"Take a look at this."
"What?"
But Jen didn't answer and instead just stared.
Ash shook her head. What now? She joined Jen at the railing and looked down.
Near the curb, engine still running and rock music bellowing from the speakers, idled a red pickup truck. White and yellow flames danced along both sides. Bending over the tailgate was a broad, bare, definitely male back. Yow. No wonder Jen looked like she was about to start drooling. Even one floor up, Ash could trace the outline of nearly every muscle in his arms and back. A bright red and yellow king cobra tattoo curled around his left triceps. Wavy brown hair fell across the sides of his face. His jeans, faded in all the right places, sat low on his hips. Ash squinted harder and ran one hand over her hair. Oh God. They still make men who look like that?
"Turn around, please,” Jen commanded under her breath. As if he'd heard her, he straightened up, biceps flexing as he hauled two large boxes from the back of the truck and turned up into the sidewalk. Her sidewalk. He looked up, and Ash's heart dove into her stomach. A neatly trimmed goatee underscored a crooked nose. He flashed a smile and winked.
"Hey,” he called up. “You live here?"
Jen nodded and jabbed a thumb in Ash's direction. “She does."
"I'm Eddie West. Movin’ in today."
It was hard to hear him over the noise of the truck's humming engine and the music. Ash watched his mouth move instead.
"Need any help?"
Eddie shook his head. “Nah. I've just got a couple of boxes to bring in. The rest is coming tomorrow. But thanks.” He continued up the sidewalk.
Jen cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled down. “Come up later, if you want."
Ash elbowed her. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
Eddie backpedaled and nodded, grinning wider. As he disappeared from their view, the heavy front door creaked open and, after a few seconds, thudded shut behind him.
Jen straightened up. “See? I told you he'd be good-looking.” She rolled her eyes. “He's beyond good-looking, Ash.” She fell back against the railing, hands to heart in a dramatic pantomime. “He's perfect."
Ash stood. She wasn't sure a good-looking housemate was what she needed this summer. Hadn't she sworn off men just a few weeks ago? “I'm sure he's not perfect, Jen. Besides, you don't even know if he's available. Maybe he has a girlfriend. Maybe he's married."
"He's not. He wasn't wearing a ring."
"How do you know?"
"I looked."
"From ten feet up you looked?"
Jen winked, grinning. A few minutes later, the pickup's music squawked off. Less than two minutes after that, footsteps thundered up the stairs, and a fist pounded on Ash's front door. Her heart crept from a steady gallop to a sprint. She didn't need to meet anyone new, not now. She needed to get her head straightened out. She needed to heal. She needed to...
"Are you getting that?” Jen stood perfectly still and stared at her.
"Fine.” She turned and slid through the open window, crossed the living room, and stood before the door. Please don't be perfect, she whispered to herself. Please have one lazy eye or a limp or something caught in your teeth.
Ash opened the door, and Eddie stood on the other side, smiling.
A breeze kicked through the living room, one of those warm summer gusts that sweeps in from nowhere. It lifted the hair off her neck and blew a puff of dust across the doorstep. For an instant, the room seemed to widen, to swell with warmth, and sun flooded the space.
Wow. Maybe Jen is right. Maybe he is perfect. Eddie wasn't tall, but the faded green t-shirt he'd put on outlined every muscle she could see. Sweat lined the creases in his forehead, and brilliant blue eyes met hers. Their color startled her, so bright they made the summer sky seem shady and dull. The more she examined them and tried in vain to match them to a Crayola color that had never existed, the more she felt a strange tumbling in her stomach that she didn't like at all.
God, what's wrong with me? He's just a guy. Pull it together, Ash.
Taking a deep breath, she shifted her gaze to the doorjamb above him. “Hi, Eddie. Come on in."
He didn't move for a moment, just stood and studied her. Cocking his head, he wiped his forehead against the sleeve of his shirt, then stepped across the threshold and into Ash's life. Maybe it was the sun, maybe the odd wind that had picked up at just that moment, but suddenly she had the strangest urge to reach over and touch him, to run one finger along his brow and down his cheek. She studied a wrinkle in the fold of his shirt and wanted to smooth it. Something hovered in the space between them, and a strange sense of closeness pierced her throat and stopped her words.
"Are you—?"
"When did—?"
They spoke at the same time, but the words fell away, and though neither finished a thought, they both began to laugh.
Eddie reached for Ash's hand. “Nice to meet you."
She placed her palm in his, for a moment only, but she liked the way it felt. Warm. Safe. “I'm-uh-Ashley. Ash.” Again she altered her first name, and didn't offer her last, in case he'd been watching the news lately. And who hadn't?
* * * *
Ash studied her new housemate as Jen joined them in the living room. Eddie leaned in the doorway, cracking his knuckles, and continued to smile at her. He was saying something, she realized after a moment, something about the weather or maybe the house, but she couldn't quite concentrate over the thumping of her heart. She watched him, though. She watched as Eddie's goatee moved when he spoke, a rich, wide spread of stubble that covered his chin. She wondered for a moment what it would be like to feel it against her own cheek, and a tickle ran up the back of her neck. Where did that thought come from? Startled, Ash pushed it away. Forget it. The pain of Colin still stung, and even a friendly neighbor with rugged, take-your-breath-away good looks couldn't chase that memory from her mind.
She tore her gaze away to turn and look behind her, seeing for the first time the furniture that filled her new living room. A loveseat sat underneath the wide window overlooking the street, with a worn corduroy couch opposite it. A tall bookcase stood in one corner near the kitchen, and two warped oak end tables completed the set. Hmm. She might have to invest in a few pieces of furniture after all. Ripped boxes and limp garbage bags covered the floor. She blushed, suddenly embarrassed.
"I just moved in. Sorry about the mess."
Eddie shrugged. “What mess?"
Her smile returned. “Want a seat?"
He nodded thanks and made his way to the couch, stepping over a box and around a stack of books. Jen plopped down beside him. With one cheek resting in her palm, she stretched out her short legs and grinned at Eddie. Ash shook her head. Jen had always been good at that, sliding up to men without a second thought. Ash wished sometimes she could be more like her friend, instead of sitting in the shadows and thinking too much. She'd never had to work to get Colin, anyway. He'd showed up on her doorstep three days after she arrived at Harvard.
"So you're Senator Kirk's daughter,” he'd said, and that was that. The following day they went out for coffee. The next weekend she took him home to meet her parents. They hadn't been apart since.
Ash's eyes burned, and she reached up to rub away the tears she knew would show up in another minute. She found a spot on the loveseat and forced attention to Jen and Eddie, in an effort to steer her mind back to the conversation instead of the thoughts running around inside her head.
"Nice place, huh? I mean the house, the street, and all.” Eddie waved to the ceiling above them as he leaned back, settling himself into the cushions. Ash followed the movement and noticed strong, calloused hands, with scars on the knuckles, and one pinky finger bent in an odd way. Warmth filled her belly. She always noticed men's hands. Maybe that's why she found baseball players and cellists so sexy. She liked hands that looked powerful and rugged. Hands that could take on the world and throw it into its place when need be. Strong hands that turne
d soft when they wound their way along her body late at night. Eddie's hands looked like that.
The warmth reached her cheeks again, and she willed it away, afraid it would betray her.
"So how'd you end up moving in here?” Jen asked him.
"Mmm ... long story."
The bleach-blonde propped one elbow on the back of the couch. “We've got time."
Eddie's face changed a little, and he switched the subject, smooth as cream. “What about you, Jen?"
"What about me?"
"You and Ashley—what's your story? You guys from around here?"
Ash cringed a little when he said the name. Ashley. Her alias. The one she'd just made up, to take the place of her true identity for the next few months. Already she felt guilty about lying to the guy who would be sharing her house. Darn it. Why couldn't things ever work out the way she planned?
"Not really,” she began, with a quick glance at Jen. How did she answer his question without revealing too much? “I mean, we just graduated and..."
"We're from Boston,” Jen finished when Ash trailed off into silence. “Ashley decided to take a summer to herself before jumping into the big bad world. You know, enjoy some peace and quiet. I'm just along for the ride.” She leaned in closer. “That, and to interview any housemates she might have. To make sure they pass inspection."
Eddie looked over at Ash. “And do I pass?"
She felt her cheeks warm and wondered if that was answer enough.
Jen smiled. “Oh, I'd say you do."
He shook his head. “Good. I guess."
"Do you work here in town?” Ash asked.
"Yep. Frank's Imports. It's a repair shop out by the highway. Some high-end stuff, Mercedes and Beamers, but mostly family cars. Hondas, Toyotas ... lotta minivans.” He grinned, and Ash nearly lost herself again.
"I think we passed it on the way in. Didn't we?” Jen turned to her friend.
A repair shop? Something tugged at the corners of Ash's mouth. Wouldn't her father die if he knew who his youngest daughter was living with? Not exactly the Stepford Club, she thought, and then was sorry, as if she'd somehow betrayed Eddie though she'd only just met him.
"I think I saw it,” she said. “Big place. Red sign.” Lawyer's eyes noticed everything, Ash's father used to tell her. Even the details. Especially the details.
Eddie nodded. “That's the place."
Her gaze crept back to his face as he and Jen continued to converse, and Ash noticed with surprise that it was scarred in places. Besides a crooked nose, three thin scars ran almost parallel down the left side of his jaw. A thicker scar underlined his right eye, and peeking from beneath the left side of his goatee, a tiny spider web of lines faded into his upper lip.
God, what happened to him? Pain immeasurable echoed on that skin, and she was surprised she hadn't noticed the scars sooner. Ash shifted in the loveseat. Somehow, they didn't mar Eddie's appearance; rather, they added character to eyes that danced and a voice that caressed like deep cello tones, mellow and laughing through the low notes on the scale.
After a few minutes, he stood. “I have a lot more to unpack,” he said. “Sorry."
"Well, nice meeting you,” Jen said. “You'll have to come back up later on."
His smile widened at the invitation, and a dimple winked below his deepest scar. “Sounds good. See you, then.” Eddie backed across the threshold. The door swung shut behind him, and the room seemed emptier than ever.
"Wow.” Jen dropped onto the loveseat beside Ash and feigned lightheadedness. “If you don't find a way to sleep with that guy by the end of the summer, I give up."
"Jen, please. I'm not here to sleep with anyone.” Ash tried to sound convincing. “Remember? This was supposed to be my summer to heal, to get away from my parents. To forget about Colin. To figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life."
Jen opened one eye. “Speaking of which, when are you going to tell them?"
Ash dropped her head and studied her short, bare fingernails. “Which part? That I'm living in a no-name town this summer instead of taking the job at Deacon and Mathers? Or that I'm thinking of changing my last name because my father can't keep his zipper closed? Or that precious Colin Parker isn't going to be their son-in-law after all?” She chewed at a hangnail. “I was kind of hoping to make it until July, at least."
"You talk to your parents every week."
"I know.” The hangnail began to bleed.
Jen stood, abandoning the conversation. “Let's clean up this room, anyway. Then I'll take off."
Ash waved a hand. “Don't worry about it. Go on. You're sure you don't want a lift to the train station?"
"Nah. It's right down the block. I'll walk."
"Okay."
Jen piled the empty boxes in one corner. “Ash?"
"What?"
"I meant what I said. I know the last few weeks have been hard. So have some fun this summer.” She paused. “You can't just hide away forever."
"It's only been five weeks. That's not forever."
"You know what I mean.” She backed through the door before Ash could respond. “Bye. Call me later."
"Bye. And Jen?"
"Yeah?"
"If you run into my parents, or one of my sisters—"
Jen nodded before she could finish. “I know, tell them I don't know anything."
"At least for right now."
"No problem.” The blonde grinned and slipped away.
Ash closed her eyes and listened to her friend's footsteps disappear. She shook her head. Sleep with Eddie? Crazy. That's what Jen was—just plain crazy. Her head fell back onto the cushions, and she let them cradle her tired muscles. Thoughts of all kinds wound their way into her head. Colin. Callie. Her father. Eddie. Yummy, she thought before she could help herself. And I don't usually fall for guys so fast.
She rested one arm against her forehead. Who was she kidding? She never fell, period. She took careful steps. She analyzed all the possibilities. She played her cards one at a time, over long, slow days of contemplation. She never jumped into anything.
But maybe Jen was right this time. Ash had changed her name, slipped on a new skin. She'd moved to a new town where not a soul knew her. Why shouldn't she change a few other things as well? She pulled at her bottom lip with one finger. Maybe she should forget about the summer of chastity she'd promised herself. Maybe she should she lose herself in a different world for the next few months. She stared at the door, imagining Eddie a few steps away, unpacking boxes with muscles that flexed and strained and...
Ash shook her head. What on earth would she tell him, if she did invite him up? She couldn't confess who she really was. Ashton Kirk? As in Senator Kirk's daughter? He'd look at her like she had two heads.
Rock music started up again, shaking the floor of her apartment a little before the volume lowered to a gentle throb. Smiling, she wondered about her new housemate. Something told Ash she wasn't the only one with a story. Why had Eddie moved into the house, anyway? Like her, was he only killing time for the summer? Or had he moved to tiny, protected Lycian Street to escape something—or someone? And what, for God's sake, had happened to him to leave such deep scars on an otherwise handsome face?
Chapter Three
Eddie finished pulling the sheets over his bed and flopped onto his back. He stared at the ceiling, where a few cracks spread above him and down the wall into the doorframe. Near the floor they widened and fractured the wood, causing the door to no longer shut tight. He studied the spaces just above the floor and imagined spiders shuttling in and out, making odd little homes inside the crevices of his apartment. Might be nice, he thought, to disappear one day inside a wall, hang his head for a while until the blood-rush chased away faces from the past.
He turned to look through the wide window next to him. Far enough from his parents’ house, but a ten-minute drive from work, he'd snapped up this place the minute he saw it advertised in the Paradise Chronicle. Didn't know he'd be s
haring the house with another tenant, but hell, he didn't mind. Not when the other tenant looked like Ashley Kirtland did. Ebony eyes, reddish-brown waves of hair falling around her face, a cute little waist that curved down to the longest pair of legs he'd ever seen ... damn. He wouldn't mind looking at that body every morning over coffee, that was for sure. Ash seemed a little quieter than the women he usually dated, but she had a great smile and eyes you could drown in.
Eddie continued to stare out the window and wondered who else lived on the street. Only two blocks from the junior college on the hill, the homes rented mostly to college kids, he supposed. He guessed he'd have to cover his windows once fall rolled around, but right now he didn't have any curtains or blinds. He turned over and buried his face into the one flat pillow he'd brought with him.
Yeah, Ash seemed cool. It might be nice to have a housemate he could hang out with. Then again, he wasn't very good at just hanging out with women. Friendships with them always turned into relationships. He couldn't help it. He loved women. Loved watching them walk. Loved listening to them laugh. Loved feeling their hands clutching his back on a summer night, their fingernails etching red lines of passion down his spine.
Eddie got up and headed into the kitchen, where he flipped on the light and ran the faucet as high as it would go. He stuck his head under the running water and slurped. It tasted good and felt even better running down the sides of his face. He shook his head. Droplets flew and dappled the walls.
Wandering back into the living room, he looked around. High-ceilinged, with windows that faced the street, the place gave him a feeling of open spaces, something he hadn't had in a long time. He'd stayed at home too long, after the accident. At first he pretended his parents needed him around to get the bills in order, repair the back porch, take care of other things that had started to fall apart. But after almost three years, they didn't need him hanging around anymore. At twenty-seven, it was time for Eddie to start making a place of his own.
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