“What about you? Can you keep your heart out of this?”
“It’s too late, Aaron,” I tell him honestly.
He pulls me into his arms and hugs me tight. “You’re not the only one, little sister. I can read Evan like a book. He’s been fighting this.”
“Regardless, we both know we have to do this. When it’s over, the fact that we saved that little girl from those people will heal the pain I’ll feel from no longer being a part of their family.”
“You’ll always be a part of their family, McKinley.” His voice is scolding.
“You’re right, but not the way I long to be. I know that, and I accept it.”
Aaron nods, he gets it. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With one last hug—the kind only my big brother can give—he’s gone. I watch his truck until I can no longer see his tail lights before heading back inside.
Chapter 31
Evan
Lexi is just finishing her bottle when Kinley finally comes back into the house. “Let me lay her down and we’ll call my parents.”
“Can I come with you?” she asks.
“Of course, you can.”
She follows me up the stairs and into Lexi’s room. “Goodnight, baby girl. Daddy loves you,” I say softly, kissing her on the forehead.
I step back, letting Kinley say goodnight as well. “Sweet dreams, Lex. I love you,” she says so softly I almost don’t hear her.
I grab her hand and lead her to my room. Without hesitation, Kinley sits on her side of the bed and pulls her knees to her chest. Taking my cell out of my pocket, I dial my parents. I sit on the edge of the bed beside her and lay my hand on her knee. She covers mine with hers and we wait for them to answer.
“Hey, Mom, can we talk?” I say. She gets Dad on the other line and I proceed to tell them about the letter and about Kinley’s offer to marry me. Her selfless offer to ensure I keep my baby girl.
“Is she there with you?” Mom asks.
“Yeah, she’s sitting right next to me.” Where I’ve longed for her to be since the night I held her.
“Can I talk to her?”
I hand Kinley the phone. “Mom wants to talk to you.”
“Hello,” she says quietly. She listens intently as my mom talks. “Yes, I know what I’m doing. It was my idea. I refuse to let them take her,” she says with conviction.
They talk a few more minutes before Kinley passes the phone back to me.
“Evan, you okay with this?” Mom asks.
“More than I should be,” I say honestly.
“Okay, I’ll call Sarah in the morning and we will take care of it all. I’m so excited to meet my granddaughter.”
I can’t help but laugh at her excitement. “Night, Mom, love you. Tell Dad too,” I add. He got off the call when Mom wanted to talk to McKinley.
“Will do, honey. Take care of your girls,” she says before hanging up.
My girls.
“What did she say?”
“She told me to take care of my girls. She’s going to call your mom and start planning.”
“Good.”
“Should we ---—” she cuts me off.
“Nothing to talk about. We’re getting married. We’re going to prevent those heartless people from getting their hands on that precious little girl. When it all blows over, we’ll annul the marriage and your life can go back to normal. Until then, we’re two best friends doing what we need to do to save your little girl.”
“All right, we should get some sleep.” I go to my dresser and pull out a t-shirt. “You can sleep in this.” I hand it to her.
“Thank you.” She takes the shirt into the bathroom to change. I strip down to my boxers, turn off the light, and climb into bed. I’m more excited than I should be that she’s going to be in my bed again, at least I hope she is. We didn’t talk about it, but after tonight, I just need to hold her. Besides, she’s going to be my wife. How in the hell am I going to stay away from her now? We should talk about it, about living and sleeping arrangements, but that’s not what we do. We share kisses and sleep in the same bed and pretend it doesn’t happen. I’m just going to let the cards fall where they may.
I watch the shadows dance across the ceiling, willing my racing heart to slow its rhythm as I wait for her to finish in the bathroom. When the door opens, she turns off the light and walks toward the bed. There is just enough moonlight to lighten her features. I lift the covers, inviting her to join me. Her step doesn’t falter as she climbs in. Dragging the covers up over both of us, I pull her into my arms and hold her close for several minutes before I finally whisper, “Thank you,” into her ear.
She rolls over so she’s now facing me, our bodies aligned. I place my arm around her, resting it on her back, and move her as close as I can get her. “We’re really doing this?”
Her hand rests against my cheek. “Yeah, we really are.”
I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t find the words. Instead, I lean in and press my lips to hers. The kiss starts soft, as I trace her bottom lip with my tongue. She opens for me, and the minute my tongue slides past her lips, I lose all train of thought. I have a single purpose—to have more of her. I need more. I need to taste her for hours, everywhere I want to trace her soft skin with my tongue and to be buried so far inside of her that we both forget our own names.
I want her.
I can no longer fight it. I don’t know if it’s the thought of her being my wife or just because it’s her.
More than likely, it’s both.
She throws her leg over mine and presses her body closer. My cock pulses against her belly. “Evan,” she moans my name. Moans my fucking name!
Breaking our kiss, my lips find her neck. My hand slips under her shirt and I’m once again treated to the silky-smooth feel of her skin against mine. I guide them up her spine and she shudders in my arms.
She’s so fucking sexy.
“Evan.” This time, my name on her lips is a pant.
“Tell me, McKinley. Tell me what you need.” I’ll fucking give her anything she wants. I just need to know she wants this. Her actions tell me she does, but this is a turning point for us. I need to hear her say it.
Instead of telling me, she sits up and pulls my shirt over her head, throwing it across the room, and then lies back down.
“You,” she whispers.
Fuck me!
I close my eyes and will myself to slow down. I want her and this will change us, but we’re getting married. We’re going to change regardless.
With my index finger, I trace the contour of her face down to her neck. I continue my journey until I reach her full breasts, tracing each pert nipple with my finger. No longer able to hold back, I bend my head and take one, then the other, in my mouth. Giving them both equal attention with my tongue and a gentle tug of my fingers.
“Evan,” she moans again and the sound goes straight to my dick. I’m now painfully hard with want for her.
Never moving my mouth from her breasts, my hand skims her flat belly, touching every single part of her I can. When I reach the hem of her silk panties, I don’t even hesitate to slide my hand underneath.