Spinning around, Ro pinned him with a glare. "She wants some space. Leave her be."
"Rowena." The warning in Octavius's voice was deeper now, clearly letting everyone in the room know his wife was on thin ice. "Stay out of it."
"It's all right, O. She's just protecting Evie." Stepping forward, he pressed a kiss to Ro's forehead. "And I love you for that. I'm just going to check in and see if she's okay. If she doesn't want to talk, I'll leave her alone. Deal?"
"Deal."
Chapter 6
Evie woke to the sound of someone softly calling her name. "Evie. Time to get up,tesoro."
"Don't wanna," she mumbled, turning over and burying her head in her pillow.
"Two hours is a long enough nap. Time to wake up."
With a loud sigh, she rolled over. He'd showered and shaved since she'd seen him earlier. The easy humor she was used to seeing was back in his eyes, and she relaxed a little. "Are you still mad at me?"
"I was never mad at you,tesoro. I was mad for you."
Nodding her head, she sat up and picked at the comforter. "It's hard for me to see the difference sometimes."
"I know. I'm sorry I upset you."
"Yeah?" Lifting her head, she smiled at him. "How sorry?"
One eyebrow slowly raised. "Pretty sorry. You missed out on some really great pancakes because of me." The corner of his lips twitched. "What's my penance?"
"Hmm." Pretending to think about it, she tapped a finger on her pursed lips. "Am I allowed to spank you?"
The growl in his voice thrilled her. "Not a chance, little girl."
"I figured." Sighing heavily, she tried to ignore the sudden pounding of her heart. It took more courage than she cared to admit to voice her request. "How about a kiss, then?"
His lips curved up into a smile she could only describe as wolfish. Leaning over, he pressed his hands to the mattress on either side of her, caging her in. "Just one kiss?"
Her breath caught in her throat. "You can start with one, and we'll see."
Lowering his head, his lips hovering a breath away from hers, and for a moment, she worried he would change his mind. Then his lips were on hers, soft and warm and gentle. Everything inside of her warmed, as if touched by the summer sun.
This was how a man was meant to kiss a woman. Like nothing in the world mattered but her. Sighing, she gave herself over to it, surrendering to him in a way she never had with Branson. This surrender was freely given, not ripped from her against her will, and her heart sang at the freedom to give it as she pleased.
The bed dipped under his weight, and she shifted down on the bed so he was over her. But she didn't feel trapped or pinned. She was exactly where she wanted to be.
"Evie." Her name was a prayer on his lips, and her heart leapt at the sound of it. Never in her life had a man spoken her name and made it sound so beautiful. "Beautiful, strong, brave Evie. I want you."
"Then have me. Please."
"Not right now." His eyes burned with need, but she could feel him pulling away. "Tonight. If you're ready. As I said this morning, I want you to think about it."
"I've thought about it, Jason. For months now, I've wanted you to kiss me this way and make me yours. And you told me I've been yours since the day we met." Dammit, why was the man so stubborn?
"You have been. And, God willing, you will be completely mine soon. But I want you to take this next step with your eyes wide open." He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, and she was momentarily distracted from her annoyance with him. "You need to decide if you just want a man." Another kiss, this time to the curve of her jaw. "Or if you want a Daddy."
"I want you."
"I come with demands,tesoro.I come with rules and expectations." His eyes were serious when they met hers again. "There's no judgment here if you're not ready to be completely mine."
Lifting a hand to his cheek, she stroked the smooth skin and prayed he could see the truth in her eyes. "I'm ready."