Hotshot Deceiver: A Hero Club Novel

by K E Osborn

  “You can come by and say hi whenever you want, Lyri. Thanks for taking such good care of him. I honestly can’t thank you enough for bringing him back to us.”

  And there it is. I know I’ve done the right thing.

  Every time I briefly thought about keeping Pixy has led me to this conclusion. Handing him back is the right and only thing to do.

  “You’re welcome. Make sure he has lots of cuddles… I’d love to keep updated on him if possible.”

  Chance’s face softens. “Give me your number. I’ll send you pictures.”

  My chest swells with excitement. “You will?” He nods. “Thank you!”

  He hands me his cell, I program my name and number into it, noticing Eddie shift uncomfortably.

  Chance seems to notice too, so he slaps Eddie on the shoulder. “Oh, what, mate? Annoyed I got her number before you? I’m a married man, Eddie.”

  Eddie rolls his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets but doesn’t say anything in reply, making me think he’s annoyed that Chance now has my digits. I just can’t work out if it’s because Eddie doesn’t or because Chance does?

  “Thanks again for this, Chance. I don’t know how he does it, but that little goat has such an aura. I’m having trouble leaving him.”

  Chance reaches out, gripping my shoulder. Eddie shifts uncomfortably once more.

  “Thanks for caring. It was my forgetfulness that let Pixy get loose in the first place. It won’t happen again. I can’t believe he wandered off like that. It’s my first time alone with CJ. In trying to be a good human father, I forgot all about being Pixy’s animal father.”

  I can’t fault him for that. “I get it.” I pet Pixy feeling content this won’t be the last time I see him. It makes leaving that little bit easier. “Bye, billy goat,” I murmur as I exhale, then glance at Eddie. “You ready to head back?”

  “I’ll meet you in the car. But please, Lyri, you drove up… let me drive back?”

  I groan. Not this again.

  Thing is, I’ve made this trip twice in less than twenty-four hours. So even though it goes against my principles, I guess I’m willing to take the break. “Dent my truck, I’m gonna sue you.”

  Both the men laugh. “Was that one of your speak-before-you-think things?”

  “No, I totally meant to say that,” I reply, turning to walk toward the truck. “Bye, Chance.”

  “See ya, Lyri. Thanks again.”

  “You’re welcome,” I yell back as I open the door then slide into the passenger side. I sink into the seat watching the two men. They’re far enough away that I can’t hear them, but Chance seems like he’s having a ball, teasing Eddie with some sort of conversation. Eddie runs his hand through his hair like he’s exasperated and turns back to look at me with a pained expression. I furrow my brows, wondering what that’s all about as he turns to Chance, petting Pixy on the head one more time.

  The guys embrace, then Eddie’s walking toward the truck. I have no idea what the hell just transpired between the two men. I guess I don’t want to know either.

  I need some sugar. After pulling the plastic bag open, I yank out a Pixy Stick, then rip the top free.

  Eddie opens the door and slides in as I’m devouring the sugary hit. “Geez, three in the space of an hour. You’re gonna be bouncing off the walls.”

  Swallowing quickly, I lick my lips to catch the last of the sugary goodness. “Sometimes you just gotta live on the edge, Eddie.”

  He turns the engine over. “Ain’t that the truth.” He reverses down the drive, out onto the road, while flicking the radio back on. “Driver picks,” he says, but then doesn’t change the station. It’s the same 80’s rock we were listening to on the way down here.

  “You’re weird,” I mutter.

  He twists to face me briefly, his lips turned up slightly in the corners. “I’m many things, hummingbird.”

  “So, you and Chance, huh? You guys competitive with each other?” I ask, trying to work something out.

  His face is blank like he’s completely in the dark. “Chance and me? No, not at all. Why would you think that?”

  I shrug. “I have a theory.”

  He rolls his shoulders. “Okay, detective. Hit me.”

  Bringing my hands together, cracking my knuckles, I sit taller in the seat. “You and Aubrey… you had a thing. Then she met Chance, and he took your girl. Or, you met at the same time, but he won her over you?”

  His eyes widen like he’s having a heart attack at the thought, then he glares at me. “Fuck! What? Hell no. Why would you think that?”

  “You were weird when Chance asked for my number. There’s history. With you two… and a girl, maybe? I just figured it was Aubrey.”

  He bursts out laughing, making me rethink the situation. Have I read it completely wrong?

  “Oh, hummingbird, you don’t know how to read me at all. Do you?”

  I grimace. I really don’t. “You and Aubrey weren’t a thing?”

  “No! No way. Aubrey and Chance are way too connected. Plus, she’s more like a cool sister figure. I could never see her as anything other than that. No… fucking… way.” His body physically shudders as if the thought repulses him. I rack my brain, trying to figure out what the hell was going on between them.

  “Then why all the weirdness? The attitude when I gave Chance my number?”

  He glances at me sideways like he’s trying to decide how to play this. “I think you’re funny. I think you’re intelligent. I think you have no damn filter… and I like that about you. I think you’re fucking gorgeous. But that’s not important, Lyri. Chance was able to get something I want without having to work for it. I know you and he aren’t going to be talking to each other romantically, in any way, but it stung when he got what I want so badly so easily, especially when I know I’m going to have to work my ass off for it.”

  I sit, stunned.

  Eddie, this hotshot, with the face and body of a damn god, wants my number.

  “But why? I’ve been nothing but all over the place with you.”

  “I know, that’s only ’cause you want me,” he quips, then smirks.

  I roll my eyes. “There you go, hotshot. Making yourself out to be an asshole again.”

  He turns to me briefly before glancing back to the road. “I’m enjoying our morning, Lyri. I think our chance encounter means something. I didn’t intend to go on a drive with anyone to Hermosa Beach today, but seeing Chance has put some things into perspective for me.”

  I sit back, taking in his pristine suit. The way his strong hands grip the steering wheel. What would those hands feel like against my skin?

  Jesus, Lyri, get a grip and focus on the conversation!

  “Oh yeah, like what?”

  “I work too much.”

  I purse my lips. “In the mysterious family business.”

  “Yeah… I need to get out more. Spend time with people I care about.”

  “People like Chance?”

  His eyes meet mine. “Him, and to use his name, take a chance on new people, too.” He winks at me.

  My insides shake, seeing him so in control of himself. He knows what he wants, and he’s going for it. I just wish I knew what life was throwing my way.

  The song changes on the radio.

  His voice filters all around me.

  I feel like I’m transparent.

  Like Eddie can see me.

  Like he can see right through me.

  I know I’m tense while Eddie taps along, bobbing as if he’s loving the catchy tune. “I love this song,” he gushes, then hums along with the melody.

  My heart races as my palms begin to sweat. “Can we turn this off?” My voice is raspy, almost broken as my breathing rushes through my nose.

  He turns, his eyes wide in what seems like shock, but he quickly switches it off. “Hit a nerve? Remind you of an ex or something, hummingbird?”

  My stomach knots as I turn in my seat away from him, my arms folded across my chest as I fo
cus out the window on the crashing of the aquamarine waves in Santa Monica Bay. They roll into the sandy shore tumultuously unlike the atmosphere in the truck right now. An arctic blast filters through the air. The pickup is blanketed in a deadly silence with no other sounds but the dull whooshing of the tires on the asphalt and my harsh breathing.

  The entire ride is spent with me sulking.

  This is not how I wanted my last moments with Eddie to be.

  But that damn song’s ruined everything.

  Just like that band ruined my life.

  Eddie pulls closer to Love and Lavender, and I can’t help but feel regret for my actions. He will probably never want to see me again after this. To be honest, I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to see me either. I’ve been up and down like a damn yo-yo with him. All because he makes me feel. Makes me want something I don’t want to have, and it scares me.

  Eddie exhales forcefully as we pull up out the front of my store. “Lyri, I’m an asshole. Can I make it up to you?”

  I can’t help but turn to face him, letting out a small laugh. “No. What? It’s me who should be sorry. It’s just that song… that band, they mean something to me. And… it doesn’t matter, but I shouldn’t take it out on you. That’s not fair.”

  He narrows his eyes on me. “Well, then, seeing as this is all your fault, and I’m completely in the clear, I think you should make it up to me.” His lips turn up slightly. “By having dinner… with me.”

  I raise my brow. “That was the most insulting way of asking a girl out I’ve ever heard.”

  Eddie’s cheeky grin lights up. My knees go weak when he flashes me his pearly whites.

  Damn him.

  “So… dinner?”

  He’s still trying.

  Even after my tantrum.

  Eddie’s a glutton for punishment.

  I know I can’t refuse him. “Okay, dinner. But I want flowers, really pretty ones,” I tease.

  “Challenge accepted. Right now, I need to get my mother’s flowers from the best florist in Culver City before I head back and have my head removed by my father. Hell, it’s why I came all this way in the first place.”

  My eyes widen. “Wait! Where did you come from?”

  “Our offices are in downtown LA, but I live in Beverly Park.”

  My eyes widen.

  Oh crap!

  He’s rich.

  Filthy rich.

  Beverly Park is only for the wealthiest of the wealthy. I know, because I grew up there.

  He needs to be with a socialite, a celebrity, or hell, a freaking princess from some European country for all I know, not some nobody florist from Culver City.

  “Holy crapoodle,” I mumble under my breath as he slides off the truck, then he rounds it, coming to my side.

  I step out as he takes my hand. “Don’t let it stop us from having a good meal together, Lyri. You have a spark in you that I want to see shine bright.”

  “Huh? What does that even mean?”

  “I think you’re cool.”

  “Oh… I see. But shouldn’t you be more interested in… I don’t know… like Paris Hilton or something?”

  He lightly chuckles. “No. We didn’t get along.” My eyes burst out of my head as I gasp. “Oh God, Lyri, I’m kidding. She’s not my type.”

  Placing my hand on my hip, I glare at him. “You like messing with me, don’t you?”

  He slyly smirks. “Yes… and it’s been the highlight of my day.”

  “I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.”

  He leans in so close I can smell his intoxicating aftershave. It sends all my senses into overdrive. My heartbeat races up a notch as I stare into his eyes. They’re the color of the blue aster flower that rises to meet the morning sun. The blue aster flower is known as a talisman of love and a symbol of patience. Staring into his stunning orbs, he has the patience of a saint. And as for love? Well, I love his eyes, that’s for damn sure.

  “Definitely flattered, hummingbird.” He leans closer, enough for me to open my eyes wider in shock as I think he’s going to kiss me. My heart hammers in my chest like a jackhammer. My muscles tense as I pucker my lips, welcoming the connection, when he suddenly diverts, shutting the truck door behind me. He pulls back, winks at me, and heads toward the shop.

  I take a second to simply breathe.

  A moment to gather myself.

  If he’s going to play hardball, he doesn’t know who he’s going up against.

  Because I can play right back.

  Chapter Five

  Eddie strolls inside my store, and I can’t help but admire his toned ass as I follow. The little bell on the door dings, Paisley peeks up at us, her eyes widening. “How was the road trip?” she calls out.

  “Entertaining,” I reply.

  “I bet it was,” Paisley mumbles under her breath as Eddie turns to peruse some of the arrangements. I move in behind him while he leans over, glancing at the price tags. I press my body against his, rubbing my chest purposely into his back, pointing to the bunch next to the one he’s currently looking at.

  He tenses all over.

  He knows what I’m doing, but he does nothing to stop me.

  “I can do these for a marked-down price.” I angle my boobs so they rub against his arm. He clears his throat as I continue, “They’re going to be marked down later today anyway.”

  Eddie admires my cleavage, then his eyes quickly shoot back up to mine. He’s obviously enjoying that I’m playing him as much as he’s playing me. He clears his throat, then stands taller. I take a step back from him. Our bodies are still close together, though, as he turns to face me while holding a box of roses.

  “You think these roses will impress my mother?” His eyes run up and down my body. He’s trying to be seductive.

  “I’d prefer dahlias myself.”

  “You really do say what’s on your mind, don’t you?”

  “Yes, sometimes I mean to. But sometimes it just slips out uncontrollably.”

  He grabs a bunch of the yet-to-be-marked-down flowers, dipping his head at me. “So… um… dinner?”

  My body comes alive with the thought. “Yes. When did you have in mind?”

  He checks his watch. “I better get some work done today, but maybe tomorrow night? If you’re free?”

  I shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. “Sounds good.”

  “Guess I’m gonna get your number after all.”

  I roll my eyes. “See? All those dramatics with Chance were for nothing, hotshot.”

  “Dramatics? You make me sound like a teenage girl.”

  “You were being a brat.”

  He laughs. “Says the woman who lives on a sugar diet.”

  “Don’t knock it till you try it.”

  He turns up his lips. “You don’t get abs of steel from downing pure glucose.”

  I tilt my head. “I believe the packet says they have dextrose, not glucose, but you know… potato, po-tah-to.”

  He narrows his eyes at me. “You’re a wisecracker, aren’t you?”

  “You gonna buy those flowers or just stand there looking pretty?”

  He tilts his head. “Naw… you think I’m pretty?”

  I roll my eyes, grabbing one of the bunches from him, and start walking toward the cashier desk while he chuckles to himself. I step behind with Paisley, who’s watching my every move like the creeper she is as I tap the price in and take off a further five percent discount. Then I throw in some nutrient feeder and an ‘I love you’ balloon.

  He raises his brow at me while I shrug. “What? You love your mom, don’t you?”

  He pouts out his bottom lip. “And here I thought you were confessing how you truly felt for me.”

  My stomach twists at the cute expression on his face. He’s mocking me. I should be annoyed, but in all honesty, I just want to spend more time with him. “I don’t do love. It’s an emotion which only leads to getting hurt.”

  His humorous expression falls, replace
d by a serious one. “Good to know. I’m not put off, Lyri. So, your number?”

  I exhale as Paisley bounces on her toes, not even trying to hide her excitement. I groan but pull out one of our complimentary cards and write my number on it. No name—nothing else. Just my number. That’s when I notice it’s the card with the printed hearts and the wording in a beautiful script font, ‘With love.’

  Damn! I should have thought this through.

  That’s the second time in the matter of a few minutes I’ve handed him something with ‘love’ printed on it.

  Good going, Lyri. Way to scare a dude off.

  I’m not sure I want anything other than a friend-with-benefits type of arrangement from him anyway. Because giving my heart to someone as I did with Corey? That scares the hell out of me. I just don’t know if I’m open for that kind of thing again.

  He hands me a wad of cash which is way too much for the total of the flowers. Maybe he doesn’t understand how this whole money thing works.

  “I’ll let you know the details of our dinner date.” Eddie starts to walk off before I can hand him his copious amounts of change.

  “Wait! Eddie, your change…” I hold the bills between my fingers up in the air, waving them at him like a madwoman as he walks toward the door. He peers over his shoulder, flashing his perfectly straight teeth.

  The earth stops rotating.

  I’m still dizzy from the momentum.

  That look could cause world disasters, extinction-level events, I’m sure even a planet misalignment with the amount of gravitational pull he has on me.

  “Keep it. I know you discounted the flowers, so I’m paying full price, then adding a tip. Just think of it as me giving back to the community.”

  Paisley sighs giddily as I drop my hand in shock. “Eddie!”

  “See you soon, hummingbird.” His thick, deep voice echoes as I watch him walk out the door of my shop, leaving me reeling.

  Oh my God, the shape of that ass alone is enough to stop the world turning.

  Paisley grabs hold of my forearm, staring right at me. “What in the world just happened between you two? I need details, and I mean… every… single… insignificant… detail.”