“You know I love you, right?” I asked with a boyish smile.
She glared at me for a moment, then sighed and shook her head, clearly exasperated. “I should have poisoned your food, but I can’t be mad when you look this happy.” I grinned and smacked a kiss on her cheek. “So,” she asked, “are you going to let her out of the bedroom so I can meet her?”
I pretended to consider my options but was startled when she gasped, “Tucker, please tell me you didn’t actually kidnap Eva and have her tied up in the bedroom!”
Even though she was partly right, I doubled over with laughter. If she’d been wearing pearls, she probably would have been clutching them as she crossed herself and said a prayer for my soul. I felt the smack of what was probably a wooden spoon on my shoulder, and it only made me laugh harder.
“For some reason, I wouldn’t be surprised if tying me up and holding me hostage was Tucker’s backup plan if I hadn’t agreed to marry him.”
Kendra and I both looked at the door to see Eva standing there looking fresh and clean with her hair piled on top of her head and wearing one of my shirts. It was a good thing it came all the way to her knees, or else I would have marched her sexy little ass back upstairs to change. I didn’t care if it was a woman; nobody was allowed to see what belonged to me and only me. As it was, my cock sprang to life at the sight of my girl wearing my clothes. I’d stocked our closet with everything a girl could need, but now I was considering burning everything so she would have no choice but to wear my clothes all of the time.
Kendra rushed over to Eva and pulled her into a big hug. “I’m so happy to meet you, Eva!” she gushed. “I was starting to worry that my boy would never man up and go after you. I didn’t want to see him grow into a lonely, grumpy old man.”
Eva giggled and hugged her back, a beautiful smile gracing her face. “I’m surprised he even talked about me.”
I briefly wondered if it would be too suspicious if I snatched up Eva and ran upstairs to lock her away before Kendra could reveal my secret. She was the only one, outside of my dad, who knew about the level of my obsession with Eva.
“He didn’t actually,” Kendra began, causing Eva’s brow to wrinkle with confusion. “It was all—”
“I’m glad you two were able to meet,” I said loudly, cutting Kendra off. I grabbed the tray of food in one arm before stalking over to Eva and tucking her into my side. “Thanks for lunch. We’ve got plans, so we’ll eat while we get ready.” Then I dragged Eva to the elevator and headed back to the bedroom.
We were both starving, so I managed to avoid any questions while we devoured our food. Once we’d finished, I cleared away the dishes and the tray, setting them on a dumbwaiter that went down to the pantry and hit the button to start its descent.
“We have an appointment,” I told Eva as I crossed the room and entered the closet. The personal shopper had followed my instructions perfectly, so I was able to grab the outfit I wanted without taking the time to hunt it down. A pretty white summer dress was on the hanger with a clear bag that contained shoes, jewelry, and a hair clip that had belonged to my mother.
“What’s going…?” Eva had followed me into the closet, but when she stepped inside, she stopped and gasped. “Holy sh—crap!” She looked around, her face a mask of wonder and awe. “This is like my dream closet on steroids.” I laughed but caught her arm as she started to walk around.
“You can explore to your heart’s content later,” I told her with a wink. “Right now, you need to change so we aren’t late.” I handed her the outfit I’d chosen and turned her around, then patted her bum to get her moving toward the bathroom.
“Late to what?” she asked over her shoulder.
“You’ll see,” I answered evasively. I wasn’t sure how easy this was going to go, but one way or another, I was going to be making love to my wife tonight.
I put on a suit and figured I’d wait in my office, but when I opened the bathroom door to tell Eva, I was shocked to see that she was ready to go and almost knocked on my ass by how fucking gorgeous she was.
“Put your eyes and tongue back in your head, Tucker,” she teased as she sauntered toward me. “This dress is stunning, and if it’s for what I think it is, I don’t want you ruining it by trying to get me out of it.”
If I wasn’t desperate to have Eva legally tied to me in every way, I might have pouted. Which was ridiculous. I didn’t pout. I wasn’t a child being denied its favorite toy. Although the situation was strikingly similar…
After a few deep breaths to calm my body down—not very successfully—I laced my fingers with Eva’s and led her toward her future.
Chapter 8
Tucker
“My mom and dad are going to be so mad,” Eva moaned as we walked into the office to file our paperwork. She hadn’t made any objections to my plan for us to get married tonight, but she’d been fretting over her family’s reaction. “Trevor and my dad just might kill you, Tucker.” I chuckled when I glanced at her face and saw the very real worry there. “I’m serious, Tucker!” she whisper-yelled since we were the next in line.
A college-age, hipster-type guy sat behind the desk looking bored until we stepped up to the window. His eyes were covered by round, red-framed glasses, but they didn’t hide the way his gaze swept over Eva, lingering on her chest. I growled and leaned down, getting in the pipsqueak’s now frightened face. “Those glasses won’t stop me from blackening both of your eyes if you don’t stop staring at my woman.” He swallowed hard and put his head down.
“Don’t be such a caveman,” Eva scolded.
I narrowed my eyes, and my arm tightened around her. “You’re mine, Eva. I don’t give a fuck if it makes me a caveman. I don’t want other men looking at you as though they’re picturing you naked. That image belongs to me alone.”
Eva rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the heat that flared in their blue depths or the pleased little smile that curved her lips. Yeah, she didn’t want to admit it, but obviously my possessiveness made her hot. Which was fine by me because I could guarantee it wasn’t going to get any better.
As we walked away, I returned to our previous conversation. “I already asked your dad and brother for permission to marry you, Eva-bear,” I said as I tucked her into my side and kissed her temple.
I thought she would be relieved and relax, but I was proven wrong when she poked me in the side and hissed, “That’s great, but who is going to protect you from my mom when she realizes that she wasn’t at my wedding?”
I certainly wasn’t looking forward to facing Blair after this, but ultimately, it didn’t matter. I would do anything to have Eva, and until she was legally mine, I would mow down any obstacle in my way. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
I’d called in a favor from a judge who I’d helped out of a jam, and after getting our paperwork squared away, I led Eva down to his chambers. He called for us to enter after one knock and when we walked inside, he stood and gave us a friendly smile. When he greeted Eva, his hands and eyes didn’t linger, which made me like the guy even more. I wouldn't have brought my fiancée to him if I didn’t know he was happily married and loved to boast about his children and grandchildren.