had put the final nail in his coffin.
He wanted to hate her for Sully's sake. In fact, he'd managed it for about ten minutes after she'd confessed that she was Merrick 's informant. But then the truth of her situation settled around the hate, and he couldn't deny that Eva was simply trying to survive in a world that someone else had created for her.
He knew about survival. Growing up with LeRoy had forced him to do all kinds of things he had known were wrong. Still he had done them anyway just to survive. And that's why he couldn't condemn her.
The voices on the stairs brought him out of his muse and he wedged his leg between her open thighs, then pulled her blouse lower off her shoulder. Angling his head, he kissed his way down to the exposed swell of one lovely breast.
"Come on, Eva," he coaxed, "pretend you like it. Pretend you like me."
She arched her back when Sly brushed his lips over the rise of her breast.
"That's it." He gathered up the soft fabric of her skirt and slid his hands underneath. When his palms cupped her satin-smooth ass, she shuddered violently.
"Please…" she breathed, trying to wiggle free.
He could have easily moved his fingers past the slight barrier of her panties, but he didn't.
He said, "Listen to the voices on the stairs. Sound familiar to you? Do you recognize them?"
For a moment she said nothing. Then, "Oh, God, it's Melita and Nemo."
The voices had become more discernable now, the couple had reached the balcony.
"Put your hands on me. Somewhere. Anywhere," he told her.
She did what he said, slid them down his chest and around his waist. She snuggled closer, lowered her head to his chest and brushed her lips over the skin in the open vee of his shirt.
"Where do you think Eva went, Nemo? She's not in the rest room or at the bar."
"She's probably back at the table by now. Don't worry, sweet. Come here. As long as we're alone…"
"Nemo, no. We're not alone."
"Just a quick kiss, Melita. It's been days. No one will see us up here. This is a place for lovers, and they are all too busy to notice us. Come on, Lita. Let me hold you."
Eva listened for Melita to say something in answer to Nemo's plea. She couldn't see them, but by the silence that hung heavy in the night air, she knew Nemo had won and Melita was now kissing him.
As the minutes lagged, she listened to Sly's heart beating strong against her ear, and the scent of him filling her senses. She was aware of his hands on her backside, holding her firmly against him in a way she had never been held by a man before. She reminded herself that they were pretending to be lovers, and it seemed Sly McEwen was as good at this as he was breaching iron gates and swimming like a shark.
Several more minutes ticked by, and then Nemo and Melita were talking again, their soft voices gentle with each other as they left the balcony.
The second it was safe, Eva wiggled out of Sly's arms and pushed his hands away from her. As her skirt drifted back into place, she said, "Don't ever touch me like that again."
He took a step back and relaxed his shoulder against the wall as if what they'd just been doing was all in a day's work and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. Shaking one out, he curled his lips around it, returned the pack to his shirt, then lit up. "Did you know?" he asked around a puff of smoke.
"Did I know what?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"A kiss on a balcony doesn't mean that they're … doing it."
"Doing it?" He chuckled. "You surprise me, Evy. I never expected you to be so naive."
Evy… She liked the name, liked the way it made her feel. "I'm not naive."
"That's debatable. You kiss like you haven't had much practice." He took another drag off his cigarette. "You were sucking on my lips like—"
"Don't you wish."
"Doesn't Parish kiss you?"
"As a matter of fact, no, he doesn't. The human mouth is a germ trap. Simon's immune system is delicate."
She tried to walk past him, but he pulled her back.
"What else
He wanted to hate her for Sully's sake. In fact, he'd managed it for about ten minutes after she'd confessed that she was Merrick 's informant. But then the truth of her situation settled around the hate, and he couldn't deny that Eva was simply trying to survive in a world that someone else had created for her.
He knew about survival. Growing up with LeRoy had forced him to do all kinds of things he had known were wrong. Still he had done them anyway just to survive. And that's why he couldn't condemn her.
The voices on the stairs brought him out of his muse and he wedged his leg between her open thighs, then pulled her blouse lower off her shoulder. Angling his head, he kissed his way down to the exposed swell of one lovely breast.
"Come on, Eva," he coaxed, "pretend you like it. Pretend you like me."
She arched her back when Sly brushed his lips over the rise of her breast.
"That's it." He gathered up the soft fabric of her skirt and slid his hands underneath. When his palms cupped her satin-smooth ass, she shuddered violently.
"Please…" she breathed, trying to wiggle free.
He could have easily moved his fingers past the slight barrier of her panties, but he didn't.
He said, "Listen to the voices on the stairs. Sound familiar to you? Do you recognize them?"
For a moment she said nothing. Then, "Oh, God, it's Melita and Nemo."
The voices had become more discernable now, the couple had reached the balcony.
"Put your hands on me. Somewhere. Anywhere," he told her.
She did what he said, slid them down his chest and around his waist. She snuggled closer, lowered her head to his chest and brushed her lips over the skin in the open vee of his shirt.
"Where do you think Eva went, Nemo? She's not in the rest room or at the bar."
"She's probably back at the table by now. Don't worry, sweet. Come here. As long as we're alone…"
"Nemo, no. We're not alone."
"Just a quick kiss, Melita. It's been days. No one will see us up here. This is a place for lovers, and they are all too busy to notice us. Come on, Lita. Let me hold you."
Eva listened for Melita to say something in answer to Nemo's plea. She couldn't see them, but by the silence that hung heavy in the night air, she knew Nemo had won and Melita was now kissing him.
As the minutes lagged, she listened to Sly's heart beating strong against her ear, and the scent of him filling her senses. She was aware of his hands on her backside, holding her firmly against him in a way she had never been held by a man before. She reminded herself that they were pretending to be lovers, and it seemed Sly McEwen was as good at this as he was breaching iron gates and swimming like a shark.
Several more minutes ticked by, and then Nemo and Melita were talking again, their soft voices gentle with each other as they left the balcony.
The second it was safe, Eva wiggled out of Sly's arms and pushed his hands away from her. As her skirt drifted back into place, she said, "Don't ever touch me like that again."
He took a step back and relaxed his shoulder against the wall as if what they'd just been doing was all in a day's work and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. Shaking one out, he curled his lips around it, returned the pack to his shirt, then lit up. "Did you know?" he asked around a puff of smoke.
"Did I know what?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"A kiss on a balcony doesn't mean that they're … doing it."
"Doing it?" He chuckled. "You surprise me, Evy. I never expected you to be so naive."
Evy… She liked the name, liked the way it made her feel. "I'm not naive."
"That's debatable. You kiss like you haven't had much practice." He took another drag off his cigarette. "You were sucking on my lips like—"
"Don't you wish."
"Doesn't Parish kiss you?"
"As a matter of fact, no, he doesn't. The human mouth is a germ trap. Simon's immune system is delicate."
She tried to walk past him, but he pulled her back.
"What else
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