"To tell you the truth, so do I." Desmond motioned for the server. "Bring us two beers. King?"

"No, thanks. I'll stick to the wine."

Evie took a bite of her salad, hating it. G.o.d, she didn't miss the days of having to choke down pretentious food made to look prettier than it actually tasted.

When the server set their beers down, Evie politely uttered her thanks.

"You're welcome." Desmond smiled graciously. "So, how did you meet King?"

Evie quit pretending to eat her salad. "I met him while he was on vacation." Evie deliberately didn't mention Lily.

"Where did you go on vacation, King?"

"Kentucky."

"Kentucky?"

"Yes."

"That's an interesting spot. I'm afraid I don't know much about Kentucky," Desmond mused.

"It's beautiful. The mountains, horses and people are worth giving it a visit," Evie stated.

"I'll keep that in mind. Is that where you're from?"

"No, it's where I live now. I'm originally from Atlanta."

"A big-city girl going to a small town. That was a big change."

"Not really. The adjustment came when I joined the military."

"You served overseas?"

"Yes." Before he could ask another question, Evie asked one of her own. "You and King are business partners?"

"Yes, we grew up together." That did surprise Evie. She had to take back her original a.s.sessment of King kissing up to money. However, it had been an easy a.s.sumption to make when King's harsh features bore the signs of his hard upbringing while the man she was seated next to was elegant and refined. "It's been a very lucrative partnership. I let King handle the business, and I reap all the benefits."

Evie heard King's amused laughter. "Don't sell yourself short, Desmond. You more than carry your own weight."

Desmond lifted his beer to King.

The next course was much more edible as Evie was able to manage the veal chops. Then, forgoing the designer ice cream, she enjoyed the fruit plate for dessert.

Desmond escorted her from the dinner table with King following behind. Marta, who was not happy, had lost the friendly att.i.tude she had greeted her with.

Seating Evie on a chair, Desmond turned to King. "Bring her around again. Your taste is getting better." He turned to Evie. "I need to circulate. It was nice meeting you, Evie. Come to lunch before you go back to Kentucky."

"I don't know how long I'm staying." She prevaricated.

"Perhaps King can lure you away from small-town living. A large city does have its advantages."

"So does a small town. At least we grow them smart there." She looked at Marta, who was impatiently pulling at his sleeve.

"Touche," he said, giving her a wry smile before moving away.

"That wasn't nice," King said, sitting down casually on the arm of her chair.

"I know, and I'm deeply ashamed of myself." She wasn't and never would be. Women like Marta were her pet peeve. No one could be that stupid. The woman had deliberately dumbed herself down and had her b.r.e.a.s.t.s enlarged a couple of sizes to catch herself a rich lover.

"You ready to go?"

"Yes." She rose to her feet, anxious to get away from the sn.o.bs who had been obviously scrutinizing her all evening.

King escorted her outside where Henry was waiting with the car door open.

"It's a thing with him, isn't it?" Evie asked as soon as King closed the car door.

"What is?"

"Opening and closing doors."

"It's his job," King said, leaning back in the dark car.

Evie didn't talk on the way back to Penni's apartment. When the door opened, she was about to get out when she realized they weren't at Penni's.

"Where are we?"

"My penthouse. I thought we would have a nightcap."

Evie almost didn't get out. Only the thought of another sleepless night had her following him up.

She would take a drink or two then leave. There wasn't a chance anything else would happen. He was Lily's father, and she was here to find out if he was a danger to her. More importantly, she wasn't even attracted to him. What could go wrong?

Chapter 10.

Evie entered his penthouse suite, amazed at the size of the living room.

"Wow." She didn't hide her reaction; the room deserved all the props she could give it. Decorated similarly to his house in Treepoint with black leather couches and gla.s.s tables, it fit the room much more than it ever would the small house. The modern furnishing blended with the architecture in the building with a wall of windows that spanned the whole room.

Evie went directly to the windows to gaze out. "This is fantastic."

"Do you want a drink?"

"Yes, please."

Evie turned from the window, going to the couch. Kicking off her high heels, she sat down, curling her feet under her.

"Make yourself at home," he said, sitting down next to her and handing her a drink.

"My feet were killing me. It's been a long time since I wore heels that tall," Evie admitted.

"I would never have known," King replied. "How did you end up with The Last Riders? You obviously have a background where you're used to money."

"I still have money. I just don't choose to spend it on expensive apartments," Evie commented, her hand waving around the room. "This is beautiful but artificial."

"Did you just insult me?" King set his gla.s.s down on the table, placing his arm on the back of the sofa behind her. "What do you spend your money on? Clothes?" His fingers lifted the material of her dress, running it between his fingers.

"Among other things."

"Do you make a lot of money, filling factory orders?"

"That was a cra.s.s comment, besides being out of line."

"I've never had a problem with what people thought of me."

"I bet you don't have many friends, do you?"

"No, Desmond and Henry are pretty much it. Yet, I'd like to count you as a friend, Evie. I think we have a lot in common."

"We have nothing in common."

"You don't think so? I do. I think both of us are emotional misfits. You can go from man to man without leaving your heart behind. I can go from woman to woman without them touching mine. We're a match made in Heaven."

"Or h.e.l.l," Evie said under her breath, setting her own gla.s.s down. "King, I need to set you straight before this goes any further. You can stop flirting with me. You're not going to succeed in seducing me."

"Why not? You're attracted to me."

Evie thought about denying it but decided to be truthful. "You're a very attractive man. Despite that, I've already given you my reasons."

"Why? Because I'm Lily's father?"

"Yes."

"Why would that make you feel uncomfortable when you've slept with her husband?"

Picking up her drink, she finished the contents before setting it back down. "You're unbelievable."

Evie took a deep breath. "Shade and I met in high school. I've told you this before. Razer, Lucky and Knox were in the service together, stationed at the same military base. We hung out together on the weekends."

Evie could tell he was about to make a smart-a.s.s comment; if he did, she was out of here. Shade could have him. Luckily, he remained quiet.

"We were friends. We were sent in after the fighting to clean up after everyone else's mess and get out the causalities. They had started to pull Shade for special a.s.signments, and when they did, they would send in Cash. That's how we met Viper and Gavin. They were in another unit.

"I was young, dumb, and G.o.d, so idealistic." Evie shook her head at her naivety even now.

Getting up, she took her gla.s.s to the bar, pouring herself another drink. Instead of sitting back down, she leaned against the bar, facing him and keeping the bottle near.

"It's not easy for a woman to be in the military. There's a lot of s.e.xism. I had several brushes with it, but I was fortunate to have friends who always watched out for me. I was six weeks from getting out when a Corpsman at base camp was injured by enemy fire and was medavaced to the base hospital. They needed someone immediately, as a result I was ordered to the new unit. Most of the men there had been in country longer, and for many of them, it was their second or third tour. The unit commander should have been released from duty. It was like a sociopath over a pack of wild dogs. I thought I could handle him. He was from Atlanta and had casually dated my sister for a short time when he was on leave."

She was still looking at King, but she was no longer seeing him, her mind going back to the past. "One night, we had come back from a skirmish. The adrenaline was high and the men were antsy. It made me nervous to just be around them, so I went to my quarters. I didn't even take the time for a shower. I called Shade to check in with him and the others, and he could tell from my voice that something was wrong, that I was scared. He told me to stay put and he would come as soon as he got permission from his unit commander.

"I hung up from him, and for about ten seconds, I felt better, believed I was just imagining the men were losing control. Then I heard the knock on my door. I didn't answer, but it didn't matter. Four men broke it down. One was my unit commander. They laughed at me when I tried to fight them off. Made fun of me for entering the military, asking me why I had joined if I didn't want a steady supply of d.i.c.k." Evie picked up her gla.s.s, taking a large drink.

"By the time Shade found me the next morning, they had made me their personal toy. When Shade walked in and saw what had happened, he did what I wished I could have done. It took six men to get him off them.

"You're going to enjoy this part." She lifted her gla.s.s at King.

"I'm not enjoying any part of this." King had been given a basic bio on Evie by Jackal. He seemed to have left out quite a bit of pertinent information.

"Shade was the one brought up on charges. It was a mess. All the surrounding units knew the stories. Anytime I was around them, they called me some of the vilest names imaginable. The men said I had led them on, had let them in my room. I had two broken ribs, one had punched me in the eye, and I had a dislocated shoulder."

"d.a.m.n."

Evie took another drink. "They moved me back to my original unit, though. If not for Shade, I don't know what I would have done. We would sit and talk for hours while he listened to me rant and rave. Four weeks later, I was discharged. So, when you throw Shade up to me, it really p.i.s.ses me off. Lily is lucky he loves her. She couldn't be in safer hands."

King got up from the sofa, coming to stand next to her, sliding his hand under the thick swathe of her hair. "What happened to the men?"

"They were killed by enemy fire the next week. The whole unit was nearly wiped out. If they hadn't raped me, then I would have been with them and killed."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Yes, I do. Knox's wife was my replacement. She was killed in my place."

"G.o.d."

"I don't know if Knox would agree with you, but it was bad. They had only been married a short while."

"He's the sheriff of Treepoint?"

"Yes, he's married to Diamond. I'm glad he fell in love again."

"So, you joined The Last Riders when you got out of the service?"

Evie was done talking about the past. "Send for Henry. I'm ready to go home."

"Stay." King used his hand on the back of her neck to pull her closer. Before she could say anything, he caught her mouth with his. His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to his warm body. She was chilled from recounting the past.

Evie didn't want to go back to her empty bed and stay another night wide-awake, remembering the past. She needed to forget, and she had a willing male to help make her. Letting her weight sink into his, her mouth gave her answer.

King lifted her up, carrying her down a dark hallway into his bedroom, not bothering to turn on the lights. Setting her down on the mattress, his hands went under her dress to pull down her stockings. Evie wiggled her hips, helping him as she raised her arms to pull off her dress.