Ulterior Designs (House of Evans Book 1) Read Free Page A

."
    Worried he might be boring her, he glanced in her direction, gave her a sheepish half-grin, and cleared his throat. Her feminine scent and the small smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes persuaded him to continue.
    "I used to sneak in here on the weekends and drink the wine they had stored in the back. For being Christians, they had pretty decent taste in wine. But then again, what the hell did I know?" A burst of laughter barreled through him. "The first time I got drunk was in this church."
    Ms. Stephens' amusement vibrated in her throat, and the corners of her lips tipped further upward. "I love that you have a personal connection and history with this place. What else did you do here?"
    He contemplated whether or not to tell her about his little unholy indiscretion. He hadn't told anyone. The only other person who knew about his dirty impropriety was the girl who had laid waste to his virtue in the old church.
    Unable to deny the brown-haired hottie who seemed so genuinely interested in his history with his home, he leaned down and whispered into her ear, "I lost my virginity here."
    The smile she gave him was irresistible, but disbelief flashed in her irises. "You're making that up."
    "Absolutely not. I lost it right over there," he pointed to an area below the staircase. "The staircase wasn't there at the time—I added that. It was a just a row of pews back then."
    "That's …" she trailed off. When she hesitated, he braced himself for judgment, but her eyes sparkled and her grin widened. "So bad . Tell me more."
    Oh, he could tell her more. He'd done lewd, dishonorable things within these walls long before he owned them. He had grown up here, and become a man here. When he had been feeling shitty about the circumstances surrounding his father's death or simply needed time to think, this was the place he had come to for solace. That's why it held such a special place in his heart.
    His lips twitched with unspoken words, but he decided it was probably best to keep a few secrets to himself—at least for now.
    "When my mom called to tell me the owner was going to demo the place and sell off the land, I couldn't bear the thought," he explained, changing the direction of their conversation. "I flew back to Nebraska and checked into what it would take to have it moved here. Everyone involved thought I was crazy and doubted it could make the journey, but this old place proved them all wrong. It turns out the Puritans built it sturdy as hell. Go-figure,” he laughed. “It was a major undertaking as we had to bring it in two pieces, but, fortunately, all the major aspects remained intact."
    Ms. Stephens crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at the loft where the two extra bedrooms were perched. "You're brilliant. This place," she sighed, "it's so … I can't even put it into words. I can feel the love you put into it." She gave him a quick side-glance. "Can I see the bedrooms?"
    His mouth twisted into a tight-lipped grin. Before he had a chance to change his mind, he began rambling about the house’s uprooting and voyage as he guided her toward the stairs. When Logan heard the anxiousness in his voice, he took in a deep breath and paced himself. He was giving away too much about himself again. It was easy to do with someone who appeared to be just as enchanted with his place as he was.
    As they ascended the tiled staircase lined by a decorative railing, she glided her fingers over the ornate metal. His hand placed on the small of her back to guide her along seemed to cause her body to soften under his touch. She peeked at him over her shoulder to see if he had noticed. He had.
    Hovering on the landing and near the threshold of one of the spare bedroom doors, he mulled over whether or not to tell her what kind of design plan he had in mind for his home. But her fascination proved too tempting, so he pushed forward, leading her into the empty room. He immediately turned to watch her reaction, keeping his eyes