She blinks, and quickly chases another sip tequila before she puts the gla.s.s down and folds her hands on her lap. She looks up at me.

"What's cowgirl?"

I snort out a laugh. "Wow."

Eva blushes, her brow wrinkling as she looks down. "What?"

"Jumping right in, huh?"

"Well you mentioned it the other night, and I didn't know what it is."

"You know the others."

She blushes. "Yes."

"Doggy?"

Her face is bright red, in an adorable way that's making me grin. "Yes," she says quietly.

I chuckle, sipping my drink. "Cowgirl is exactly what it sounds like. So what do cowgirls do?"

"Ride horses?"

"Exactly."

She frowns. "What does- oh."

She quickly looks into her drink.

"I think you're getting it."

She grins shyly. "Yeah, I think I got that one."

She shifts, taking a sip.

The vinyl Ramones record I'd been listening to when she walked in stops.

"I'll get it," she says quickly, jumping up from the couch and skipping over to the media center against the wall.

"I'm a little punk-ed out, actually." I take a seat on the couch. "If you just hit play on the iPod that's plugged in, it should just play whatever played last."

She nods, her back to me as she picks up the iPod. The beat of the first track starts, and she spins on her toe, grinning.

Oh, s.h.i.t.

I've been on a vinyl kick for weeks, which means the last time I had the iPod going was probably a month or so ago when I had someone up here.

In this case, it means "whatever played last," is my s.e.x playlist.

f.u.c.k.

Dark, grooving, grinding s.h.i.t. Music to f.u.c.k to, NOT music to listen to while drinking with sweet, untouchable, off limits Evangeline Ellis.

"Oooh, I like this!" she says, smiling. She slow dances back to the couch and sits back down.

Quite close to me, I notice.

"Well?"

I grin. "Well?"

"Well, keep teaching me! This is getting interesting!"

The booze is going right to her head - making her bolder, sa.s.sier.

"Well, are we out of questions already?"

She blushes.

"That looks like a no."

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she says with a nervous laugh.

I grin. "We can stop whenever."

"No."

She says it quickly, glancing up at me and shaking her head. "No, we can keep going."

I nod.

"Okay, um, what's, like..." She sighs, her confidence cracking slightly. "Okay, what do I do first?"

"With Milton."

She nods. "Unless I should just get to, you know, it first."

I shake my head, frowning.

Frowning at the thought of Eva "getting to it" with that douche Milton.

"No," I say gruffly. "No, you need to work up to it. You gotta get the heat up slowly."

She nods. "Okay."

"So, music, lights, all that."

"Music like this?" she says quietly.

I grin. "Yeah, like this. Slow. Something that sounds s.e.xy."

Eva sips her drink. "Okay."

f.u.c.k, why are we sitting so close. Why am I sitting so close to this girl right now that I could just lean right in and f.u.c.king touch her.

Kiss her.

I clear my throat. "Guys need to warm up too. You gotta get his pulse going before you do anything. Make him want it."

She nods, enraptured by what I'm saying.

"Touch his arm."

"Where?"

Aaaand here I go walking right out onto thin ice.

f.u.c.k it.

"Here." I touch the inside of her elbow, my fingertip sliding over her skin. Her cheeks glow.

"Or here." I run my hand down to her wrist, letting my fingers brush over the soft skin there.

She shivers. "Uh-huh."

"Here." My hand moves up her arm, over her bare shoulder and across the strap of her sundress. She swallows, her eyes locking onto mine.

I should stop. I should get my hands away from a girl as good as this.

Except I know d.a.m.n well that's not happening.

My hand traces higher, cupping the side of her neck. "Right here."

"Oh, okay," she breathes quietly. Her pulse beats hot under my fingers.

And then we're just locked like that. My hand cupping her cheek, our eyes blazing into the other's, not moving.

"Then what," she says softly.

"Kissing is good."

"Kissing," she whispers.

"Yeah, kissing."

And that's when the d.a.m.n breaks. That's when the music, the tequila, and the girl sitting right in front of me wrapped up in original sin is too much to hold back from.

I lean in, and she's gasping and searing her lips to mine before I can even stop myself. Her hand goes to my neck, mirroring mine on hers and grabbing my hair as I kiss her. She moans, and when I open my lips, she does the same. My tongue finds hers, and she hesitates, before shuddering against me and letting me taste her.

I growl and grab her tighter, growling into her mouth and tasting those sweet off-limits lips.

Sweet like the sweetest f.u.c.king sin.

I groan and go to pull her closer, but suddenly, she jumps back as if struck by live wire. Her eyes are wide, and her hand flies to her lips.

"Oh my G.o.d!"

She jumps from the couch, backing away for me and almost tripping over my coffee table.

"Oh my G.o.d. Oh my G.o.d."

I stand. "Eva-"

"No!" Her face is white. "Oh my G.o.d, what is wrong with me?"

"Eva- we-"

"I'm engaged Rowan!" she snaps, her eyes narrowing accusingly at me.

I frown. "No, you're not."

"I am."

"Your dad picked a dude. You're not really engaged."

"I- we can't do this!"

I tighten my jaw. "Look, sit. Relax. We'll go back to questions."

She quickly shakes her head. "No, Rowan, I-"

"Eva." I take a step towards her but her eyes go wide as she suddenly pushes past me and storms for the door.

"Eva!"

The door slams shut behind her, and I swear into the stillness of my apartment.

f.u.c.k.

Chapter Fifteen.