He threw back his head, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke. “I’ll make you breakfast every Sunday for the rest of my life if you’ll suck my dick like that.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Chapter 19 — Eva

After we’d washed the sticky residues off one another’s bodies in a warm and relaxing bath, Harrison suggested my second favorite thing to do on a Sunday.

“Let’s go down to the bookstore and get a coffee,” he said while we got dressed. He’d given me a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt from the drawer, and I sniffed deeply as I pulled it over my head, loving the smell of Harrison on his clothes.

Okay, maybe it was my third or fourth favorite thing now that he was part of my life. Being fucked by a man like Harrison had to be number one, right? That moved everything else way down the list.

My breath hitched. “Oh, I’d love to go. There’s nothing better to do on a lazy day like today.”

Harrison raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Well, I’d argue with that. If it were entirely up to me, I’d tie you to my bed and fuck you all day long.”

“Yeah? You wouldn’t get bored?”

He looked at me as if I’d grown a pair of horns between my eyes. “Eva, don’t you get it? You are my favorite thing. Trust me, there is nothing remotely boring about you. But I’d be a selfish boyfriend if I didn’t take you out sometimes too.”

Did he say boyfriend? I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my face.

He moved closer and slapped my ass playfully before nibbling at my ear. “I am your boyfriend, yeah?” His voice was low and gruff, with a nearly imperceptible hint of uncertainty. I loved when in spite of his usual cockiness I could still detect his vulnerability. Sure, it was only rare glimpses, but it was there never the less. It was the complexity of this man that attracted me and kept me hanging on as I tried to unravel him, layer by layer.

“You can be anything you want if you keep making me breakfasts like that.”

“I did commit to every Sunday for the rest of my life, you know. That’s a big deal for me, baby.” He kissed my neck, slowly and deliberately. “But with you, I can’t think of life in any other way.”

Funny, neither could I. Every image I had of the future somehow included Harrison. I’d never articulated it, or consciously thought about it. It just was.

He helped me into a black jacket that hung on a hook by the door. It smelled of him and I took a deep sniff while he rolled the sleeves so that my hands showed before he tied the belt around my waist and smacked my ass again. “Ready to go?”

I nodded, giggling like a silly schoolgirl.

Harrison took a large golf umbrella from the stand and held the door open for me, a wide grin on his face.

Driving in the rain wasn’t something I enjoyed, and I was relieved when we eventually made it inside the bookstore and out of the punishing wind. This was freaky weather for this time of the year, and everyone on the car radio we’d listened to had complained about how it messed up their weekend.

As much as I loved going to the beach on sunshiny days, nothing could beat the excitement I felt when confronted with shelves upon shelves of books. I lazily ran my finger along the spine of the books on the groaning shelves and selected the ones that jumped out at me.

“Take your time, Eva. I’m going to get us a table and a coffee over at the café. See you there.” He planted a kiss on my cheek and I watched his sexy swagger for a few moments as he walked away before letting out a long, relaxing sigh and indulging in one of my favorite pastimes.

Twenty minutes later, I had a stack of books in my arms from which I’d make my final selection. First I wanted to read the blurbs while sipping on my coffee in the comfort of a leather armchair.

Harrison waved me over. He got to his feet and took the pile of books from my arms, setting them on the coffee table.

“Hey you.” He gave me a lopsided grin that made my knees weak.

“Wow, this is the perfect spot,” I mused. I was never this lucky to get a table by the window with the deep comfortable armchairs.

I snuggled in, one leg under my ass and a pile of books in front of me. And the best part was I could sneak glances at Harrison’s handsome face while he was fully absorbed in the pile of car and bike magazines he’d collected off the shelves. This was my idea of bliss and the perfect date.

We hadn’t been there long when an attractive blond woman came over to our table. I was used to chicks hitting on Harrison all the time, even in my company. It never failed to amuse me how brazen some people could be.

“Excuse me,” she said, clutching her throat.

Harrison glanced up from the magazine he’d been engrossed in.

“Yeah?” he drawled warily.

“My son . . . I can’t find him. Have you seen a blond boy running around by any chance? He’s only three years old. Wearing jeans and a red shirt.” Her face grew more anxious by the moment, and tears brimmed her eyes.

“No, sorry,” I said, letting my gaze run over the area, searching for a small blond head.

“What’s his name?” Harrison asked, as he pushed to his feet.

“Mitchel. We call him Mitch.”

“And your name?”

“Jessica.”

“Don’t panic, Jessica.” Harrison placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll help you find Mitch.”

“Oh God, thank you,” she cried, big fat tears splashing down onto her chest. “I only turned away for a second.”

“I know, kids are amazing escape artists, huh?” He smiled at her. I guessed he was trying to put her at ease and make her feel better. “Where did you see him last?”

She pointed toward the coffee counter. “I was just putting sugar in my coffee. He was there the one second and then . . . I’ve been everywhere looking for him. It’s been over ten minutes and I still can’t find him. Oh God, what if he’s been abducted? What if somebody stole my child?” The hysteria kept rising in her voice as she twisted her hands together anxiously.

“Listen, let’s not allow all those TV shows to let us get carried away, okay? If we stay calm, we have a better chance of finding him quickly.” Harrison removed his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

“Eva, stay here with her, but keep your eyes open, okay?”

I nodded, feeling my throat thicken too.

Harrison walked toward the coffee counter, retracing the woman’s steps.

“Jessica,” I said while placing an arm around her shoulder, “if anyone can help you find Mitch, it’s Harrison. Don’t panic, okay?”

“I’m so worried about my boy. He has to be okay. We’ve got to find him.” She talked as if she was trying to convince herself. She wrung her hands together. “And as if that isn’t bad enough, his father will kill me if anything happens to him.” The anxiety in her voice made my heart ache for her.

“We will. He’s probably just hiding somewhere thinking this is all a game.” I tried to sound calm and reassuring as I rubbed her back.

“You don’t understand. We already lost one child in an accident. We can’t lose Mitch too.” She was close to hysteria, hyperventilating as she clutched her throat. My stomach dropped to my shoes.

Pushing her down gently into the chair, I said, “Jessica, Harrison is a cop. I promise you he will find Mitch. Just take a few deep breaths, honey.”

God, please don’t let me be lying to Jessica.

I shoved my coffee into her hand. “Here, drink this. You stay here in case Mitch comes back to this spot. I’m going to go and look around too. Whatever you do, don’t lose hope.”

I couldn’t bear to see her suffer. Harrison simply had to come through for her. I shot up a prayer, hoping like hell somebody was listening.

Chapter 20 — Eva

Making my way slowly around the bookstore, my heartbeat quickened a few times when I saw a blond head, but when I realized the child was a girl, or way older than three, disappointment washed over me.