But none of that happened. Rick had in no certain terms issued a label upon her that said she was too much a burden for a lover. And nothing much mattered to her pounding emotions besides proving him wrong.
When The Villain saw her, he nodded in greeting, lowering his hood slowly. Upon spying Rick staring down at her, he frowned. He began walking toward her with such purpose, her toes curled. Evie sucked in a sharp breath, gripping the table once, before nearly exploding from her seat.
She made it to her boss in two large strides and threw an arm around his middle, snuggling into his side.
He tensed all over, so quickly and rigidly that Evie thought for a moment she might have frozen him somehow. But she felt his head move down to her, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Even when he questioned slowly, “Sage… Might I ask why you’re clinging to me like a barnacle?”
She didn’t answer him, just looked back to Rick, whose jaw had fallen to the floor. Evie reached up and patted The Villain’s chest awkwardly. “This is, uh…my lov…er.” She stumbled over the last words, and her boss made an unearthly choking sound.
Evie did look at him then, and his face held a frank horror. His mouth was still open slightly and his brows were so furrowed that they touched. “This is Rick,” Evie said with wide, pleading eyes. “He is someone I used to see.”
The Villain searched her face, and Evie forced a smile, trying to mask the panic she felt. But when her boss tilted his expression back up to Rick, his face was a mask of cool.
“Hello.” Clear warning rang through the hollow edges of the greeting.
Rick sized The Villain up and had the common sense to let the cocky smile slip away. “Oh, hello.”
Her boss couldn’t decide what to do with the hand that was hovering over Evie’s shoulder. She resisted amusement when the arm fell stiffly around her. His lips thinned when Rick tracked the movement.
“Well, Rick, it was delightful seeing you, but you should go,” Evie pressed. “We have lots to do!” The look of scrutiny made her squirm. “Like each other!” She laughed, but she felt her boss jolt under her hands as if she’d slapped him.
Rick coughed before shaking his head and laughing snidely. He started to strut past them but stopped to clap a hand on The Villain’s shoulder. “Good luck.”
Evie felt such waves of embarrassment, she needed to sit. She walked back to the table slowly but whipped around when she heard Rick cry out in pain.
The Villain had his hand around her ex-lover’s shoulder, squeezing so tightly that she could see Rick’s face pinched and frightened as he tried to lean away. “Luck is something you will most certainly need if you ever bother her again.” The dark rasp to his voice sent the hairs on her arms standing on end.
Rick nodded furiously before tripping over himself to move in the other direction.
Evie sat slowly as the barmaid arrived. “Wine, whiskey, rum, whatever you have, bring it.”
“For me as well, whatever she’s having.” The Villain sat with a heavy sigh in the seat beside her.
Pulling a few loose strands of hair behind her back, Evie leaned forward, resting her head on her hands. “Good evening, sir. Thank you for that little rescue back there.”
His eyes widened, and he coughed into his hand. “Good evening, Sage. Don’t…don’t mention it.”
Her brows pushed together in confusion until she noticed his gaze pulled to the ceiling, like he was avoiding looking at her.
“What—” But before she could finish the thought, she remembered how much her dress revealed and pulled herself backward in the seat so hard, she nearly knocked herself over, but the boss reached out quickly to grip her seat, helping the front legs meet the floor once more.
He let go of it as soon as it rested back against the ground on steady legs. “Thank you for assisting me with this. I’m sure you have plenty else to do on the evening of the week’s end.”
Evie snorted. “Sure. Lyssa was going to read me a new novel she’s composing called Trystan and the Lost Princess.”
“Sounds an intriguing tale.” He grimaced, taking the drinks off the barmaid’s tray and sliding one over to her.
“Oh yes, and then I was going to drink tea and settle down with a real book.” Evie smiled, remembering Lyssa’s sketches of her boss for the cover. Grinning wider when she recalled convincing Lyssa to give him a large, feathered hat.
“What sort of book?” The Villain asked, taking a sip.