Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection (Eight Fun, Romantic Novels by Eight Bestselling Authors)

by Violet Duke

  Which brought up a good question. What would she do if that were the case? She was busily devising her exit strategy and contemplating how much ice cream she would need to nurse her way through the inevitable humiliation that his rejection would incur when she heard the back room door shut.

  Oh boy! This was really it. Game time. All her years of pining, wanting, and loving all came down to what would happen in the next sixty seconds.

  The sound of his steel-toed work boots as he moved across the hardwood floors vibrated off the brick walls. His heavy steps caused her heart rate to speed so fast it felt like Thumper was thumping his foot against her ribcage. Anticipation was building so fast and furiously inside of her that she felt like she might actually be in danger of having a heart attack.

  And then it happened. Eddie came around the corner, head down, looking at his iPad. “Hey are you ready to—” His words stopped abruptly the second he raised his head and saw her. The iPad slipped from his hand.

  Oops.

  He made no effort to pick it up. Eddie stood perfectly still directly behind Haley about ten feet away, her back facing him. She could see his wide-shouldered, tall frame surrounding her in their reflection in the mirror. In the dim lighting, she couldn’t clearly make out his expression. She could feel his gaze on her but could not see what was going on behind his intense stare.

  Now or never. Ready. Set. Go.

  Haley turned slowly to face him. As she did, she tried to take a deep, calming breath but could not force air into her tightly constricted lungs. Her breathing was coming in short pants, causing her to feel lightheaded. She knew that if she didn’t calm her rioting nerves she would hyperventilate and/or pass out. That would not exactly set the mood.

  Haley had to jump off the anxiety train that was headed to hyperventilation station and she had to do it fast. So she did what she always did when racketed with nerves. She rambled.

  With a shaky voice, she spoke quickly. “This is from my new collection. I wanted you to see it because when I was designing it I thought of you. I’ve never had a real muse when I created before. Well, unless you count water or buildings or antiques. But never people. You are my only human muse.”

  “Actually, no that’s not true. One time, I saw this older couple sitting on a bench and the man placed a flower that he’d picked in the woman’s hair and it was such a sweet, romantic gesture. That was what sparked my Sweet Seduction line, so I guess they were technically ‘human muses’ but not in the same way that yo—”

  “Haley,” Eddie interrupted. His strangled voice caused a tightening deep in Haley’s core. “We can’t do this,” he spoke through gritted teeth.

  Okay. Haley had had a feeling that he might say that when she’d come up with this plan. He might have scored the first touchdown, but this was not game over yet.

  “I understand why you don’t want us to have a relationship. It could confuse things for Em. But that doesn’t mean that nothing can happen between us. We kissed over a week ago and the world didn’t end. No one’s life was destroyed. The sun kept rising and setting.”

  “I can’t give you what you want.” Eddie’s pained tone squeezed Haley’s heart. “What you deserve.”

  “Yes, you can,” she whispered as she walked towards him.

  Unlike the other day, he did not retreat. There was no two-step or tango going on. He remained where he was, arms at his sides, feet planted shoulder-width apart, looking primed and ready for battle. She was hoping to inspire the lover and not the fighter in him, but she was happy that at least he hadn’t just started laughing at her attempt at seduction or told her to put her clothes back on.

  With more boldness than she’d known she’d even possessed, she said. “What I want, is to be with you. I know that you don’t want to be in a relationship and I respect that. I’m not asking for that. I just want to know what it feels like to be with you. I want to touch you and be touched by you. I think about you all the time. It’s driving me crazy. I just want this. To be with you. Tonight.”

  Haley could see the battle going on behind Eddie’s dark eyes. His strong jaw was set firmly in place and his breathing reminded her of a bull ready to charge. While she waited for the verdict, her eyes roamed his body. His white t-shirt pulled taut against his muscular chest as it rose and fell with his heavy breathing. He was wearing blue jeans that Haley was happy to report revealed just how inspired he was by what she was wearing. Score! Continuing down his long legs, she saw that his brown work boots had some dust and wood chips on them.

  Her body trembled as she took it all in. Everything about Eddie screamed male. It didn’t surprise her at all that women regularly threw themselves at him—not unlike she was doing now. Or the fact that he could see several different women on a casual basis at any given time. He was a walking, breathing fantasy.

  “Did you plan this?” he asked quietly.

  Her eyes shot up to meet his. It took a moment for her brain to catch up to the conversation. She had been waiting for his response but hadn’t been expecting follow-up questions. Her cheeks flush with heat.

  “Yes,” she answered honestly.

  “Is that why you locked up?” He stared directly at her. His eyes, no longer hard and tortured, began softening.

  “Yes,” she swallowed hard.

  “It can only be tonight.”

  Was that a green light? All systems go? Was this going to happen? Was Eddie going to make love to her?

  “I know,” she said breathlessly.

  At her agreement, the look in his eyes changed dramatically.

  Yes! This was definitely going to happen.

  His hungry gaze roamed her body. Everywhere his eyes fell came alive with sensation. He took his time, slowly studying every inch of her body.

  She could feel the weight of her chest rising and falling in labored breaths as a pulsing need intensified in her core. Haley tried to remain still. She wanted so badly to close the distance between them and kiss him, but something held her back. That little voice in the back of her head was saying that she needed to enjoy every second and not rush this. If tonight was all they would ever share physically, then she wanted to prolong it as long as possible.

  Which begged the question. “How long until you have to pick up Em?”

  Eddie’s eyes did not meet hers as he responded, his gaze still roaming her body. “She’s having dinner at Chelle’s and then they’re watching Monsters, Inc.”

  Haley did the mental math. A few hours.

  That’ll work.

  Eddie began moving towards her. His predatory stare sent a shiver of awareness racing through Haley’s body. She found herself stepping back as he advanced towards her, stopping only when she felt her back hit the cold wall that separated the dressing rooms. Staring straight ahead, she was eye level with Eddie’s strong chest.

  She closed her eyes as she felt the rough pads of his fingertips trail up her arm and over her shoulder to the base of her neck. He threaded his fingers in her hair and tilted her head up. The movement caused her to open her heavy-lidded eyes, and what she saw there took her breath away.

  Desire more powerful than any she’d ever seen filled Eddie’s soulful brown eyes. “Do you know how bad I’ve wanted you?”

  Her stomach quivered at his question. She had no idea if he’d meant it to be rhetorical, but she heard herself answering anyways.

  “No.”

  A wicked grin pulled up at the corners of his lips as he asked, “You don’t?”

  Haley shook her head slightly from side to side.

  “Do you want me to show you?” he rasped.

  “Yes,” she answered, her voice smoky with passion.

  He let out a deep guttural groan and his mouth was on hers, first sucking her
bottom lip and then her top before capturing her entirely. His tongue expertly slid inside her mouth. Licking. Exploring. Claiming. She felt her legs go weak from his spine-tingling kiss.

  One hand firmly held her head in place while the other ran down the side of her body. She felt his large palm slide over her hip as his long fingers gripped the back of her thigh, pulling it up as his jean-clad thigh pressed between her legs. She sucked in a startled breath as her heated core made intimate contact with his powerful thigh.

  Need shot through Haley so violently that her body jerked against his. Her hands reached up, grasping his muscular shoulders to anchor herself. She held on to him, reveling in the feeling of his powerful body beneath her touch intensifying the experience tenfold.

  She felt his fingers slide up the back of her thigh and under her lacy panties digging into her backside. He began kneading her firm flesh, causing her hips to rock back and forth, her mound grinding against his denim-covered leg.

  She could feel herself growing wetter and wetter with each pass. As her arousal grew, she felt her hips begin moving faster of their own accord. Hot whips of pleasure shot through her as he continued ravishing her mouth.

  Everything he did, every place he touched, felt deliriously good. The strength of his body as it pressed against hers. The wet heat of his mouth. The suctioning swirl of his tongue. His work-worn hands gripping and squeezing her soft skin. The erotic pressure and friction of his thigh rubbing against her neediest place. His rock-hard manhood settled firmly against her belly as she ground her body seductively into him. She tried to absorb it all, not miss one moment, one feeling, but she found herself getting lost in the overwhelming sensations.

  His mouth moved as he trailed soft kisses across her jawline. He clenched her hair in his fist at the nape of her neck, causing a shockwave of bliss to shoot straight to the crux of her thighs.

  “Oh,” she sensually moaned as pleasure lashed through her.

  Heated breath fanned her neck as Eddie spoke in a low, mesmerizing tone. “I can feel how wet you are through my jeans.” His tongue licked the hypersensitive area just beneath her ear. “Do you feel how hard that makes me?”

  “Yes,” she managed to get out.

  At her response, she felt his hardened length twitch behind his zipper, sending her own arousal reaching for even higher heights. Haley loved knowing that she could affect Eddie like that. That her words and her body could make him flinch with need.

  Haley’s fingernails dug into his well-built shoulders as Eddie alternated kissing and licking her neck. His hand moved lower down her backside as his fingers slowly dipped between her legs. The roughened pads of his fingertips brushed along the seam of her swollen, wet core and her body tightened with need. A feverish rush flowed through her as he rubbed enticingly along the slick folds of her sex.

  “Mmm,” he growled against her neck. “I want to taste you.” With that declaration, he dropped to his knees.

  The next thing she knew, Haley found herself pinned against the wall, one leg draped over Eddie’s shoulder, the other spread open by the width of his upper body. She bit her lip as she looked down upon the suggestive pose he’d placed her in. The dim light bounced off the top of his dark head of hair as he focused all of his attention on her aching sex still covered by black lace. His face was so close to her wet heat that she could feel the puffs of his short breaths against her sensitized core.

  His hands ran up her quivering inner thighs, stopping at the apex between her legs. Slowly, he moved his thumbs along each side of her damp panties. “When you made these”—he dipped his thumbs beneath the lace—“you were thinking about me?”

  “Yes.” Reaching down, Haley steadied herself on his shoulders as tremors radiated through her from his touch on her bare skin.

  Softly, almost reverently, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the lace covering her mound. Looking up at her, he stated, “So this is mine.” Then, leaning forward, he once again pressed his lips to the fabric.

  “Yes,” Haley breathed out, and she felt a rush of moisture cover the lace as he continued trailing sensual kisses along it. White-hot bursts of pleasure exploded beneath his kiss and quickly traveled throughout her entire being. Her body felt on the verge of climax and her legs began shaking.

  “Good,” Eddie said as he pulled the lace material to the side and slowly licked a circle around her distended nub before suckling the hood of her sex. As she watched his talented tongue, her body began convulsing in release.

  Eddie picked up his pace, alternating licking and sucking. Pleasure crashed through her so intensely that she had no idea how she was still standing. His unrelenting mouth stayed with her until the last spasm jolted through her.

  As she slowly floated back down to reality, she felt herself being carried across the room. Wrapping her arms around Eddie’s neck, she nuzzled her face into him. God, she loved how he smelled. Like soap and work—exactly how a man should smell.

  “You smell good,” Haley said as he laid her down on the chaise lounge, the soft fabric dipping beneath her weight.

  “You taste good,” he rasped as his lips covered hers. He kissed her thoroughly before standing and removing his shirt, jeans, socks and shoes.

  Haley lifted up on her elbows so she could enjoy the show. She’d been waiting for this for so long and she wasn’t going to let her sated state cause her to miss anything.

  Her eyes greedily roamed his muscular physique. His body was a work of art. He had several tattoos covering his torso and chest. She sat up to trace them with her fingers, touch them, explore them. But before she got the chance, Eddie hooked his thumbs in the elastic waistband of his black boxer briefs, pulling them down and off.

  Holy hot tamale! Her eyes widened as she took in his large, straining erection. Haley had never seen a man so perfect or so large before in her life. The inner muscles of her core clenched at the sight. As mouthwatering of a presentation as he made, she had to admit she was a little worried that she wouldn’t be able to accommodate him.

  “It’ll be good. I promise,” Eddie said as if reading her mind—or more accurately, the concerned expression on her face. “I love the bra and panties. But you need to lose them.”

  Her sated body surged back to life at his gruff command. Oh my, Haley thought. this is going to be so much better than ‘good.’

  *

  EDDIE GRABBED A CONDOM from his wallet and sheathed himself as he watched Haley reach behind her back and unhook her bra. She gracefully slipped her arms out of each strap, freeing the most beautiful set of breasts he’d ever laid eyes on.

  He forcefully maintained his distance as she slid her black lace panties down and off her legs. If he touched her now, it would be all over, and he wanted to just take a moment and look at her gloriously naked body. When she’d removed both garments, her large blue eyes framed by long dark lashes met his.

  She looked up at him with uncertainty, and it was killing him inside. Her combination of innocence and seduction were lethal to his mind, heart, and body. When he’d come around the corner and seen her staring at her reflection in the mirror, he’d thought for a moment that it was just one of his fantasies or that he was dreaming.

  Then, when she turned and started telling him that she’d wanted him to see her in her designs because she’d been thinking about him when she created it, well, he’d thought for a minute that he was in serious danger of blowing a load in his pants.

  Eddie had no idea what he’d done to deserve her affection. He was absolutely certain it was misplaced. He was also sure that this was not a good idea. He’d tried to say so. But damn, he was only a man. He’d been suppressing his desire for Haley for years. Even if it was the worst idea in the world, there was no way this wasn’t going to happen.

  “Lie back,” he instructed.

  Hale
y’s eyes widened slightly as she slid back on the couch. Eddie wanted to visually feast on every inch of her. He started at her delicate feet, toes painted a pale pink. Then he continued up the smooth line of her calves, over her knees, and along her toned thighs. He noticed her flat belly trembling under his stare as his eyes traveled from the small patch of dark hair just above her sex and then over both hipbones that dipped into her thin waist.

  He loved her waist. Eddie had always been a sucker for an hourglass figure, and Haley’s rivaled those of ‘50s pinup girls. His body was strung painfully tight as his gaze moved farther up her body, taking in rounded flesh at the bottom of her creamy breasts. Following its curve, his eyes continued around and up to the dark pink circles of her areolas before finally landing on the tips of her taut, dark red nipples.

  His brow grew damp with perspiration as his hunger for her intensified. He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to touch her.

  When he stepped forward, her legs automatically opened in invitation for him. The erotic sight of Haley spread wide before him caused him to stop up short, his breath catching in his throat. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. All he could do was stare at the enticing display in front of him that was better than any fantasy he’d ever had.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked as she nervously bit her lip.

  Her worried tone snapped him out of his lust-induced, momentary paralysis.

  “Nothing.” He quickly moved over her. Her legs widened even farther to accommodate him. As he settled in between her supple thighs, his shaft slid easily along the wet folds of her lush sex. Even through the latex, he could feel her warmth, her softness. He could still taste her sweet juices on his lips.

  Eddie’s heart pounded louder in his chest than any hammer he’d ever swung as he looked down at Haley’s sensuous body splayed out beneath him. Resting his weight on one elbow beside her, he brushed off a few stray strands of hair that had fallen over the swell of her breast. She shivered beneath his featherlight touch.