The Drifter by Kate Hoffmann Page B

just another conquest? God, he didn’t want to hurt her. Though she wouldn’t admit it, his leaving five years ago had changed the course of her life—and not necessarily for the better.
    He was determined not to make a mess of this a second time. When and if he left, it would be her decision, not his. For now, he’d stay as long she wanted him.
    “Evie?” Charlie smoothed a palm over her cheek. “Sweetheart, wake up.”
    She opened her eyes and smiled. “Did I fall asleep?”
    Charlie nodded. Hell, what did he expect? She hadn’t had more than four or five hours’ sleep the past three nights and she’d put in a full day of work after each. Maybe it was time to spend the night sleeping. “Come on, let’s put you to bed.” He helped her out of the tub then grabbed a towel from the basket and wrapped it around her. She followed him to the bedroom, stumbling over her own feet along the way.
    When he pulled back the covers, she crawled beneath them and moaned softly. Charlie quickly stripped off his clothes and lay down behind her, tucking her body into the curve of his.
    He expected her to drift off, but instead she moved against him until he was fully aroused. They didn’t speak, but it was clear what she wanted. And when he sheathed himself and gently pushed inside her, she moaned softly. It wasn’t like their previous encounters in the bedroom—wild and passionate, desperate.
    This was gentle, almost soothing. For a long time, he barely moved, enjoying the warmth that surrounded him. To Charlie’s surprise, he found himself dancing perilously close to the edge, the power of his release relegated to his mind rather than his body.
    Reaching around, he touched her, slipping his fingers between her folds and caressing that spot that made her crazy with need. She arched back against him, resting her hand on his hip. And when the spasms rocked her body, it was more than enough to send him over the edge.
    They didn’t say a word to each other, yet Charlie was aware of a silent pact that they’d made with each other. Her body was his refuge, a secret place he’d found that no one else could share, a place where he could lay his soul bare without fears or doubts.
    Evie had given him that gift and with it came a grave responsibility. Her happiness had become inextricably intertwined with his. They were no longer two separate people. They had a relationship now, a bond that couldn’t easily be broken.
    He closed his eyes and nuzzled his face into the hair at her nape. Was he feeling the first stirrings oflove? Or was he merely trying to convince himself that he was capable of experiencing that emotion?
    In the end, it didn’t matter. Everything would become much clearer with time. And Charlie had more than enough time to invest in the woman lying next to him.
     
    “Y OU NEED DECENT FOOTWEAR ,” he said, staring into the window of the outdoor equipment store. “If we’re going to do any hiking, you have to have boots. Come on, let’s go inside and get you a pair.”
    Charlie grabbed Eve’s hand and she reluctantly followed him inside. He’d become particularly obsessed with taking her hiking and Eve had to wonder what was behind the obsession. She had been quite content to spend the previous week in bed, but Charlie seemed to be growing less interested in marathon sex and more interested in…exercise.
    Eve wondered if this was just a prelude to the inevitable, a way to ease her into the notion of him leaving again. Though his first lecture at the university was scheduled for the end of the week, and the second four days later, it was conceivable he could pack his bags and leave the moment he was finished.
    Eve had to prepare herself for that eventuality. And though she’d done her best to maintain an indifferent attitude about the future, she knew their parting would come with at least a small amount of pain.
    She’d grown used to having him near, to cominghome to him each night, to exhausting herself in