Chapter 38


    #Chapter 38 – Second Date


    I twirl my fork in my linguini, sorry to see that it’s thest bite. It was delicious.


    “So, did you like your meal?” Edgar asks.


    “Yes,” I say, emphatically, scraping the te with the side of my fork to get thest of the sauce. “It was


    ama-“


    As I raise the fork to my mouth I look at Edgar, seeing him smirking at me, his te still half-full of his


    lasagna. Iugh and he joins me. “Well.” I say. “I guess you could tell.”


    “It’s okay,” he says, smiling indulgently. “I like to see a woman who eats. Do you want some of mine?”


    I bite my lip, eyeing his pasta, and he spoons some onto my te. “Thank you,” I say. “That’s really


    kind.”


    “No worries,” he returns. “We had a really solid lunch today, I’m not even that hungry.”


    “I was starving,” I said. “I feel like I’m always too busy to eat – I just get whatever I can grab when the


    boys are sitting still. A bowl of cereal or a gran bar. A spare fishstick.” I shrug. “Whatever’s around.”


    One side of Edgar’s mouth lifts in a smile as he takes me in. “Well,” he says. “We’ll just have to get you


    out for some quiet time more often.”


    I feel heat in my cheeks as I return his smile. “I think I’d like that, Edgar.”


    The restaurant which he picked for us is really adorable – a small Italian ce that you can tell has


    been around for generations. Checked table cloths, candlesticks in wine bottles, a little grey-haireddy


    rushing around with adle in her hand, making sure everything’s in order. Everything you could want


    for authenticity.


    Edgar likewise impresses. I check him out while he returns his attention to his food. The candlelight


    picks up the depth of his cheekbones, the light stubble growing on his cheeks and his chin. Edgar is


    brawnier than most Betas – broad-shouldered and thick with muscle. No wonder he’s Victor’s go-to


    guy.


    As I consider him, the grey-haired woman bustles over to our table. “My Edgar!” She says, her Italian


    ent thick, wrapping her arms around his shoulders for a warm hug.


    “Mia Nonna,” Edgar says,ughing and giving her a kiss on each cheek. I watch, surprised and


    delighted when they start speaking to each other in fluent Italian.


    “Nonna,” he says, “I want you to introduce you to Evelyn. She’s a very special person,” Edgar says,


    turning and gesturing towards me. I put on my best introductory smile and put out my hand but Nonna


    narrows her eyes at me, frowning.


    “My Edgar is very good boy,” she says, shaking her finger at me. “You will be nice to my Edgar.” Edgar


    laughs and yfully swats at Nonna’s finger.


    “Don’t worry, Nonna, she’s very nice.” Nonna’s eyes crease into two little crescent moons as she looks


    down at him andugh.


    “I joke, Edgar. I very funny.” Shees to my side of the table with her arms open and wraps me in a


    warm hug as well. “Wee, Ev-a-lynn. You are wee anytime.”


    “Thank you,” I say,ughing lightly. “You scared me there!” She kisses me on the head, mumbling


    “Be donna,” and then shuffles off towards the kitchen.


    “Sorry about that,” Edgar says,ughing. “I worked here as a teenager. Nonna and her husband were


    very good to me while I figured some things out. I actually lived in their attic for a while.”


    “I love that have that connection,” I say, smiling broadly. “And thank you for bringing me here, to this


    ce that’s so important to you.”


    He reaches across the table and takes my hand. “You’re important to me, Evelyn. That is, of course, if


    you’d like to be.”


    I smile at Edgar and bite my lip, nodding. He squeezes my hand and then reaches for his ss of wine,


    giving me a toast. I sip from my ss as Edgarunches into a story from his youth, about one morning


    he didn’t get up early enough to knead the dough and Nonna’s husband had a meltdown about it.


    The story is funny and touching, all the things you’d want, but as Edgar talks I find my mind drifting. I


    stare at his handsome face, his green eyes shing as he tells his story. My own eyes drift to his full


    lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them.


    Edgar has been all politeness and deference with me so far. Last time he took me out he dropped me


    off at my doorstep, kissed my cheek, and walked away without asking for more – aplete


    gentleman. Part of me enjoys being a princess but…


    Well, the other part wants someone who wants to throw me down on the back porch, rip off my clothes,


    and f**k me until the sunes up.


    Mark was like that. Our connection was instant and fully carnal. We met at a children’s birthday party, of


    all the inappropriate things, when the twins were invited to tour a fire house and have cake. It was all


    fine – a little boring, honestly – until I saw Mark in the corner, staring at me, practically licking his chops.


    I remember being drawn to him instantly, and resisting because – duh – there were kids everywhere.


    But the moment a clown came and all the kids sat in a circle to see some magic tricks, I made a


    beeline for him.


    “Hi,” I said, and he just nodded, taking my hand and pulling me into the locker room where the men


    kept their uniforms. He mmed the door and kissed me, pushing me against it, and in an instant, I


    was moaning, ready for him, reaching for the c**k I could feel straining against his utility pants.


    He shuddered as I grabbed it through the coarse fabric, breathing “f**k, I’ve been hard since the


    moment I saw you.” Then he turned me around, pulled my skirts up, and f****d me right there against


    the door, hard, with his hand over my mouth so the kids couldn’t hear me shout –


    “Evelyn?” I blink out of my reverie as Edgar peers at me, calling me back. “Are you okay?”


    Iugh lightly. “Sorry,” I say, blushing at the memory. “I think…I’m sorry, Edgar, I think I’m just overtired


    and got lost in the story.”


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    He gives me a warm smile and raises a hand, silently asking for the check. “Let’s get you home.”


    Half an hourter, we’re in the car pulling down my street, a box of cannoli on myp that Nonna


    pressed into our hands as we left. The boys are going to love it.


    “Thank you so much, Edgar, it was a great night,” I say. I mean it, but as I look at him I do wonder…do


    we have the kind of passion that I’ve had in my past rtionships? Do I need that kind of passion,


    which never resulted in happiness? I mean, even with Victor…


    I shake away the thought, unwilling to go there as we pull into my driveway.


    As I climb out of the car, Edgares around to take my hand and walk me to my door.


    “I had a wonderful time,” he says softly, drawing close to me.


    “Me too,” I say, smiling up at him, cing a hand on his arm. His face is close to mine, but do I even


    want him to kiss –


    Before I canplete the thought, though, he does kiss me, taking my cheek in his palm and softly


    bringing his lips to mine. At first it’s just a kiss, but then…slowly, I feel something spark in me, starting


    in the pit of my stomach.


    I stand on my toes, bringing myself close to Edgar, and he responds, deepening the kiss and wrapping


    his arms around my waist. He tightens his arms, lifting me so that my feet barely skim the floor, a growl


    rumbling in the back of his throat.


    s**t. s**t, all of a sudden, with my arms wrapped around his neck, our bodies pressed together, I want


    him. Edgar lowers my feet to the floor so that his hands are free. He slides one up my back and it into


    my hair, letting it wrap around his fingers. He slides the other downwards, slowly, carefully caressing


    my ass.


    My mind – absurdly – shes to Victor in this moment, remembering the way that he touched me all


    those years ago, remembering –


    I shake my head a little, releasing the thought, kissing Edgar harder.


    “God, Evelyn,” he breathes, “you’re so f*****g beautiful.”


    “Edgar,” I say, my eyes closed, pulling him back towards my door, “I want you to –“


    Suddenly, I hear ss crunch under my feet. Surprised, I look down and see several pieces of t


    ss on the floor. Confused, I look elsewhere and notice that the window on my door is broken.


    “Edgar, what…”


    Suddenly in protection mode, Edgar falls into a crouch and pushes me behind him. He listens for a


    moment, and then tries the door – still locked. He reaches inside the window and to trigger the lock and


    then pulls it open.


    Inside, it’s nothing but darkness and silence. The boys and the dog are at Victor’s of course, but –


    “There,” Edgar says, taking two steps into the room to retrieve a rock that’sying on the kitchen floor


    with a note strapped to it with a rubber band. He hands it to me.


    My fingers shake as I unwrap it, dropping the rock and focusing on the note, which is written in a shaky


    hand, as if the person who wrote it doesn’t spend much time writing…or ispletely unhinged.


    Found you, b***h.