Change of Heart (The Flanagan Sisters, #2) (15 page)

“I’m an artist.”

“How lovely,” she said. “Carolina sponsored an art exhibition the other day. So nice of her to give those hobbyists a chance to show their work.”

“I sure appreciated it,” Evan replied, keeping his expression deadpan.

She sucked in her cheeks and widened her eyes. “Oh. Well, I must go. Have a nice evening.” Margarite fled.

Evan chuckled quietly and as Carly turned to him, she grinned. “Margarite has never moved so fast.”

“Is everyone here so pretentious?”

“Well, no.” She looked around as if trying to find someone to prove her point. As she did a handsome man came up behind her and slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

“You’ve got to save me,” he said.

Evan scowled. Who the hell was he?

Carly took a step away, laughing. “Who’s after you tonight, David?”

“Every single woman under fifty it seems.” The blond-haired, blue-eyed guy glanced over and noticed Evan. He took a step back.

“David, this is my date, Evan Hayes.”

“Darn it, sorry. Carolina usually comes to these things with Hayden.” He held out his hand and Evan shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

Evan was reserving his judgment, but he said, “Likewise.”

“David is the CFO at Dionysus Oil and Gas, and the heir to the company. He’s the most eligible bachelor here.”

It was the first time Evan had seen Carly genuinely pleased to see someone. He couldn’t prevent the twinge of jealousy.

“Carolina constantly resists my charms, though.”

“Oh, stop. You’re not interested in me.”

David grinned at Evan. “Carolina keeps me sane at these things. I help her fight off the money grabbers and she saves me from the husband hunters.”

Evan relaxed. The guy seemed genuinely nice, and not interested in Carly in that way. “You’ll have to teach me some of your tricks,” he said. “She’s been propositioned twice already and we’ve just arrived.”

“All right.” David nodded seriously. “You can’t let them get to the pitch. Ask them about themselves, and before they get to the pitch, move on. Usually they love to talk about themselves so they forget for a minute why they came to talk to you.”

“Thanks.” He could do that.

“It’s not so bad. They need money and I have it,” Carly said.

“You work hard for it. These people don’t.”

Dinner was announced and they moved toward the tables. David sighed. “Into the lion’s den.” He saluted them and went to find his table.

“He was nice.”

Carly nodded. “I met David at the first big event I attended after I made some money. We were the youngest ones there and we drifted together. He was much more experienced at the whole thing, having grown up rich, and he helped steer me through all the requests and conversations.”

“You two never dated?”

She shook her head. “He was more like a brother or a guardian angel to me. It’s funny, we never meet up outside of these events.”

The green-eyed monster was tamed.

***

C
arly’s steps faltered as she saw who they were seated with. It had to have been specifically arranged.

“What’s wrong?” Evan murmured.

She sighed. “Nothing.” She greeted the three men, who were all executives at Softco. She introduced Evan, said hello to their wives and took her seat. It was going to be a long night.

The master of ceremonies spoke about the medical research they were raising funds for and then the first course was served.

“When does the auction start?” Evan asked her.

“Not until after everyone has eaten, probably around nine o’clock.”

“Carolina, have you had a chance to consider our proposal?” The CEO Neil was sitting on her right.

“Not yet, Neil. You know how it is, I have to prioritize.”

“What is it you do, Neil?” Evan leaned forward.

“I’m the CEO at Softco.”

“What does Softco do?”

Neil frowned. “We’re a software company. We design databases, platforms, operating systems, and a whole lot more.”

“So does that make you a competitor of Carly’s?”

Carly wasn’t sure whether she wanted this conversation to continue, but before she could speak, Neil said, “No. Comunidad focuses on the front-end experience, while we supply the back-end software. We are looking at expanding, however, and we’re trying to convince Carly to sell.”

“Why Comunidad?” Evan asked.

It was a very good question and one she hadn’t got a straight answer to.

“It has a diverse range of products, from the social media platform, to apps and well-tested software.”

“But you just said you were a back-end guy.” Evan grinned. “What do you need with Carly’s products?”

“It’s good to diversify.”

“Not always,” Evan disagreed. “You put too many balls in the air, and you’re likely to drop one eventually.”

Carly smiled. Neil looked a little annoyed at all the questions.

“What does your staff know about the stuff Carly’s company does?”

The man shifted in his seat. “If we bought Comunidad, we would keep most of the staff and use their expertise.”

“Would you keep Carly?”

Neil glanced at her. “It’s not usually a good idea to keep the original owner. There are often conflicts when changes need to be made.”

It was another reason to say no to them. Carly’s company was her baby. Softco would change its direction and she wouldn’t be able to stop them.

“So you’d put Carly out of a job?” said Evan.

“She would be more than financially compensated.” Neil smiled at Carly. “You’ll see there’s a very generous figure in our proposal.”

“We both know it’s not about the money,” Evan said. “Carly’s wealthy enough without selling. What changes would you make?” Evan was definitely determined to get some answers from him, and it was kind of nice to have someone go into battle for her.

“I won’t know until we get a good look at the company.”

“I guess the big question is, do you want to sell?” Evan looked at Carly with a raised eyebrow.

“No,” she said firmly.

“Then you’re out of luck,” he said to Neil. “So, what do you do in your spare time?”

Carly swallowed a grin as Neil opened and shut his mouth a couple of times. He’d been effectively railroaded and hadn’t seen it coming. She could kiss Evan right now.

The second course was served and Neil turned his attention to his wife on the other side.

“Thank you,” Carly whispered to Evan.

His wicked grin sent a shot of lust through her. “That was fun. I must thank David later for giving me the tip.”

“He’ll enjoy the story.”

Neil didn’t bring up the subject of buying Comunidad again. Instead, Carly chatted to Evan and bid on a few auction items. When the auction was over, the band began to play.

“Would you like to dance?” Evan asked.

Carly shook her head. “I can’t dance.” It was the one thing she’d always wanted to learn, but she had two left feet and absolutely no rhythm.

“Really?”

She nodded. “I inherited my father’s sense of rhythm.” She remembered him trying to keep in time to the music at some of the Salvadoran festivals, but he never succeeded.

“This one’s a slow one,” said Evan. “You don’t even have to move your feet, just sway with me.” He drew her onto the dance floor.

Carly’s chest tightened. If she made a fool of herself, everyone would see.

“It’s all right, Carly, I’ve got you.” His voice was soothing as he took one of her hands and used the other to draw her close to him. “Just sway.”

Trusting him, she did as he said, trying to feel the melody.

“Relax,” he said, whispering into her ear, and caressing her back.

Carly forgot to be nervous as the sensations spread through her. It felt so good being held in his arms. She’d never been held like this. It was comfort and support, and it was sensual. She was so aware of her body’s reaction to him, and felt as if she could let down her guard, as if there was someone on her side. She closed her eyes and swayed to the music.

“This isn’t so bad, is it?”

“It’s nice,” she admitted. It was more than nice. Every caress of his hand sent heat pooling in her core. She wanted to drag him off to a dark corner and explore her attraction to him, and she was stunned by the intenseness of her want. She’d never felt like this about anyone. She’d never considered herself a sexual person.

The song ended and was replaced by an upbeat one. Carly stepped back and swallowed, trying to get her reactions under control.

Evan’s eyes were darker than normal. “Is it too early to go?” he murmured.

The suggestion was clear and her response was immediate. “Not at all.”

It was time to find that dark corner after all.

C
arly’s belly squirmed as they rode up to her apartment. They’d chatted about the evening on the drive home, but she’d been acutely aware of the sexual tension zapping between them. It had been years since she’d had sex, and Andrew had never cared much about her pleasure. She wanted it to be different with Evan, she didn’t want to be so passive.

She unlocked the door and flicked on the light. “Would you like a drink?”

Evan smiled at her. “A glass of water would be great.” He wandered over to the window to look at the view.

Some of her nerves calmed. He understood she was nervous. He wasn’t going to rush her. She stepped out of her heels.

“This is a great view.”

“I guess so.” It had never interested her. She’d bought the penthouse apartment because it was within walking distance of work.

After filling two glasses with water, she crossed over to him and handed him a glass.

“Have you lived here long?” he asked.

“About six years.” She walked over to the couch and sat down.

“The fish tank’s cool.”

“It came with the apartment.” Though she did like watching the fish swim back and forward. They had such a simple life.

Evan came over and sat next to her, and her nerves began to hum. She was no good at this kind of thing. She didn’t know whether she should make the first move, whether they should neck on the couch, or she should invite him into her bedroom. Her body tingled as she remembered their dance and the way his hand had lazily brushed her skin.

Evan took her glass out of her hand and placed it on the coffee table with his. He turned to her. “Carly, we don’t have to do anything tonight, if you’re not ready. We could just get into our pajamas and go to sleep.”

He was leaving it up to her. She had to make the move, but it also meant she was in control. Pretending to be braver than she felt, she said, “Let’s see where this goes.” She leaned over and kissed him, and then sunk deeper into the kiss, tasting him.

Warmth pooled in her belly as his hand swept down her back and then across her breast. Long-forgotten sensations poured into her body as he kissed her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek. And then his hand moved lower.

Her body was alive. This was what she wanted.

“Tell me if I’m going too fast,” he whispered, reaching for the zipper of her dress.

Cool air touched her skin briefly before the warmth of his hands covered her lower back. Luscious jolts went through her at each stroke. She wanted to touch him as well. Wanted to see whether she could make him feel like this. She untied his bow-tie and started on his buttons. She wanted to run her hands over his skin, feel his heat.

He took a deep breath in as her fingers caressed his chest. “I’m trying to go slow,” he said, his voice strained.

Carly glanced at him. Was she having an effect on him? She brushed a thumb over his nipple and he closed his eyes.

She was. She actually was. Power surged through her, giving her the confidence to push his shirt off his shoulders. He quickly rid himself of it and she was surprised by his muscle-tone. Lowering her head, she kissed his chest, and then licked his nipples.

He hissed.

He was enjoying it. The knowledge made her brave, made her want to explore what she was capable of. She stood, stepped out of her dress, and the cool air on her breasts made her pause for a second.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said, his tone reverent.

In that moment, Carly felt beautiful, and she wanted more. She held out her hand.

He took it without a word and followed her into her bedroom.

Inside the doorway, Evan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again. Her breasts pressed up against his chest and her groin pulsed. She wanted him. His thumbs caressed her breasts and she forgot to think. He brought her mouth back to his, kissing her with a passion that took her breath away.

It was so much more than she’d ever experienced.

He pried off his shoes while she undid his pants, pushing them down, and then they were both standing in their underwear.

Evan’s lips made their way down her neck. “Are you sure, Carly?”

She nodded. “Yes.” She wanted him as much as he wanted her. She led him to the bed. He laid her gently down on the bed and she scooted up to lean against the pillows. He followed, crawling toward her like a lion on the hunt. Her heart raced and she smiled at him.

“You’re a temptress,” he said. He kissed her and then continued down her body, doing things with his tongue that were driving her insane.

“Evan,” she breathed as he crouched between her legs, his mouth on her, separated from her skin by her underwear. She arched against him. “Take them off.”

“With pleasure.” The grin he gave her was pure seduction and she only had a second to appreciate it before her underwear had disappeared and his mouth was on her.

She lost her breath as his tongue teased her and his finger entered her. The sensations rose in her so quickly she couldn’t stop them and she shuddered as she climaxed.

As her body calmed, her embarrassment rose. They hadn’t had sex yet.

“You’re a Goddess.” Evan moved up the bed, kissing her body.

The embarrassment faded as her body continued to sing under his lips.

“Ready for round two?” he asked, nibbling at her neck.

“Yes.” But it was her turn to take charge. She wanted to make him feel as amazing as she felt. She just hoped she could.