Prologue

Eve Lafoy sighed heavily as thunder and lightning cut across the sky. She watched eagerly as a faint radiance of rain danced on the car's windshield. In a few weeks, the showers would cause the brown, dry hills to turn a deep green.

Sitting quietly, her thoughts preyed upon her. She nibbled her lip as she struggled against the images trying to force their way into her mind. She burned with humiliation remembering that night. It had all started with a dare.

She remembered… The Grand Isles Christmas Ball 1993.

"My God, I hate this dress. Carina Sinclair rolled her eyes. "It's the last time I'm taking my mother with me to pick out a dress."

Eve Lafoy lifted a brow. "I told you it wasn't a good idea. The Grand Isles Christmas Ball is by far the biggest event of the year. And you trusted the dress you were to be seen in to your mother," Eve spoke, in a huff. "But you wouldn't listen to your best friend."

The Grand Isles annual Christmas Ball brought together all the families who had moved from Louisiana or had old family connections with the lustrous old state. Their primary purpose was the debutante ball and to raise money for charity.

Carina adjusted her dress and sighed. "Do you want to go and get a glass of punch with me, Evie?"

"Not now Carina."

Eve Lafoy had one thing in mind that night and it wasn't a glass of punch. She came to the party to dance with him.

"Why not?" Carina Sinclair asked.

Eve annoyingly breathed out, "Because we agreed tonight we are both drinking a glass of champagne."

Carina shrugged. "Look, Evie, I prefer punch," she wrinkled up her nose. "This champagne taste funny."

"That's because it's not the good stuff your parents buy for their parties."

Carina whined and took another sip. "Yuck! This stuff tastes terrible. You can have my glass. Why are you drinking this stuff, anyway?"

Eve looked back at her.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Carina said in a nervous voice. "Tonight's the night you're trying to get your courage up and ask Hawke Deville to dance with you, aren't you?"

Edwina Johnson squealed closing the distance between them. "I heard you. Say that wasn't the bet. The bet was you had to get him to kiss you, Evie. Here, you'd better drink my glass of champagne. You'll need it."

"Don't call me Evie, Edwina Annie Mae Johnson," Eve snapped. "You wouldn't want me running around this debutante ball yelling Annie Mae at the top of my lungs, now would you?"

Edwina blinked rapidly. "No, no I wouldn't."

"Say, who invited you into the conversation, eavesdropper?" Carina snapped.

"Say, who are you calling an eavesdropper, Carina?" Edwina snapped.

"You… You big ear heifer!" Carina injected.

Eve wished a big hole would just open and swallow her. Carina and Edwina could argue all night about nothing.

"Oh, don't worry about her, Edwina, that's Carina code for I wish my ears were as big as yours," Eve joked, taking Edwina's champagne. "Besides, Edwina, you can't even keep the bet straight in her own mind. I only have to dance with him."

"Whew," slowly Edwina breathed out, looking past Eve as her eyes were rapidly blinking nervously. "There he is! The man himself. Damn Hawke Deville is man pretty."

Carina snapped her head around. "Edwina there's no such word as a man pretty. Hawke Deville is sexy, fine and handsome."

"Whatever Carina, Dawg you're like a dog with a bone sometimes," Edwina replied.

"And you're like that kid that's always hanging around your house just, so they can steal something."

"Stop it you two, before someone gets their feelings hurt," Eve commanded.

Edwina coughed and cleared her throat. "Don't look now, I think he's coming this way."

All at once Eve swallowed the glass of champagne, arched her brow, straightened her shoulders, and glided over with an exaggerated sway of her hips and met Hawke Deville halfway. She leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Hawke Deville and Eve Lafoy walked to the dance floor.

"Damn, would you look at that?" Edwina Johnson asserted. "They are dancing so close. They only have eyes for each other."

"Pay up Edwina!"

"What?"

Carina snapped her head around and stared back. "You owe Edwina! Eve and I won the bet. She's dancing with Hawke. I want our money."

"Gee whiz don't get your panties all in a bunch. Follow me. I have to go and get my purse," Edwina replied.

Carina looked back at Eve and waved to get her attention. She gave Eve a high five wave before strolling off with Edwina.

Funny, Eve thought it was the last thing she remembered about that night. After that, her inhibitions must have been lowered by the effects of the champagne. She remembered flinging herself into Hawke's arms, and with no regrets telling him that she loved him.

Even now she could feel her body responding just thinking about it.

That night had been so amazing, and she felt warm and cozy when she woke up that morning. She rolled over and felt something warm.

She froze.

"Good morning Eve. So, did I take you to the sexual adventure of your life?"

"What?"

"I was your first, right?"

Eve blinked slowly. The meaning of what he was saying shot through her brain. "Oh my God, I was only supposed to kiss you."

Then she remembered. Eve stiffened at the shock of intimacy. Her heart started fluttering strangely.

Hawke lowered his head and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. He tasted her slowly and thoroughly. "There, now I've only kissed you."

He was a master kisser.

A knock sounded on Eve's bedroom door.

"Who is it?"

"Eve it's me, Carina. Your mother is on her way upstairs right now. You'd better get Hawke out of your bedroom now."

"Oh my God Carina, what should I do with him?"

Carina shrugged. "Oh, for goodness' sake just hide him in your closet like all sixteen-year-old teenage girls do."