As if he planned to do anything else.
Chapter Four
Evie hadn’t asked Damon what he wanted for breakfast, but his eyes had lit up at the idea of pancakes, so she ordered her favorites. The restaurant knew her by name and was aware of her usual order. Apple pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, because she liked both and always had one of each, and an order of plain just in case Damon didn’t want to share what she’d chosen.
She washed up quickly and changed into a pair of sweats and a long-sleeve shirt. Damon hadn’t noticed the scar yet, and she didn’t want to have to get into an explanation now. She set the table and had just finished when Damon knocked. She heard his voice telling her it was him from outside.
Opening the door, she let him in. He looked around, frazzled. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Is everything okay?” He looked behind her.
She blinked in surprise. “Of course. Why?”
He shut the door behind him and locked it. He hesitated and she frowned.
“Just tell me what’s wrong.” She hated suspense.
“I was talking to your brothers. They thought this whole situation was either a false alarm or a prank. Then one of the firefighters told Deke that there was a man who was pretending to be one of them. And after mixing in and I assume getting into the building, he left in his car, not in the fire engine like the rest of the guys.”
Her heart skipped a beat at the implication. “You think it was John?”
“We don’t know but it’s a possibility.”
“That stupid son of a bitch.”
“The problem is that you have no proof he’s stalking you, which means you can’t get a restraining order,” Damon muttered.
“He’s good at stalking. And cheating.” But she wasn’t going to let John ruin her morning. “Can we stop talking about something I can’t change? I’m sure Mack is going to end up having someone drive by here often if he doesn’t do it himself.”
He looked like he wanted to argue … or say something more, but as if she’d summoned the food, her bell rang. Damon strode there first and looked through the peephole before opening the door and accepting the package, discovering she’d already paid and tipped with an app.
“I would have paid for your breakfast,” he said as she took the bag from him.
She smiled. “I know. And I can afford to treat you.” She unpacked the Styrofoam holders and moved the pancakes onto plates, setting them on the table with maple syrup and utensils.
They sat next to each other at her kitchen table. Sun streamed in from a nearby window as they each took their choice of pancakes.
Damon took the plain kind and she wrinkled her nose at his unimaginative choice.
“Come on, don’t you want a taste of chocolate chip or apple pancake? They’re so good,” she urged, taking a bite of chocolate chip herself.
She moaned at the taste of the chocolate and syrup sliding down her throat. At the sound, his gaze locked on hers, and she gulped down the end of the piece she’d eaten, then lowered her fork and placed it down.
He leaned in close. “Know what I like the best about pancakes?” he asked.
“What?”
“The maple syrup,” he said and licked her sticky lips. He groaned as he swiped his tongue over her bottom lip, followed by her upper, then darted across the seam. A sensual request to be let inside.
She parted her mouth and tasted heaven. He kissed her thoroughly, as if afraid he’d miss one bit of the syrup, but the longer he lingered, the more she knew he was devouring her. And she liked it.
One hand came to rest at her neck as he tilted his head and thrust his tongue in deeper. She moaned and kissed him back, her body pulsing with desire. She’d never felt such honest emotion in a kiss before, and she didn’t want it to end.
When a ring sounded, she was sure she was just lost in sensation, but the sound continued.
He leaned back, breaking their connection. “It’s your cell,” he said gruffly.
She glanced up at him. His lips were damp from their intense kiss. “Can I ignore it?”
He chuckled, the sound low and deep. “It’s up to you.”
She glanced at her phone and hit accept immediately. “Hello?”
“Evie? It’s Gavin at MSP Laboratories.”
She looked at Damon, who’d returned to eating his pancakes, but didn’t tell him who was on the other end. “Hi. What did you find out?” she asked Gavin, who she’d gone to college with. They’d met living in the same dorm, but his classes hadn’t overlapped with her criminal justice major.
“Nothing in that pain patch but lidocaine, capsaicin, methyl salicylate, and menthol. All standard ingredients.”
Dammit. Although the results didn’t rule out the trainer completely, she’d hoped the answer would be simple.
“Thanks, Gavin. You know where to bill me.”
She disconnected the call and met Damon’s gaze, putting her phone down on the table.
“Bad news,” he said, not even bothering with a question.
She nodded. “There’s no banned substance in the pain patch. Just the things you’d expect. I’m sorry.”
“And the hits keep coming.” He groaned and pushed his plate away. A waste of delicious pancakes, she thought sadly.
“Hey.” She put her hand over his. “It was a long shot. There’s still a lot of ground left to cover.”
He treated her to a forced smile, and she decided to change the subject, not that he’d like this one any better. “So … that kiss.”
To her shock, his smile grew wider and more genuine. “What about it?”
She swallowed hard, but she’d never backed away from honesty when it was important. “You’re my client.”
“And?”
“And we’re pretending to be together and there’s nobody around now to impress or prove anything to. So, what’s going on?” Because she honestly didn’t understand. “Up until a couple of days ago, you barely tolerated me.”
“Hey, that’s not true.”
She raised an eyebrow. “We certainly didn’t click.”
“Because I didn’t know you then.”
She sighed. “Damon, let’s be real. You all but said I’m not your type. Hell, I had to dress up just to prove to you that I could pull it off.”
He frowned at that. “I’m an asshole. And I was wrong. I always thought you were gorgeous but I didn’t see you.”
“And you do now.”
Reaching out, he pulled a strand of her hair, sliding it back and forth between his fingers. “Yes, I do.”
“Well, you don’t do relationships and neither do I. Not anymore.” He didn’t argue the point, so she went on. “Not to mention the fact that we have important people in common. It would be stupid to let things go any further.”
Quinn, her best friend in the world, was with his brother. Evie didn’t ever want to make her choose.
“I didn’t say anything about a relationship. It was a kiss. A damn good kiss and one I want to repeat. And so do you.” He tugged on her hair. “And as far as Quinn and Austin are concerned, we’re adults. Whatever happens between us, I’m sure we can handle it without pulling them into it.”