right there, lowered her, backed her up against the wall and kissed her thoroughly. She’d pulled her own shirt off, and he’d made quick work of her bra, so they could be skin to skin.
Nothing had ever felt so right in his entire life.
“If we don’t cut it out, we’re never going to make it to the bed,” he’d said.
The most beautiful smile he’d ever seen had lit up Juliet’s face. “I don’t want to make it to the bed. I want to make love right here, on the stairs.”
Evan had been more than happy to oblige. In fact, he’d almost ripped their clothes off in an effort to oblige.
They had finally made it to the bed, afterward, with a stop by the shower first. Now Juliet was sleeping and he needed to do the same. Tomorrow they’d be heading to Vince Cady’s mansion.
Juliet’s phone chirped on the nightstand by her side of the bed. That chirp—the one that signified Lisa Sinclair had received another sweetheart email. Evan tried to reach over and grab the phone before it woke Juliet, but he felt the tension flood through her. She’d already heard it.
“Just leave it,” he told her as she reached for the phone.
“I can’t.” She was wide-awake. “Not knowing what it says makes me just as crazy as knowing.”
Evan doubted that, but knew he couldn’t stop her.
Sweetheart, we’ll be together soon. Don’t worry about your husband, I have special plans for him. He doesn’t deserve you.
Evan hated the way fear crept back into Juliet’s green eyes. She didn’t openly panic, but the stress and tension had obviously returned.
“Jules, it’s going to be fine.”
“But now it looks like he’s targeting you, Evan. And the last thing we need while we’re undercover with Cady is some freak trying to track us down for some alone time with me.”
“Well, we know the two are unrelated, so for now let’s put the emails on the back burner. Once we finish with Cady, then we can concentrate on tracking down whoever is sending them.”
Juliet looked uncomfortable, but nodded. “Okay. I’ll turn off my phone notifications for that email account. I’ll still get them, and so will the tech peeps at Omega, but we’ll only see them when I choose to open them.”
She set the phone down and Evan pulled her against him. “That will be better. You’ll be able to concentrate on the case, rather than worrying about the emails.”
“You’re right,” Juliet whispered. “It’s just, they freak me out. Throw my mind to crazy places. Sometimes it’s hard to come back from that.”
Evan kissed her on the forehead. “I know, baby. But you don’t have to battle this alone anymore. I’m going to be here to help you every step of the way. Not to mention all three of your dumbass brothers.”
Juliet smiled at that, as he had hoped, then pushed him back against the pillows and swung her leg so she straddled his hips.
“You know, we have to be at Cady’s house in just a few short hours. We better get some sleep,” she told him, but her wicked grin said something much different.
“Later,” he growled, pulling her mouth down to his. “There’ll be time for sleep later.”
* * *
JULIET’S SOBS WOKE EVAN. For a moment of sleep-induced confusion, he forgot where he was and thought he was having another nightmare, with Juliet’s agony in his head. But he quickly realized the sobs were coming from Juliet herself, asleep in his bed, dressed only in one of his
