Thanks for all of the reviews! I really appreciate them and I hope you guys like this chapter! Eve is falling too fast...
Eve woke up alone.
She blinked her eyes, slowly sitting up. She was disappointed, but not surprised. Sometimes he would stay the night and sometimes he would slip out, leaving just an expensive gift and a note behind.
She crawled out of bed, slipping on a white silk robe. She padded down the hallway, stretching. Why were you expecting him to still be here? You know how he is. It's his nature.
She poked her head in Christina's room and frowned. The pink fairytale cover was still on the bed, untouched. Usually Emily, the nanny, brought Christina home early in the morning and put her back to bed when Bond visited. Eve fished her phone out of her purse.
"Hello?" Emily answered.
"Emily, it's Eve. I was just wondering what time you are planning on bringing Christina home?"
"I already brought her home." She sounded puzzled.
Eve's heart stopped. "What? She's not here now." The panic bubbled up in her chest.
"Oh, her dad took her to breakfast."
Eve stopped. "What?"
"He said he didn't want to wake you. He said he was taking Christina to breakfast, so I went ahead and left. Do you need me to come back?"
"Uh...no, no. That's okay," Eve said, distracted. "I'll see you Monday."
Eve hung up and sank into a chair. James had never taken Christina anywhere on his own. Eve was always in tow, supervising. Did he even know of any breakfast places? The only thing he ever had for breakfast was vodka.
She got dressed, arguing with herself about whether to call. If James wanted to spend time with his daughter on his own, it seemed wrong to call and interfere. But at the same time, she wanted to call and see where they were.
Thankfully, her mental struggle was over a little while later when she heard them in the living room. James smiled when he saw her. "You're awake."
"Why didn't you get me up?" Eve scolded as she unwrapped Christina's coat.
"You were sleeping, so I thought Christina and I would get breakfast."
"I had waffles. And syrup," Christina announced.
"And...everything went fine?" Eve asked James.
He gave her a strange look. "Yes, why?"
Um, because you've never taken her anywhere before? "No reason. Shall we go to the park?"
"Yes!" Christina yelped, tugging on James' hand. "Can you go with us, Daddy?"
"Christina, Daddy probably has to go to work," Eve started to explain gently. It was easier to explain before Christina got so wound up.
"Of course I'll go with you, baby," James said. "Now put your jacket on so we can go."
Eve smiled. It was turning out to be a pretty good day.
They spent the whole day together. The park, the movies, pizza for dinner. After dinner, Eve expected him to go back to his flat. But he didn't. He stayed even after Christina was in bed.
He pulled her down on the bed, kissing her neck. "It's always sex and then running off with you," Eve laughed, kissing his forehead.
"Who says I'm running off?" he asked lightly, his hand reaching under the back of her shirt.
"Well, I..." she trailed off, unsure of a response. "Are you staying the night?"
"Yes. I need several hours to fuck you." He unsnapped her bra.
And he stayed. She scarcely believed it, even when he was sleeping soundly next to her. She knew her alarm was going to go off in just a few hours, but she wanted to savor every moment. It was almost like having a husband- a real family. When her alarm went off, he rolled over and looked at her. "What time do you have to be at MI6?"
"Two hours. I take Christina to school and then I report to work. What time do you have to be there?"
"This afternoon. I'm supposed to report to Q, then M for a report."
His words hung there, as if daring her to ask about his latest mission. Asking was dangerous. He would either brush her off with a joke or snap at her. She had learned it was better not to ask.
She nodded, sliding out of bed. She turned to find him putting on his suit. "What are you doing? Go back to bed. You have hours before you have to be there."
"I'm going with you to drop off Christina."
She wanted to shove him against the wall and tear his clothes off again. Something about that man in a tie...and that man actually acting like a normal person for once. "Maybe we can meet in the bathroom for a quickie during our lunch break."
"That's an actual reason to go to work," he agreed.
Bond and Eve walked Christina to her classroom. Eve wondered when was the last time Bond had stepped foot in a school- years, probably. Children darted about underfoot and he glanced around furtively, obviously biting his tongue.
Eve bent down and gave Christina a kiss. "Be good. Have a good day. Emily will pick you up this afternoon, all right?"
"Yes, Mummy," Christina replied politely. Her face positively lit up when James kissed her goodbye, too. They watched her run into the class.
"I think I want to stay for a while," James said, still watching Christina.
Eve's mouth went dry. "Stay? You mean with us?"
"Yes," James turned to look at her and the blue shined bright in his eyes.
"That'll be good," she said softly. And as they walked out, she felt the eyes of the other mothers on her, wondering who this gorgeous man was and how she got so lucky. And she wondered how she could feel so happy. "Let's go to work."
She tried warning herself that James wasn't built for domestic life. He was built for secret missions, shooting people, blowing things up. Not for playing house with Eve.
But it didn't work. She knew she was in over her head.