Page 41 of Meant for You

“Did I?” she said, taking something out of another drawer.

Panties. They were fucking bright blue panties.

I took a steadying breath and cleared my throat. “I was worried you might be…upset or something.”

A bra came out next. Bright blue as well. Lace. You’d be able to see right through it, see the color of her nipples.

“Nope, not upset,” she said and turned to me. “I’m not some fragile little miss who crumples at the sight of fighting, Dane. I did live in that house with you for three years. You know what I’ve seen. I was pissed off, though.”

Eves didn’t swear. Pissed off was not something I’d heard her say very often. I’d seen that flash of annoyance in her brown eyes a time or two, though. “Okay. Why?”

“You knew Tanner was going to catch us kissing. That’s why you were so insistent. It was underhand, Dane. I didn’t like that or the way it made me feel.”

I stood straighter. “Whoa. Back the fuck up. That’s not what that was, not at all.”

Her brows shot up. “You’re telling me you had no idea Tanner would come looking for you to spar?”

“I had no damn clue. Was I broken up he caught us?” I shrugged. “No. The guy’s a fuckwit and I’d rather you stay away from him. I didn’t plan it, though. I’m not that much of an asshole.”

She chewed the side of her lip. “If you say that’s how it was, I believe you. But I need you to promise me you won’t be all overprotective while we’re doing this.”

I couldn’t promise that. I crossed my arms.

“Dane,” she bit out.

“Fine,” I said, but we both knew it was a lie.

She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms as well. “So what was that all about then, that kiss, if it wasn’t about Tanner?” she surprised me by asking. Eves wasn’t the direct type. At least she never used to be.

My gaze held hers. “Exactly what I said, practice makes perfect.”

She stared back at me for a long time. She had to know I was full of shit. It was the lamest excuse in the history of a guy wanting to kiss his girl.

But instead of calling me on it, she nodded. There was a reason for that. I knew it. I wasn’t sure if she did yet, if she was going to let herself even think it. But Everly wanted me kissing her. That was the only explanation.

She cleared her throat, the pulse there under her skin pounding hard. “So, um, what happens tonight?”

“I’ve made plans, but why don’t you tell me what you want?” I said, because I wanted this to be perfect. I had to do this right. “Where do you want to start?”

“You’re the one who has all the dating experience,” she said and opened the bathroom door. “Surprise me.” Then she walked in and shut the door behind her.

The shower came on a moment later.

I had no such thing. Dating was not something I’d done a lot of, but if acting like I had got me Everly, helped me win her over, made her love me as more than her best friend, then I’d work that shit out.

I just hoped like fuck I got it right tonight. Bull sure as shit hadn’t had anything intelligent to add when I was in the bar earlier. His great advice had been “take her somewhere” and “buy her some girlie shit.” I’d worked out that much on my own, and I didn’t even know if Eves liked girlie shit, whatever the hell that was.

That’s when Quinn, who’d overheard her fiancé’s lame advice, had stepped in. She’d offered some help, well, guidance really. And she’d know better than me.

I glanced around the room to Everly’s overflowing bookshelf and smiled. Christ, she was a bookworm. I used to love watching her read. She’d pull all these cute-as-fuck facial expressions, like she was so immersed in the book she was right there with the characters.

I spotted something at the bottom poking out from the shelf. A folder. One I hadn’t seen in a long time. My gut churned at the sight of it.

I walked over, slipped it free, and dropped it on the bed, flipping it open.

My gaze moved over the drawing at the top of the pile. Cartoon versions of me and Eves. I’d drawn it for her. As usual, there’d been a party going on in the house and I’d taken my pad and pencils and started sketching, something Eves had loved watching me do.

I flipped through. There were more cartoons of us, more of other people we’d known. Tattoos I’d tried to design, other silly stuff I’d done to try and make her laugh, anything to take her mind off what was going on outside my bedroom door.