Evie dropped her luggage to the floor and sighed in relief. At least she wouldn't have to drag the stupid baggage to the next destination until tomorrow. If magic were a reality, she would learn the levitation and locomotion spells she had read about in her nephews' Harry Potter books. It would be nice not to have to carry the damned things everywhere. As it were, she felt like she should have been designed with extra arms.
A rapping on the adjoining door sounded and she crossed the room to open it. Hunter stood on the other side, wearing a vaguely guilty look.
"Uh oh," Evie commented. "What did you do this time?"
He looked at her. "I didn't do anything," he protested.
Evie smirked. "Not yet. I think you better tell me what you have up your sleeve."
"Well, Ric wants all of us to go out tonight. You know, to celebrate my win last night."
"All of us or just you three?" Evie asked with some trepidation.
He tilted his head to one side. "All of us. That includes you."
Evie pursed her lips thoughtfully. This was interesting. Normally it was just the men that went out. She was never invited. Now Ric wanted her to come along? Strange. "And why does Ric suggest that I come with?"
Hunter shrugged his shoulders. "How should I know?"
"I find it awfully interesting is all. I mean, it's kinda out of the blue isn't it?"
"I guess. If you don't want to go, I can understand." He leaned against the door frame. "I really don't want to go either, but..."
"But what?"
"If I don't, he's liable to start asking questions." He looked down at Evie. "I'd rather stay here with you."
She smiled softly. "I'd rather you stayed here with me too, but you're right. He'll probably want to know what's going on if you do. You can only say you're tired so many times. You might as well go."
His eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh really? You actually trust me?" he teased.
Playfully, she smacked his chest with her open hand. "I trust you, you big dope. It's him I don't trust."
Hunter knew she didn't trust Ric. He didn't either. Not where Evie was concerned anyway. It did seem strange that Ric all of a sudden included Evie in the invitation to go out. Did Ric suspect that something was going on between him and Evie? Both of them had been very careful not make it common knowledge that they had a relationship outside of work. Hunter shook his head. He didn't know how Ric would suspect anything, but anything was possible. Maybe he wanted to include Evie so he would have an excuse to get close to her. Whatever the reason, Hunter didn't like it. He didn't like it when Ric had suggested it and he didn't like it now.
"I don't trust him with you either. Maybe you should stay here," he replied.
Evie raised an eyebrow. "So I get to hang out here while you three have fun hmm? Sounds like a gyp to me..." she trailed off.
"Look, if you want to go that's fine..." he started but she interrupted him.
"No, I don't want to go. And I don't want you to stay. You're right; he'll get suspicious if you keep refusing to go out." She raised her eyes to meet his. "Besides, it'll give us both some "away" time."
He chuckled softly. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"No, but I think we could both do with a night off from one another."
Hunter tilted his head back and let out an exasperated sigh. "But I don't wanna go out with the guys," he whined playfully. "I wanna stay here with you."
She smiled slyly at him. "Yeah, but you'll be back later. And who knows what I'll be wearing when you come back. Maybe something lacy or satiny or..."
"Or nothing at all?" he ventured hopefully.
"Or nothing at all," she repeated as her arms wound around his neck and she stood on her tiptoes to nibble on his earlobe.
He shuddered involuntarily at the sensation. "Keep doing that and in five seconds you won't be wearing anything," he said in a husky tone.
She nibbled the soft flesh again and then laughed softly in his ear. "Promise?"
"Don't tempt me woman," he growled. "You know we don't have time."
She laughed again. "I know, but I like to tease you."
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him in a hug. "You are a tease, but I love you anyway."
Evie sighed. She didn't think she'd ever get tired of hearing him say that he loved her. At times she still couldn't believe he actually said those three words, but it thrilled her nonetheless. She pressed her cheek against his hard, muscular chest. "I love you," she said in return.
"Yeah, but I bet I love you more," he teased.
"No. I love you more," she responded with a smile.
The chuckled rumbled in his chest. "No, no. I love you more."
They went back and forth for a few more minutes and Evie began to expound on why she loved him more. Hunter rolled his eyes and instead of saying anything, he leaned down and captured her lips in a searing kiss.
He pulled back after a breathless minute and looked down at her. "So?"
"So what?" she gasped.
Hunter feigned mock anger. "So what? That's all you can say?" He picked her up in his arms, carried her to the bed and unceremoniously dropped her on the mattress. "I'll show you so what!"
Evie laughed as he crawled on top of her and proceeded to kiss or gently bite any flesh that was exposed. Her neck; her lips; her stomach where her shirt had ridden up; her arms and her hands. She groaned as he gently sucked on one finger and then another and then moved back to her stomach. "Hunter," she said quietly.
"What?" His voice was muffled as he kissed her belly again.
"I thought-ah!" she exclaimed as his teeth gently scraped against the soft skin of her abdomen. "I thought we didn't have time for this," she bit out.
He raised his head to look at her, a wicked grin on his face. "We don't," he said as he placed one last kiss on her stomach. Without another word, he climbed off the bed and walked back to his room. Before he closed the door, he turned his head to look at her.
She was still sprawled out on the bed. Her shirt was twisted up around her stomach and she was breathing hard. She propped her self up on her elbows so she could see him. Her eyes narrowed as his hand moved to close the door.
"Don't even think about leaving me like this," she growled at him.
The grin grew wider as he started closing the door. When she realized he was going to do exactly that, she jumped up off the bed and moved towards the door. Before she reached it, he had shut it. She banged on it.
"Don't think for a minute that I'll be waiting up for you tonight!"
He didn't respond. Evie leaned back against the door with a smile. "Don't think I'm kidding either," she whispered. She straightened out her shirt and went to unpack a few things before they left for the arena.
********************
Evie was walking back from Bischoff's office. He had sent for her stating that he had some things from the main office that had been messengered over. The papers were in a manila folder in Evie's hand. It was only the new expense sheets and Evie decided she would work on them later. As she passed by the common area, she heard the familiar tones of Shawn's voice coming from a monitor set up. She walked into the common area to find out what was going on.
Shawn stood in the ring with a mic in hand. "Despite losing the World Heavyweight Championship, I am alive and well and I am, once again, the Showstopper! Even though I went down, I went down in a blaze of glory! My performance last night at Armageddon stole the show."
He turned around in the ring as he addressed the audience. "But I'll tell you one thing; I'm not ready to pass the torch to Triple H. He may be The Game, but my heart is still in it." He faced the camera. "And I want you Triple H. Another match; right here! Tonight!"
Instead of Hunter, Jericho's music hit and he came out. He sauntered down to the ring and climbed in. Jericho stood in front of Shawn for a few seconds and both men were eyeing one another, then Jericho ripped the mic out of Shawn's hand.
"Shut your mouth! You know, you're nothing but a has been. You're not the Showstopper anymore Shawn. You're nothing but a loser. Especially after last night. Last night was sad."
Jericho's voice became somber. "At one point, you were my idol. You were the best in the business and you were what I wanted to be. But now, now you're damaged goods. You should hang up your boots and let the rest of us take care of business. You come out here bragging that you still have the heart to do this? Michaels, you may think you have the guts or the heart, but you don't. You're washed up. You're old news. You're a has been and a loser."
Jericho continued on, insulting Shawn and berating the crowd for supporting someone who should have stayed out of the company. "You all know that HBK doesn't stand for Heart Break Kid. It stands for Has Been Kid."
The crowd booed Jericho as he dropped the mic to the mat. He looked at Shawn with a smirk on his face. Shawn glared at him. Jericho mouthed the words has been and Shawn finally had enough. He stepped away from Jericho as if he was going to leave the ring, but instead he gave Jericho a super kick to the chin. Jericho fell flat on the mat and Shawn rolled out of the ring and headed backstage as his music played. The camera showed him walking to his dressing room and slamming the door shut.
Evie shook her head. It didn't surprise her that Shawn was willing to jump back into the ring with Hunter. And it wasn't surprising that Jericho's ego had gotten him a kick in the face either. Maybe since they're both focused on each other, they'll leave me alone. She started walking back to Hunter's dressing room. Shawn might, but Jericho? She snorted. Yeah right. When pigs fly.
As she walked past the curtain, she saw Jericho stumble through. Not wanting to get into it with him, she picked her pace up a bit. Unfortunately, Jericho saw her.
"Well that's a change. Running away from me instead of into me. S'matter Red? Scared?"
Evie sighed, slowed her pace and turned to face him. "No. Not scared, just sick of seeing you."
Jericho sauntered towards her. "Sick of me? C'mon Red, you know you want me. I can't figure out why you deny it. Of course, what red-blooded woman wouldn't want me? I'm the king of the world."
An incredulous look appeared on her face. "Me? Want you? You're assuming I liked you in the first place."
He moved closer. "I know you do."
She folded her arms across her chest. "Oh really? You know that for a fact?"
"I know a lot of things about you Red," he said with a smirk on his face. "Things that other people don't know." He leaned in so that his mouth was next to her ear. "Things that your boss might be interested in," he whispered.
Evie pulled away from him. "What the hell are you talking about Jericho?"
"You'll find out," he said as he backed away. "You'll definitely find out Red." He retreated down the hallway.
Evie watched him as he walked away, wondering what he was being so mysterious about; what he meant when he said he knew things about her that Hunter would be interested in. Shrugging, she dismissed the thoughts. It was possible Jericho was just baiting her, so she didn't let it get to her. "Who am I kidding? He's about as mysterious as a baked potato," she muttered and continued on her way.
*************************
"Can you believe this crap?" Hunter demanded as he slammed the door to his dressing room shut.
Evie, Ric and Batista all looked up at him. "What happened champ?" Ric asked.
Hunter dropped his title on the table. "That ass Morley gave Steiner the main event spot to sign his damn contract." He jerked a thumb back at the door. "Bischoff just tried talking me into giving up the main event slot for that 'roid droid."
Ric walked over and clapped a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much. You're the champ. You're the one that makes the show. Without you, they got nothing."
Hunter smiled tightly. "Damn right they got nothing without me. I told Bischoff that I'd pull an Austin and quit if Steiner is given my spot."
Ric laughed. "See that's what I like about you. You grab 'em by the balls and make them decide what to do." He shook his head. "You deserve that spot champ, no matter what."
"Bischoff better make sure he makes the right decision," Hunter muttered. "I don't like being jerked around."
Ric turned the conversation to where they would be going tonight and Hunter settled down within minutes. Ric looked over at Evie and asked if she was going to go with them.
Evie shook her head. "I don't think so Ric. It's not really my thing."
"Aw c'mon Evie. Go with us. You won't regret it," he said and winked at her.
"Thanks, but no." She picked up the balance sheet for the expenses that she had been working on and put it back in its folder.
Ric turned to Hunter. "Talk to her will ya champ?"
Hunter cast a quick glance at Evie. The tiniest shake of her head indicated that she didn't want to go; which was what they had agreed on earlier. "She already said no Ric."
"C'mon Hunter. I think she needs to go out," Ric wheedled.
"Look Ric, she said no. I'm not gonna make her go if she doesn't want to," Hunter responded.
"Fine," he said shortly and then turned back to Evie. "But you don't know what you're missing."
Oh yes I do. And I'm not going to miss you hitting on me. She shivered inwardly at the thought of Ric pursuing her, trying to get her to talk to him. She definitely would not miss that.
A knock sounded on the door and Hunter opened it. It was Bischoff again. He motioned for Hunter to come out in the hallway so he could speak with him. Hunter walked out, followed by Ric.
Evie stood up and put the folder into her bag. She began unhooking her laptop. As she closed it up, Batista spoke up.
"Still don't trust him do you?"
Evie looked at him. "Ric?" Batista nodded. "No I don't."
"He said he was sorry for what he did. Can't you accept it?"
"I did accept his apology. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him," she responded.
Batista tried a different approach. "Well I think you should go out with us. It's not like Hunter or I won't be there to keep an eye on Ric."
Evie smiled at him. "I know, but I wasn't lying when I told Ric it really wasn't my thing."
Batista shrugged. "Whatever. Can't make you go if you don't want to." He watched her as she put her laptop into its case. "Still, you really don't know what you're missing."
She laughed. "I don't think I'll be missing much. Besides, I'm around the three of you all the time. Maybe I want some time to myself." She gestured to the room they were in. "I do have a life outside all of this, you know."
Batista chuckled. Okay, okay. I get it. You don't wanna go. I'll stop trying to convince you."
"Anyway, who do you think is going to bail you guys out if you get into trouble?" she asked in a joking manner.
Batista shook his head as he smiled. Before he could say anything, Hunter and Ric walked back in. Hunter had a grin on his face.
"What happened?" asked Batista.
"Bischoff saw things my way," Hunter replied. "I've got the main event spot and Steiner gets shit." He glanced at his watch. "We're up in a few minutes." He turned his glance to Evie. "We're gonna go straight out after we're done. We'll drop you off at the hotel since you don't want to go out."
"That's fine," she responded. "I'll just hang out here until you're done."
Hunter pointed a finger at Batista. "Keep an eye on her. Jericho is..."
Batista nodded as Evie interrupted. "Hunter, I don't think you have to worry too much. He's concentrating on Shawn."
"Doesn't matter," Hunter said. "I don't trust him."
Batista spoke up. "Don't worry Hunter. I'll keep an eye on her."
Evie threw up her hands in disgust. "Great. Evie gets a babysitter again," she muttered. Secretly, she liked that fact that Hunter was being protective of her, but it still galled her to have him think she always needed someone to watch over her.
Ric and Hunter left to go down to the ring. Evie finished packing up her laptop and sat down on the sofa with Batista to watch the tribute Bischoff had planned for Hunter. Everything started out fine. There was a video tribute to Hunter and Bischoff praised Hunter for his accomplishments and his ambition to be the top performer in the business.
Hunter got on the mic and bragged about how he has gone through everyone in the company and how he had beaten everyone, including the famous HBK. As he continued along that vein, Scott Steiner walked out and interrupted Hunter. He grabbed the mic from Bischoff and stated he was ready to sign his contract and now was the time for that signing to take place.
Steiner continued on. "Triple H, you say you've gone through everyone in this company. You say you've beaten everyone in this company. But you haven't gone through me. In fact, you can't beat me period." Steiner faced Bischoff. "I want a title shot or I'm outta here."
Hunter wasn't having any of it. He got in Steiner's face and told him he was getting nothing from him. The two men argued for a few more minutes before Hunter finally decided that he had nothing to lose by letting Steiner take him on. After all, he had beaten everyone else and he could beat Steiner.
Satisfied, Scott Steiner signed his contract with RAW. Then he and Hunter went nose to nose, staring one another down. Steiner offered up the first punch to Hunter, but Hunter only smiled and took a step back. Steiner took a step forward and offered again, but Hunter held up his hands and told Steiner he didn't swing that way. As Hunter backed out of the ring, Steiner talked trash, offering Hunter an ass whipping. Hunter only smirked as he and Ric backed up the ramp and disappeared backstage.
***************
Hunter let himself into his hotel room. As he flicked on the light and shut the door behind him, he leaned back against it and sighed in relief. He thought he was never going to get out of the club. Ric had arranged for a private room for them as well as female company. One of the women attached herself to him at Ric's request. As the night wore on, she became more and more giggly with each drink and more and more attentive as well. Hunter did all he could to keep her off him without offending her or arousing Ric's suspicions. She had managed to kiss him a couple of times, and he let her as Ric had been watching. He swiped his arm across his mouth, ridding himself of the remembered sensation of her lips pressed against his. In the aftermath, he could smell her cloying perfume. He cleared his throat and wondered why some women insisted on completely dousing themselves in scent. It had been a little overpowering. Not like the light flowery scent Evie wore that seemed to be embedded in her skin.
Quickly he shed his clothes and jumped into the shower, letting the hot water wash off the smell of the woman's perfume as well as the club smell. When he was done, he toweled himself off and walked into the main room. He pulled the sheets back on the bed and then went over to the adjoining door. He opened it and found the door to Evie's room was ajar.
Silently, he slipped into her room and stood alongside her bed. She was asleep in the middle of the bed with her back to him. The blankets had slipped down past her shoulder, exposing the bare skin of her back. He smiled as he slid under the sheets and up against her warm body. Leaning over, he gently placed a kiss on her shoulder. She stirred.
"Huh? Who's that?" she murmured sleepily.
He chuckled softly. "It's just me. Who did you think it was?"
"You're wet," she replied in a whisper as she rolled over to face him.
"Because I took a shower. Had to get rid of the stink of cigarette smoke," he replied.
"You sure it wasn't the smell of perfume?" She traced a pattern over his chest. "Am I gonna have to check for lipstick on your clothes too?" she teased.
He smiled. "I'm sure and no you won't. I behaved myself."
She snorted at that. "Right." She changed the subject. "What time is it?"
"You really wanna know?" he asked.
She smiled in the dim light. "Why? You think you'll get in trouble if you tell me?"
"I might," he replied. His hand found her hip and was pleasantly surprised to discover that she wasn't wearing anything at all. As his hand glided over the contours of her hip, he felt the gooseflesh prickle underneath his palm. "If I get in trouble, you might not let me do this," he said softly as the hand slipped over the skin of her thigh and around to her backside, where he gently squeezed.
Evie gasped. "You're not very nice you know."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded quietly.
"Coming in here, late, waking me up from a nice warm sleep." She paused and licked her lips. "Teasing me. Again."
He tilted his head down and nuzzled her neck. "That makes me the bad guy then?" he asked before kissing the exposed column of skin.
Her arm wound around his neck and her fingers twined in his damp hair. "Yes," she breathed.
Hunter brushed her lips with the lightest of kisses. "You should know by now that I like being the bad guy," he whispered against her mouth. His arm tightened around her waist bringing her body into contact with his. His skin was damp and heated and she could feel his arousal against her leg.
She sighed as he kissed her again. This time he laved her lips and the inside of her mouth with his tongue before withdrawing. "Why don't we go to my room?" he suggested huskily.
"Because I'm comfortable and warm here. Your bed is probably cold," she answered and then nipped his shoulder.
"Ouch! What was that for?" he demanded.
"For waking me up," she replied playfully. She was fully awake now, but determined to make him pay for what he had done before they had left for the arena.
Hunter had other plans. He unwrapped his arm from her waist and climbed out of her bed. Before she could say anything, he swept the covers off of her and scooped her up in his strong arms.
"Hunter what are you doing?" she spluttered. "Put me down."
Hunter only gave her a knowing grin and carried her into his room where he gently placed her on his bed. He turned the bedside lamp on low and switched off the main light. He stalked back to the bed with a lustful look on his face and she knew she was in trouble.
Evie's heart tripped in anticipation as he licked and bit his way up her body. She shivered each time is tongue or teeth touched her skin. He made his way slowly over her legs and stomach to her breasts where he lingered for a bit and then to her shoulders and neck and finally to her mouth. As he kissed her deeply, she moved her legs so that they were on either side of his. She rotated her hips up to meet his and at the feel of her against him, he groaned harshly.
He pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were shining with excitement and she smiled a tiny smile. He kissed her again, passionately. Her hands cradled his face as he continued to kiss her and she moved against him, inviting him to take her.
Hunter," she breathed.
His strong arm encircled her waist, bringing her against his hard length. He heard her breathing hitch at the contact and then become rapid. He raised his eyes to meet hers and she saw something arrogant and possessive come into his face.
"Hunter," she whispered again.
He hitched her into position and in one smooth, hard motion of his hips, he thrust himself into her as far as he could go. She cried out in passion with the impact and he repeated the act again. Her hips circled up to meet the third thrust and soon they were rocking back and forth in a tempestuous rhythm.
Hunter pinned her wrists to the bed above her head and moved his body furiously against hers. She moaned in encouragement and her hips ground against his. His excitement built as he felt her push up against him. Taking advantage of her position, he surged into her fiercely. Evie's body clenched and she cried out as she felt the beginning tremors of satisfaction.
He let go of her wrists and felt her hands grip his backside, her nails biting into the skin. "Now Evie! Now!" he bit out as he tensed above her and then with one last thrust, emptied himself into her as his body rippled with the sensation of pleasure.
Evie arched up to meet that thrust and gave a shout of passion as she convulsed around him in an intense flood of ecstasy.
He remained inside her as she collapsed beneath him. Her legs shifted and folded around his waist, holding him there. He shivered again as the waves of pleasure slowly waned. They lay there in silence as they both regained their breath. She opened her eyes to find him watching her.
"What?" she asked as she tried to slow her breathing.
He simply smiled and kissed her, then lowered his face to the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent. The spasms finally began to diminish and his body relaxed. As he caught his breath, he lifted way from her. She sighed in disappointment as she clutched at him, wanting him to remain where he was.
He laughed softly as he pulled away from her. One hand gently touched her face with the pads of his fingers. His eyes gleamed with possession and triumph. He gently traced her lips and then placed a light kiss on them.
His hands drifted over her, smoothing across her flesh, lulling her into a complacent state. He watched her eyes close and a sigh of contentment slipped out of her. "Mine," he whispered almost inaudibly. Again, he likened her to a drug. She was addicting. She coursed through his system making him want more. Always wanting more. He had never felt this way about anyone before. Not even his ex-wife. It fairly frightened him, but instead of denying it, he embraced it. It was like an adrenaline rush to him.
Hunter looked down at her. Her breathing seemed to have evened and it appeared she was asleep. He chuckled softly as he turned the light out and pulled the blankets up over them both. As he rolled onto his side, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him, she murmured something.
"What was that?" he whispered.
"I love you," she mumbled in a sleepy voice.
He kissed her cheek and his head dropped to the pillow. "I love you," he said as she buried her face in his neck. His eyes closed and the last thing he felt was her brief kiss on his collarbone.
*****************
The week passed quickly and the holidays were upon them. Things had remained fairly quiet at work. Jericho had not bothered her again since Monday, but every time he saw her he would give her a smug grin, tap the side of his head and then point at her. Evie would shrug and continue on with whatever she had been doing. More than likely, he was trying to lure her into something.
Hunter's encounters with Scott Steiner were brief. Steiner would let Hunter know that he was going to take that title from him. Hunter kept telling him that there was no way Steiner would ever be the heavyweight champion while he was around.
Evie stood in her hotel room, packing up her suitcase to go home. Hunter had finished packing his and was seated on the bed, watching her. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a leather coat. He kept fiddling with something in the pocket of the coat. A cab was coming to pick them up and take them to the airport in forty-five minutes.
"You're sure I can't tempt you to go home with me?" he asked again.
She shook her head. "I already told you no three times. How many more times do I have to tell you until you get it through that thick skull of yours?"
"At least ten more," he joked. "You know me. I have such a fat head."
"No comment," she quipped as she finished folding her clothes.
"Whatever," he replied as he stood up. "But you're spending New Year's Eve with me."
"I know. Christmas with our families and then you're flying into Chicago that Friday, staying a couple of days and then we're going up to your house in New Hampshire on Monday." She put the last article of clothing in her suitcase and zipped it up. "My family is looking forward to seeing you again. Especially my nephews," she said with a smile.
"I bet they are," he said with a grin.
She pulled the suitcase off the bed and set it by the door with a thump. As she turned around she almost bumped into Hunter who had come up behind her. "Are you my shadow now?"
He smiled. "Not really. I have something for you." His hand reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long thin box.
Evie looked at him. "Hunter, we agreed we weren't going to get each other gifts."
"I know, but I saw this and thought of you." He held the box up in the palm of his hand. "Merry Christmas."
She tentatively took it from his hand and opened it. She gasped at what she found inside. It was a gold necklace with a three stone round cut sapphire pendant. She looked up at him in amazement. "Hunter, it's beautiful," she whispered.
He smiled. "I'm glad you like it. I know your birthday is in September, so I wanted to get you something with your birthstone in it." He watched as she took it out of the box.
She handed it to him. "Would you put it on for me?" She swept her hair up so he could work the clasp. He deftly attached the necklace together and she dropped her hair. She turned around. "Thank you." She admired it for a few seconds and then moved closer to him and kissed him. "Even though you shouldn't have done it, thank you."
"I guess you could say it's my way of saying thanks for sticking with me for the past year and a half. I know I haven't been the easiest person to get along with."
Evie looked up at him. "Just for sticking around? So what do I get for being in love with you?" she teased.
"You get me," he replied as he put his arm around her waist.
She grinned. "There's something not quite right about that, but who am I to argue?"
He kissed her, taking his time about it.
"Well, this'll definitely give the family something to talk about," she joked when they parted.
"About that," he began. "Are you going to tell your family?"
She thoughtfully cocked her head to one side. "Is that something you're going to be okay with, or would you rather me not say anything at all?"
"I'm not sure. I like your family, but how would they take it?"
She smiled. "I don't think you have much to worry about. Except maybe Lauren. And my dad might give you the third degree, but other than that, no problem."
"Your sister? Why do I have to watch out for you sister?" he asked.
"She knows what happened in Las Vegas," Evie replied.
Hunter raised his eyebrows. "So Lauren already knows we're involved then?"
"No. She knows that I'm in love with you, but I haven't told her what's happened lately."
Hunter shook his head. "So is she going to give me hell or what?"
Evie chuckled. "She might, just to see you sweat. But you're a big boy. You can handle yourself. Besides, her bark is worse than her bite."
"How about this? We don't say anything unless we're asked." He looked down at her. "Is that okay with you?"
"Sure," she shrugged.
Hunter changed the subject. "I'm going to miss you."
Evie sighed in exasperation. "We'll see each other in less than a week."
"I know, but I'll still miss you," he pouted.
A smile broke out across her mouth. "I knew it. You can't live without me can you?"
"Hell no," he muttered and he kissed her again.
********************
Evie's flight arrived on time. A miracle for the holiday season. She lugged her carry on bag down the ramp and into O'Hare airport. She stood to one side as she watched the bustling crowd moving around, trying to claim relatives and friends that had disembarked the plane with her. Her gaze fanned across the seating area to see if she could find her sister. After a minute, she caught sight of an arm waving frantically. She headed towards it, politely pushing her way through people and found her sister. Evie dropped the bag she had been carrying and her sister enveloped her in a huge hug.
"It's so good to see you!" Lauren exclaimed as she let go of her younger sister.
Evie smiled. "It's good to be home," she replied.
"How was your flight?" Lauren asked as they headed off to claim the rest of Evie's luggage.
"Not too bad. Of course I got to sit next to some old man who thought I would benefit from his company next time I was in town."
Lauren laughed. "Was he wearing a shirt that was unbuttoned to the middle of his hairy chest and had at least three gold chains around his neck?"
Evie rolled her eyes. "And was wearing too much Brute. How did you know?"
"I saw him get off the plane," Lauren said. "You pick up the grossest men sometimes," she teased.
Evie lightly punched her sister's shoulder. They made it to the luggage carousel and had Evie's luggage in fifteen minutes. Piling all of it on a cart, they pushed it out to the parking garage and loaded it into Lauren's car.
As they pulled out onto Manheim Road, Lauren began asking questions. "So are we going to get to see Hunter soon?"
"He's flying out on Friday. We'll be here for a couple of days and then go up to New Hampshire."
Lauren smiled. "Business or otherwise?"
"Otherwise," Evie said evasively.
Lauren got right to the point. "So what's been going on with you and Hunter?"
"Gee Lauren, start with the easy ones will you?" Evie joked.
Lauren, however, was serious. "I mean it Evelyn. Did you get to talk to him?"
"No, I didn't get the chance to-" she started, but Lauren interrupted.
"What do you mean you didn't get the chance to? You better not be chickening out Evie, or so help me I'll-"
Evie talked over her. "Would you shut up a minute and let me finish?" Lauren fell quiet. "Now, before you rudely interrupted me, I said I didn't get the chance to, but that was because he said something about it before I could even ask."
Lauren kept her eyes on the road, but Evie could see she was dying to ask her something. Evie anticipated it before Lauren could get the words out of her mouth. "He told me he loved me," she said quickly.
"What!" Lauren exclaimed. "He did not!"
Evie nodded. "Yes, he did Lauren," she said calmly.
Lauren started asking a barrage of questions and Evie just laughed at her. "Would you slow down? I can hardly understand you."
Lauren stuck her tongue out at her younger sister. "Okay. What happened that made him tell you that he loved you?"
A faint blush crept over Evie's cheeks. "Well... we were... ah, that is to say we had been..." she stammered.
As they stopped at a red light, Lauren looked over at her and noticed that Evie was blushing. "You slept with him?" she asked incredulously. When Evie nodded in response, Lauren spoke up again. "I only have two questions for you sister."
Evie risked a look at Lauren and stifled a groan. She had an idea as to what Lauren might ask. She took a breath and blew it out. "What's the first one?"
"First question. Did he tell you before or after you had sex?"
Evie's brow knitted together in puzzlement. "After. Why?"
The light turned green and Lauren accelerated the car. "Well, if he told you before, then he might have been saying it just so you would sleep with him."
Evie shook her head in response. "He's not like that Lauren."
"How do you know? He just assumed the worst about you and Bradshaw. What makes you think he would be above manipulating you into bed?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? We're past all that crap that happened. He apologized. Would you stop bringing it up?" Evie asked vehemently.
"All right. No need to bite my head off," Lauren responded tersely.
"Look Lauren, It took him a long time to admit he was attracted to me and even longer for him to admit he's in love with me. He was very cautious about it." Evie chuckled. "He told me he was actually afraid to tell me."
"And didn't I tell you that when you blurted out that you were in love with him and he didn't respond to it?"
"Okay, so you were right," Evie acquiesced grudgingly. "The last time he told someone he loved them, things got pretty fucked up. He wanted to avoid that."
Lauren quickly glanced at her sister before turning her attention back to driving. "Meaning Stephanie?" she asked as she turned the car onto Higgins Road.
"Yeah, but we talked about it and I told him that things had already gotten messy and he said that he wasn't exactly understanding about Bradshaw. He apologized for not telling me how he felt."
Lauren nodded. She could let it go at that. She just didn't want Evie to get hurt again. Hunter may not be physically abusive to Evie like Davis had been, but Lauren was still a bit leery of his intentions towards her little sister. "Okay. Second question then."
Evie cringed. Please don't let her ask what I think she's going to. Please oh please...
"How was it?" Lauren blurted out.
Evie's head fell back against the headrest. Damn. "How was what?" she asked innocently.
"Don't play with me Evelyn Rose! You know what I'm talking about!"
Evie laughed. It was so easy to get her sister worked up sometimes. "Lauren why the hell do you want to know? I don't ask you about Gavin do I?"
"Duh, sister dear. We're talking about Triple H here. So c'mon, spill the goods. How is he?"
Another blush stained Evie's cheeks. "He's... good," she said meekly.
"That's all you can say? Just good?" Lauren exclaimed.
The blush intensified and Evie felt quite warm. She adjusted the temperature on the heater and cracked her window a bit. "Isn't it a bit warm in here?" she asked innocently.
"Okay. You don't wanna tell me. Fine. You can answer yes or no then," Lauren replied.
An exasperated sigh left Evie's lips. Her sister was so persistent. "Fine. As long as the questions aren't too personal."
"Just one question," Lauren said as she turned onto a side street. "Does he make you scream out loud?"
Evie put a hand over her mouth to stifle a chuckle at her sister's question. She would ask that wouldn't she?
"Well Evie?" Lauren pushed.
She took her hand away from her mouth. "Yes," she said softly.
Lauren wore a mile wide grin. "Knew it."
Evie laughed out loud as Lauren turned down the street their parents lived on. As much as she missed Hunter, she missed seeing her parents. Which reminded her... "Lauren, you can't say anything to mom and dad about this."
"Don't worry. I won't. But they may ask you about that necklace you're wearing."
Evie laid a hand over the pendant. "He gave it to me as a way of saying thank you for sticking around."
Lauren nodded knowingly. "Right. Tell me another one. A man doesn't give you jewelry unless he's serious about you." She parked the car in front of their parents' house. "Look Evie, I won't say anything. You know I won't. But they'll figure it out sooner or later."
"I know," Evie said as she looked out the passenger side window. She saw the front door opening and her mother coming out. "We better get out of the car. Here comes mom."
"Just make sure you warn Hunter that if they do find out, dad will give him "the talk" when Hunter gets here."
"Way ahead of you," Evie replied as she opened the car door to greet her mother. This was going to be an interesting Christmas.
**************
A/N: Thank you so much to all of you for waiting so patiently for this chapter. Things have been a bit hectic lately, but they're starting to calm down now. So I should be updating on a regular basis again. Thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter as well. I hope you enjoy this one too!