Mastered

The disconnect was more keenly felt when Drake announced he had to go out of town on business overnight. Evangeline had expected that he would want her to accompany him since he’d said as much in the beginning of their relationship when he’d outlined the rules, but he’d told her he didn’t want her to be bored senseless since he would be in marathon meetings and wouldn’t have any time to spend with her. It would be a flying trip, leaving at noon the first day and returning early the next morning. He’d encouraged her to enjoy herself with the stipulation that one of his men accompany her anywhere she went.

She’d nervously called Lana, Nikki and Steph, thinking to catch up and bridge the gap between them, but her calls had gone unanswered and her texts had not been read. As a result, she opted to stay at Drake’s apartment and not go out because her heart wasn’t in it. She was afraid that she’d lost the friends she’d had since her days in small-town Mississippi.

That night she’d slept alone for the first time since she and Drake had become involved, and she discovered she didn’t like it very much. She tossed and turned the entire night, latching on to the ridiculous hope that he would return earlier than expected. When the morning of his scheduled arrival dawned, she was hatching a half a dozen different ways of jumping his bones as soon as he walked through the door.

As it was, within minutes of his return home, to her chagrin, her mother picked then, of all times, to call. Evangeline had cast an apologetic look in Drake’s direction, but he’d merely smiled and pulled her down into his lap as she talked to her mom—and dad—and had proceeded to distract her by nibbling on her neck and various other parts of her body until she was ready to throw the phone across the room and turn around and attack him.

He chuckled when he overheard her mother inquire about her “young man” and whether he was treating her well, and then to her surprise, he’d taken the phone from her and proceeded to converse with her parents for nearly half an hour.

She watched, pleased, as Drake spoke to them in an affectionate tone, relaxed and even smiling at intervals. Happiness tightened her chest and she snuggled into his side as he continued his conversation, assuring them that he was indeed taking very good care of their daughter but that she was taking even better care of him.

Everything about her relationship with Drake felt . . . right. No longer did she battle with the questions and fears that had plagued her earlier. The last few weeks had been nothing short of magical and she wondered if dreams really did come true. She chastised herself for being so prepared for when the other shoe dropped and it was all over.

It was time to stop being so afraid of what the future held and throw herself into the here and now and enjoy every minute of her time with Drake. Who was to say they wouldn’t end up in a long-term relationship?

Drake had proved to her time and time again that she hadn’t been wrong to give him her trust and faith. He had taken both gifts very seriously and had respected her offering, cherishing them—and her—as he’d promised to do.

She also no longer questioned whether she was good enough or asked herself what a man like him could possibly see in her. He was happy. She was happy. What else was important? No matter how she saw herself, Drake saw someone completely different, and he never passed up an opportunity to prove that to her.

She felt like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon after a long hibernation and the freedom from long-held and deep-seated insecurities was exhilarating.

Evangeline Hawthorn was . . . confident! She was beautiful! And worthy of Drake Donovan.

A ridiculous smile attacked her face and she was so encapsulated in the thrall of her dreamy thoughts that she hadn’t even registered Drake ringing off with her parents, until his lips trailed a fiery line up her neck to nibble at her ear.

“My angel looks happy,” he murmured. “I hope my return has something to do with that.”

She turned and threw her arms around his neck, peppering his entire face with kisses.

“Oh, Drake, I am happy! I missed you terribly.”

He smiled indulgently at her. “I was only gone for a day, babe.”

“It was one day too long,” she said crossly.

He grinned. “Your parents are nice.”

The swift change in conversation made her pause and then she returned his grin, her cheeks widening until they nearly cracked.

“You like them.”

“Yes,” he said seriously. “They are good people.”

Remembering that it was doubtful Drake had had much experience with good people, she regarded him with the same seriousness.

“They’re the best kind of people,” she said huskily. “I’d do anything in the world for them.”

“They’re very lucky then.”

She reached up and lay her palm over his bristled, unshaven cheek.

“I’d do anything for you as well, Drake. I hope you never forget that.”

He captured her hand and dragged it over his lips so he kissed the inside of it.

“Oh you’ve proved that, Angel. Over and over. I doubt I’ll ever forget it.”

He followed his statement with a slight wince and a sigh.

“Is something wrong?” she asked anxiously, her earlier euphoria dissipating as she took in Drake’s grim expression.

Drake stared at Evangeline, hating what he was about to do. Deceive her. Or rather lie by omission. Make something appear as something else altogether. When he’d promised himself he’d never lie to her or hurt her. And if he didn’t handle this just right, not only would he be lying to her, but he could also hurt her if she misconstrued his reasons.

Knowing that the longer he remained silent and the longer he dragged this out, the worse it would appear, and that it could explode in his face, he kissed her and allowed sincere regret to show. He pulled her down onto the couch so they were seated next to each other.

“I know tomorrow night is our night to eat in with you cooking, but I have a very important business meeting here. I’ll be entertaining my associates in our home. Unfortunately it’s unavoidable, and I promised you that I wouldn’t miss our dinners in unless absolutely necessary. This is one of the rare times when it’s absolutely necessary to meet where we can be assured quiet and privacy.”

Her brow furrowed in puzzlement as she processed his vague statement, and he didn’t miss the disappointment in her eyes nor her attempts to mask her reaction by quickly regaining her composure.

“I understand,” she said, only the slightest tremble in her voice to reveal her emotion. “Maybe we can have a do-over later in the week.”

Damn but he hated what came next. How to ensure she wasn’t present during his meeting without it being obvious he didn’t want her there? He’d broken one of his promises—a vow—he’d made to himself, something unthinkable, by lying to Evangeline. He would not, under any circumstances, break the other promise he’d made that she never be touched by the alternate shadowy life he led.

“I know you didn’t go out last night, so I thought perhaps you’d want to go out on the town tomorrow night. You name it and I’ll make it happen, Angel. Whatever you’d like to do. Quite frankly the meeting will be boring as hell, and I don’t ever expect you to have to suffer strangers and awkwardness in your own home. And you damn sure as hell won’t be expected to please six arrogant bastards who will all be dick-sizing one another during negotiations.”

He didn’t have to fake the pissed-off, inconvenienced act for Evangeline, because he was both. If so much wasn’t riding on this goddamn deal, he’d tell every one of them to go fuck themselves. He never opened his personal residence to anything business related. This was his only sanctuary. And now it was Evangeline’s, and it pissed him off that he had to, in a nutshell, kick his angel out of her own home for the evening and play nice with men he wouldn’t ever want within a mile of his woman.

She bit into her bottom lip, hesitating, obviously immersed in thought. He wished to hell he could read her right now. Ninety-nine percent of the time, she was utterly transparent, her eyes a window to her soul, but this was the one percent of the time when he had no clue what she was thinking or feeling.

He had to hold back her name and the question that would most assuredly be in his voice if he uttered it. Because he knew he would sound uncertain, and he had to play this just right. It was simply a business meeting, and he was offering her the city on a silver platter for the night. He didn’t need to sound like he had a reason to be worried about what she was thinking.

“Tomorrow night is the girls’ night off,” she said softly. “I’d like . . . I need to see them. We haven’t spoken. Not since the night Steph came over here. I—we’ve—let it go on too long. I need to talk to them. I tried to call them while you were out of town. I thought we could grab something to eat, catch up. But I never heard back from them.”

Drake’s lips thinned slightly. Damn it. He wasn’t keen on a reunion with her girlfriends. Not if there was the possibility of them filling her head with a bunch of shit. But at the same time, it offered him the perfect out. She would be happy and he would effectively keep her separate from his business.

“You should go, then,” he said gently.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t mind?”

He pulled her further into the crook of his arm so she was nestled firmly against him.

“It’s obvious that your estrangement is making you unhappy,” he said.

He stroked his palm over her cheek and then cupped her jaw, feathering his thumb over her satiny skin.

“I want you to be happy, Angel. So if seeing your girls will do that, then I’ll have a man take you over tomorrow evening.”

“Should I plan to stay over with them?” she asked, a little hitch in her breath.

At that he frowned. “Hell no. I’ll tell Maddox to have you back by eleven and if for some reason my meeting goes longer, I’ll let him know, but you will be back here afterward. One night away from you was enough. No way in hell I’m going to spend another without you so soon after being away this time.”

She smiled at that and then gave him a mischievous grin.

“So tell me, do you have to call Maddox right this minute? Or can it wait for a little while?”

He arched one eyebrow, regarding her suspiciously. “That entirely depends on what you have up your sleeve, you little imp.”

She rose up and arched over him, straddling his lap, looping her arms around his neck before sliding downward to the floor until she was kneeling between his thighs, her hands fluttering to the fly of his slacks.

“Oh, I don’t know. For as long as I have time to welcome you back home properly?”

She licked her lips even as she began unzipping his pants.

His eyes glittered and became half-lidded. “Well, if that’s the case, then take your time, Angel. I assure you, Maddox will wait. I, on the other hand, can’t. So by all means, welcome your man home properly.”





To Evangeline’s surprise—and delight—the next morning she awoke surrounded by Drake’s warm, solid body. He was wrapped around her, her head nestled on his shoulder, his arms possessively anchored around her and one leg thrown over hers. She couldn’t have moved if she wanted, and it was certainly the last thing she wanted.

She let out a deep sigh of contentment, thinking she’d never been happier than in this moment.

“Good morning, Angel,” he murmured against her hair.

“Good morning,” she said, smiling against his shoulder.

“You’re smiling.”

She nodded.

“Any particular reason?”

“This is the first time I’ve woken up in your arms,” she said in a dreamy voice. “It’s . . . nice.”

He rubbed his hand up and down her back and then down to cup her behind.

“I found I didn’t like being away from you for even one night and I was reluctant to leave our bed so early this morning.”

“I’m glad. This is the very best way to wake up.”

He sighed. “Unfortunately, I can’t linger, as much as I’d like to. I’d rather spend the day home, making love to you and keeping you naked until you have to get ready to go to see your girls. But there are things I have to catch up on. Even a day away leaves me with a pile of shit to sort out.”

She tilted her head back and smiled up at him. “It’s okay, Drake. This was enough. You’ve made my entire day better already, and it’ll make me look forward to being back with you later tonight when you’ve concluded your business.”

He kissed her, taking his time exploring her mouth and lips. Then he rolled away, sliding from beneath the covers.

“Ah, how you tempt me, Angel. If I don’t get up now, I will indeed say fuck it and keep you in my bed all day.”

She rewarded him with a radiant smile and then made a shooing motion with her hand. “Go, or you’re going to be late. You can make it up to me tonight.”

A delicious gleam entered his eyes as he stared down at her body, exposed when he’d pulled the covers away to get out of bed.

“Oh, I’m going to make it up to you and a whole hell of a lot more.”

She shivered at the promise in his voice and watched appreciatively as he turned and walked naked to the bathroom. She lay there in his bed long after he’d kissed her good-bye and departed, not wanting to leave the warmth from his body still imprinted into the mattress.

Finally, she summoned her courage and slid her cell phone from the nightstand and brought up Lana’s name. She’d start there and rotate. Eventually someone would answer. Days off usually started slow because of the late night before, so she was certain at least one, if not all three, would be home.

Taking a deep breath, she hit connect and waited to see if Lana would answer.

To her shock, Lana picked up on the second ring.

“Hello?”

Evangeline’s enthusiasm waned, and she scolded herself for her paranoia rising in proportion. Lana sounded groggy and as though she’d been asleep, so she likely hadn’t even seen who was calling. Oh well. Evangeline was going to make the most of an opportunity.

“Lana, hi! It’s Evangeline. I’ve been trying to call you guys.”

There was a hesitation, and a period of quiet descended.

“Vangie?”

“Yes, it’s me. Did I wake you?”

Evangeline silently urged Lana not to take the out she was giving her and nearly did a fist pump when Lana said no.

“How are you?” Evangeline asked. “How is everyone? I miss you guys so much. Drake has an important meeting tonight, and I thought we could all get together since it’s your night off.”

“Uh, Vangie, give me a second, okay?”

Evangeline’s brow creased as the line went silent, and then she heard muffled sounds, Lana obviously getting out of bed and then the sound of a door shutting. A faucet running? Had she gone into the bathroom?

Understanding dawned, and directly on its heels came dread and deep sadness. Lana didn’t want Steph and Nikki to know she was talking to Evangeline. She closed her eyes, tears stinging the lids. Why did it have to be a choice between Drake and her best friends? Why couldn’t they be happy for her and wish her well?

“Uh, look, Vangie. I don’t want this to come across the wrong way, but Steph is pretty hurt over the way things went down. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us all to get together yet. Give it a few more weeks. Let her chill.”

“Why can’t she be happy for me?” Evangeline whispered. “Why can’t all of you be happy for me?”

Lana sighed. “We want what’s best for you. We’re just not sure this Drake guy is what’s best.”

“Shouldn’t that be my decision?”

Lana sighed again. “I’m just telling you like it is. You know how Steph is. She holds a grudge a long time, but eventually she’ll let go of it. Just give it time.”

“Would you and Nikki meet me somewhere this evening?” Evangeline asked, desperate to salvage something out of this whole fiasco.

“It’s not even an issue,” Lana said with a hint of impatience in her voice. “We have to work tonight. Open to close.”

Evangeline frowned. “But this is y’all’s day off. It’s always been your day off.”

“Not anymore,” Lana said bitterly. “Not since you left. We’re short staffed and everyone is having to take extra shifts to cover until management hires a replacement, and he’s a little too happy to be pocketing that extra salary, so he’s in no hurry to hire someone new.”

Evangeline closed her eyes, guilt and grief vying for equal attention. Despite Lana’s assertion that Steph was the one holding a grudge and she was the one “unhappy” with Evangeline, it was obvious that Lana wasn’t any more eager to reconcile than the others.

“I’m sorry to have bothered you,” Evangeline whispered. “I’ll let you go so you can go back to sleep. You have a long shift tonight.”

Before Lana could respond, Evangeline slid her finger over the button to end the call and cradled the phone to her chest, lying still, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling. The tears that had threatened during the call fell freely now, sliding from the corners of her eyes, over her temples and into her hair, dampening the pillow her head rested on.

Never in a million years would she have imagined herself to be a woman who chose a man over her best girlfriends, and yet that was exactly what she’d done. She couldn’t blame her friends for being upset or feeling betrayed. One day things had been normal, and the next everything had changed.

“I don’t regret it,” she whispered fiercely.

Drake was worth it. And if Steph, Lana and Nikki were true friends, they would have supported her from the start. They would have wanted her to be happy instead of remaining stuck in the same mundane, going-nowhere life she’d led.

She stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, grieving the loss of three people she loved dearly. She couldn’t find it in her heart to assign blame or even resent her friends for their actions. Evangeline had acted completely out of character. Irrationally, to be honest. Things had worked out, but there were so many ways the entire situation could have gone very wrong.

If it had been one of them who’d been so impulsive, Evangeline would have reacted in the same manner. She would have fought and tried to make her friend see reason.

But love didn’t have an assigned set of rules. Love was worth any sacrifice. Just as she couldn’t—wouldn’t—blame her friends for their feelings, never would she regret her decision to be with Drake.

She loved him.

And he cared for her too. Did he love her? She wasn’t sure. But she knew she had a very important place in his life. Could he love her? Absolutely. In the beginning, she would have said that never in a million years could someone like Drake ever love someone like her, but he’d proved his words over and over. He’d proved they weren’t just words meant to elicit a desired response. And it wasn’t just about sex, because God knew, he could have any woman he wanted with nothing more than a look.

She’d seen the way women followed him with their gazes. Openly lustful expressions. Flirtatious. Brazen invitations. And yet when he was with her, it was as if other women simply didn’t exist. His attention was always solely focused on her.

She rolled to her stomach and then forced herself to sit up. She wouldn’t lie there the entire day disheartened when she’d been blessed by such a precious gift. Drake. Her life had forever changed the night she’d walked into Impulse, and looking back, she wouldn’t change a single thing leading up to that night because she wouldn’t have met Drake otherwise.

She sighed. So much for her plans for the evening. She supposed she needed to come up with a plan B and notify Drake, who would then notify Maddox. But try as she might, nothing appealed. She had no desire to go out without Drake or her girls.

If only Drake didn’t have that damn business meeting here tonight.

She came to an abrupt halt as she started to climb out of bed, her mind running at the speed of light. She knew he was having the delivery service cater his meeting and there were six guests. She could kick the delivery service’s ass any day of the week and knock Drake and his associates’ socks off with a decadent meal.

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. There was no need of him having his delivery service bring in food for his meeting when she could arrange a kick-ass dinner and play the consummate hostess for him. She wanted to make him proud of her, prove that she could fit into his world and not shame him in front of the people he associated with.

She’d go all out for the meal and prepare something worthy of a five-star restaurant, and she’d dress to the nines and even wear the expensive jewelry he’d bought for her. The jewelry she’d been so reluctant to accept. Once dinner was served and she ensured everyone’s comfort and enjoyment, she would discreetly disappear so they could discuss their business matters without her underfoot.

But there was a lot she had to do and if she didn’t get started now, her plans would be an epic fail.

The first order of business was to plan the menu and so after showering and changing, she sat down at the bar in the kitchen and prepared a list of all the items she’d require. Then she’d simply call Edward and have him send out for the groceries.

That task completed, she went into her closet and spent an hour pondering her wardrobe possibilities. She didn’t want to be over the top or look like she was