“You’re taking the dog?” Evan frowned at her as she met him at the door. He’d stepped inside, but just barely. Just enough to close the door and prevent the heat from escaping.

  Randi gaped at him. “I have to take Lily. How would she eat? How would she drink? How would she stay warm?”

  Evan gave her a puzzled look, but he took her laptop and the leash from her hand, after slinging the heavy pack to his shoulder to let her lock up. Randi could feel how much the wind had strengthened since she’d plowed out the driveway. “It is getting bad,” she yelled at Evan as she locked the front door.

  Taking Lily’s leash back from Evan, she sprinted with him to Hope’s large SUV, letting him grasp her hand as they trekked through ankle-deep snow that had fallen or blown into the driveway. It hadn’t been that long since she’d cleaned it, and it was already starting to pile up again.

  Breathless from the shock of the wind and cold once she settled into the luxurious SUV, she leaned back against the leather, relieved. It was her first winter alone in Dennis and Joan’s home. She hadn’t been looking forward to experiencing it without power for a few days. Being there was both a comfort and a trigger for her melancholy moods when she was missing them. Without power, she’d started feeling downright gloomy.

  “Thanks,” she told Evan as he put the vehicle in motion, and Lily found a comfortable position sitting between her legs on the floorboard.

  Evan frowned at Lily as she whined and squirmed with excitement before focusing his attention on the road.

  “You don’t like dogs?” Randi asked just to make conversation. She might only be ten miles out of town, but it was going to be a long ride, since the roads sucked. They looked like they’d been plowed, but the wind was blowing a massive amount of snow, making visibility a nightmare.

  “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had one,” he answered flatly.

  “Cats?”

  “I’ve never had any type of animal,” Evan said shortly. “I travel too much.”

  Randi’s heart sank, remembering that Hope had once told her that her father had hated animals and hadn’t allowed any of the kids to have a pet. She sank her fingers into Lily’s silky coat. “Well, Evan, this is Lily. She was my college graduation present from my foster parents. She’s four years old and is generally very well behaved. She just gets excited because she loves to go for rides.”

  “Will she need to go to the bathroom?” Evan asked, sounding concerned.

  Randi chuckled at his serious tone. “No. She can hold it. Just keep moving or we might get stuck.” She hesitated as she looked at the road in front of them, the visibility so bad that she could barely make out the road. “Can you see okay?”

  Evan shrugged his broad shoulders. “Not great. But I’ll get us home safely.”

  His voice was so calm, so certain, that Randi relaxed. She doubted there was anything that Evan Sinclair wasn’t capable of doing well. She was glad she wasn’t driving. She could probably get through it, but she’d be white-knuckled for the whole drive. Bad weather rarely bothered her, but this was an epic blizzard, even for the East Coast. “I’m surprised that they actually plowed way out here.”

  “They didn’t,” Evan answered. “We sent the Peninsula plow out before the SUV. You never would have made it into town. I can’t believe you were even going to attempt the drive.”

  “I guess I forgot how bad the roads can get out here. It’s my first winter in the house since I went off to college.” Randi had moved back in with Joan last summer, giving up her small apartment in town to take care of her. “Joan needed help, and I couldn’t leave her alone anymore. She was forgetting to take her medications, and she wasn’t eating very well.”

  “Your foster mother?” Evan questioned. “Hope told me she passed away not long ago.”

  Randi nodded, even though Evan was focused on the road. “I miss her. I miss both my foster parents.” She buried her fingers in Lily’s fur, stroking the dog more to comfort herself than Lily.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Evan said in a husky voice.

  “Thanks,” she finally answered Evan’s expression of sympathy, not certain what to make of him at the moment. His comment was probably the nicest thing he’d ever said to her.

  She stared at him in profile, unable to ignore his strong, capable fingers gripping the steering wheel and the rugged handsomeness of his features from a sideways view. He had a small amount of dark stubble on his jaw, but that only made him hotter, more approachable. Randi was willing to bet that the coat—identical to or the same as the one she’d spilled her coffee on—cost more than her monthly salary. But he somehow seemed . . . different today.

  Why?

  Even though the SUV was large, she could smell his masculine scent, and the fragrance made every female hormone in her body take notice. She’d always loved Evan’s essence, ever since the first time she’d had to stand beside him at Emily’s wedding.

  He doesn’t seem like he has a stick up his ass today!

  He was still arrogant, but he seemed more . . . relaxed. Her eyes traveled down his body, noting that he was actually dressed in a pair of jeans and was wearing boots instead of shoes. Granted, they looked like they were expensive black leather, but they were more casual, lace-up boots rather than his usual sleek, custom-made shoes. Those were gone today, as were his usual suit and tie. The whole package made him seem more . . . human, and eminently more touchable.

  Randi was silent as Evan navigated the roads, not only to let him concentrate, but because desire was burning so fiercely in her gut that she couldn’t really even make conversation.

  It had always been this way for her. She’d always wanted Evan Sinclair with a savage intensity that she constantly had to fight.

  She didn’t understand it.

  She didn’t like it.

  However, it wouldn’t go away, even when Evan was being a complete ass—which had been almost constantly from the moment they’d first met.

  It’s just physical. I haven’t gotten laid for a long time.

  Truthfully, she hadn’t had sex with anybody since college. During the six years it had taken to get her master’s degree, she’d had some casual flings and a couple of boyfriends. Since returning to Amesport she hadn’t wanted to start a relationship unless she knew it could be something permanent. She’d had her wild days during college. She was yearning for something solid, something other than empty sex.

  Establishing her career had come first, and once she had started tutoring and then caring for Joan, every minute of her day had been busy.

  Randi rationalized that because it had been years since she’d had decent sex, it was perfectly normal to be attracted to Evan. He was definitely the hottest guy she’d ever seen.

  Feeling more at ease after justifying the passionate urge she had to jump Evan’s bones, she sighed.

  “Tired?” Evan asked curiously.

  “No. Just glad we’re getting close to town.” Starting to see familiar territory, she realized they were on the edges of Amesport. “If you could drop me off at Hope’s place, I’d appreciate it. She offered to put me up.”

  “I can’t drop you off there.” Evan dismissed her request patiently as he navigated toward the Peninsula.

  Randi gaped at him. “Why?”

  Evan was silent for a few moments before answering. “Because you’re staying with me.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Don’t panic. You can do this for a day or two. It isn’t a big deal.

  Randi released a heavy breath as she watched Evan shuck his coat and scarf, getting an eyeful of what a perfect ass in a pair of jeans actually looked like. Holy shit! Evan Sinclair’s butt was a work of art, and his broad shoulders in the cream-colored fisherman’s sweater he was wearing seemed enormous.

  He’s not that incredibly built. He’s not. He really isn’t.

  Evan turned around suddenly, lifting a brow at her as he saw exactly what area her eyes were glued to. Jerking away her gaze that was now trained on his crotch, she actually blushed.

  “I can’t do this,” she protested weakly . . . again.

  She’d argued with Evan about staying with him at his place, but he’d serenely pointed out that Hope’s cat, Daisy, hated dogs. She’d forgotten about Daisy and just about everything else since Evan had picked her up. It was like her IQ score had taken a sudden hit, and she couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say when she was in Evan’s presence.

  “Of course you can,” Evan argued. “There’s plenty of room.”

  I can’t be trusted to be alone with you, and it has nothing to do with space.

  “It isn’t the size of the house,” she admitted, unzipping her jacket and shrugging out of it.

  “Is it because you know I want to fuck you?” Evan asked evenly.

  Randi’s eyes grew wide the moment Evan made his blunt admission.

  Moving forward, Evan took the jacket from her hand and hung it up in the entry closet beside his, talking as he performed the task. “Miranda, I think we’re both uncomfortable with each other because all we want to do is fuck each other senseless.”

  Randi couldn’t seem to form any words, still shocked at his straightforward confession. The Evan she was familiar with wasn’t a guy who said something like that. Generally, he didn’t say much at all.

  He continued, “Maybe we should both put it out there and deal with it.” He turned and pierced her with a dark look. “I want you. I always have.”

  He motioned toward the living room and Randi automatically moved into the next room, even though it was pretty dark. “You can’t stand me.” She could barely keep herself from stammering as she flopped into one of the leather chairs in front of a fireplace, stunned.

  Evan flicked a switch, starting the gas fireplace so the room was dimly illuminated before seating himself across from her in a matching chair. “I never disliked you. I don’t even really know you.”

  “You ignored me,” Randi protested, remembering how humiliated she’d felt when she’d gotten the cold shoulder from Evan.

  He shrugged. “My dick was hard. It wasn’t easy to ignore my attraction to you, and it showed.”

  “But I was nice to you, I wanted to be your friend because your brother was marrying one of my best friends.” She still remembered how crushed she’d been when Evan had ignored her efforts to be nice to him at Emily’s wedding.

  “I was an asshole. I generally am,” he told her nonchalantly.

  Randi opened her mouth to speak, but how could she argue with him? He was declaring himself an unpleasant person already. Closing her mouth, she fixed her eyes on his expression, trying to figure him out. Was Evan really a jerk, or was he just painfully blunt? Either way, he was usually not a pleasant person to be around. Yet she found him intriguing. He was a mystery to solve, a puzzle to put together. If he was in the mood to talk, maybe she could dig for a little information to figure him out.

  Lily had been exploring the enormous mansion since she’d pranced in the front door. Now, she was head-butting Randi’s arm.

  “She needs to go outside,” Randi told Evan as she rose to her feet. The last thing she needed was Lily leaving her mark on one of the plush, expensive area rugs in Evan’s living room.

  “Is that how you know?” Evan asked curiously as he strode across the room and opened one of the French doors that led to a patio.

  “Yes. She’s pretty adamant when she really has to go.” Randi eyed the patio doubtfully. “Is there a place for her to go?”

  “Any place outside of the door is preferable,” he said, deadpan.

  Randi walked onto the covered patio and opened a small gate leading to the beach. Lily sprinted out into the snow. “She can’t poop on the patio.”

  “It can be cleaned up. It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I’m going to use it right now, and it’s probably warmer than it is beyond that gate.”

  Laughter burst from Randi’s mouth because she was unable to contain it. Evan had said some of the oddest, most surprising things today. And she was fairly certain he probably meant them. “She’s used to going all the way outside.”

  Randi left the gate propped open and slipped back through the door. “It’s cold.” She was shivering as she closed the door, knowing Lily would come back when she was finished.

  Evan blocked her escape route with his body. His touch was gentle as he slipped his fingers into her hair and tipped her head up to look at him. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, Miranda. At Emily’s wedding, I really didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything.”

  Randi looked up at him and shivered as she fell into his dark, liquid blue eyes. He was looking at her like a predator that hadn’t had food in weeks, his gaze devouring every inch of her face. His intensity at the moment made her edgy, and his unexpected apology threw her off balance. This wasn’t the Evan she was used to, the Evan who either ignored her or threw out condescending comments.

  His body pressed closer, his free hand resting against the door beside her face.

  “I forgive you,” she said in a rushed voice. “Just don’t kiss me again.”

  If he lays those lips on me, I know I’m toast.

  His unique, masculine scent surrounded her, sinking into every pore of her skin, intoxicating her. If he tasted her, she’d never be able to resist him.

  “Why?” he asked huskily. “Don’t tell me you don’t want this, Miranda.”

  His tone was entreating, almost pleading with her to acknowledge the smoldering heat between them. Her heart skittered as he pressed his lips to her temple, leaving a hot trail of breath along the side of her face.

  “I can’t,” she said painfully, knowing she wanted him to kiss her worse than she’d ever wanted anything else in her life. “And nobody calls me Miranda.”

  “You can,” he cajoled. “And I prefer Miranda. It’s a beautiful name.”

  “I hate it.” Randi’s chest was heaving as Evan’s lips trailed lightly to her ear, his heated breath on her sensitive skin making it difficult for her to draw a breath. “Only my real mother used that name.”

  “Maybe you could learn to like it again if there was a man saying it while he was making you come harder than you ever have before,” Evan suggested hoarsely in her ear.

  Oh, sweet baby Jesus. Randi was afraid she’d probably learn to love her full name again under those circumstances. All thoughts of her birth mother gone, the only thing she could think of was the mental picture he’d just painted.

  Him . . . in the heat of passion, groaning her name like she was a goddess, pounding into her as she experienced the most divine climax of her life. If his fierce expression was any indication of how he pleasured a woman, he’d strip away every defense she’d built up over the years and leave her begging for more. She felt helpless to resist this seductive side of Evan she’d never seen before.

  Reaching behind her, he opened the door to let Lily come back in, and then he closed it quickly and flipped the lock, surging forward as he made the motions.

  His engorged cock pressed against her pelvis, and she bit her lip to stifle a moan as she felt the size and strength of his erection against her body.

  “Kiss me,” Evan demanded as he moved his hands down her back and cupped her jean-clad ass with both of his large, strong hands. His fingers gripped the flesh and pulled her molten core into his hard form. “You asked me not to kiss you, so you have to kiss me.”

  Randi’s willpower broke as she looked up and saw the longing in Evan’s eyes. It was an echo of exactly what she was feeling, and she could no more resist him than she could stop breathing. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she speared her hands into his coarse hair and yanked his mouth down to hers. She needed his touch more than she wanted to resist him, and as his lips collided with hers, Randi completely forgot why she was even trying to fight the urge to devour him.

  He sprang into action the moment she kissed him, taking control as he demanded her complete surrender. Tasting. Teasing. Commanding. Evan’s tongue swept into her mouth, wiping away every doubt she had as he conquered her mouth with his own, leaving her breathless and mindless as he finally surfaced, his teeth catching her bottom lip and nipping at the flesh as though he wanted to mark it.

  His lips were suddenly everywhere, and Randi’s hand left his hair and wrapped around his neck as she felt herself being lifted off her feet. She landed on something soft—she assumed it was the couch—but she wasn’t about to turn her head away from his mouth to look. She was too obsessed with the feel of his body against hers to give a crap what she’d landed on.

  For some unknown reason, she felt safe letting Evan take control of her body while it burned for his possession. She knew he was feeling the same insane desires that she was experiencing right now.

  Randi nearly whimpered as her body lost contact with his. Opening her eyes, her breath hitched as she saw Evan in the firelight, whipping his sweater over his head and pulling it from his body like he wanted it gone right that second. Randi blinked, stunned by the sight of his muscular chest and defined abs, covered by an abundance of bare skin that she was suddenly itching to touch.

  “You’re beautiful,” she breathed softly, still dazed by his passion.

  His eyes were like blue flames, his solemn, unwavering stare fixed on her as he tossed his sweater on the floor. Evan didn’t speak as he kneeled beside the couch and sat her up, pulling her sweater over her head. She helped him, tossing the garment to the side, and reached for the front clip of her bra.

  “Wait,” Evan insisted, fingering the silky material and tracing her hard, sensitive nipples through the bra. “This is sexy. I want to remember you like this. I want to remember everything.”

  His deep voice was so reverent that the vibrations tremored down her spine and left goose bumps over her skin. “I need this, Evan. Please. This doesn’t have to mean that I like you, or that I expect anything. You don’t have to like me, either, in the future. But I want this now.”

  She was usually overly cautious, and not likely to be so needy under usual circumstances. But she was tired of fighting her unrelenting attraction to this man, so tired of grieving her loss, and so damn weary of feeling so empty inside.