Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection (171 page)

Standing in the center of the dressing area, Haley turned around in a complete circle. A large crystal chandelier with a dimmer hung from the center of the space. There was a seating area that boasted two oversized maroon chairs and a pale yellow chaise lounge. On three sides there were curtained dressing rooms, and against the far wall was a large floor-to-ceiling mirror with an antique frame.

This dressing room area was definitely private and had an intimate feel. Once you stepped through the doorway that led inside of it, you were no longer visible to passersby on the sidewalk or even looky-loos pressed up against the window trying to get a peek inside at the merchandise of the new store.

If
she was going to go through with her newly formed plan, then this would be the place to do it. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Nerves unparalleled to any she’d ever felt rose up inside of her.

Every night since he’d been on this job, Eddie would stop by and ask her if she was ready to go. If she wasn’t, he would wait. If she was, they would walk out to their cars together. He never left her at the shop alone.

It was sweet.

She hadn’t heard any hammering for the last ten minutes and had heard him putting away his tools. Any second now he would be popping in, seeing if she was ready to go. Knowing that her window of opportunity was quickly shutting, she attempted to get her head in the game. Like she had done when she was a kid and had had to take medicine that she didn’t like, get a shot, or even when she’d had to take her first steps out on the stage as Alice in third grade, she mentally repeated three words—the quick internal pep talk that had seen her through adolescence and beyond.

Ready. Set. Go
.

Then, without giving it a second thought, she watched herself in the mirror as she stripped off her gray t-shirt. Next, she unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, stepping out of them, Her skin felt highly sensitized as the denim rubbed against her thighs and calves. Her body was already alive with anticipation.

She laid both items of clothing over the chair to her right. Standing perfectly still, she stared back at her reflection. She wore a lace demi bra with a red ribbon threaded through the straps. Her matching black lace panties had two tiny red satin bows on the straps that hit right below her hip bones.

Haley almost didn’t recognize the woman she saw in the mirror. Her skin was flushed. Hair tousled. Lips swollen. She looked…sexy. If this didn’t do the trick, if this didn’t
inspire
Eddie, then she would have no choice but pack it in, give him a good ol’ sportsmanlike high-five, and declare game over.

Which brought up a good question. What would she do if that were the case? She was busily devising her exit strategy and contemplating how much ice cream she would need to nurse her way through the inevitable humiliation that his rejection would incur when she heard the back room door shut.

Oh boy!
This was really it. Game time. All her years of pining, wanting, and loving all came down to what would happen in the next sixty seconds.

The sound of his steel-toed work boots as he moved across the hardwood floors vibrated off the brick walls. His heavy steps caused her heart rate to speed so fast it felt like Thumper was thumping his foot against her ribcage. Anticipation was building so fast and furiously inside of her that she felt like she might actually be in danger of having a heart attack.

And then it happened. Eddie came around the corner, head down, looking at his iPad. “Hey are you ready to—” His words stopped abruptly the second he raised his head and saw her. The iPad slipped from his hand.

Oops
.

He made no effort to pick it up. Eddie stood perfectly still directly behind Haley about ten feet away, her back facing him. She could see his wide-shouldered, tall frame surrounding her in their reflection in the mirror. In the dim lighting, she couldn’t clearly make out his expression. She could
feel
his gaze on her but could not see what was going on behind his intense stare.

Now or never. Ready. Set. Go.

Haley turned slowly to face him. As she did, she tried to take a deep, calming breath but could not force air into her tightly constricted lungs. Her breathing was coming in short pants, causing her to feel lightheaded. She knew that if she didn’t calm her rioting nerves she would hyperventilate and/or pass out. That would not exactly set the mood.

Haley had to jump off the anxiety train that was headed to hyperventilation station and she had to do it fast. So she did what she always did when racketed with nerves. She rambled.

With a shaky voice, she spoke quickly. “This is from my new collection. I wanted you to see it because when I was designing it I thought of you. I’ve never had a
real
muse when I created before. Well, unless you count water or buildings or antiques. But never people. You are my only human muse.”

“Actually, no that’s not true. One time, I saw this older couple sitting on a bench and the man placed a flower that he’d picked in the woman’s hair and it was such a sweet, romantic gesture. That was what sparked my Sweet Seduction line, so I guess they were technically ‘human muses’ but not in the same way that yo—”

“Haley,” Eddie interrupted. His strangled voice caused a tightening deep in Haley’s core. “We can’t do this,” he spoke through gritted teeth.

Okay. Haley had had a feeling that he might say that when she’d come up with this plan. He might have scored the first touchdown, but this was not game over yet.

“I understand why you don’t want us to have a relationship. It could confuse things for Em.
But
that doesn’t mean that nothing can happen between us. We kissed over a week ago and the world didn’t end. No one’s life was destroyed. The sun kept rising and setting.”

“I can’t give you what you want.” Eddie’s pained tone squeezed Haley’s heart. “What you deserve.”

“Yes, you can,” she whispered as she walked towards him.

Unlike the other day, he did not retreat. There was no two-step or tango going on. He remained where he was, arms at his sides, feet planted shoulder-width apart, looking primed and ready for battle. She was hoping to inspire the lover and not the fighter in him, but she was happy that at least he hadn’t just started laughing at her attempt at seduction or told her to put her clothes back on.

With more boldness than she’d known she’d even possessed, she said. “What I want, is to be with you. I know that you don’t want to be in a relationship and I respect that. I’m not asking for that. I just want to know what it feels like to be with you. I want to touch you and be touched by you. I think about you all the time. It’s driving me crazy. I just want this. To be with you. Tonight.”

Haley could see the battle going on behind Eddie’s dark eyes. His strong jaw was set firmly in place and his breathing reminded her of a bull ready to charge. While she waited for the verdict, her eyes roamed his body. His white t-shirt pulled taut against his muscular chest as it rose and fell with his heavy breathing. He was wearing blue jeans that Haley was happy to report revealed just how
inspired
he was by what she was wearing.
Score!
Continuing down his long legs, she saw that his brown work boots had some dust and wood chips on them.

Her body trembled as she took it all in. Everything about Eddie screamed male. It didn’t surprise her at all that women regularly threw themselves at him—not unlike she was doing now. Or the fact that he could see several different women on a casual basis at any given time. He was a walking, breathing fantasy.

“Did you plan this?” he asked quietly.

Her eyes shot up to meet his. It took a moment for her brain to catch up to the conversation. She had been waiting for his response but hadn’t been expecting follow-up questions. Her cheeks flush with heat.

“Yes,” she answered honestly.

“Is that why you locked up?” He stared directly at her. His eyes, no longer hard and tortured, began softening.

“Yes,” she swallowed hard.

“It can only be tonight.”

Was that a green light? All systems go? Was this going to happen? Was Eddie going to make love to her?

“I know,” she said breathlessly.

At her agreement, the look in his eyes changed dramatically.

Yes
! This was definitely going to happen.

His hungry gaze roamed her body. Everywhere his eyes fell came alive with sensation. He took his time, slowly studying every inch of her body.

She could feel the weight of her chest rising and falling in labored breaths as a pulsing need intensified in her core. Haley tried to remain still. She wanted so badly to close the distance between them and kiss him, but something held her back. That little voice in the back of her head was saying that she needed to enjoy every second and not rush this. If tonight was all they would ever share physically, then she wanted to prolong it as long as possible.

Which begged the question. “How long until you have to pick up Em?”

Eddie’s eyes did not meet hers as he responded, his gaze still roaming her body. “She’s having dinner at Chelle’s and then they’re watching Monsters, Inc.”

Haley did the mental math. A few hours.

That’ll work
.

Eddie began moving towards her. His predatory stare sent a shiver of awareness racing through Haley’s body. She found herself stepping back as he advanced towards her, stopping only when she felt her back hit the cold wall that separated the dressing rooms. Staring straight ahead, she was eye level with Eddie’s strong chest.

She closed her eyes as she felt the rough pads of his fingertips trail up her arm and over her shoulder to the base of her neck. He threaded his fingers in her hair and tilted her head up. The movement caused her to open her heavy-lidded eyes, and what she saw there took her breath away.

Desire more powerful than any she’d ever seen filled Eddie’s soulful brown eyes. “Do you know how bad I’ve wanted you?”

Her stomach quivered at his question. She had no idea if he’d meant it to be rhetorical, but she heard herself answering anyways.

“No.”

A wicked grin pulled up at the corners of his lips as he asked, “You don’t?”

Haley shook her head slightly from side to side.

“Do you want me to show you?” he rasped.

“Yes,” she answered, her voice smoky with passion.

He let out a deep guttural groan and his mouth was on hers, first sucking her bottom lip and then her top before capturing her entirely. His tongue expertly slid inside her mouth. Licking. Exploring. Claiming. She felt her legs go weak from his spine-tingling kiss.

One hand firmly held her head in place while the other ran down the side of her body. She felt his large palm slide over her hip as his long fingers gripped the back of her thigh, pulling it up as his jean-clad thigh pressed between her legs. She sucked in a startled breath as her heated core made intimate contact with his powerful thigh.

Need shot through Haley so violently that her body jerked against his. Her hands reached up, grasping his muscular shoulders to anchor herself. She held on to him, reveling in the feeling of his powerful body beneath her touch intensifying the experience tenfold.

She felt his fingers slide up the back of her thigh and under her lacy panties digging into her backside. He began kneading her firm flesh, causing her hips to rock back and forth, her mound grinding against his denim-covered leg.

She could feel herself growing wetter and wetter with each pass. As her arousal grew, she felt her hips begin moving faster of their own accord. Hot whips of pleasure shot through her as he continued ravishing her mouth.

Everything he did, every place he touched, felt deliriously good. The strength of his body as it pressed against hers. The wet heat of his mouth. The suctioning swirl of his tongue. His work-worn hands gripping and squeezing her soft skin. The erotic pressure and friction of his thigh rubbing against her neediest place. His rock-hard manhood settled firmly against her belly as she ground her body seductively into him. She tried to absorb it all, not miss one moment, one feeling, but she found herself getting lost in the overwhelming sensations.

His mouth moved as he trailed soft kisses across her jawline. He clenched her hair in his fist at the nape of her neck, causing a shockwave of bliss to shoot straight to the crux of her thighs.

“Oh,” she sensually moaned as pleasure lashed through her.

Heated breath fanned her neck as Eddie spoke in a low, mesmerizing tone. “I can feel how wet you are through my jeans.” His tongue licked the hypersensitive area just beneath her ear. “Do you feel how hard that makes me?”

“Yes,” she managed to get out.

At her response, she felt his hardened length twitch behind his zipper, sending her own arousal reaching for even higher heights. Haley loved knowing that she could affect Eddie like that. That her words and her body could make him flinch with need.

Haley’s fingernails dug into his well-built shoulders as Eddie alternated kissing and licking her neck. His hand moved lower down her backside as his fingers slowly dipped between her legs. The roughened pads of his fingertips brushed along the seam of her swollen, wet core and her body tightened with need. A feverish rush flowed through her as he rubbed enticingly along the slick folds of her sex.

“Mmm,” he growled against her neck. “I want to taste you.” With that declaration, he dropped to his knees.

The next thing she knew, Haley found herself pinned against the wall, one leg draped over Eddie’s shoulder, the other spread open by the width of his upper body. She bit her lip as she looked down upon the suggestive pose he’d placed her in. The dim light bounced off the top of his dark head of hair as he focused all of his attention on her aching sex still covered by black lace. His face was so close to her wet heat that she could feel the puffs of his short breaths against her sensitized core.

His hands ran up her quivering inner thighs, stopping at the apex between her legs. Slowly, he moved his thumbs along each side of her damp panties. “When you made these”—he dipped his thumbs beneath the lace—“you were thinking about me?”