Evie was curled up in one of the chairs out on the balcony to her room. It had rained earlier and she inhaled the damp air, feeling her body relax slightly. Lightning streaked across the clouds in the distance. She propped her head up on a hand and watched as it danced between the clouds. The sliding glass door was open and she could hear the faint sounds of Bradshaw's snoring. True to his word, he had behaved himself. He had enticed her to play cards with him for a bit and then they gradually fell to talking. They talked about almost everything before getting around to Hunter.
She sighed as she closed her eyes. Hunter. How she wanted to strangle that man. Or kick him in the seat of the pants. His behaviour earlier tonight had put the nail in the coffin. She was tired of trying to figure out what he wanted from her; if anything at all. Bradshaw had asked her what she wanted from Hunter. All she wanted was for him to tell her what she was to him. Was she just his employee with the added bonus of a fuck on the side? Or did she mean more to him than just a screw? At least she'd know where she stood in his life and then maybe she could get on with hers. She would know whether to stick around or move on. But judging from Hunter's actions tonight, he had already moved on.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear Bradshaw come up behind her. His hand gently clasped her shoulder, causing her to jump.
"Sorry darlin'," he said quietly. "I was wonderin' whatcha were doin' out here."
"Just thinking," she replied.
Bradshaw pulled the other chair around to face her. "Thinkin' huh? Bout what?"
She didn't meet his gaze. Instead she turned to watch the lightning again. Bradshaw sat back in the chair. From the looks of it, she had been thinking about Hunter. He silently cursed the man. Even when he wasn't in the room, he could reduce Evie to an insecure mess. Who in the hell did he think he was to treat this woman like he had been? He didn't know what Evie saw in Hunter, but there obviously was something there because she was in love with the man. Which was worse luck for him because Bradshaw really liked this woman. She was full of piss and vinegar, like his granddad used to say. She was a tough woman, a firecracker, but underneath it all she had a tender heart. He just couldn't stand to see someone like Hunter stomp all over it. She deserved better than that.
He leaned over and patted her knee. "Never mind. Forget I asked." He noticed what she was focusing on. "You should see the lightning in Texas. With nothin' around, you can see it for miles. Really beautiful the way it lights up the clouds sometimes."
Evie still didn't respond to him. She simply sat there and continued to watch the sky. He became quiet as he realized she wasn't in the mood for talking. They sat in silence until the rain started to fall again. With a jump, they both stood up and went back into the room, closing the door behind them as the rain fell harder.
He watched her as she removed her robe and dropped it on the end of her bed. She pulled back the blankets and climbed under them.
"Want me to tuck you in little girl?" he joked. In the dim light of the room, he saw the corners of her mouth turn up in a smile.
"Sure," she responded softly.
He crossed to the bed and leaned down. He pulled the blankets up to her chin and then kissed her on the forehead. "G'night darlin'." He turned away.
"Bradshaw?"
He looked at her. "Yeah?"
"Why are you doing this for me?"
"'Cause I like you. You're my friend and I hate seein' you like this over a guy that doesn't deserve you."
Evie looked up at him. "Why are you really doing this?"
He chuckled as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Can't get anything past you can I?" He was quiet for a few seconds and then he spoke. "Like I said, I like you."
A faint smile appeared on Evie's lips. "Like me as a friend or as more than a friend?"
Bradshaw took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "More than a friend," he said quietly.
She gently placed a hand on his forearm. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?"
"For dragging you into this. It hasn't been easy for you has it?"
He glanced at her. "Look darlin', I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself."
"I don't want to hurt you."
He shrugged his shoulders. "I know you're hung up on Hunter. There's not a whole hell of a lot that I can do about that, 'cept be here for you. If I get hurt, I get hurt."
Evie's heart wrenched in response to his words. Suddenly, she sat up and flung her arms around him, holding him. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
He turned so he could embrace her fully. He smothered a sigh at the feel of her arms around him. "You ain't got nothin' to be sorry for. I volunteered to help you out."
"I know. Maybe if things were different... "
"Things ain't different. I can accept the fact that they are the way they are. Yeah it sucks for me, but I'm a grown man. It's not like it ain't happened before."
Evie pulled her head back so she could look at him. She wished there was something she could do for him. He had always been so nice to her. Always listening when she needed to talk to someone. Always making her laugh when she was down. It didn't seem fair for him. And here she was, hugging him. She started to withdraw.
He chuckled and refused to let her go. "I got dealt some crappy cards, but I'll take what I can get. So don't you dare stop huggin' me," he joked.
She smiled gently as she tightened her arms. He hugged her, wondering why the hell he was letting her do this. It wasn't making things easier for him. Inwardly he sighed. Sure it wasn't fair, but when had life ever been fair for him? The one thing he could do for her was be here and if that was all, then that was all. End of story. He jumped as she pressed her mouth close to his ear.
"What did I do to deserve someone like you?" she whispered.
"I dunno. I'm still tryin' to figure that out myself."
Evie giggled as she kissed his cheek. He looked at her and had the sudden urge to kiss her, but he refrained and instead, broke the embrace. "Just to let you know, if things don't work out with Hunter, I'm always here. As a friend," he hesitated and then continued, "or as more than a friend if you want."
"Thank you," she said softly.
He stood up as he cleared his throat. "Now you better get to bed young lady. We got work to do in the mornin'."
Evie lay back down on the bed. "Yes sir!" she exclaimed as she gave him a mock salute.
He grinned as she pulled the blankets back up to her chin, "G'night Evie."
"Good night John. And thank you."
He mumbled a faint response as he got back into his own bed.
*******************
Hunter had returned to his room to find that Evie had taken her things and left. Not surprising. What was surprising however, was the note she had left him. It stated that she didn't wish to interrupt his fun should he choose to bring his company back to the room with him, so she had checked into another room. It also said that he should come by to make sure she was up so they could get going before 10 a.m.
He hadn't felt the need to bring the two women back to his room. He had left them in the parking lot at the arena, where they had called a cab to take them back to wherever they had come from. But he guessed that when he saw Evie, she would give him a hard time about the women and what she had walked in on.
He knocked at the door to her room. When there was no response, he knocked harder. After another minute he pounded on the door. "Evie!"
He heard a thump then a muffled voice that grew louder as it got closer to the door.
"Who the hell is bangin' down the door at this hour?" the voice boomed as the door swung open. Bradshaw noticed Hunter standing on the other side. "Oh, hey Hunter. What's up?"
Hunter looked at the room number on the note and then glanced at the numbered plate on the door. It was the right room. "What are you doing here?" he said as he looked at Bradshaw and noticed he was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.
"Well I was sleepin' til you started bangin' on the damn door. Guess you didn't notice the Do Not Disturb sign," he replied as he pointed at the door knob.
"Where's Evie?"
Bradshaw shrugged. "In the shower. Why?"
Hunter's eyes narrowed slightly. "She told me to come by and make sure she was up so we could leave before 10." What the hell was going on here?
"Well she's up, but my guess is she'll come find you when she's ready to go."
"Yeah well, would you tell her that..." he trailed off as he was interrupted.
"Who's at the door?" asked Evie as she came up alongside Bradshaw. She was wrapped in a bath towel and her damp hair hung down over one shoulder.
"Just Hunter," Bradshaw responded as he opened the door a little farther.
Evie gave Hunter a friendly smile. "Good morning Hunter."
"Yeah I guess," he snorted. "I just came by to make sure you were up, but I guess it wasn't necessary," he said as he looked at Bradshaw again.
"Well I should be ready in an hour, so I'll come find you when I'm done."
He raised both eyebrows. "An hour? Why so long?"
Evie smiled suggestively. "Well I can't very well leave without giving my guest a proper goodbye now can I? Besides, I have to pack up my things." She started to close the door. "I'll come get you when I'm ready."
He watched in amazement as the door shut in his face. "Well I'll be damned," he muttered. Apparently it hadn't made a bit of difference to her that he'd been with two women last night. What was surprising was the fact that she had found someone else to keep her company last night.
As Hunter headed back to his room, he became a little disturbed that Evie had let Bradshaw spend the night in her room. Had she slept with him? It was only natural to assume that she had. Of course he had engaged in some activity with the two women, but he didn't think Evie would go so far to hurt him. That wasn't like her.
He pondered that thought as he walked back in his room and absent-mindedly began packing his suitcase. Was she trying to prove something or was she letting him know that she was moving on? If she was moving on, then he supposed he should be glad. After all, he was looking for an excuse to let her go. But for some reason, he was upset about the thought of her sleeping with someone else. Was he jealous?
He became even more disturbed as he realized he was jealous and it did hurt. He didn't want her to be with anyone else. He wanted her to be with him. He knew why, but still did not want to admit it. It all came down to that weakness again. I can't afford to be weak.
Yeah, but you love the woman. Doesn't matter how much you deny it, you love her, dumbass.
His stomach twisted. He wasn't supposed to feel this way. Those feelings could be used against him if anyone ever found out. Even if no one discovered that he and Evie had been intimate, they could still use her as leverage against him. She was still his employee and a potential target.
Well Hunter, you sure as hell have backed yourself into another corner. Better pull out while you can.
But he had a hard time convincing himself that was the right thing to do.
*******************
Bradshaw chuckled as Evie finished packing her bags. "You shoulda seen the look on his face darlin'. He had to check to make sure he had the right room."
Evie turned her face to Bradshaw. "I'm not sure he's gonna take it too hard though."
"How do you know? He didn't look too happy to me."
She shrugged. "I dunno. I don't think it's going to push him to tell me anything."
Bradshaw sighed in exasperation. "Then you push him into telling you what you are to him. Shit, you shouldn't be takin' his crap. This is ridiculous. You don't take Jericho's crap, so I don't understand what makes the stuff Hunter's doin' to you any different."
Evie viciously zipped up her suitcase. Bradshaw was right. Why was she leaving the ball in Hunter's court? She was giving him all the control by not saying anything to him at all. She stood there, silently staring at her suitcase on the bed.
"Maybe you ain't lettin' him push you around physically, but you sure as hell are letting him push you around emotionally." Bradshaw reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder. "And that ain't right at all darlin'."
Evie turned her green eyes up to meet Bradshaw's brown ones. She could see anger there mixed with concern. She smiled gently. "Yeah I know. When I got over all that crap with my ex, I told myself I wasn't going to let any man do that to me again." She chuckled. "I guess I haven't changed in that respect."
"So change it. Force his hand. Don't wait for him 'cause you'll be waitin' for the rest of your natural born life." He dropped a brief kiss on the top of her head. "I like you a lot darlin', but if you ain't gonna change your situation, I ain't gonna hold your hand on this anymore."
"Spoken like a true friend," she joked.
"Hey I'm serious here."
She dropped the joke. " I know." She pulled the suitcase off the bed and set it on the floor with a thump. "Well I guess it's time to face the music isn't it?"
"And it's time I got outta here. My job is done for now," said Bradshaw as he shouldered his overnight bag.
Evie walked him to the door and opened it for him. "Thanks for the help. And for the talk."
"You're welcome," Bradshaw replied as he walked out.
"John?"
He turned around. "Yeah?"
Evie walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks."
As he returned the embrace, he saw Hunter coming towards them with his luggage in tow, obviously coming to check and see if Evie was ready to go. Bradshaw grinned as an idea popped into his head. "Since I was a good boy last night, can I at least have a kiss?"
Evie pulled her head back to look at him. " I suppose," she said as she saw the mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Bradshaw leaned down and met her lips with his. He took his time, drawing the moment out as long as he could. Not just for Hunter's sake, but for himself as well. He may never get more that this from Evie, so he was going to make it last as long as he could.
When he finally broke the kiss, Evie looked up at him, her eyes shining in amusement. "Wow," she said breathlessly. "I wasn't expecting that."
He leaned down under the pretense of hugging her and whispered in her ear. "I don't think Hunter was either."
"What?" she whispered back.
"He saw us. Maybe you'll get a reaction out of him now."
Evie giggled as she pulled away from Bradshaw. "You're a wicked man."
"Darlin' you don't know the half of it," he replied as he stepped away from her and headed towards the elevators.
"Bye," she called after him.
He waved in response as he turned the corner.
"You ready to go?" another voice said.
Evie jumped and turned around. When she saw it was Hunter, she relaxed. "You startled me," she said with a smile.
"Yeah well are you ready to go or not?" he responded gruffly.
"Yes, I just need to get my things."
"I'll meet you in the lobby then," Hunter said as he walked off in the same direction as Bradshaw had. His head was in a whirl. He couldn't believe he had seen Evie kiss Bradshaw. What the hell as going on here? Anger spiked as he replayed in his mind what he had seen. How could she? She belonged to him, not Bradshaw. He abruptly stopped at that thought. No, she didn't belong to him. They weren't serious, they weren't married. He had no claim on her. She was free to see whoever she wanted.
Or sleep with whoever she wanted, he thought bitterly. It didn't sit well with him that she had possibly moved on so quickly. He didn't want her to be with anyone but him.
"Dammit," Hunter muttered as he got into the elevator. He didn't need to be distracted by this. It was the last thing he needed. But he couldn't stop thinking about it and he became irritated with himself.
He stepped into the lobby to see Bradshaw standing at the front desk. Hunter walked over to a sofa and set his bags down, then seated himself on the couch to wait for Evie. He watched as Bradshaw checked out. His anger and irritability increased as he thought about Bradshaw touching Evie, kissing her and...
With a throaty growl Hunter immediately ceased that train of thought. It was only pissing him off.
The elevator dinged and Evie exited into the lobby. She glanced around and saw Bradshaw at the desk. Bradshaw turned his head slightly and winked at her as he barely inclined his head towards Hunter's general direction. Evie smiled at him and turned her glance towards Hunter.
She saw the anger on his face before he composed himself. She walked over to the desk just as Bradshaw was walking away and out of the hotel. Quickly she checked them out and walked to where Hunter was sitting.
"Ready?" she asked politely.
He grunted an affirmative as he stood up and followed her out to the parking lot. Within minutes, they were in the car and on their way.
********************
Hunter concentrated on the road and said nothing to Evie. He slowly became aware that Evie was humming quietly to herself as she went through her appointment book and organized receipts. The noise started grating on his nerves and after 15 or 20 minutes, he turned the radio on to drown it out.
Evie smiled to herself as she finished sorting the receipts. Someone's a little irritable today. I wonder why.
They finally made it to their next destination. Hunter, unable to stand the tension, was out of the car and pulling his things out of the trunk as soon as he had turned off the ignition. Before Evie could even get out of the car, Hunter was walking towards the hotel entrance. She removed her bags and slammed the trunk shut. When she walked into the hotel lobby, she saw Hunter standing at the counter tapping his fingers impatiently.
They checked in and Hunter stalked off towards the elevator as soon as Evie had taken the keycards from the clerk. He said nothing to her as they rode up to the 7th floor. Evie glanced at him and noticed his jaw was clenched. The expression on his face was one of angry frustration.
Evie began to wonder if she had bitten off more than she could chew by baiting him. No. He deserves it. It's about time he realized how it feels.
As they walked down the hallway, Evie nudged his arm with her hand.
"What?" he asked curtly.
She held out a keycard to him. "Here, you might want this."
He snatched it out of her fingers and kept walking. Once he had reached the room, he swiped the card through the lock. It beeped at him and he slid the card through again. The lock clicked, he opened the door and walked through, not caring if Evie was behind him or not. When he had dropped his things on the floor, he turned around. She hadn't come in. Apparently she had gotten her own room again.
Probably so she can entertain Bradshaw again, he thought bitterly.
A tap sounded at the adjoining door. He unlocked his side and opened it. Evie stood on the other side.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Is your phone turned off?"
"Yeah. Why?"
She held hers in her hand. "Ric is on mine wanting to talk to you about something."
Hunter took the phone from her and walked away to sit on his bed. Evie left him there and went back to unpack her laptop.
After he had finished his conversation with Ric. Hunter came into her room and dropped the phone on the bed next to Evie. He stood there for a minute and then- "Did you fuck him?"
Evie was taken aback at his question. "What?"
"You heard me. But in case you missed it the first time, did you fuck him?"
She carefully set her laptop aside. "Is that why you're in such a pissy mood? The fact that Bradshaw spent the night?"
Hunter didn't respond. He thought it was pretty obvious that it was bothering him.
Evie stood up. " Why should that bother you Hunter? I thought you said our relationship wasn't serious. Obviously it isn't since I found you in the shower with two women last night. So why would you have a problem with someone spending the night with me?"
He clenched his jaw. He knew why he had a problem with it, but again he wasn't willing to admit why.
She continued. "I mean, if your going to fuck other women, what's the matter with me getting a little action of my own?" Her head tilted to one side. "You're not the only one who has an itch to scratch, so to speak."
When he didn't respond, she pushed a little more. "Why does it bother you? I'd really like to know."
His anger grew and coupled with the desire to make her forget all about Bradshaw. The hell with this. He wasn't going to tell her, he was going to show her. He quickly crossed the space between them and unexpectedly pulled her to him and roughly kissed her.
Evie pushed against him to get him to stop, but that just encouraged him. He pulled her even closer, holding her tightly as his tongue pushed into her mouth.
Desperately she pushed at him again. Her knees weakened as his tongue broke through her lips and teased hers. His aggressiveness was exciting her, but underneath that she felt a tiny spark of anger.
She let out a little cry of protest, but he ignored it and continued. Finally he broke the kiss and looked down at her. Her lips were slightly swollen and her cheeks were flushed. He felt himself becoming aroused.
Evie saw the desire in his eyes. It took all her strength not to give in to what she was feeling, but to see it mirrored in his eyes almost cause her to crumble. Instead of giving in, she became angry. How dare he! He had hardly touched her at all the past week and now he wanted her? Who the hell did he think he was? She narrowed her eyes. "Can't wait for Ric to send you up another couple of women Hunter? Or are you too tired to get dressed and go out to get laid?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it means. Don't want to make an effort to go out and turn the charm on for some lucky woman, so you figured you might as well take advantage of what you have right here?"
A stern look crossed his face as he let go of her. "That's not funny Evie."
"It wasn't meant to be funny." She folded her arms across her chest. "I am not going to be your substitute for some bimbo."
Anger sprung up in place of the desire he had been feeling. He turned away from her to collect himself before he took his frustration out on her.
Evie spoke up. "I'd like to know exactly where I stand with you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, I'd like to know if I'm a temporary screw to you. A little action on the side when you don't want to go looking for it? Or maybe I'm the rebound relationship to help you get over your ex-wife?"
He hadn't been expecting that last remark. It stung. He never thought of her as a rebound from his ex-wife or a temporary screw, but his behaviour lately had obviously made her feel that way. She was meant more than that to him but he wasn't going to tell her that. He wasn't about to admit to any type of weakness. At all. He took a deep breath, ran his hand through his hair and turned back to face her.
"If that's what you wanna think, then go ahead. Believe what you want. I don't give a damn."
"How can I not think it Hunter? For the past few weeks, no longer than that, you've been treating me like a disease. You don't have anything to do with me anymore unless it's work related, or you just can't be bothered to go out to get laid. What am I supposed to think?" She looked him right in the eyes. "Every day you give me a thousand reasons why I shouldn't spend any of my time with you."
"So why the hell are you still here?" he asked gruffly.
"Because I'm in love with you, you big dumb jerk! And because I'm a complete idiot for even thinking that you would feel the same way about me!" Evie stepped away from him.
Hunter remained where he was. He was stunned. He couldn't think of anything to say. She had admitted to the very thing he was denying. She loved him. A noise caused him to look up and he noticed that she was leaving the room.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
Evie didn't bother to respond. She walked out the door, leaving him standing in the middle of her room. He remained there, still stunned by what she had told him.
Well you've got no excuse now do you? You know how she feels about you.
"Dammit!" he yelled in frustration as he went back to his own room, slamming the adjoining door closed behind him.
A/N: Thanks to all of you for being patient and understanding. It is appreciated. I've gotten most of my issues squared away. You can read all about that in the "Blah Blah Blah" section of my site if you want. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was a tough one to write, but I finally got it finished. As always, feedback is appreciated.