She continued writing, people she should contact, items she wanted to have sent from Europe and Boston as well, bigger ticket items to really make a larger statement.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help. Do you think Eric will go for this? He sounds like a man with pride. Will he want your help?”
“Probably not. But he won’t have a choice. His sister will have to convince him, but I am sure I can get a few locals to persuade him, too.” She thought of the diner owner, Diane, and smiled. Yeah, Eric would have a hard time saying no to her. Diane didn’t seem the type of woman many people could deny anything.
“Oh, shoot,” Olivia gasped.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Her deep breathing and struggles could be heard across the miles through the phone.
“Olivia, what are you doing? Are you in labor?” Candy’s heart thudded hard.
“What? Oh, no. No. I’m not. I’m trying to sit up so I can go pee.”
Chuckling, Candy relaxed. “I’m sorry to laugh but it’s funny. I can see you in my head clearly bouncing around on the bed.”
“So hilarious. This is agony. I hear Dare coming, he’ll have to help me. Listen, call me later, okay? We can talk about all this some more if you want.”
She read over the notes she’d made. “I have a lot of ideas forming now, and the ones you mentioned have really helped. I’ll check in with you tomorrow, all right? I have to go see Melissa and get this plan into action.”
“Okay, honey. I love you. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“All right. Bye. Love you, Livvy.” Candy ended the call and smiled.
Talking with Olivia had truly helped. She was thrilled there would be a sweet baby boy joining the family soon and couldn’t wait to hold him in her arms. She’d always loved that precious baby powder smell.
She shoved the notepad into her bag along with her tablet, made sure she had her hotel key, and put on a pair of sandals.
There was no time like the present to get things moving. She scrolled through her contacts listed on her device as she opened the door, then clicked on Melissa’s name.
Eric might not like her interference but that was too bad. Melissa was now a part of her family and she did whatever possible for family.
He’d have to suck it up and shut up.
Chapter Six
Candy walked through the back door of Melissa’s home and toed her heels off near the door. It had been a long day of meeting several business owners, as well as the vendors from the market, and arranging fabulous items for the auction fundraiser.
After meeting at Abe’s Diner, Melissa had given her a spare key and promised to meet her there after her last two classes. Thankfully, she’d have the house to herself for at least two and a half hours to get her notes organized and items listed to go over with the whole family.
She sat at the table, opened her bottle of water, and glanced around the country kitchen. What a beauty. Oak walls, pine cupboards, and stainless steel appliances gave a homey feel to the room. Everything was neat and tidy; not even a dish or utensil covered any counter or the island that sat in the middle of the room.
Impressive.
Though she knew Melissa lived in the family home with Eric, and Drew sometimes since he had an apartment near his law practice, Candy thought it might still have a masculine touch of chaos and disorganization. She was happy to see that the gorgeous kitchen was given its due and respected.
She pulled her yellow memo pad from her laptop bag and clicked her pen. Making notes, she nodded as she made a concise list of everything donated. This auction was definitely going to bail the McKenna-Weatherly family out of trouble. Everything from jewelry to free dinners, dates, and discounts on plumbing, construction and carpeting jobs had been offered. Friends of the family were really coming together for them.
Diane at the diner had also promised baked goods and small eats for those at the auction.
Candy giggled, pleased with everything she’d accomplished today.
“I didn’t take you for a giggler.” She shrieked and spun around on her chair. Eric stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.
“Shit, you scared me.”
“Sorry, I live here. I didn’t know I’d have company today.” He arched a brow at her and crossed to the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of water, closed the door, and turned a chair to straddle it. My, my, he looked good in his tight white t-shirt, snug black jeans, and white socks on his feet. Definitely good enough to eat.
His face wasn’t rigid as it had been since she’d first met him. The frown lines were gone and he seemed at ease. Relaxed. And gorgeous. More magnificent than she’d ever seen him. Her hands shook. She wanted to stare at him for hours and memorize him so at peace.
“Umm, sorry. I didn’t know you were home. Melissa said I could work here until she’s done with classes.”
Eric stared at her over the bottle as he took a long drink. He lowered the half-empty bottle to rest on the back of the chair and nodded at her notepad. “What’s all this?”
Melissa had said Eric hadn’t been too pleased about Candy knowing they were very close to losing the bar, and she wasn’t too sure how to approach the subject. She’d hoped to discuss everything with him when Drew and Melissa were present. Would save having to go over the details multiple times, but he didn’t seem like he was going anywhere.
“Well, as Melissa mentioned, she talked to me about the bar, and how close things are to dire straits.” She swallowed and fiddled with her pen, not wanting to mess with his relaxed mood. “But I was hoping to discuss everything with all three of you later. I’m sorry if I disturbed whatever you were doing. I can come back later.”
He shook his head and held up a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Just taking the day off. I haven’t in a while and Drew pretty much hid my keys today.” He flashed his pearly whites.
Her heart raced. She very much liked this carefree and happy Eric.
“I know where he hid them but I’ll let him think he’s bossing me around today. He’s probably right. I haven’t had much time off lately. It’s nice to be home and enjoy the quiet.”
“And I messed with that. Again, I’m sorry.”
“What are you working on, exactly? Mel said you had some grand notions to raise some money for us. While I appreciate it, I’m not used to charity.”
“It’s not charity, Eric. It’s a community coming together for one of their own. And besides, Drew and Melissa wanted to do more than empty their savings accounts. This gives them a chance to give back to the bar. And to you.”
He finished his water, then tossed the empty bottle into the blue recycle bin in the corner. “I hate that they have to worry about any of this.” Standing, he waved her to follow him. “I should have done better by them.”
Candy followed him across and the hallway, coming to a stop when she entered the large sitting room.
Awed, she glanced around at the same country style motif, the natural wood walls, the two full walls of bookshelves, and gasped. Such stunning craftsmanship. Walking across the room, she ran her hand along the edges of a bookshelf. The smooth wood was cool to the touch, and the faint scent of pine filled her nostrils. She loved natural woods and the smell of it. Living in the city all her life, she’d come to love her friend Holly’s wooden cabin in Tennessee and vacationed there whenever she could. It gave her a sense of peace to be surrounded by such a warm feeling and be continually wowed by such creativity at the hands of an artist.
“Lou had this room designed for my mom about a year after they were married,” Eric commented. Candy turned to find him sitting on the brown leather sofa.
“So stunning. I love this room.” She scanned the room. “Your mom must have spent a lot of time in here.”
“As many hours as she could. Especially near the end. She felt closer to him in here.”
She sat at the end of the sofa. “I’m jealous.” Her cheeks heated. They alread
y had a tumultuous relationship. Eric wouldn’t want to hear about her whims and secrets.
“Over some bookshelves?”
Chuckling, she shook her head and relaxed into the cushions. “No. Well, sort of. But you don’t want to hear any of this.”
“Go on. I don’t mind.” He turned on the cushion and faced her. “We have time to kill before Mel gets back.”
Candy stared at him. Those damn hazel eyes of his sent a thrill along her spine, and images of sweat and flesh against flesh traveled through her mind. She shouldn’t be so eager to waste away an afternoon learning every inch of his skin and every ticklish or sensitive part of him. He wasn’t the typical type of man she went for. There would be no controlling Eric. Not the way she’d handled other men over the years. And judging by the upheaval of strong emotions he already pulled from her, she wasn’t sure it would be as easy to walk away from him in the end.
And the joy and fun she was finding in St. Albert, the people who welcomed her and enjoyed laughing with her, had already started growing on her. But small town life wasn’t for her.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
His soft voice pulled her from her musings. She was a fool to be thinking about anything other than getting away from him. They wouldn’t agree about Melissa’s future in the end, and there was no way she would stop trying to fulfill the young woman’s dreams.
“Not worth that much.”
“You drifted off somewhere.”
“Thinking of your mom, actually. How fantastic it is that she had two men who loved her so much. From what Melissa has told me, your mom was one lucky lady. I envy her.”
He cocked his head. “What, no real-life princes falling at your feet, professing their undying love every day?”
“Don’t be an ass. If I was involved with someone, things wouldn’t have happened in the storeroom the other night.”
“Ever been in love?” he questioned, his voice smooth and serious.
Candy didn’t like to think about the sacrifices she’d made over the years. But she couldn’t change the past, nor did she regret anything. However, the older she became, the more she wished for things she hadn’t thought to dream about before.
“Nope. I haven’t. Hell, I’ve never had time for a lot of relationships. Sometimes I don’t believe in love.”
“That’s harsh. Every woman seems to want to settle down and make babies.”
“I wanted a career and security first. And I never had many great examples of love to learn from.”
Why was she babbling about her life? She never discussed things like this unless to her girlfriends. Eric was the wrong species to be divulging such private matters.
“What about your parents? Were they not in love?”
Candy chortled. “Hell no.” Surprised and caught off guard, she couldn’t seem to hold her tongue. “Unless love is demanding a beer every five minutes. Or yelling that dinner’s not on the table when you come home from work. Or that my mom was too fat to be considered attractive anymore.”
Shit, shit, shit. What the flying fuck are you doing, blabbermouth?
Someone must have tampered with her water or something. Put some wild weed or loosen-the-tongue truth serum in it. Embarrassed, she shrugged. “Anyhoo, I do love this room,” she trailed off, and silence filled the room.
Eric slid onto the middle cushion, his fingers brushing her shoulder as he laid his arm on the back of the sofa. “Sounds like you had a difficult childhood. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. And they’re still married, if you can believe that.”
“Really? I suspected they parted ways years ago.”
“No. I’ll never understand them. Fighting one moment, civil the next, and name calling most of the time. But they stay together. I don’t see them much, and when I do it’s to bitch about the career I chose and the lack of a husband and kids.” She glanced around the room again, anywhere but at him. If there was pity in his eyes, she wasn’t sure how she’d handle it. She’d made a good life for herself and had learned to live with the parents she had.
“There are compromises in marriage, I suppose. I guess they just learned to make it work.”
“You guys were lucky to have such great parents.”
He gently caressed her shoulder. Through the sheer dress she wore, her skin burned. Heated from his touch, tingles of warmth spread throughout her body. She shifted further into the corner of the sofa. His touch followed her. She swallowed hard, wanting to lean into him and run for her life.
“Our parents fought sometimes, too.” Eric chuckled. “There were times I thought they fought just so they could make up again. It got to be a tad sick with all the touching and smooching they did.”
“Sounds nice. Your mom was very lucky.”
He shook his head. “I know. Mom was that type of woman, though.” He lazily coasted his fingers along her arm to her elbow, then back to her shoulder. Candy drew in a deep breath, her skin on fire beneath his touch.
“Mom loved everyone. There wasn’t a person she’d turn away who was in need of help. Hell, this place was a gathering for the lost and confused sometimes. Phone didn’t stop ringing some days because this person or that needed to talk to her. She gave the warmest hugs, too.”
His voice cracked at the last word. Candy laid a hand on his. Clasping it between both of hers, she attempted to smile. The love this man had for his mother shone in his eyes. Her heart clenched, and again she told herself it was silly to be jealous of the love she’d never really had in her own life.
She shook her own sad thoughts from her mind and squeezed his hand. He wrapped his fingers around hers tight. “She seems like a remarkable lady. I’m so glad you have such wonderful memories of her.”
“I think she would have liked you.”
Surprised, Candy’s jaw dropped.
He grinned and lifted one hand to push her chin back up. “She would have.”
“You think so?” Why the thought filled her with so much happiness, she didn’t know. But to think that she’d have been invited into his mother’s inner sanctum pleased her greatly.
“Your stubbornness reminds me a bit of her. As well as how you care for Melissa.” He sighed. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you are with her. Like a big sister taking her under your wing. And Melissa respects you very much.”
Candy shrugged and glanced at her watch. “Maybe we should go through a few of the items on the agenda I was working on earlier. Melissa will still be in class for another hour and thirty minutes. We could knock out a lot of the work by the time she arrives.”
Eric sighed. “Way to change the subject.”
“You have to admit whenever we discuss your sister, we start arguing.”
He ran a finger down her cheek. Drawing in a deep breath, she remained still, her skin tingling in his wake. “Our arguments do get a bit…” He grinned. “Heated.”
He puzzled her. The way he was closing in on her, speaking to her in such intimate and soft tones, spoke of a man ready to pounce on his woman. But she wasn’t his. They didn’t have that kind of relationship.
Who was she fooling, though? A year ago she probably would have pounced on him herself and never looked back. And here was a spectacular, sexy man who she predicted would meet her step for step and touch for touch in the bedroom. There’d be hot and fast coming together moments, as well as slow and sweaty ones.
His eyes darkened; his breathing accelerated. He wanted her as much as she did him.
All she had to do was wait for him to make a move. Since when did she ever sit back and let a man take the reins?
“You’re thinking too much,” Eric whispered, leaning in closer.
Shoulder to shoulder, their breathing mingled and the sound filled the room. “This isn’t a good idea. We agreed—”
“We never agreed on anything. Not really. We’re adults. I want you. I want you like I need to breathe. You take my breath away.”
Candy’s heart skipped a beat, a
nd adrenaline rushed over her. Her fingers itched to grab on to him and never let go. She tightened her fists, holding herself back, second-guessing everything she thought she wanted.
She didn’t think Eric trusted her. At least not where his sister was concerned. But there had to be some aspect of him that liked her. Would appreciate her for all she’d put together for the auction.
“It’s just us in this room, Candy. We only need to be concerned with one another. With our needs, our desires and how good we can make each other feel.” His palm slid over her knee and massaged her thigh. “And trust me. I think we can make each other feel very, very good. I promise to make you forget work, my siblings, and what you might be doing tomorrow. It’ll just be us, sweaty bodies, flesh slapping against flesh. And the heat—”
There was no turning back. No instinct to escape. And no desire to walk away from this moment.
Candy accepted her fate, the burning wafting through her body, and pounced.
Chapter Seven
Eric’s breath rushed from his lungs as Candy propelled off the sofa and straddled him in one svelte move.
He couldn’t resist the need coursing through him. Seeing her in his home today, a light blue sundress flowing seductively over her body whenever she’d moved, he was helpless to fight it.
Sliding his palms over her back, he groaned when her moist center came in contact with his hard-on. He ached. His buddy wanted escape from his pants. Needed to find the sweet heat that would make him happiest.
Her mouth latched on to his as she quickly undid his pants and lowered the zipper, freeing him. She nibbled his bottom lip with her teeth, then sucked it between her lips before her tongue plundered.
He’d never known anyone like her. Cool and collected one moment, and hotter than a crisp day in August the next. Their tongues played, tasting one another. He drifted his hands over her back, drawing her in closer, his dick rigid against her center heat.
Stirring Up Dirty Page 6