Candy Wilson was proving to be hell on his old soul. And he was old enough to know better and walk away before regrets or hard feelings could erupt.
“Earth to Eric. Did you hear me?”
He turned to Melissa, at a total loss. “Huh? Oh, sorry. You were saying?” He cut into his steak and popped a piece in his mouth.
“I was just thanking Candy for all the hard work she’s put in for us.”
Swallowing, he nodded. “A lot of work.” He glanced at Candy. “I appreciate everything you’ve already done. I hate that we’re begging friends and neighbors but if it’s what Drew and Mel want, then so be it.”
Candy’s eyes narrowed. So he wasn’t being the most gracious with his thanks. He was too skeptical to believe they’d be out of the woods financially once the auction was over.
“Well, I’m glad to do it. Your community was very enthusiastic to help. Some are very concerned about the bar shutting its doors for good. And they only have the stipulation that if there is any monies left over, then they go to the church in town. They were all in agreement about that. And so you know, you have a lot of people in your corner. Just don’t be a jerk and piss anyone off.”
Drew sputtered with laughter. Eric nearly choked on the spinach in his mouth. Damn her and that sassy mouth.
“Your fellow business owners might just surprise you. And for this to work, you have to be kind and appreciative to everyone who comes to talk with you from now on.” She pointed her steak knife at him. “And I mean it. I’m not working my ass off for all of this only to have your snarky and scowling face scare them all away.”
So she woke up from whatever sleep she’d managed a bit grumpy and a whole lot mean. Well, she’d have to learn that he didn’t give in to anyone.
“I didn’t ask for your help, you know. I won’t be told how to behave.”
“Eric.” Melissa laid a hand on his wrist.
“No. I don’t have to have her bitching at me. I’m as old as fuck and know how to act in public.” He cut another piece of his steak, shaking the table with his angered movements. “Christ, you’re talking to me like I’m a child.” Shoving the steak in his mouth, he slammed the knife and fork on the table and glared at Candy across the table as he chewed.
“Then stop acting like a child.” She waved a hand in his direction. “You’re slamming things and brooding. I’m just saying everyone is willing to donate thousands of dollars’ worth of items to this auction. We all have to let that sink in and appreciate every person. And show them a hell of a great time.”
“I think it’ll be fantastic,” Drew boasted, pouring Candy more iced tea. Eric wanted to strangle his brother for hopping on the Candy is wonderful bandwagon when she had her own motives in all this. He wouldn’t be fooled by her.
But he remained silent and forked salad into his mouth. His siblings would learn. The auction would tank, she’d be long gone, and they’d still be holding a shitload of debt. For him, it was better to accept the inevitable and still consider other remedies to his problem.
“We all have to pray this goes off without a hitch. Which I believe it will.” Melissa grabbed his right hand. “You’ll see, Eric. This time next week, the auction will be over and we can reassess our goals for the bar and work out a game plan so this doesn’t happen again.”
“You’ll make it great, Mel.” Eric grinned at her, his gaze catching Candy’s before he lowered it to his plate. By the fire in her eyes, he had to guess that she saw right through his empty platitudes.
“Once I’m done here, I’m heading to the bar. Roger can’t close tonight after all, so I’ll go in and handle things.” And he needed some time to himself. Time to digest this afternoon and how to work his way out of losing the bar. There had to be a backup plan in place.
“You sure you don’t want me to do that? It’s your day off after all, remember?” Drew mentioned, then stood and carried his empty plate to the counter. “I can go in after I work on some briefs for court tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’m sure. No big deal. I’ll only be gone a couple of hours.” Cutting the last piece of steak from the bone, he picked up a piece of spinach as well and popped both in his mouth.
“I’ve got some homework to finish or I’d help out if I could.”
Eric laid his utensils on his empty plate and shook his head. He swallowed and stood. “Don’t worry about it, you two, really.” Drew took the dishes from his hand. He patted his brother on the shoulder in thanks and turned back to the table. “I’m going to go work on some paperwork before heading into town. Thanks for dinner, Mel.” He glanced at Candy, then strode from the room.
Alone in the office slash den, he took a seat behind the desk and laid his head in his hands. Tension rolled over his shoulders and along his back in waves. A headache started to form behind his eyes.
Within a week to ten days the fate of his business would be decided. His sister would hate him forever for standing in her way, but he was determined to keep her here. And Candy would be a long gone memory. He never had to see her again.
Why the thought didn’t ease his worries or the tension in his body, he didn’t understand. After all, they were all fine before she came along. They’d be just as good when she left.
Keep telling yourself that, bud, and you may start to believe it.
Eric groaned at the voice in his head and grabbed the keys to his truck off the desk. He needed air, solitude, and to get away from a certain woman who was going to drive him to drink.
Chapter Nine
Candy sat on the bed upstairs in the spare room, going over black-and-white photos of young girls she had her eye on for clientele. Though she was determined to sign Melissa as her first client, there were many remarkable girls in the industry who also wanted the same shot at the big time.
Sighing, she gazed out the window beside the bed. Darkness filled the backyard save for the pole light at the corner of the house. She’d sat out there earlier, breathing in the clean air, enjoying the music of the birds from a distance and had closed her eyes as peace washed over her.
If she ever retired completely and wanted to hide away somewhere, a place like this would be just the ticket. Of course, Holly’s place in Tennessee was spectacular, but there was something about a vast clearing of nothing but empty fields meant for exploring that called to her. A quiet resonance no one could hear for miles.
The sound of an engine caught her attention, and headlights swarmed the green grass below, illuminating the well-kept yard. Eric’s black truck came to an abrupt stop. She glanced at the time on her phone. Almost four in the morning. A couple hours after closing time. Breathing a harsh sigh, her shoulders relaxed, surprising her.
Shit.
Realizing sleep had evaded her because he hadn’t arrived home yet pissed her off. Dread filled her at how far gone she really was. A smitten woman caught up in a man who would be glad to see the door hit her in the ass as she left town. The sooner the better.
He got out of the passenger side of the truck, his movements wobbly and off center. It pleased her that he hadn’t driven home himself. Obviously he’d taken to dabbling in the inventory before leaving. She listened to him moving around downstairs. His boots hit the floor none too quietly. At least he wasn’t that much of a fool to drive home when he’d been drinking. Whoever drove him home backed up, then sped away.
Stacking the photos she’d been admiring, she made a few notes on her tablet of her top three choices to send to Samuel. Yawning, she decided to put work away and get some rest. She should have been asleep hours ago. Trying to nap earlier in the day hadn’t done much. Her mind wouldn’t settle about the auction or Eric. There was too much to do about the auction. She wanted to get the minute details all arranged and the day over with. Sleep probably wouldn’t be much of a consideration over the next week.
And Eric…
She set the tablet on the bedside table. The solution about him hadn’t come to her easy. The only way to deal with him would be
to steer clear of him as much as possible and ignore the tingles along her body whenever he was near.
The bedroom door burst open. Surprised, Candy gasped, then scowled at the intruder.
“What the hell are you doing, Eric? You trying to wake everyone?” she whispered through clenched teeth. That was all she needed. To explain to Melissa and Drew why Eric was in her bedroom would be mortifying. Not exactly professional to a potential client.
He came farther into the room, a large decanter with what looked like whiskey in one hand and two empty tumblers in the other, and closed the door behind him with his back. His plaid shirt was open to the waist, revealing the light dusting of hair she’d combed through earlier. The belt, button and zipper were open. She shivered, taking in the long line of happy trail behind his jeans.
“Get out of here, Eric. I watched you get out of the truck. You’ve had too much to drink.”
He advanced toward her. She inched back higher against the headboard. Those frickin’ tingles were back again, crawling down along every inch of her body. The last thing she needed was for him to get too close. Fighting every urge to jump on him, she concentrated on her breathing and the frustration he caused.
“I only had three before coming home. I’m not so tanked I don’t know what I’m doing.” He looked around at the papers still on the bed. “What are you doing?” He poured a healthy amount of whiskey into each glass, set the decanter on the table beside her, then offered one to her.
“Working. And no thank you.”
He shrugged, downed the contents of his own glass, and set them beside the canter. “At this hour? Do you never give it a rest?”
She scooped up the top folder and slapped it on top of her tablet. Kicking her legs free from their folded position, she pushed at his legs with her feet. “Get off. Go to bed. I’m tired.”
He snatched the last folder, then froze.
Candy’s breath caught in her throat. Oh, darn it all to hell.
So she hadn’t worked all night. She’d gone to bed with her favorite pastime. A good book to settle in with and relax until sleep claimed her.
But the particular book in her briefcase was one she kept tucked away in the privacy of her bedroom. The cover, intoxicatingly gorgeous and sexy, featured a lone male on the front dressed in fatigues, his uniform shirt open to reveal a perfectly sculpted chest and hot abs. The man was a god among men. He was the fantasy of every woman worldwide who appreciated the male body from head to toe and loved hard muscle to grab hold of.
“Give me that.”
“What the hell is this? Uniform Fetish? A new version of Playboy?”
She reached out for the book but he moved back and held it above his head. She dropped her arms, frustrated. “No, you moron. It’s a book. You know, with words inside. Have you ever read one?”
He glared at her, then to her mortification, opened it to a random page. His eyes widened.
Her cheeks burned. Shit. So she enjoyed a hot erotic romance book now and again. She wouldn’t admit that she read more than four a month, even with her schedule. Getting lost in a fantasy at the end of a hectic day was heaven. She’d been a fan of the genre for over a decade, long before most people cared to admit.
“Jesus. The dude, Miles, is going down on her, eating her pussy like there’s no tomorrow. And she loves it.” Eric read further, his facial features almost making her laugh. He was humored by it, probably even a bit enamored but he’d never admit it.
“Is this what women read to get turned on?”
She shrugged. “Hell if I know. I’m not every woman.”
“No, but you’re the only one here who’s been reading this…what the hell do I call it…filth?”
Charging on to her knees, she snatched the book from his palms. “Of course not. You have no understanding about it. Have you ever written a book? Don’t call it what it isn’t. Erotic romances are meant to titillate and seduce the reader. If you must know, I enjoy the journey of the characters, the self-discovery about themselves and the desires to fulfill every fantasy.”
She tossed the book on the night table and waved her hands toward him. “You can go now. I’m done explaining a good book to you.”
“Don’t be defensive. I’m curious. I mean, reading about sex…” His fiery gaze lifted to hers. “Does it turn you on?”
Warmth washed over her. She wanted to kick the light away from her waist and let the air cool her off. But the intense flames shooting from his eyes held her captive. Trembling, she drew on the strength to steady her breathing. When he moved closer, pulling the sheet away from her completely, then wrapping a hand around each of her ankles, her plan was shot to hell.
He drew her closer to the edge of the bed, then kneeled on the floor beside it.
“Eric, don’t. This isn’t a good idea,” she ground out between clenched teeth.
Towering over her, staring down at her the way he was, with smoldering heat and hunger in his eyes, made her pussy quiver with expectation. Damn he was frickin’ sexy like this. Prepared to do her bidding and take her to a higher plane, anywhere she wanted to go.
“I’m curious.”
“About what,” she whispered, ragged, as he pulled her thong down over her hips. He tossed the tiny bit of lace over his shoulder, then hauled her to the very edge of the mattress.
“I want to know how wet you are. I need to know if that story made your cunt wet and eager to be eaten. And I’ve thought about you all night. In my house and in this bed. I’ve been decently hard all night.”
Her nipples beaded beneath the nightgown Melissa lent her. Gasping, Candy’s gaze locked on his. Stopping now was the best decision to make. They’d already tempted the fate of others finding them by having sex earlier. To do so in the dead of night when everything was quiet and each bedroom was only a couple dozen feet away from one another…
“Open for me, Candy. Let me lick you from top to bottom. I want you.” Her heart jumped in her chest at his raspy admittance. “And I have a craving to know how sweet you taste.” The honesty in his eyes, the control he showed while he waited for her to respond, called to her soul.
“Eric,” she whispered again, torn between sensibility and surrender.
His palms moved over her shaking thighs. “I know. I know. We shouldn’t. It’s like I can hear your thoughts, but I need this. I can’t walk away from this…from your heat, your sass and spirit.”
Tears filled the corners of her eyes. Son of a bitch. Who was she fooling?
Lying back, she raised the hem of the nightgown and placed her feet onto the edge of the mattress.
“Sweet heaven,” Eric exclaimed below her.
“Please,” she murmured, need sweeping deep inside her. His touch would sate her. Give her what she needed. She couldn’t regret this. Being with him was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. To have it for a while as opposed to never having it at all put her at ease and made her determined to cling to the moments she’d have with him.
His fingers parted her folds, opening her to him completely. She waited with bated breath, dying for his touch, for his moist mouth on her.
Flexing her hands into fists over and over, Candy hung on to all the patience she could. Cool air across her clit had her arching off the bed. Oh sweet bliss. Finally. He breathed on her again, the air breaking through the heat surrounding her pussy but quickly smothered out as fire inched over her again.
“I can see your juices. Your pussy is all shiny and wet. Mmm,” he moaned. “So pretty.”
She widened her legs, sliding her feet farther apart. Breathing deeply, she soaked up the excitement building inside her. He obviously wanted to play a bit, draw out the moment, and she wanted it too.
It meant more time with him. Moments like this that she’d have to call upon in memory in the future.
An inferno spread over her body, through her thighs, over her belly to her breasts. Sweat coated her skin, and he hadn’t even really touched her yet.
“Eric, p
lease,” she called out, desperate and needy.
“I don’t want to rush this.” His palms slid along her navel, down her thighs and back again.
Eager, she lifted enough to pull the nightgown over her head. Her gaze met his as her head broke free of it, and she tossed it to the floor. If he wanted to play and drive her around the bend, then she’d join him in the tug-of-war.
Lying back again, her hands crested over her pussy, along her belly to her tits. Palming them, her thumb and forefinger locked around each nipple. Pinching and tugging, her legs fell open even further. A gasp wrenched from her and filled the room.
“You’re so hot. Fuck me. I love how you look doing that. Your hot cunt in front of me, weeping and begging for me, and you enjoying yourself up there. As much fun as it would be to draw this out, I can’t wait.”
Though she expected it, his tongue lapping at her clit nearly sent her flying off the bed. She moaned, carnal pleasures skating along her spine. Up and down, flicking and nibbling, Eric devoured her clit.
He groaned against her folds, making her shiver. His touch suddenly abandoned her. Crying out, her mind spun and, already mourning the loss of his skin against hers, she glanced down.
Her eyes widened as he grabbed the glass that he’d offered her earlier from the table and brought it closer. Winking at her, he focused on her pussy and lifted the glass over her. Breathing heavy, she waited, concern niggling the back of her mind but anticipation beating heavy inside her.
The cool liquid surprised her flesh. Air rushed from her lungs as tingles rushed along her clit and slid down her ass.
He lowered his mouth once more, his tongue and lips lapping up the wetness. “Damn, you taste so sweet. I’ll never drink whiskey again without thinking about your hot pussy in my face, your juices mixing with it like some illegal elixir that is all mine.” A deep, guttural moan left him as he pressed his face harder against her.
She lay back on the mattress and relinquished all control up to the man feasting on her. He dined on her, moan after moan filling the room as he enjoyed himself.
Stirring Up Dirty Page 8