Evangeline is attacked by a random stranger who took offense to her and John's display of public affection at the train station. He insists that she stay with him until she feels okay on her own.
It was a cold Saturday morning at the Angel's Square motel. The cold chill and the threat of snow had residents tucked away in their rooms and wishing for warmer weather. Though the motel was near a well manicured park, the residents were rarely greeted with the singing of birds in the morning. The thin walls guaranteed that residents would be privy to each others' conversations and intimate moments. The hotel was not much to look at, but it was very affordable and made it attractive for some less than savory individuals. For John McBain, the budget motel was his home.
Ever since his father was killed in the line of duty, he found himself scrimping and saving for a rainy day that still hadn't come. The money he saved was a great safety in the event that he needed it, but, in his line of work, he expected to pass it on to family after an unfortunate incident. He was always cautious and prepared for the worst-case scenario. Many of his days were spent in quite isolation as he chose to avoid getting close to anyone.
Now, he was with someone, and he couldn't ignore the changes she brought to his life. Today was another exception, if you could call it that, to his normally solitary routine. His girlfriend, Evangeline Williamson, had spent the night with him. Instead of waking up, working out, and working late into the night, he would spend his day making love to her and enjoying her company.
Her long dark hair was covered his face and pillow as his eyes adjusted to the light level in the room. Inhaling the familiar scent of her shampoo, he gently stroked her hair and smoothed it into place. The feeling of her warm body pressed against his caused him to smile. She was still completely nude from their adult adventure earlier this morning. The thought of their romantic evening excited John and he again felt the pull to possess her again.
He pulled her closer to him, so that she could feel that he wanted her, needed her. Since it was the weekend, he didn't feel guilty for exhausting her with his romantic desires. "Hey, are you awake?"
Evangeline moaned in response. She was still very tired, but she would not refuse him. She knew their time would be short today, so she would let him enjoy her one final time before she left him to his own devices.
They made love like they had done dozens of times before. Their relationship was still relatively new, but they connected on a level that scared both of them. They were both workaholics who had to learn to scale back their workloads to enjoy their relationship. It hadn't been a chore or a hard task for either of them. They genuinely enjoyed spending time together and were putting in the work to build a strong relationship.
"Mmm, that was good. That was very good." John swiped his hair away from his eyes as he slowly tried to catch his breath.
"We are pretty good together." The tender way John had just made love to her made her want to stay in bed with him all day. Unfortunately, she was way behind on her workload. Normally, she put in extra hours to manage her caseload and often took work home with her. This past week had her off her normal schedule.
A week had passed since an act of targeted violence had left Evangeline shaken. The tough lawyer exterior was mandatory for her line of work since she dealt with people at some of the lowest points of their lives. Her clients were usually dangerous but posed no real threat to her. Their victims or victims' families were the biggest threat to her. She was always careful to stay alert in public for just that reason.
She was attacked in broad daylight while she was still beaming with pride from being recognized for her charitable works. A joyous occasion was marred with violence from an attack that was seemingly random. Luckily, Michael, John's brother, had been there to save the day. He got away with just a few cuts and bruises, but that was probably because he was a big guy.
It scared John to think of what could have happened to Evangeline. Her attacker had seen them earlier in the day when John sent her off to give an acceptance speech with a hug and a kiss. Something so mundane that he hadn't thought twice of doing it. A simple difference between them that neither one of them wanted or could control had set that maniac off. The man was a coward. Instead of going after John, someone who was big enough and strong enough to take him on, he waited until Evangeline was alone and attacked her.
In the end, he got away, but he hadn't slipped under John's radar. He would find him, and he would pay for what he did to Evangeline. John wasn't one to act outside the law, but the man should be praying that John wouldn't be the one to apprehend him. One breath that was out of line would unleash the full fury of John McBain onto him.
For now, Evangeline was staying with John in his tiny motel room and had been ever since the night of the attack. She didn't want to impose and insisted that she was okay. John didn't insist, but he made it easy for her to say yes.
That first night he made love to her and held her in his arms. She didn't have any memory of it, but she'd woken up in the middle of the night in tears. John held her until she was able to fall back to sleep. Every night thereafter, he'd held her close and whispered sweet words to her while she slept.
He hated to take advantage, but she was his every night and he enjoyed her. He was working fewer hours to spend time with her, and for the first time in years he looked forward to going home each night. Things were still very new between them, but he could get used to coming home to her every night. Part of him didn't want to catch the guy that attacked her so she wouldn't ever leave. That thought was ridiculous, and he knew it. For as long as she needed it, his home would be hers.
Evangeline wasn't readily willing to admit she was shaken, but her change in schedule clued John into how scared she really was. She had security in her office building, but she didn't work late in the office. She went in early as usual but left just before dusk. She hadn't been taking any work home with her since John's room was small and didn't allow her to spread out and work like she needed to. Now, all of that was starting to catch up to her, and she needed to put in some extra work on the weekend to stay ahead of her case load.
John was still on top of her kissing the inside of her neck and willing his body to give a repeat performance. Evangeline's arms were wrapped around him, but she wasn't doing anything to encourage him to continue. This made John pause. "You need a break?" John looked down into her dark brown eyes. She looked conflicted.
"An eight hour break." Evangeline gave him a warm smile, but she could tell he was disappointed. She wasn't the only one who'd gotten accustomed to their new routine. She wanted to stay with him.
"Really?" John rolled off of her and wondered what she would be doing for so long. "Something with Nora today?" John was propped up on one arm and used his free hand to caress her.
"No. I'm just so behind with work. I've left early every day this past week, and I'm so behind. If I put in the time today, I'll only have a little bit of catch up to do next week." Evangeline was planning on working ahead as much as she could as well. She didn't feel safe in her own apartment, so, if she was going to continue leaving work early to be with John, she needed the extra OT.
"You can work from here if you want. I'll even be on my best behavior." John made the offer, but he knew how ridiculous it sounded. There was no space to work in, and, if she stayed, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off of her.
"I appreciate the offer. I really do, but I have got to work. How are you not just as far behind as I am."? Evangeline rolled onto her side and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She was ready to listen, but she was already making a plan in her head for all she needed to do today.
John shrugged. "My boss isn't as much of a hardass as yours?" John was teasing because Evangeline was her own boss. She was just as much of a perfectionist as he was, so the extra hours weren't absolutely needed. She worked hard because she wanted to be the best, and as far as anyone in Llanview knew she was.
"Haha." Evangeline leaned in and kissed him deeply. When she felt him getting excited, she pulled away. "No, no, no. I've got to go."
"Such a tease." John watched regrettably as she rolled out of bed.
"Join me for a shower?" Evangeline was pulling her hair up into a ponytail when she looked back at him.
John shook his head. "You go ahead." When she walked off, John fell back against the pillows and sighed. He listed as the shower ran and knew she would probably use up all the hot water, which was fine. He was just happy that she felt comfortable here with him in his less than stellar apartment.
When she finally emerged from the bathroom, John took the opportunity to shower. The water was cold, but it only helped to extinguish his desire for her. She was fully dressed and ready to go by the time he finished.
"Are you going to head into work today or are you going to relax?" Evangeline stared at his chiseled frame that was covered with a towel. She wanted him and was still trying to figure out a way to end her day early, so they could have more time together.
"Yeah, I'll probably put in some time." Tonight would be no different from any other night. John would leave work early to get things ready for Evangeline. He tried to have dinner there waiting for her with a glass of wine. They'd talk about their days and then they'd make love until they were both exhausted. "Call me when you're free?"
"The second I'm done. Have a good day." Evangeline walked over to him and gave him another longing kiss to remember her by, and then she was gone.
John dressed quickly hoping to catch Nigel instead of Roxy at the front desk. Nigel was Roxy's sort of boyfriend, and he was much preferred to the wild Roxy. Nigel had worked as a butler for the Buchanan family, so he knew how to present a professional face. Also, he didn't gossip like Roxy did, and John didn't want everyone to know his business.
John smiled as he reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs. He heard Nigel's nasally British voice giving another tenant a reminder of their rental obligation. John waited patiently for Nigel to end the call. The resident was not appreciative of Nigel's early morning reminder and giving him an earful. Nigel smiled at the sight of one of his best tenants.
"How's it going, Nigel?" John greeted him nicely knowing that he probably had at least half a dozen other calls like that to make this morning.
"I am having an absolutely wonderful morning, lieutenant. I saw Ms. Williamson leave a short while ago. I'm sure she helped to get your morning off to a good start." Nigel had always liked Evangeline. She was always polite and took the extra time to stop and make small talk with him.
John smiled wide. He wasn't sure if Nigel intended that to sound sexual, so he chose to ignore it. "Yeah, she did."
"What can I do for you this morning? We still have some croissants left over from earlier and there is some coffee as well. Can I fix a plate for you?" Serving others was second nature to Nigel. His efforts were wasted on many in the Angel's Square Motel that didn't appreciate his kindness.
"Sure, I'll take some coffee." John preferred coffee from the diner, but he would humor Nigel. "I'm actually in the market for a bigger place."
"Oh?" Nigel didn't try to hide the surprise and disappointment on his face. He enjoyed John's presence as it kept many of the residents from being unruly. There was also the added benefit of frequently seeing Evangeline. She was probably the only person who enjoyed the extra effort he put into trying to make the motel a nicer place, and she wasn't even a resident. "Well, we only require one-week notice, so whenever you find a place just let me or Roxy know." Nigel could understand John's wanting to leave. This place wasn't much, and it would be appropriate for him to find a nicer place to entertain Evangeline.
John took the sleeved paper cup that Nigel handed him. "Actually, I was just looking for a bigger place in the building. A studio or a one-bedroom apartment." John's motives weren't entirely selfish. Sure, more space would mean that Evangeline could work from his place, so he could spend more time with her. It would also make Llanview feel like more of a home than a temporary stop.
"Oh!" Nigel's mood brightened again. "Well, we don't have anything available just yet, but I can put you at the top of the list. Depending on how today goes, we may have an opening in 30 days." That was how long it took to evict someone.
"Thanks, Nigel." John smiled and was off to start his day.
Evangeline finished working in record time. When it was needed, she was able to drown out everything else and focus on her task. Today, she had special motivation since she wanted to get back to relaxing. It wasn't just relaxing that she missed. She also wanted to spend time with John.
She suggested banning words like love to make John feel more comfortable in their relationship, and he readily accepted. The only problem was that Evangeline was starting to fall for him. She'd never been a damsel in distress and didn't plan on starting now. Despite that, she allowed John to take care of her. Evangeline had always been the one taking care of others, so it was nice to have someone looking out for her when she needed it.
She had planned on meeting John later today, but she still wouldn't show up to his place uninvited. From memory, she dialed his number and started to pack up her briefcase. She smiled at the sound of his voice on the other end of the phone.
"McBain," John answered his phone without looking at the caller ID. He already knew it was Evangeline, but he put on a show for her sake. She'd call him each night and make sure that it was still okay for her to come over.
"Good evening, lieutenant." Evangeline walked toward the elevator thinking of how they should spend their evening. She missed being able to relax in her oversized bathtub. "Are you free now, or are you still at work?"
"Me? I'm free. I'm actually in my room if you want to join me, and to tempt you I've got dinner here waiting." John looked around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Her office was a five-minute drive away, so he had just enough time to shower before she got there.
"Sounds irresistible. I'll see you in five?" Evangeline was stepping off the elevator and waving to the security guard. It was still bright enough that she wasn't nervous at all.
"See you soon." John made sure the door was unlocked before he rushed off. He heard his phone ringing but chose to ignore it. He didn't want work to pull him away from her tonight. When he checked his phone after the shower, he saw the missed phone call was from Natalie. He rolled his eyes and wondered what was going on now.
Evangeline knocked as she pushed the door to his room open. He'd been leaving the door unlocked, but she always announced herself. "You don't know how glad I am to see you." Evangeline tossed her briefcase aside and shrugged out of her over coat. She smiled at John who looked to be fresh out of the shower and was wearing only a towel. "I'm sorry I was busy for so long."
"No worries." John made a show of silencing his phone and put it on the nightstand. Tonight, he wouldn't be putting out any fires. "I'm glad you're back." John welcomed her into his open arms and smiled. Then the thought finally occurred to him. He constantly felt a nagging sense of something whenever he was with her, but he wasn't sure of what it meant. Being with her in this moment, he finally understood. It was a sense of belonging, and not just that they were together. She made him feel comfortable in his own skin. She pushed for him to open up more, but it was only for his benefit. Now, he'd even gone as far as planning on moving into a larger place to accommodate her.
As scary as that was for John, he wasn't ready to push her away like he'd done so many others. John wouldn't say it out loud, but he would make room for her in his life. John was committed to being with her and he would take time to do things right. After all, she said they had all the time in the world.
Evangeline smiled in his arms as he started to undress her. Dinner would be nice, but this would be nice as well. She kissed him and tugged at the towel that was in her way. "No?"
John swatted her hand away and continued to undress her. "We'll get to that." When she was stripped down to just her underwear, John pulled her down onto the bed so that she was lying on top of him. He pulled the blanket that was on the side of the bed over them and held her close. "Tell me about your day." John kissed her head and rubbed her back. Sometimes he just loved to hear the sound of her voice.
Evangeline smiled brightly. They were great in bed together, but that often made Evangeline worry about John's motivations. John wasn't great at expressing himself, but he was good at surprising Evangeline. Whenever she had a long day, he'd show up with words of encouragement or he'd just be there to listen. He was thoughtful and kind. Thinking about it only confirmed what she was trying to deny. She didn't just care for John, she loved him.
So here the two of them were. Both wanting a deeper commitment from the other, but not ready to say it out loud. Their hearts were miles ahead of their brains, and they were struggling to keep up. Both of them hoped that the forces that tried to pull them apart weren't stronger than their own individual desires to stay together. Luckily, that would be something they could deal with another time. Tonight, between these four walls, John and Evangeline would be together and nothing else in the world would matter.