“T. M. I.,” Eddie said flatly. He didn’t want to think about his sister wearing lingerie that Haley had made. And he definitely didn’t want to know if his best friend liked it.
Haley laughed and shook her head as she looked up into Eddie’s eyes.
“Well, we’d better take off.” Chelle hugged both Eddie and Haley. “Aunt Wendy is watching Mya but I know she can get a little fussy around bedtime.”
“Okay. Give Mya a kiss for me,” Haley said and then added in a low voice, “Oh, and I have some samples from my upcoming Hidden Pleasure line if you’re interested.”
Chelle’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes, please.”
“Okay. I’ll swing them by on my way to Bella tomorrow.”
They all said their goodbyes and both Haley and Eddie sat back down in their chairs to wait for the little superstar to finish up her photo shoot.
Before he could stop himself, he turned and said, “Hidden Pleasures, huh?”
A look of shock crossed Haley’s beautiful face, but she recovered almost immediately. “Yep, that is the line I am going to be debuting when Tempting by Bella opens.”
“Tempting by Bella?” Eddie had no idea what she was talking about.
Haley smiled brightly as she explained, “Amber has asked me to partner with her and open a second shop that will mainly feature Tempting. We have been looking at places on the Riverwalk.”
Eddie was speechless. This was a huge opportunity for Haley. “Wow. Congratulations. When did this happen?”
“Last Sunday. I was going to tell you, but I haven’t seen much of you this week.” A small blush rose up the smooth skin of her cheeks, and he knew that she was thinking about this morning.
“You mean you didn’t want to yell it across the street in your towel?” he asked, figuring he might as well address what he knew was on both of their minds.
Haley let out a forced laugh, looking relieved that he’d made mention of it. “Nope. Call me crazy.”
There were a lot of things he wanted to call her, but crazy wasn’t one of them. Staring into her eyes, he found himself getting lost. A lot like he had this morning when he’d seen her across the street.
So much so that he didn’t even realize Emily was headed their way until she jumped up on his lap. “Are we still getting ice cream? Please?”
“Absolutely. This is your night,” he said as he stood and set her down.
“Can Haley come?” She looked between both of them.
“Oh no, sweetie. This is a daddy-daughter thing. I’ll let you guys celebrate,” Haley said as she also stood.
“Come with us.” Eddie did not want this time with Haley to end so soon.
“Please,” Emily pleaded.
“Please,” Eddie said, repeating his daughter’s sentiments.
“How can I resist ice cream with two of my favorite people?” Haley answered with a smile.
“Yay!” Emily jumped up with excitement.
Eddie didn’t jump up outwardly, but he did share his daughter’s enthusiasm at getting to spend more time with Haley. Despite himself.
Chapter Nine
“Okay. All done, pretty girl,” Haley said as she finished wrapping the ponytail holder around the bottom of Emily’s braid. After they’d gotten ice cream at Tasty Treats down on Eleventh Street, Haley had stopped by her house to change into sweats and then come over to watch the footage Eddie had captured on his smartphone of the Annie performance.
It had been the perfect night.
“Time for bed, squirt,” Eddie announced from the doorway of the kitchen.
“Okay,” Emily said begrudgingly. She hugged both Haley and Eddie, shuffling her feet, taking her time doing it, and then headed up to bed.
When she got to the top of the stairs, Haley looked over at Eddie, who had raised his arms above his head and had them resting on the doorframe. Haley was scared that drool might slip between her lips because the sight caused her mouth to water like it was Niagara Falls. Eddie had also changed. He was now wearing a pair of black sweats and a light gray t-shirt that perfectly showcased his straining biceps.
Haley forced herself to speak, “Aren’t you going to go tuck her in?”
One eyebrow lifted. “I was told last week that she believes she is too old to get tucked in.”
“What?” Haley knew that Em was going through a phase where she wanted to be treated more grown up, but that seemed ridiculous. “Seriously?”
Eddie nodded. Haley was deciding whether or not she should stay and hang out or say her goodbyes and head home. She wanted to stay, but more than anything, she didn’t want to ruin this perfect night.
Hmm. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Eddie said in a low raspy tone.
That phrase had never before seemed like a particularly sexy thing to say. In fact, it had always kind of bugged Haley. But the way it sounded coming out of Eddie’s mouth was one of the hottest things she’d ever heard. It sounded like foreplay.
“Just deciding if I should head home. I’ve got to be at work at nine,” she answered honestly.
Please ask me to stay, her inner voice pleaded. Please. Please. Please.
“It’s not even ten. You can hang out for one drink.” A small smile pulled at the corner of Eddie’s mouth as he pushed off the frame and turned, heading into the kitchen.
That’ll work too.
Haley stood and wished that she’d chosen something a little more flattering. She was wearing navy blue sweats and a white tank top. Not exactly va-va-voom attire. Now, the white lace bra and panties, from her new Hidden Pleasures line that she wore underneath, were very va-va-voom.
Too bad Eddie wouldn’t be seeing those.
“Beer or tea?” he asked from the kitchen.
“Water,” Haley replied as she joined him. After the banana split she’d destroyed at Tasty Treats, tea sounded too sweet and beer sounded…blah. Water would be perfect.
Eddie grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge and they made their way out onto the back deck in silence. The warm, balmy night air surrounded them as they moved across the wooden slats that were squeaking beneath their steps. Her palms grew moist, but she didn’t think it was from the humidity or temperature outside. Nope. Haley felt…nervous.
She had no reason to be. They’d played out variations of this exact scenario over a dozen times. Go out on the deck. Hang out. Talk. Sit silently. Look at the stars in the sky. But tonight the energy between them felt different in an utterly indescribable way.
“So tell me about your store,” Eddie said as he sat down.
“I pretty much did. There’s not a whole lot more to tell. The opening date will depend on the space we find and how much work needs to be done to it. We want to try and get it opened as soon as possible though. We’ve gotten all of the preliminary paperwork submitted to the city and the banks, so as soon as we have a location we should be all set.”
“Man,” Eddie shook his head. “Your own store. You seem so young to be—”
“I’m not that young,” Haley snapped back a tad—okay, a lot!—more defensively than she’d meant to. Which was embarrassing on a couple of levels. First, she’d sounded like a child who was trying to convince him she was older than she was—much like the phase Emily was currently in the middle of. And second, he hadn’t deserved to be barked at for making an innocent observation. “Sorry,” she apologized somewhat sheepishly.
“A little touchy about your age,” Eddie teased, smiling a knowing smile. “Seems like a theme with the women in my life these days.”
“Shut up.” She playfully swatted his arm. Then she drew her arm back immediately.
Holy hot tamale! The strength of his muscled bicep felt so good beneath her fingers. That brief contact had made her want to run her hands beneath the cotton of his shirt and explore every line, every inch of him. A heat rose up her cheeks and she took a deep breath, trying to calm her raging hormones as she sat back in the padded
deck chair, pulled her legs up crossing them, and looked out over the grassy yard.
“Damn, Haley, you are so damn cute,” Eddie rasped in a low sex-on-a-stick tone.
Her eyes flew to his. Had he really just said that? In that way? She was beginning to think that he hadn’t said anything at all, that her imagination was just on overtime.
But then he followed it up with, “What am I gonna do with you?”
Yep. He’d definitely said that. She’d seen his lips move with her own eyes. Witnessed the whole thing.
“I have a few ideas,” she said. Haley had no idea where those bold words had come from, but if she could high-five herself right now, she would—or at least give herself a pat on the back—because that was a great comeback.
Eddie’s jaw tensed and his expression grew dark. Okay. Maybe not such a great comeback. But it was the truth. She did have some ideas. More than some—hundreds.
Her mouth, which had been on watering overload just a few moments ago, now went bone dry. Since the banter-ball was in his court at the moment, Haley took the opportunity to take a drink of water. As she brought the plastic bottle to her lips, she noticed that her hands were shaking.
Well, at least she’d sounded confident a moment ago when it had really counted. That was nothing to sneeze at.
Setting the bottle back down, she forced herself to meet Eddie’s gaze. Wherever this conversation was headed, she didn’t want to miss a moment, a look, a gesture, a word. So she slowly raised her eyes to meet his.
“Don’t,” he said roughly.
“What?” Haley had no idea what he was talking about. Was she not supposed to look at him now?
“Lick your lips and look at me like that.” His gruff tone sent a tremor racing down her spine.
“I licked my lips?” Haley asked, her brow furrowing. If she had, she’d been totally unaware of it.
“Yes,” Eddie confirmed. “It makes me crazy.”
He sounded irritated, but Haley honestly couldn’t tell if he was irritated at himself or her. Either way, “crazy” seemed a little extreme.
To lighten the mood, she jokingly asked, “Crazy like I need to get you fitted for a strait jacket?”
He tilted his head as a puff of air left his mouth. “Maybe.”
“I was kidding,” Haley clarified, even though he knew full well that she hadn’t been serious.
“I’m not.” Eddie raked his fingers through his thick dark hair and leaned back in his chair. Haley studied the strong lines of his profile as he stared out into the darkness.
“What’s going on, Eddie? What’s wrong?” Haley knew that something was not right.
She’d hoped that his recent unusual behavior just meant that he was finally going to make a move. But the expression on his face and the tormented look in his faraway gaze was making her think that she might have been way off the mark on that theory.
“What’s wrong?” he repeated quietly under his breath. Then he turned to her with a tortured look in his eyes that made her heart clench. “What’s wrong is that you make me want to have things that I can’t have. You make me want to do things that I can’t do. You make me want to say things that I can’t say.”
“Who says you can’t?” she asked breathlessly. Because if it were up to her, he could say, want, and do just about anything…especially when it came to her.
She heard the desperation in her own voice and felt her chest rising and falling with short pants of breath, but Haley didn’t try to disguise her reactions, not that it would have done any good anyways. She wasn’t trying to slow her breathing or mask her arousal.
This was the talk she’d been waiting years to have and she wanted to get her cards on the table. No hiding. Nothing left unsaid.
“I say I can’t.” He leaned back again, his body language clearly communicating that this conversation was over.
Yeah, not so much. There was no way she was going to let this drop that easily.
“Well, I say you can.” Strength and challenge filled her tone, and once again it surprised her.
She was on fire tonight. Haley had always been the observer. Confrontation made her wildly uncomfortable. Sweeping things under the rug was her normal go-to move. Whatever came of this conversation, Haley was glad that for once she’d stood up for herself.
Sadly, Eddie did not seem as impressed with her boldness. The moonlight lit his tense expression as he was looking out over the grass, his jaw tighter than she’d ever seen it, his hands fisted at his sides.
Obviously, the head-on tactic, no matter how impressed she had been by her efforts, was not getting her very far. So, always one to reassess when thrown a curveball, she decided to use a different tactic and throw his own words back at him.
“You can tell me anything, Eddie. Just like I can tell you anything.”
That got his attention. Unable to sit back idly, he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his fingers threaded together. “Not this.”
“Yes, this,” Haley persisted. “Something is bothering you. You should talk about it. If you can’t talk to me, then who can you talk to? Your sister?”
He shook his head definitively. “No.”
“Riley?”
He looked at her like she was crazy. “Hell no.”
She shrugged her arms and smiled at him. “Well, looks like you’re stuck with me.”
“Haley.” He spoke her name in a warning tone that she’d seen men at his jobsite cower under. She wasn’t a man at his jobsite.
“Eddie,” she mimicked him.
The corners of his mouth twitched. “This isn’t funny.”
She shrugged and smiled innocently. “Well, I wouldn’t really know since you won’t tell me what we’re talking about.”
Finally, his lips parted, revealing his perfectly straight white teeth as the corners of his mouth turned up into a genuine full-blown smile. A glimmer of hope sparked in her chest as his eyes softened and he shook his head back and forth slowly.
“You’re a brat.”
“And you’re stubborn,” she shot right back.
* * *
Eddie had so many thoughts racing around in his head it felt like the Indy 500 up there. Things had shifted between himself and Haley. Maybe it had happened a long time ago and he just had been too blind and stupid to notice. Because it felt like their chemistry was a volcano that had been dormant for years but was about to explode. And as much as he would like to explode with Haley, he couldn’t.
So now he was left with two choices. Confront what was going on between them and address it. Or ignore it and hold it all inside. Confront. Ignore. Confront. Ignore.
Neither solution would give him what he wanted more than his next breath. Haley. In bed. Naked. So the decision really boiled down to damage control. Which route would lead to the least destruction? One thing was clear. If he didn’t face this thing head-on, he was afraid that it might get out of control. Fast.
Decision made, he turned to face Haley, ready to confront this thing head-on, but instead he was stopped cold by the sight that greeted him. His breath caught in his throat. The moonlight shone off her golden hair, causing a halo effect. There was an ethereal glow surrounding her. She looked like an angel.
“You are so beautiful.” His deep voice was a barely audible whisper.
She sat, silently staring back at him. Her only visible reaction was the widening of her eyes. He saw confusion swimming in the crystal blue pools.
Which made perfect sense. Who wouldn’t be confused by his actions? He sure as hell knew he was confused by them. His mood swings around Haley were even giving him whiplash. It had to stop.
No more flirting. No more easy compliments. No more spending unnecessary time together.
“This”—his hand waved in the empty space between the two of them—“you and me, can’t happen.”
A look of hurt flashed in her eyes, followed by more confusion. Her brow furrowed as she repeated, “You and me?”
Shi
t.
He knew he was screwing this up. After years of being short, to the point, sometimes even mean to women when having these ‘relationship talks,’ he had obviously lost his touch. The last thing in the world he wanted was to be an asshole to Haley. To avoid that happening, he needed to remove his head from his ass, and he needed to do it quickly.
“Listen.” He stood and walked to the railing of the deck. He always thought better on his feet. Turning towards her, he leaned back against the wooden plank that lined the rail and faced his back to the yard. “I like you, Haley. A lot more than I should. I think about you a lot more than I should. I want you. A lot more…”
Eddie stopped because, for one, this line of explanation was going nowhere fast, and two, Haley’s expression was completely blank. For the first time that he could ever remember, he had no idea what was running through her mind. Doubt rose up inside of him like bile as he began to think that he might have built up this whole ‘thing’ happening between them to be lot more than it really was.
What if she wasn’t interested in him at all? What if all of the times he thought they’d shared a moment, he had just seen a reflection of what he felt for her? What if these feelings he was having were all one-sided and this ‘talk’ he was about to have with her was completely unnecessary?
He needed to get back on track. “Look, I don’t know how you feel about me but—”
“I love you,” she said simply, her expression still unreadable.
What?! Okay, he had not seen that one coming.
His face must have shown his shock because she calmly added, “I do.”
If he hadn’t been leaning against the railing, he would have fallen down. He really had no idea how to proceed with this conversation. Love?
She loved him? The bile of doubt that had just risen up inside of him felt like it was washed away from the words she spoke, like the dust on his truck on a rainy day. Calm replaced his anxiety. Calm and…peace.
Did that really change anything? Did it make any of the reasons that they couldn’t be together go away? No. In fact, it was just one more reason that they couldn’t have any kind of a relationship. He couldn’t return her feelings or give Haley what she wanted, what she deserved.
Tempting Love - Haley & Eddie Page 9