“Eric—” Her voice held a warning note.
He grinned. “Just a thought.”
She didn’t look amused.
Macho jerk, he muttered, moving away. He feigned interest in an open box. Lily made him do stupid things, all right. Like propose marriage every time he got within five inches of her.
Eric scowled. He knew Lily well enough to realize no one could force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. He needed to slow down. They’d been friends for a long time. This attraction they felt for each other was new, its intensity frightening. Uncertainty shadowed Lily’s face every time he was near. Instead of coming on strong and fast like a Mack truck, he needed to give her time to adjust to the idea of marrying him.
He had time. Admittedly, not much. Only seven months to convince her she needed him. And as hard as it might be, he would have to keep his hands in his pockets whenever she was close for as long as it took to prove he was serious, that his intentions were honorable. For as long as it took for her to say yes to his marriage proposal.
“Tell me about the curse,” he said, steering the conversation to safer grounds.
Lily peered at him from around the corner of a box. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
“Why?”
“I want to know what I’m up against.”
She stood slowly, stretching her legs. Her cutoffs gloved her curves. The material of her pink tank top strained against her breasts as she arched her back. Her movements were unaffected, guileless.
But the way his body reacted was anything but innocent. His mouth went dry. His heart pumped overtime. His blood ran hot and thick, sending urgent messages of arousal to points southward. Eric gritted his teeth and reminded himself of his honorable intentions.
“Still think you can talk me out of believing in my curse?” she asked.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he struggled for control. “I told you, I don’t give up easily.”
“The curse has hung in there for over four generations of our family. It doesn’t give up, either.” She frowned, eyeing him curiously. “Are you sure you aren’t getting overheated? You look a little flushed. Maybe you need a drink.”
His gaze rested on the curls of hair escaping from her ponytail and clinging to the dewy, smooth skin on the back of her neck. He was thirsty, all right, but not for liquid nourishment.
“I’m fine,” Eric said through clenched teeth. He was in deep trouble. This working-around-the-house stuff wasn’t so bad. In fact, he was beginning to like it...too much. He jerked open the closet door. Then jumped back as boxes fell out to greet him.
Lily giggled. “Watch out, Eric. You never know what might pop out at you.”
Feeling foolish always made him ornery. “Oh, yeah? Whatcha got in there, Lily? A skeleton or two?”
Her chin jutted out. “No, but there might be a spider. Black widows love the desert.”
He chuckled, feeling the tension melt from his muscles. He’d discovered something new about Lily. She was a pack rat. Yearbooks from high school, photos of family vacations, outdated business files from the bakery and much more were crammed into her spare bedroom. The woman never threw anything away. He picked up a box. “What’s in this thing? It’s gotta weigh a ton.”
Lily shrugged. “Probably old recipe books, or maybe some of my text books from college.”
He placed the box at her feet. “Lily, you can’t keep everything. You’ve got to learn to be ruthless, or all this stuff’s going to take over your house.”
She sighed as she knelt beside the box and opened the flaps. “I have a problem with getting rid of things. Every time I try, I freeze. I think, what if I need this someday? Or if someone went to the trouble of buying me a gift, how could I possibly throw it away?”
He smiled at her sentimental logic. “Believe me, Lily, I don’t think you’ll be needing all those Pet Rocks.” He moved away. “And that bottle opener in the shape of a duck. It’s cute, but its bill is broken—”
Lily gasped.
Eric’s heart leaped into his throat. In two quick strides, he returned to her side. “Are you okay? You didn’t try to lift that box, did you? I told you not to lift anything heavy.”
“I’m fine.” Her face was pale. Her lips were trembling. She wasn’t fine.
Eric knelt beside her. “Lily, what’s wrong?”
“David.” She swallowed hard. “These were David’s.”
Eric dropped his gaze to the box. Law books, business files, paper clips, an address book, desk calendar. His chest tightened. He didn’t need to look any further. He recognized the contents. After David had died, Eric had been the one to clear out his desk at work. He was the one who had brought this box, with its memories of David, home for Lily.
A tear spilled down her cheek, making a damp spot on the cardboard lid. “After he died, I couldn’t bear to look at his things. So I put away the box. I gave away his clothes to charity, but I forgot this was still in the closet.”
Eric sat back on his heels. He hadn’t thought about his friend since learning Lily was pregnant. Now, seeing her painful reaction to David’s things triggered his memory and a flood of guilt. Guilt because, for the first time in his life, he was jealous of another man. A man who’d been dead for three years.
He closed the flap. “Let me take care of this for you,” he said gruffly. “I’ll cart the box home and sort through it. If there’s something I think you’d want to keep, I’ll bring it over.”
Lily nodded.
He hesitated. “Lily, I want you to know something. During the time you were with David, I never once had a carnal thought about you.”
Lily blinked. “I know that, Eric.”
“You were my best friend’s wife. I’d never have done anything to break his trust or yours.”
“Of course you wouldn’t.” She frowned. “Eric, why are you telling me this now?”
Because I feel guilty as hell for wanting my best friend’s wife. Especially since she still loves and cares for him more than she’ll ever care for me. He shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure you knew, that’s all.”
She wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “Eric, you have nothing to feel guilty about. If anyone does, it’s me.”
He released a slow breath. “I sure hope you’re not talking about that curse again.”
“No, not the curse.” She shook her head. “Losing David was terrible. It hurt so bad. I thought I’d never be able to forget the pain. But lately I’ve been so wrapped up in my pregnancy I’d almost forgotten.”
“David would want you to get on with your life.”
“I know that.” Her breath caught. “I just didn’t think I could ever be happy again.”
Relief washed over him, making him feel worse. “Are you happy, Lily?”
His heart did a flip-flop when she smiled up at him, her mouth soft and inviting. “Oh, yes, Eric. I’m very happy.”
Warning signals pulsed throughout his body. He was dangerously close to pulling Lily into his arms and making love to her on the floor of her spare bedroom. His gut instinct stopped him. Now wasn’t the time for romance.
He stood. “I’ll put this in the car,” he said, scooping up the box and moving away from temptation.
Lily sighed. “Now’s as good a time as any for a break. How does a cold drink sound?”
He forced a smile. “Sounds great.”
Not as good as holding her in his arms or kissing her. But a cold drink would have to do.
* * *
Mesmerized, Lily watched the cords of Eric’s throat tighten and relax as he drank a glass of lemonade. As she sat next to him at the kitchen table, a delicious warmth stirred in the pit of her stomach, spreading waves of heat throughout her body.
She took a hasty sip of her own drink.
What was wrong with her? She was supposed to be keeping Eric safely at arm’s length. But all she could think of was how nicely muscled his legs were beneath his
black jogging shorts. She licked the lemonade from her lips. How tempted she was to run her fingers beneath his T-shirt and feel the hard muscles of his chest and—
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked.
She blushed, wondering if he could read her mind. “Excuse me?”
“The curse?” He smiled. “You were going to reveal the mystery behind your family’s curse.”
“Oh, that.” Her muscles relaxed. “There’s no mystery. Just your average curse starting with the wrath of a woman scorned.”
Eric humphed. “Now, that I can believe.”
“Don’t spout your cynical divorce-attorney logic to me, Eric Mitchell. This time the woman wasn’t to blame. My great-grandfather was at fault.”
“Your great-grandfather?”
Lily nodded. “Great-grandpa O’Toole, born in Old Country Ireland. He was a handsome devil.” A smile teased her lips. “Just like you, Eric, he liked to play fast with the ladies.”
He scowled. “What did love ‘em and leave ‘em O’Toole do to deserve a curse?”
She shrugged. “He jilted the wrong woman. He became engaged to Pageen Rourke, but stepped out on her with my great-grandmother. When the two of them ran off and married, Pageen put a curse on our family.” She sighed dramatically to emphasize her point. “Great-grandpa O’Toole never lived to see the day Nana was born.”
“You mean this whole thing is over a broken engagement?” He gave her an incredulous look.
“In those days, it was a scandal. Of course everyone blamed my great-grandmother. After Great-grandpa O’Toole died, the poor woman was shipped off to America to live with an aunt.”
“I don’t get it,” he said, frowning. “I could understand Pageen being a bit miffed, but what’s the disgrace? Your great-grandparents were married, weren’t they?”
She squirmed in her seat. “Well, yes—but after the fact.”
The ends of his mouth curved into an amused grin. “Are you telling me your great-grandparents anticipated the wedding night?”
She glared at him. “Nana was a bit premature, that’s all.”
“How much premature?”
“Three months.”
He hooted with laughter. Tears of mirth rolled down his cheeks. Eric appeared thoroughly amused at her family’s expense and showed no sign of letting up.
Lily sat in her chair, simmering, waiting for him to stop.
He wiped a tear from his eye. “Sorry, Lily. Tell me the rest. What’s the secret?”
“Secret?”
“The secret—the key to breaking the curse.”
She frowned. “There isn’t any. We’re just stuck with it.”
“Come on, Lily. Haven’t you read your fairy tales? When the wicked witch places a curse on the undeserving princess, along comes a prince to break the spell.”
She gave him a disgusted look. “This isn’t a fairy tale, Eric. This really happened. Besides, true love is what breaks the spell in fairy tales. The women in my family have always loved their husbands. I think love is what killed them.”
He considered this for a moment. “Maybe love isn’t enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“According to Grimm, the prince has to prove his love by doing something unselfish...and usually very stupid.”
She laughed. “What makes you such an expert on Grimm’s Fairy Tales?”
“My mother read us a story every night before we went to bed. Of course, I would have preferred a Western or a superhero comic book, but my sisters outnumbered me.” He smiled at the memory. “It was either listen to fairy tales or nothing.”
Lily caught the softening tone of his voice. Despite his grumblings, she had a feeling Eric had cared very deeply for his family. That he still cared. “Your mother sounds like a very special woman.”
His smile became wistful. “Yes, she is. She worked hard after Dad died. She waitressed a twelve-hour shift to keep all of us fed.”
“Did she ever remarry?”
He shook his head. “No, she never did. She always said a love like hers and Dad’s came around once in a lifetime. She didn’t need to settle for second best when she’d had perfection.”
Lily felt a pang of envy for the love Eric’s parents must have shared. Her mother and grandmother seemed content in their widowhood, also. Guiltily, she wondered if her love for David had been stronger, maybe she wouldn’t be yearning for something that couldn’t be hers. “How about your sisters? Are any of them married?”
“Yep, all of them.” He grinned. “Can you believe it? I’ve got six nieces. Not a boy in the bunch.”
Lily smiled. Girls, it seemed, ran in Eric’s family, too. She wondered what it was like being a member of a big family. Probably not as lonely as being an only child.
Lily gave herself a mental shake. She was treading on dangerous ground, she warned herself. Start wondering about the family behind the man and she’d find herself getting too close to the man himself.
“I think you’d better stick to law briefs and leave the fairy tales to me,” she said, sighing. “Believe me, Eric, there’s nothing you or I can do to break the curse.”
A mischievous glint lit his eyes. “At least now I know one thing.”
She was almost afraid to ask. “What’s that?”
“Where all that hot-blooded passion of yours comes from,” he said, raising his brows suggestively. “You come by it naturally. Thanks to good ol’ Grandpa O’Toole.”
Embarrassment heated her face. She pushed herself from the table, rising to her feet. “I think it’s time for you to leave, Eric.”
He stood, catching her wrist. “I’m sorry, Lily.” He pulled her snug against him, wrapping both arms around her waist, his hips nuzzling her fanny. “You looked so serious. I just wanted to make you smile.”
She didn’t say a word. She didn’t dare move. She couldn’t. For the past three years, she’d led a quiet, almost nunlike life. The feel of Eric’s body pressed against hers left her weak with desire and her mind reeling with unspoken implications. A flood of sensual emotions threatened to overwhelm her.
“Tell me you forgive me,” he said.
His breath was warm against her skin. A shiver ran down her spine as his lips touched her neck. She moaned. Maybe she was approaching this problem with Eric the wrong way. She’d adopted a hands-off policy, hoping to change his mind about wanting to marry her. So far, her plan hadn’t met with much luck. If anything, he’d become even more relentless.
Eric thrived on a challenge. He was like a predator after his prey. He was the hound—she was the fox. He’d set his sights on her. Maybe she should just let him catch her.
“I forgive you,” she said, wincing at the husky sound of her voice.
He hesitated a moment, then released her.
He let her go?
She swung around to face him. “You can stay if you promise not to mention a word about my family’s curse.”
He held up his hand. Three fingers, a Boy Scout oath. “I swear, my lips are sealed.”
She studied him, chewing on her lower lip. “Okay, then let’s get back to work.”
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
He was agreeing with her?
Eric looked confused.
“Just like that?” Had she misread that kiss on her neck? Maybe he’d noticed the blemish on the end of her nose, the one she’d woken up to this morning? Or maybe it was the extra couple of pounds she’d gained since becoming pregnant that was turning him off. “No arguments?”
His gaze was wary. “Is there something wrong?”
She forced a smile. “What could be wrong?”
“Nothing. I just thought—”
“Thought what? That I’d be upset because you find me unattractive?”
“Unattractive?”
“Don’t be embarrassed, Eric. It’s a known fact. Some men are turned off by pregnant women.”
“You think I’m turned off?”
“I do
n’t blame you. I know I’ve gained some weight.”
He raked a gaze up and down her body. “Where?”
“Hormones are having a picnic with my body.” She plunged on, driven by a need to purge herself of her prenatal insecurities. “My hair is losing its curl. My face looks like a minefield, one blemish exploding after another. I’m not afraid to admit the truth. I’m just plain—”
“Nuts!”
Eric grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him. His kiss was demanding, thorough. When he released her, she felt weak and wobbly inside. “Now, do you still think I find you unattractive?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head.
“Good.” He placed his finger under her chin. “Let’s get back to work before I forget I’m an honorable man and decide to take advantage of you after all.”
Chapter Eight
“Maybe this was a mistake,” Lily said.
Eric dropped his hand. He’d been checking his watch again. The third time in as many minutes. “Don’t be silly. I don’t mind waiting.”
“You’re lying. I know you have a full day of work at the office.”
“If there was a problem, I’d tell you.”
Two weeks had passed since he’d helped Lily clean out the spare bedroom. Two weeks of sheer torture.
Eric picked up a magazine and settled himself a notch lower in the tweedy gray chair. The chairs in the doctor’s waiting room were packed closely together. As he moved, his elbow pillowed against the softness of Lily’s breast. The touch felt like heaven. A hearty dose of ill-timed longing pulsed through his veins.
Lily, not so gently, shoved his elbow out of her way.
Sighing, he repositioned himself in his chair. He couldn’t seem to control himself around her. While Lily was preparing herself for a doctor’s visit, he was undressing her in his mind. He should be ashamed of himself.
But he wasn’t.
Eric’s body shouted a protest as he recalled the night he’d almost made love to Lily on her living-room couch and, more recently, the kiss they’d shared in her kitchen. On both occasions, he could have taken what she’d been so willing to offer. But, no. He’d had to give in to an unexpected bout of conscience. Like a fool, he’d decided to wait until she agreed to marry him.
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