Let Hate Go, page 4
“I think you already have,” he whispered, his own smile lighting up his face. “And I think you’re going to say yes to me.”
“So sure of yourself,” I teased.
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
“Yeah, Eddie, that’s a yes. But it’ll be a no if you don’t do something about the pain starting to kick in.”
“Oh shit, Evie. I was so wrapped up in being happy you were awake, I forgot damn fucking protocol. Be right back.” He did just that, coming back shortly with a different doctor. I was checked out, given new meds, and I started drifting back to sleep. I saw Eddie’s smiling face looking down at me, and I went to sleep wearing the same smile on mine.
Eddie
“This is serious,” I told Mason, Kat, Benny, and Sophie as we sat around the table, eating cake and drinking wine and beer. I’d come over to Mason and Kat’s for dinner, something I’d been doing quite often since I’d had that conversation with Kat and promised to be more present.
Benny and Sophie tended to come over as well, which I appreciated since I got to hang out with all of them at the same time. John and Chain sometimes joined us but not today. The kids had long since retired to the living room to watch something on TV, which left the adults chatting.
Somehow, inquisitive Kat and Sophie managed to finagle info on Evie from me. Now they all knew the entire story. So if they knew, then they might as well help me. Except they were absolutely no help.
“Kidnap her.” Kat had snickered when I’d asked them for advice on a good “real” first date.
“Ha-ha, not funny,” I deadpanned.
“Hot air balloon?” Mason tossed out.
“Come on, I’m not trying to propose here. A little extravagant, don’t you think?”
“Recreate your date but make it better,” Sophie suggested. That hadn’t been a half-bad idea, but I was afraid going to the same place might stir up some of the negative memories we’d made there in that short hour.
Then they tossed out some insane ideas like bungee jumping, cliff diving, the traveling circus, or a trip to Europe.
That was when I implored them to be serious.
The ever quiet, ever observant Benny finally piped up. As always, he was the voice of reason.
“Honestly, Eddie, you know our stories. We’re the worst people to ask for advice on something like this. Kat’s first suggestion, although a joke, is really right up our alley. You want a good first date? You got to figure it out on your own.”
Sadly, he was right. But as if his words were magical, it came to me. “Thanks, Benny. Words of wisdom hit the spot as always.” He nodded his head before tipping back his beer to take a swig.
We finished the evening, and I went home, researching how to make my first date plan work.
Evie had to stay in the hospital for a few more days, and I visited her every day, regardless of my working hours.
“The other patients are going to think I’m getting some sort of preferential treatment,” she told me.
“Should I make good on that? What kind of preferential treatment would you like?” I said as I raised my eyebrows before winking.
Evie chuckled in response. “Always flirting. At least now I know it wasn’t because you were trying to get out of a ticket. It’s just your usual way of talking.”
“I didn’t care about the ticket, Evie,” I told her seriously. “I admired who you were in the position you were in. I couldn’t help flirting because I was turned the fuck on.”
“You have to understand that because of that, the comments I usually get aren’t because they respect me. It’s because they don’t,” she told me. “I’m sorry I misjudged you, but you can’t blame me for assuming the worst.”
“No,” I admitted. “I can’t, and I understand. But I’m glad we got that sorted out.”
“Me too,” she said with a shy smile.
After her release from the hospital, she was on bed rest for about a week, which she hated. I knew this because we had exchanged numbers and began talking every day. It was mostly via text, us bantering back and forth, me asking how she was feeling, her telling me to stop “doctoring.” We also turned the text conversations into long-drawn-out get-to-know-you sessions. I now knew how many broken bones she’d had and how she got them, her childhood nicknames, how she liked her coffee, and so many other random facts. And she knew the same about me.
I’d even convinced her to let me visit her one day at home. I brought Chinese takeout, and we sat on her couch watching re-runs of Friends, something we found we both liked to do.
We hadn’t been on a “real” first date yet, and I’d already felt like we were dating. Or at least courting, for lack of a better word.
But after my dinner at Kat and Mason’s, with Evie getting stronger each day, I wanted to take advantage of the day off we both had the next day. I called her and told her to be ready bright and early.
“Don’t dates usually take place in the evening?” she asked.
“We’ll get there too.” I told her what to wear and what to take.
I picked her up the next day, and even though she pestered me with questions the entire way there, I didn’t spill.
“An amusement park?” she asked when she finally realized where we were as we parked in the lot. By the surprise in her voice, I honestly couldn’t tell whether she was shocked in a good way or a bad way. I hoped it was the former.
“I know you can’t go on all the rides because you’re still healing, so I promise we’ll come back another time for the thrill stuff,” I told her. “But they have plenty of activities and slow-moving rides that you’re okay to go on.” I looked at her expression; it was perplexed and joyous at the same time, but she hadn’t responded to my words, so I continued, explaining why I chose this. “I didn’t have much of a childhood,” I told her. She knew a little about it, but every time we got into it, I didn’t go into too many details. She knew the basics, and that was it. “So I didn’t go to amusement parks as a kid. It wasn’t until Kat and Mason took me under their wing that I actually got to do things a kid was supposed to, and by then, I was already a bit older, so the wonder, while still great, was a little lost. Now that I’m older, that little bit of magic is back when I think about how simple life was in that short time when I got to be a kid.” I paused to let what I’d told her thus far sink in. I could see the sadness filling her eyes on my behalf, and as wrong as it was, it made me a little happy to know she cared enough about me to feel pity for me.
“Don’t be sad for me,” I told her. “I’m happy with how my life turned out. I’m a successful doctor, and I don’t know that I would have been on that path if my life hadn’t taken the journey it did. But we work so hard, Evie. You and me both. We’re so serious in our daily lives, saving lives and kicking asses,” I joked, and that brought a smile to her lips. “I just thought we deserved a day to be kids again, to feel that bit of joy you could only feel when we didn’t have the responsibilities we do now.”
She stayed silent for entire minute—a minute that stretched out so long as I waited, holding my breath to find out if she thought this idea was lame or sweet.
After that painful minute, I saw her face light up into a giant smile, and I sighed in relief. “Eddie Valencia, I do believe you have a romantic and sweet side underneath all that cheesy flirting and ego-driven crap. I love this,” she said as she nodded toward the park we were currently sitting in front of. “The date hasn’t started yet, but I can tell you already that this is the best first date I’ve been on.”
If relief and happiness could be tangible, I’d be holding them both in my hands right then, squeezing so tightly that they would never leave.
“Thank fucking God,” I said. “Now let’s go be kids,” I told her as I got out of the car and opened her door to help her out. I grabbed her hand, and she didn’t pull away as we started walking toward the entrance. “And maybe if I’m lucky, you’ll let me feel you up behind the kiddie ride,” I added with a wink.
“And there goes the romance right out the window,” she said, but her teasing tone was apparent.
“What?” I asked innocently. “Okay, fine, over the shirt, one boob grab,” I joked.
“What the hell am I going to do with you?” she asked with a laugh.
“Kiss me?” I asked, or somewhat suggested, only partially joking. She stopped walking, so I did too, and I faced her. My mouth opened to ask what the matter was when she leaned in. I was momentarily shocked, but apparently, my mouth knew exactly what to do even if my mind didn’t when her warm lips brushed mine. She began to pull away, but I put my arms around her and deepened the kiss. Our lips molded into one, and when her mouth opened in surprise, my tongue darted in to taste hers. Heaven. Heaven on earth. That was what this was.
Our tongues danced as our mouths moved in time with each other, a slow, sensual dance, a promise of what our bodies could do if we allowed them to.
When it was over, we pulled apart, and I watched as her eyes fluttered open.
“Wow,” she whispered.
“That about sums it up,” I said with a bit of a cocky grin even though I was just as blown away as she was. What? It was my nature.
“You’re lucky I’m still a bit loopy from the meds,” she told me as she playfully swatted my chest.
“The meds, sure. Has nothing to do with the effect my kisses have on you.”
“Eddie Valencia, I’d advise you to shut up before you ruin my best first date,” she told me in a stern tone, similar to the one she used when she was all business in her uniform.
“Oh fuck, Evie, don’t get me hard before we go to a place filled with little kids.”
She just shook her head, but the smile on her lips was evident. I pulled her to me, wrapping my arm around her shoulders as we began to walk toward the best first date either one of us was ever going to have.
Evie
I’d never had a guy take the time to think a date through the way Eddie did. All the other ones were just a basic dinner, sometimes followed by drinks, sometimes a movie, and sometimes a stroll somewhere. The point was they weren’t ever original. Eddie, though, man, he blew all my other first dates out of the water.
Even if Eddie and I weren’t in it for the long haul, I’d forever compare every first date to this one. We couldn’t go on some of the more adventurous rides due to my medical restrictions, but we did do the train around the park, rode some of the little kid rides, and enjoyed their version of a Ferris wheel. We also played games and pigged out on fried food throughout the day. We ended the night by eating dinner at one of the small restaurants in the park, followed by watching the fireworks show, and then Eddie took me home.
I was tempted to invite him in, but before I could debate whether I was ready for that or not, he pulled me into his arms when we reached my door and claimed my lips with his. We hadn’t kissed all day after that kiss I’d initiated thanks to his bold suggestion. And now, for the second time that day, I was left breathless.
“I’m dying to ask you to let me in,” Eddie said after our lips had parted, leaving only a few inches between us, “but this is different. You’re different, and I’m not going to fuck this up. I’m going to show you that I meant every word when I told you I admired you for the strong, capable woman you are. So despite how hard this is going to be, how very fucking hard …” he trailed off as he glanced down, forcing my eyes to look down as well, and I giggled like a schoolgirl at the obvious tent he was sporting. I secretly patted myself on the back for getting that reaction out of Eddie with just a simple taste of my lips. “I’m going to do this right. No hanky-panky, Officer Drew,” he said with a smile, and I laughed at his choice of words. “Not until I know that you know that I’m serious about us, about this,” he said gesturing his finger back and forth between us.
It had been the most endearing moment of my life.
“Thank you,” I told him before kissing him with everything in me, showing him with my lips my appreciation for his words.
That was a month ago. I’d be lying if I said the past month wasn’t phenomenal. It was. Somehow not sleeping together heightened every activity, even something as mundane as taking a run together. Maybe it was the sexual tension between us. No, scratch that, there was no maybe about it; it was thanks to the sexual tension. It made every move, every touch its own special moment.
We’d spent the better part of the month dating like any normal couple except we’d stepped it into overdrive. We talked every day, be it by text, via email, or on the phone. Often it was a simple, “Good morning.” Other times, Eddie would wish me luck. “Kicking ass and saving lives.” I always laughed out loud when I read those texts.
When I was up to it, we started running together. Eddie used the excuse that he needed to be there to monitor me in case I had any issues stemming from my gunshot wound. Silly boy, I would have agreed regardless, but it was absolutely cute to see the excuses he’d come up with to spend time with me. I think he knew he didn’t need to, but he liked doing it because he knew I liked it. It was just another form of his flirting. Funny how his flirting was what caused the initial hate between us, and now I couldn’t get enough of it.
“Who’s the guy?” Nelson asked after about a week.
“What are you talking about?” I asked him back.
“Don’t play dumb, Drew. Don’t forget I’ve been in that new love stage before. Plus, I’m your partner. Spending an ungodly number of hours by your side has me knowing when something’s up. And something is definitely up. Of the guy variety.”
“I’m seeing someone,” I admitted.
“Do I need to run a background check?” he asked, completely serious.
“No, no,” I protested. “I trust him.”
“And you already ran one, didn’t you?”
“That would be a violation of the proper use of our power,” I countered.
“So that’s a yes. And I’m guessing he passed.”
“Just a few speeding tickets. Nothing major,” I finally admitted. What? I’m a cop. I couldn’t very well risk being with a criminal just in case. It was standard practice for me. Besides, I’d actually run it when I’d first met Eddie, back when I hated him. It was strictly out of curiosity about the asshole who’d gotten under my skin. It just so happened that we started dating months later.
“Okay, all right by me,” Nelson responded. “If it gets serious, I’ll want to meet him.”
“Yes, Dad,” I teased.
“You met MaryAnn the first week we were partners,” he pointed out.
“Okay, fine. If things get serious, we’ll go on a double date.” The funny thing was that things were serious. We hadn’t slept together, and it’s not like I called him my boyfriend, or he called me his girlfriend, so how serious could things really be? But I felt as though I’d known him for years. I was already comfortable with him, and I saw him almost every day. We’d even fallen asleep in each other’s arms, cuddled on the couch, watching a movie on several occasions. It had felt really nice, really, really nice to wake up in his warm embrace with his arm draped over my body, caging me in as if he were protecting me. Truth be told, I was pretty sure if shit hit the fan, it would be me protecting us. Not because he wasn’t capable, but because I had the skills and training.
I cared about Eddie, more so than I probably wanted to admit to myself. And every day, my feelings grew stronger. This one month felt like a much longer time. Maybe it was the amount of time we spent together. Think about it, when you were in college or shortly after, you dated someone, and you saw them roughly once a week. You did this for about six months before you could say you really cared about them. But Eddie and me? We’d basically spent more time together than apart. We saw each other at least five days a week. The other days were because our working schedules didn’t click, he saw his family, or I saw mine, or we hung out with our respective friends. Otherwise, we’d crammed six months of dating into one month.
And still no sex. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated his restraint, and it was obvious that it took a lot of restraint on his part to keep little Eddie in his pants, but enough was enough. I had desires too, and currently, my desires focused solely on Eddie. Talk about sexual frustration or the female version of blue balls. I had them. And if Eddie wasn’t going to cross that line come this weekend, well, then … He always said he admired my strength, so I guess he’d see just how strong I could be … with my powers of sexual persuasion.
It was time we took this to the next level, and I had just the idea to get us there.
Eddie
My dick and my hand agreed that being a gentleman sucked. I hadn’t had to jack off this much since I was a teen. But, fuck, I was trying to be good. I was trying to show Evie that it wasn’t just about getting her into bed. I hadn’t known her long, and even then, our interactions weren’t the greatest, but when I saw her on that gurney, my heart had dropped into the pit of my stomach. If that didn’t mean something, I didn’t know what did. In other words, I had been ready to be all in from that moment. Call me a romantic or whatever, but I’d lived through enough shit in my life to know not to take the good stuff for granted.
If I was handed something special, you bet your ass I was going to grab it with both hands and not let go. And if you knew Mason and Kat’s love story or Benny and Sophie’s, you’d believe in fate. Just too many things akin to fate were bringing Evie and me together to brush it off.
It was also about dispelling her concern that I was just like every other asshole who had hit on her in hopes of nailing her. She’d said on many occasions that she had read me wrong, misjudged me. But I wanted to make sure she really knew and wasn’t just saying it.
But fuck, this was hard … pun intended.
Now, though, it had been a month of pure bliss along with the obvious self-inflicted sexual torture. My feelings had basically skyrocketed, growing exponentially with each day that we spent together getting to know each other. I was ready to end the torture, but I was just looking for some sort of sign from Evie. But what sign? Who the hell knew. I hoped I did when it came.
