Silas sent Zander a killing stare and then to everyone’s eternal shock, he leaned down and carefully took hold of Evangeline’s hand that was still brushing frantically at his pants.
“Evangeline,” he said quietly. “It’s all right. It wasn’t your fault. If Zander had anything resembling manners, he wouldn’t have barged in here and scared you half to death. You can be sure I’ll send him the dry-cleaning bill.”
Drake sent Zander his own murderous glare, one that promised retribution. Zander’s look of puzzlement only served to enrage Drake further because the stupid fuck had no idea what he’d just destroyed in three seconds’ time.
Evangeline’s expression remained worried, tears still glistening in her eyes, and she nearly dropped the container she held in her other hand because she was trembling so much. Silas rescued it and set it aside before reclaiming her hand so that he held both in his.
Now that Silas’s grip ceased the shaking in her hands, the quiver of her chin was more pronounced. It looked as if it was taking every bit of her control for her not to burst into tears and flee the room as fast as she could.
Drake couldn’t bear her obvious despair and opened his mouth to bark a command that would clear the room in seconds, but before he could speak, Silas tightened his grasp on Evangeline’s hands and stared down directly into her eyes, sincerity radiating from him.
“If there’s another left, I’d love to have one,” Silas said, as if she were offering him the moon.
Drake watched as every single one of his men’s mouths dropped open as Silas effectively soothed Evangeline’s fear and embarrassment with a few simple words and a comforting touch.
Evangeline’s smile would have lit up an entire city block as she reached for another cupcake and delivered it into Silas’s waiting hand. Then Silas sent Zander a withering glare over her head.
“You owe the lady an apology,” Silas said, his voice like ice. “Drake’s lady.”
“Ah hell,” Zander swore. “I guess I just ruined my chances for a cupcake.”
Drake saw Evangeline sneak a glance into the container and for a moment, he thought she was going to give Zander one, but instead she picked up the cupcake and turned the container upside down, signaling that there were no more.
“Sorry,” she said quietly. “But this one is for Drake.”
The others snickered and Maddox looked at Zander with a somber expression.
“Trust me, dude. You do not want to get on the bad side of this one.”
Drake ignored the goings-on as Evangeline hesitantly entered his space, walking behind his desk to stand in front of his chair that he’d pivoted around to watch her exchange with Silas.
“I’m sorry I was late,” she whispered. “We weren’t really in a traffic jam. I overslept.”
Drake fought his smile but then gave up, not giving a fuck who saw his reaction to the angel standing in front of him holding a cupcake.
“I know,” he whispered back, absurdly pleased that she wasn’t even capable of such a small deception.
A small smile curved her lips, one quirking upward a little higher than the other. “If I give you the last cupcake, am I forgiven?”
He drew her in between his splayed knees, the cupcake still in her upturned palm.#p#分页标题#e#
“That depends on whether you’ll lick the icing off my lips when I’m done.”
A blush scorched her cheeks, but she needn’t have worried. His men had disappeared the moment Evangeline had approached his desk. They might be irreverent fools for the most part, and they’d certainly stretched the limits of Drake’s patience by occupying his office when they knew Evangeline was coming in, but they knew full well when to make their exit.
When Evangeline hastily looked around and realized what Drake had already known, she relaxed and a devilish glint entered her eyes. She swiped one finger over the top of the cupcake, leaving a dollop of frosting on the tip. Then she reached over before he realized what she was up to and smeared the frosting right across his mouth.
He blinked in surprise and then yanked her forward until she tumbled into his lap, the cupcake completely forgotten. She stared up at his lips and whispered, “Yum.”
She almost pulled off the naughty vixen act. But then she promptly ruined it by blushing to the roots of her hair, causing Drake to throw back his head and laugh. As afternoons went, this was by far the most disordered, chaotic and as far from the usual boring ritual one he’d had in a very long time. All thanks to an impish, golden-haired, blue-eyed angel and a Tupperware container of cupcakes.