"It's nice to see you Eve." My father pulled the door to the townhouse wider. "You're just in time for dinner."

We both tried our best to smile. Mine was forced. His was nervous as if I was a mirage who would vanish in a cloud of mist the second the wind changed.

I stepped into the warm foyer. The walls were a beautiful, white-washed shiplap. Hooks covered the left wall and were filled with an assortment of jackets and colorful umbrellas, a staircase took up the right and directly in front of me was a large, framed photo of my father grinning down at the woman I've never met. Looking at her with obvious love in his eyes as she twirled in a white gown.

My fist clenched.

I wish I could be brave like I was last night, but last night was a fluke. A bit of New Years magic. Instead I muttered, "thank you for inviting me."

"Of course. It's nice to have you back in the city, I only wish I would have known sooner."

I removed my jacket and stood awkwardly with it until the woman in the photo breezed in and took it from my arms. She was around my height with long braided hair and a fresh, makeup-free face. Her movements seemed effortless and her smile genuine.

"I can't tell you how excited I've been to meet you." She hung the jacket on one of the hooks and grabbed both of my hands in hers looking me squarely in the eyes.

"I'm Elizabeth and while you may not be fond of me yet, I wanted to let you know that you are wanted and welcome here anytime." She grinned and lines appeared near her mouth and eyes revealing her age. "I know you might not believe me, but we've been looking forward to this for a long time."

My mouth gaped like a fish, searching for words. I tried to gather my thoughts. I had been so prepared to dislike this woman who wasn't my mom, but I couldn't.

Seeing my struggle, she changed the subject.

"I hope you're hungry. I think I made more food today than I did for Thanksgiving."

My father nodded. "Since this is your first birthday without your-" He scrubbed one hand over the back of his head. "Well, we wanted it to be special."

I shrugged trying to look nonchalant while my heart raced. "Ok."

Elizabeth squeezed my hands, then kept one as she led me through a wide hallway and past a beautiful kitchen I'm sure put some five star restaurants to shame.

While we explored the first floor she rambled, pointing out things of interest. "...oh, and I think your dad told you I invited my son for dinner. I just wanted to get all of the introductions out of the way at once."

"He did. I'm looking forward to meeting him," I swallowed. Lying. I was not excited to meet a so called stepbrother I had only discovered a week ago when my dad called me for the first time in ten years.

"Great, he's already here."

We walked into an ornate dining room and I gasped, coming to a stop at the threshold.

The person sitting at the table stared back at me in equal disbelief.

"Eve, I'd like you to meet my son Ethan, though I suppose all of his friends call him York. Ethan, this is Andy's daughter Eve. Isn't she just beautiful?"

He nodded, quickly composing his face. "Eve is it?"

My skin felt feverish. This honestly, truly and unequivocally couldn't be happening. "Yes."

"It's nice to meet you," he said patting the empty chair beside him. "Have a seat... I don't bite."

Oh my God.

That devilish smirk appeared just as it had last night. As if I was a strange insect caught in his spiders snare and I found myself seated beside him.

Elizabeth sat across from me and my father took the last empty seat next to hers. "Can I offer you some wine?"

"I would love some." What I meant was, I would need some.

She poured me a glass while my father began serving a turkey that did indeed look like it belonged in a Thanksgiving feast. Then she sat down and leaned toward me, elbows on the table like an excited child.

"Tell me everything about you."

Before I could say anything, Ethan cut in as he scooped a large portion of casserole onto his plate. "Don't interrogate the poor girl. You wonder why all of my friends stopped coming over years ago."

She blushed, laughing. "I can be a bit much sometimes. Okay. Let's start with an easy one. What are you studying?"

I was still trying to figure out how I ended up in this situation, but managed to clear my head long enough to answer. "I'm studying Psychology with an interest in Special Needs."

"Really," she said. "That's amazing. And how's the college experience so far?"

"It's-" I peeked next to me. "It's been really interesting."

Ethan's lips quirked up.

I continued. "I'm just lucky I was able to take my prerequisites at the community college in Colorado near our house and transfer my credits; it saved me a ton of money. And then Sarah offered me her spare room and I figured New York was fate."

She smiled. "I think you're right. I just love the thought of fate leading you down a trail you never thought to follow," she sighed. "Have you made many friends? What about a boyfriend?"

My father and Ethan both seemed to go still.

"No, neither so far. Not that I've really left the house to go anywhere besides classes."

My father cleared his throat, trying to shift the conversation. "Are you doing okay without a job, I mean, do you have enough money to make it the rest of the year?"

My heart stuttered. "I'm not sure it's any of your business, but mom left me plenty to last a few years."

Elizabeth put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him from replying and we continued eating steering the conversation to safer topics. I learned that my dad was an engineer and Elizabeth was a professor who taught online while writing fiction from home. And the whole time I could feel Ethan's eyes on me almost as warm as his touch had been last night.

"How old are you Eve?" He asked at last.

I swallowed the bite I was working on.

"I turned twenty one last night."

He tapped his fork on the plate.. "You were born on New Years Eve? Is that where the name comes from?"

I nodded. Eyes down, still not sure how to handle easy banter with him. This strong, magnetic man who looked like some sort of fallen angel who'd had his tongue in my mouth less than twenty four hours ago.

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. I had only noticed the tattoo at his throat last night, but now, in the black t-shirt I saw that they continued down his arms and onto his hands and fingers. I wouldn't normally say I was a girl to be attracted to tattoos, but they were beautifully done and most of them seemed to be an eastern Indian design. I wondered where else they could be found on his body and could feel my cheeks heating, no doubt turning bright red.

I was about to excuse myself to the bathroom to get a second of distance when I felt Ethan's large hand grip my knee. It was warm and my eyes shot up wondering if anyone saw where his hand was placed, but they were oblivious.

Ethan continued eating with the other hand, bringing a forkful of turkey to his mouth. His lips twitched as he waited for me to reply.

"Y-yes. That's how I got my name."

He nodded, his fingers inching higher up my bare leg, making me painfully aware of how short the dress I wore was.

"Hmm... And here I thought you were named for the Eve of the garden who was tempted by the devil himself." His voice had dropped seductively, taking my heart and stomach with it.

"Ethan," his mom chuckled.  She looked at me, totally unaware that Ethan was drawing lazy circles on my thigh. "I'm sorry Eve. My son is an incorrigible flirt," she gave him a scolding look, though there was only love in her eyes. "Who happens to be getting his Doctorate of Philosophy in Religious Studies. I just new he would be fascinated by your name."

I laughed as well... a little manically. "It's ok. I can't say I haven't heard that before. About Adam and Eve I mean."

Ethan's hand slipped up another inch and he squeezed. I sucked in a breath, but tried to cover it with a sip of wine.

"Why religion?" I asked after I swallowed.

"Why not? It's one of, if not the most interesting subjects known to mankind. To worship-" His hand slipped higher, under the hem of my dress. "-something so intensely that people spanning the distance of millennia have lived and died for it. Something we can't even see, just-" It moved higher still. "-for a glimpse of the Divine and the possibility of a better life after death."

My heart was racing, unsure if I should push his hand away, or pull it closer to were I had begun to ache.

"You've always been so dramatic, but so incrediblely smart," Elizabeth said.

Ethan laughed. "Why don't you break out the baby pictures while you're at it."

Her retort was quick. "Or we could pull out that dissertation you've been secretly working on for two years. You'd think he'd at least tell his mother about it," she said. Shaking her head. "But he won't even give me a hint"

He looked like he was used to this line of questions. "You'll see it when it's published and not a second sooner." He winked to soften the blow.

I glanced at him again, seeing him as others would, almost punkish with his tattoos, a broad defined body that looked like it lived in a gym and his black jeans-n-T-shirt... Yet on his way to a Ph.D.

I glanced down, and then I saw it. The dark, but beautiful snake tattoo twisting down his strong, defined arm like the branch of a tree. The head disappearing under my dress and his earlier amusement made sense. Eve tempted by the snake.

"How old are you?" I wondered about this enigma of a man; not realizing I said it aloud until he replied.

"Twenty-six."

I took another sip of wine, letting it bolster my courage and allow me to hide what was going on mere feet away from the others. "And what does a twenty six year old plan on doing with a Doctorate in Religious Studies?"

His finger brushed the fabric of my panties, so light, it barely touched the skin underneath.

My legs quivered.

For the first time since I sat down, he looked directly in my eyes. "I want to enlighten people."

He pulled his hand out so suddenly that I almost jumped. He leaned across the table and used that same hand to grab a roll from the basket in front of my father who was staring at him.

"Wonderful meal as always mom, but I'm really looking forward to dessert."

***

"Please say you'll come again."

Elizabeth threw her arms around me and surprisingly, I returned her hug.

I looked to my father and his smile was more relaxed than when I had first walked through the door.

"I think I would like that." I meant it, if not to see my dad, but to be surrounded by his new wife's warmth.

Ethan came from the hallway pulling a black hooded sweatshirt over his head and grinned big enough to show straight, white teeth when he saw what I had in my arms.

He held his hand out, reaching for his leather jacket, and I thought he was about to rat us out. Instead he motioned for me to turn around and held it up.

I slipped my arms in as he pulled it over my shoulders, scooped my hair out from underneath the collar and whispered "nice jacket " in my ear, his breath fanning my cheek.

His mom coughed and I could have sworn I heard her say, "flirt."

My dad coughed as well, but it didn't sound quite as friendly or amused. "Should I call you a cab Eve?"

"It's okay. I already have an Uber on the way."

He frowned. "You should only use yellow taxis. I know you haven't lived here since you were little, but the city can be dangerous."

Ethan cut in. "Cancel the Uber. I'll take you home."

My dad's eyes flared. "But you-"

"-two will be just fine. Thanks' Ethan." Elizabeth gave us both another hug goodbye. "There's an extra helmet in the closet."

She grabbed my dad's hand and pulled him down the hall and into the kitchen effectively leaving us alone.

I looked up at Ethan, self consciously tugging on a strand of my long brown hair. I had curled it into soft waves before I came and they were miraculously still in tact.

"Helmet?"

I hadn't realized I was chewing on my lip until he used one finger to gently release it.

"Ever ridden a motorcycle?"

"No, never.

"Well," he smirked. "Time for another first."

**********

Surprised Ethan was at dinner? Me either, It's a romance novel after all.

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