He figured Eve needed sex. Most women this uptight could use a quick slam-bam, just to relieve the tension. She was pretty enough, but her attitude sucked. As she stood before the computer, her posture was protective, as if she were defending herself against the world.
A man dedicated to foreplay and follow-through, he’d like nothing more than to unwind that tight-ass braid and watch the dark blond strands tickle low on her spine. He’d like to bite her lip, suck her sharp tongue into his mouth, tangle with her until she went soft and pliant.
She’d fight him.
And he’d win.
One dusk-to-dawn with her, and—
“I thought you’d be closed by now.” Taylor Hannah’s appearance took Sloan by surprise. “It’s dark in here.”
“We’re supposed to be closed.” Eve looked pointedly at Sloan. “Last-minute customer.”
Sloan ignored Eve’s jab. Taylor took his breath away in her red tank dress and turquoise-jeweled sandals. He loved tanned, toned women with the strength to crack a walnut with their thighs. Taylor was a nutcracker—of that he was certain.
Eve looked up and smiled at her sister.
Metal flashed, and Sloan blinked. Eve had braces. He wouldn’t have known she even had teeth had Taylor not shown up. Eve didn’t smile nearly enough. She had a soft, single dimple and a sweet curve to her mouth, surprisingly nice.
“I’ve signed Sloan McCaffrey for La Grave,” he heard Eve say. “He’s willing to risk life and limb to challenge the mountain.”
“My kind of guy.” Taylor’s approval came with a wink and a handshake. “There’s no better place to play with the elements than the Alps. You’re so high on the mountain you almost brush against the clouds and can nearly kiss the sky.”
“Thin air and altitude can make you both tired and drunk, if you’re not careful.” This from Eve.
Damn, Eve was a downer. Taylor, a wet dream. Shaking Taylor’s hand, he waited for the static zing he’d felt with Eve, yet got nothing beyond her soft, dry palm. Shit fire.
Cutting his gaze to Eve, he caught her once again watching him with her snippy disapproval. The woman needed a man to back her against a brick wall, lift her flowing white skirt, and rock her hips into tomorrow.
Turning back toward the friendly sister, he asked, “Any chance we could hook up before La Grave?”
Taylor slowly shook her head. “Sorry, no time. I’m bound for Africa on Monday. Desert hiking in the Sahara. I have weekly trips scheduled for the rest of the year. I won’t be returning to Richmond until Thanksgiving.”
That news sucked. “How’s your knee?”
Taylor hesitated. “I’m holding my own.”
Barely holding her own. Sloan caught the ACE bandage that wrapped her knee as she stepped around the counter. She walked with her weight on the outer edge of her foot. Short, precise steps kept her balanced. Given the clench of her jaw as well as the white lines that bracketed her mouth, she was in pain. No way would Taylor be trekking the Sahara in four days.
“I came to check on Addie’s party,” Taylor announced, addressing Eve. She crossed to a filing cabinet set against the brick wall, opened the top drawer, and plucked out a manila folder. Flipping it open, she ran her finger down the typewritten page and nodded her approval. “The caterer, decorations, RSVPs, everything’s come together. Addie’s birthday is good to go.”
A birthday party? Sloan didn’t care who Addie was; he wanted an invitation.
“I’ve added Jacy and Risk Kincaid to the guest list,” Taylor told Eve as she closed the file and returned it to the cabinet. “Addie adores them both.”
“Mayor Talbott invited himself,” Eve informed her sister. “Addie’s involvement in senior citizen reform caught his attention. I think Talbott’s more interested in a photo op than allocating funds for community transportation.”
Taylor sighed. “Seniors could use those buses. Many no longer have their driver’s licenses, and they can’t get around town. Maybe if we all jump Talbott at the party, he’ll make a commitment.”
Seniors in need of transportation—Sloan stored the information.
“We’ll definitely work toward that goal,” Eve agreed as she collected the printed receipt on Sloan’s itinerary and slid it across the counter to him. He noticed she avoided any contact this time around. “Jingle bells.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile. “May you live to put out milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.”
The woman didn’t believe he’d return in one piece. He had every intention of enjoying the holiday. Maybe even enjoying it with Taylor. Surely she’d be home for Christmas.
“Stop back anytime,” Taylor invited as he strolled toward the door. “Eve’s here every day to show videos on the various locales and to answer questions. Even the most hard-core thrill seekers get the jitters before a trip. Eve’s good at soothing nerves.”
Soothing? Eve had the personality of a porcupine. “No jitters,” he assured Taylor. “I’ve nerves of steel.”
“Easy to say now.” Eve’s words hit him square between the shoulder blades. “Wait until you face an uninterrupted vertical drop of five thousand meters. You’ll be quaking in your snow boots.”
“I don’t quake,” he tossed back. “The only time I shudder is in orgasm.”
He caught Eve’s reflection as he shoved open the glass door and walked into the night. Her jaw had dropped and her eyes had gone wide. Her braid had worked its way over her shoulder, the tight-ass tip tweaking her right breast.
Satisfied he’d shaken her up, he left her to imagine his shudder.
CHAPTER FIVE
Anger shook Eve Hannah when she faced Sloan McCaffrey four days later at the front door of Addie’s town house. “You’re crashing my eighty-year-old grandmother’s birthday party?” Her tone was disbelieving. “Are you out of your mind?”
“I like older people,” he said defensively. “I had no plans for the evening, so I thought I’d drop by.”
Eve stared at the broad-shouldered man in the gray T-shirt, black leather vest, and distressed jeans. His hair was still damp from a recent shower. He hadn’t bothered to shave for what appeared to be days.
A motorcycle helmet hung from his left hand. She looked down her nose at the big, bad bike parked on the lawn. “Is that your ride on the new sod?”