Mara clutched the heavy suit jacket he was wearing. “What the hell are you doing out here in a suit anyway?” Evan smelled like fresh air and crisp, starched linen, a scent that was oddly pleasant. For a huge man, his hold was gentle.
“Grady’s idea,” Evan grumbled. “He called me an uptight asshole because I interrupted a conversation with Emily to take a business call. He suggested a very long walk on the beach as a cure. I’ve seen no medicinal value to getting my feet wet and sweating from the humid air.”
Mara smiled up at him. “It helps if you wear something more comfortable.”
He scowled down at her. “This is my most comfortable suit.”
“I meant shorts, maybe a T-shirt,” she suggested with a smirk. “Something you’d wear when you’re not working.”
“I’m always working,” he snapped back.
He doesn’t own anything but suits? Good Lord . . . Grady was probably right. Does Evan never stop working?
“You can cut across to your house by taking Jared’s driveway and crossing the road that runs down the Peninsula.”
“Excellent,” he replied, sounding relieved. Evan let her go for a second and swooped down to pick up his shoes.
To Mara’s horror, he picked her up bodily and carried her until they reached the grass. “What are you doing?” she squeaked.
“Making sure you don’t turn your ankle. You really shouldn’t be walking in soft sand when your ankle is weak. It’s rather careless considering you aren’t completely healed yet,” he informed her casually. “We seem to be making a habit of doing this carrying thing.”
Just like Jared, only his brother had carried her everywhere for several days.
“Thank you for saving my life,” she told him gratefully as he lowered her to the ground, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t said a word about the fire and his role as her rescuer. Once again, Evan had picked her up and carried her as though she weighed nothing at all, just like the night he’d saved her life. She rested her hands on his massive shoulders as she glanced up at him. Jesus, he was handsome. He might be as cold as a glacier in Greenland, but he was a breathtakingly gorgeous chunk of ice.
“A bit of advice, if I may,” Evan commented loftily. Without waiting for permission to dole out his advice, he added, “Next time you may want to actually leave a house that’s on fire.”
“Thanks so much for your profound wisdom.” She mimicked his haughty tone. Mara scrutinized his expression for a moment, watching as the side of his mouth twitched like he wanted to smile, but wouldn’t. “You’re not as big of a jerk as you want everyone to think you are. You want to manipulate things the way you want them, but I think your intentions, although somewhat misguided, are in the right place,” she told him, contemplating him as she let her hands drop from his shoulders.
“You’re wrong, Mara,” he replied coldly. “I’m exactly what you see before you . . . a total and complete asshole.” He turned on his heel and walked away, his confession still hanging in the air.
After a few steps, he hesitated, turning back to her. “Mara?”
“Yes?”
“I’d really prefer not to see Jared in the state he was in when he went on his bender ever again.”
She could feel his eyes on her even though she couldn’t see his stare. Were his words a warning, or just a statement? Mara very much doubted that Evan said anything just for the hell of it. “I don’t ever want to see that,” she answered honestly.
“Good.” He turned around without another word and went on his way.
Mara propped her hands on her hips and watched as Evan swaggered between the mansion and the guest house, disappearing as he went toward Jared’s driveway.
She shook her head as she walked toward her temporary home, still not completely certain what to make of her whole conversation with Evan Sinclair.
CHAPTER 10
“She’s off-limits,” Jared growled. He caught Evan’s arm roughly as his sibling walked to the front of his house and out of Mara’s line of vision.
I am not jealous. I am not jealous.
Jared let the mantra run through his mind as he confronted his eldest brother. He’d just taken his load of groceries to the kitchen when he caught sight of Evan and Mara on the beach. He’d gawked as Mara jumped out of her chair and Evan put his arms around his woman, holding her just a little too long for Jared’s liking. He’d seen Mara stumble because of her ankle, but that didn’t mean that Evan had needed to hold on to her as long as he had, and he certainly didn’t need to cuddle up to Mara and carry her once she was steady. Jared reminded himself that he’d carried Mara everywhere for the last several days. But that was different. Evan was a stranger to Mara, and she to him. What right did his brother have to even touch her?
“She said you were just friends,” Evan said disdainfully. “I didn’t get any indication that you’d staked some sort of claim on her. Isn’t that a little barbaric?”
Jared gritted his teeth and let go of Evan as his elder brother shook off his grip. “We are friends.” And we’re also lovers. Okay . . . maybe lovers only once, but I obsess about it day and night. “She’s been through a lot. The last thing she needs is a man like you.”
Evan folded his arms gracefully in front of him. “What exactly does that mean? I certainly have the funds to give her everything she needs.”
“She doesn’t need funds,” Jared ground out, trying to hold back his temper. Mara would succeed with Mara’s Kitchen, and he planned on making certain she did. Jared knew he owed Evan a lot, but he wasn’t about to sit back and watch while Mara slipped away from him.