Before tonight, that shit irritated the hell out of me. The reaction she could pull for me that no other could. I am a trained machine. One that knows how to control myself. Until her. Now I don’t want the sensation to go away. I feel alive.
“Are you just going to watch me eat?” Eve asks before taking another bite. That had been my plan, but from her question, I’m guessing she doesn’t want me to. Though she doesn’t fidget or seem uncomfortable like she had been when she was up on the stage.
“I should feed Snow.” She glances down at Snow, who has been sitting next to her this whole time.
“He’s a very well-trained dog. Were you both in the military?”
“I never said I was, but you know that don’t you, Eve?” She smirks, cutting herself off another bite of food. “To answer what you wanted, no, I wasn’t in the military.”
“Really.” Her brows pull together. “Law enforcement?” Her nose scrunches now because that doesn’t feel completely right. She looks fucking adorable, and I want to eat her up, but she’s not ready yet. I have to be patient. Something that’s becoming increasingly harder now that she's in my space.
“I never wore a badge.” I’m as honest as I can be for now. I don’t want her running for the hills.
“Are you being mysterious with me?” Eve teases. I call Snow over to give him a small second dinner. I fed him before I left, but he’s been good.
“I’m answering your questions.” I try to shrug it off. I can tell it doesn’t work because her face lights up as she realizes I’ve cracked the door. Really she has. I called her out on her trying to trip me up with her questions. Not that I was surprised by it. I know who her parents are, after all. Hell, they might know who I am. Or better yet, who I once was. From her lit-up expression, I know I’m not going to close the door again. Not if I want to lure Eve inside.
“Did you work for the government?” Fuck me. How the hell do I answer that one?
“I suppose.”
“You suppose?” Her bottom lip puffs out. The room grows quiet. The fear of her suggesting it might be time to head home hits me. I know if I want to keep her here, the snow needs to keep accumulating outside. Answering some of her questions will give me the time I need for that to happen. Once we’re snowed in, she won’t have a choice but to stay here with me.
“I think I worked for a multitude of governments.”
“That’s like a thing?” she whispers. “Like a United Nations or some secret undercover agents?”
“That’s not a terrible way to describe it.”
“That’s why I can’t find any past information about you? There is nothing.” She looks both intrigued and disappointed at the same time. My lips twitch.
“Have you been digging around about me, Eve?” I know she has.
I’m thankful Eve moved to a small town because she is very much the definition of curiosity killed the cat. She would have made a killer reporter, but I think her parents would have found a way to shut that down. That could have gotten really fucking awkward for them.
Eve ducks her head as her cheeks start to turn pink at my suggestion. There she is. The soft sweet girl under the hard shell she shows to the rest of the world. Few people are privy to this side of her. I only know about it because I have a habit of watching her. Those glimpses only made me crave her more. I want to get past the hard shell. I wonder if Eve is trying to do the same with me. I just worry there is nothing beneath mine. Only hollowness.
“I mean, the ax murderer rumor should be checked out.” She tries to make light of it. Is she shy about the fact I knew she’d been checking into me? That meant she cared. Emotion was connected with it.
“Feel free to roam,” I invite her. Not that she would find anything. If she did happen to find my little room, she couldn’t get inside.
“What gives, Marco? You’ve been out here in the middle of nowhere, but now with me you’re so open.”
“You have the answer to your own question, angel. You.” She takes another bite of her food, contemplating what I’ve said. I don’t think she’s quite sure what to do with the information. “I told you Eve. I’ve always noticed you. How could I not?”
“Because I’m pretty?” she blurts out, a hint of irritation to her tone. I struck a nerve.
“Pretty? It’s a very insufficient word for what you are.” I speak the truth. That word doesn’t even come close to describing her. She is so much more than that.