The Apple Tree (Sunday Morning, #2) (52)

Before I slid on my shoes, I heard his footsteps behind me.

“Eve,” he said. “Follow me, please.”

I turned as he headed up the stairs.

“Now,” he said, halfway up.

I bowed my head like an errant child and followed him. He peeked into Josh’s room and softly shut the door the rest of the way. Then he continued to his room. That’s when I noticed he had something in his hand.

I stared at that something as I stopped at his door.

He jerked his head for me to keep walking. As soon as I passed the threshold, he closed and locked the door.

The can of beer in his hand hissed when he opened it and handed it to me. I hesitated, gaze flitting between the beer and him. Then I took it.

Kyle tugged the button to his jeans and pulled down the zipper. “I don’t care which you swallow first. Your choice.”





CHAPTER NINETEEN





DEF LEPPARD, “POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME”





Kyle

Melinda thought she was always right.

Caring.

Giving.

Independent.

Confident.

Perfect.

The list of self-declared characteristics went to infinity.

Then she left me with our newborn baby and a letter filled with lies and excuses.

Eve unloaded everything all at once. Maybe any other guy would have run, but I focused on what mattered: She thought of me when she masturbated, and she liked imagining Josh was hers. Sure, some questionable things were mixed between those, but I stayed focused on the important ones.

In the end, I knew she needed me to be human and flawed, to see my impulsive and irrational side.

So I gave her a beer and told her to get on her knees.

A+

Eve was a quick study.

I told her to spit on it, and once she got past her initial embarrassment and apprehension, she gave me the best damn blow job I’d ever had.

“Oh fuuuck …” I groaned as quietly as possible, tipping my head back.

She gazed up at me and grinned. Then she picked her beer off the floor and stood. “How’d I do, Coach?” She took several gulps of the beer while I tucked myself back into my underwear and jeans.

“I’m not proud of that,” I said because I wasn’t.

She sat on the end of my bed, taking another swig of beer. “No? Why not?”

I shook my head, unable to entirely hide my grin. “I’m capable of being a much better man. But I wanted you to know that I’m not perfect, not even close. I make poor decisions that lead to questionable behavior. I don’t think bad decisions are a flaw; it’s one’s inability for self-reflection and willingness to be humbled by our mistakes that makes us insufferable humans.”

Eve drained the rest of the beer and stood. “Your problem is you think everything has to be a lesson. I suppose it’s an occupational hazard.” She handed me the empty can. “Just admit you’ve thought about me doing that to you since the day we met.” With a flat hand, she patted my chest. “They say you're already halfway there if you can visualize something. So way to go.”

She eased open the door, and I stepped into the bathroom. By the time I made it downstairs, she was gone.

I headed downstairs to eat the lunch she brought, but as soon as I turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs, I heard a shrill, bloody-murder scream coming from outside. So I pulled on my boots and ran out the front door toward the barn where the screaming was coming from. Just as I reached the door, Eve hysterically fled the barn.

I caught her, and she buried her face in my chest.

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!” Her body shook.

“What are you doing? Is there a bear in there?”

She shook her head, but it was more like a violent shiver, teeth chattering, breaths short and fast. “It l-looked at m-me … its e-eyes are … ohmygodohmygodohmygod!”

I released her and slowly opened the barn door. There wasn’t anything except … I chuckled. “Eve, are you talking about my deer hanging from the rafters?”

She stared at me with wide eyes, both hands covering her mouth as she slowly nodded.

“I’m draining the rest of the blood. I plan on taking him down later today. What are you doing in the barn?”

Her hands slowly dropped to her side. “Snooping,” she whispered, wrinkling her nose.

I closed the door.

“Snooping for what?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Just snooping. Haven’t you ever just snooped?”

I couldn’t help my grin. She was stubborn and childish, yet sexy as hell, and I ate up her attitude like a bowl of hot buttered popcorn.

“Do you feel bad when you kill animals?” she asked.

I closed the door and leaned against it, sliding my hand into my pockets. “No. I feel grateful for the sacrifice.”

“Do you think I could kill a deer?”

I chuckled. “Baby, I think you can do anything you put your mind to.”

“Will you take me hunting with you?” Eve was full of surprises.

I shrugged. “Eventually.”

Her face lit up. “Really?”

“Really.”

She squealed and threw herself at me, arms around my neck, mouth fused to mine. Opposites were supposed to attract, but I had the female version of myself and felt damn happy about it.