by Tess MacKall
Just let him have it as soon as you get in the car and be done with it.
She tugged the hem of the blouse, then looked at her backside. Satisfied she wouldn’t embarrass herself, she snatched her purse from the vanity and made her way down the hall to the living room.
There he stood, all six feet four inches of him. Black jeans, black cashmere sweater—had to be Perry Ellis—so elegant and a light gray shirt collar peeking out from the neckline. Her heart rate picked up. He’s too perfect.
Every lustrous strand of hair on his head begged for her touch. His glittering green eyes held her suspended in a dreamlike trance.
And that too-perfect smile nearly sent her to her knees.
Nick appeared to be genuinely pleased to see her. Did he just look me up and down? No. She’d imagined it. Not possible. He strode over to her and planted a kiss on her cheek. For the first time in her life, Eden was at a loss as to what to say or do. And as if that kiss wasn’t enough to induce a windfall of emotion and physical sensations to burst inside her, he maneuvered himself next to her and smoothed his hand up and down her back.
Oh god. Oh god.
Heat blazed a trail from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. A shudder rippled through her—one he had to feel. He settled his hand at her waist, giving her a gentle squeeze. Her nipples pearled and goose bumps pricked her skin.
Was she even breathing?
“Well, it was wonderful seeing you again, Mrs. Riley. I won’t keep your girl out too late.”
“Oh, the later the better, I say.” Eden’s mother laughed—actually laughed.
If Eden didn’t know better, she’d swear the two of them were in cahoots on this entire evening. But they didn’t know each other well enough to do such a thing, and her mother would never take someone else’s side against hers.
Would she?
It’ll all be over in a few minutes. Bide your time. Get him in the car.
“Have a good time, you two,” added her mother as Nick guided Eden through the doorway and out onto the small front porch.
At the bottom of the steps, Eden picked up her pace, moving away from his touch. Nick gave serious thought to grabbing her and hauling her back to him. Instead, he let her have her way. He figured this night would be anything but smooth sailing and he’d best choose the battles he might actually have a chance at winning. Besides, he liked the view she left him with.
Nice sway in that ass!
Once she reached the curb, she stopped. He watched her look first left then right, no doubt searching for his Mercedes. A few feet away, his new Camaro was parked at the curb. As he caught up to her he took her arm again and steered her to the black car.
“Like my new Chevy?”
“Oh. I’d forgotten what you said.”
“Yeah, I’m keeping my part of the deal.”
Nick pressed the key fob. The headlights flashed and the car made a small chirping noise as the locks disengaged. Once more she pulled away and headed to the passenger side. He followed and opened the door, gently laying his hand under her arm to help her inside.
Eden was quiet—too quiet for Nick’s comfort. Just the calm before the storm. He knew she was getting ready to hammer him. Well, he’d asked for it, hadn’t he? Hurrying around the front of the car, he jumped in and strapped on the seat belt. He started the car and steered out into the street. Still nothing from her. They rode in silence for a couple of blocks until Nick could stand it no longer.
He cleared his throat, getting up his nerve. “I should have told you already, but you look very pretty.”
“Thank you.”
She stared out the window. He liked her perfume. It smelled feminine and frilly yet understated. Like Eden—a contradiction in terms. Streetlights bathed her profile in slivers of silver light, lending an iridescent glow to her fair skin. He shifted in the seat, the thought of reaching over and touching the smooth curve of her cheek pumping a surge of adrenaline through his veins. What would it be like to kiss her? He bet her lips would be soft and sweet. Just to put his arms around her would make him happy. But then he’d want more—much more. God help him. After all these years, here she was sitting right next to him. With any other woman he’d know exactly what to say. Why not Eden?
Because what she thought of him was too important. She mattered too much. This was his one chance, and if he fucked it up…
She breathed deeply, the sound a bit uneasy. He kept glancing from the road to her. Every nerve in his body stood on end. They both needed to relax. Their being together like this was new for them. Maybe he could distract her, get her comfortable.
He cleared his throat again. “How ’bout them Heels?”
She barely turned her head toward him, but it was enough that he recognized her sparring face.
“They got their asses trashed the other night, didn’t they?”
That’s my girl, keep it comin’. “A one-point loss does not constitute an ass trashin’, Eden.”
“That’s exactly what I said to you last month when the Blue Devils lost!”
“That’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“Because I’m talkin’ Carolina here.”
“And?”
“How did you survive in Big East country all these years being such a rabid ACC fan?”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“Yeah, because I want to know about your life in New York.”
“Why?”
“Twelve Days of Love, Eden. We’re supposed to be getting along.”
“Then maybe we shouldn’t talk.”
“That’s not getting along. That’s just avoiding an argument.”
“Works for me.”
He had to laugh. And then she laughed too. The ice had been broken—he hoped.
“What was it like living in New York?”
“Busy. Kind of overwhelming.”
“I can understand that. Things have changed so much around here in the last fifteen years that I don’t even recognize the place sometimes. One of the reasons I go to the old downtown area to your mom’s for flowers—it reminds me of how things were when we were growing up.”
“One of the reasons?”
Shit! What the hell was he going to say now? Maybe he should tell her. Be honest. On the other hand if he did that, she might open the car door and bail on him at sixty miles per hour. No, he had to take this slow and easy or risk spooking her.
“For the great service and beautiful flower arrangements, of course.”
“Well, thank you. That’s nice to hear.”
“I bet you miss the social life of New York though.”
She looked at her hands clasped in her lap. “The art world isn’t an easy one, Nick. It’s a lot more competitive than people might think. I focused on my career mostly.”
The sadness in her voice worried him. Was she telling him she’d spent a lot of time alone in New York? Hadn’t she been happy there? Something alerted him he needed to change the topic.
“I know you’re here permanently now, and well, I was wondering…what are you going to do with your interest in art?”
He brought the Camaro to a stop at an intersection and looked over at her. She squared her shoulders then glanced at him.
“I haven’t given it any real thought. It’s taken me almost a year to settle in to running the shop. With Mom being sick, I can’t unless…”
She hesitated, chewed on her bottom lip. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was so damned beautiful. The traffic light above them shone through the windshield and painted the car’s interior a ghostly red glow. The diamond stud at her earlobe sparkled, sending white flecks of light into the curve of her jaw. Her lashes fluttered nervously, matching the beats of his heart. His cock twitched and swelled.
“I’d have to close the shop.”
The interior of the car switched from red to green. A horn blared behind them. Nick tore his gaze from Eden and pressed the accelerator.
“Yes, it would. Not to mention we need the money.”
“Maybe there’s another way.”
“Well if there is, I don’t see it,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck.
“The building next to the shop. Your mom owns that, right?”
“Yes. She rents it out, but with the downtown area being so depressed, it’s been empty for close to two years now. If it wasn’t for the hospital being so close by and loyal customers, the flower business might not be so great either.”
“You surprise me, Eden.”
She turned to him, her eyes luminous in the glare of oncoming headlights. “Why?”
“You haven’t been keeping up. There’s a big downtown revitalization project scheduled to begin next month. The city’s giving tax breaks to businesses that move there. Even turning part of the area into a big park and renovating the museum. And here’s the kicker—the old, abandoned textile plant? It’s being turned into a performing arts center.”
Her eyes grew wider. “I-I’d heard rumors but I didn’t think they’d actually ever budget for it all.”
“They did. Federal grant money, a little from the state. The performing arts center is being funded by a non-profit organization. I’m on the board.”
“You are!”
“Yes, I am. We’re going to bring the old downtown area back to life. And I think that vacant shop next to the florist would make a great art gallery.”
“I don’t believe this. I’ve thought that same thing ever since I came home, just never believed it possible. But now maybe things will change.”
Nick smiled and looked over at her. “Yeah, everything has changed all right. For the better too.”
He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. “A lot better.”
Eden remained perfectly still. Her gaze darted from Nick’s hand to the road in front of them. It was an unusually warm night for February, so no need for any heat, but what the hell was she supposed to do about the heat generated from his touch? A tantalizing pulse tapped at her clit. She clenched her vaginal muscles. Oh, hell, that didn’t help. Resisting the urge to squirm in her seat, she forced herself to breathe nice and slow. Any second now he’d take his hand away. She counted—one, two, three, four, five—before he cupped her fingers instead.
Nick Lancaster was holding her hand!
Did he expect her to react? Should she? For the life of her she couldn’t imagine where all this was heading. She loved the feel of his hand twining around hers, but what did it mean—exactly? This was too much.
Eden broke from his light grip on the pretense of looking for something in her purse. He never said a word, just placed his hand on his thigh and kept driving. She should have stuck to her plan and told him to drop her off at the movies. How could she though? Being in such close proximity to him was like a deer getting caught in the beam of a car’s headlights. She’d frozen.
What was he thinking? She couldn’t take the quiet. It was time to find out what he had in mind.
“Where are we going, Nick?”
“A few miles outside of town to a favorite spot of mine. Thought you might enjoy it.”
“Sounds nice, different. What kind of food do they serve?”
He cocked his head to one side. “Uh…pizza. By the way, what do you like on yours?”
“Anything but anchovies is fine with me.”
“Hand-tossed or thin crust?”
“Hand-tossed, but thin crust is fine too.”
“Hand-tossed it is.” He whipped out his cell phone and dialed.
Who is he calling?
“Hey, I’d like to place an order for pick-up.” He paused before giving his information.
Eden’s mouth fell open. He was ordering a pizza. So where the hell was he taking her? They were definitely going to talk once he hung up. She might not have had a lot of dates in her life, but she’d be damned if he’d get away with eating in a car. Hell, why didn’t he just run them through a Mickey Ds?
“That’s right, large works. See you in fifteen.”
He tossed the cell into a tray between the seats and turned on the CD player. Melissa Etheridge singing I’m The Only One pumped from the speakers. God, Eden loved that song.
“Remember this?” he asked, and without giving her time to answer said, “I’ve got the top one hundred hits from 1995 burned on CD.”
The year they’d graduated high school. Come to think of it, his cell number was the same too. What did that say about Nick? Was he stuck in the past?
“I take it we’re not going to a restaurant.”
“No. I thought about that but decided against it.”
Eden turned her head and looked out the window. “Guess it would be kind of awkward for you to be seen with me.”
“What? Oh god. Why would you think that?”
“Never mind. Just drive and let’s get this over with.”
The engine roared and the car sped up, changing lanes. Before Eden figured out what was happening, he’d veered the Camaro off into a gas station and stopped.
Nick twisted in his seat to face her and took her hand. Eden tried to pull away but he held tight. He looked into her eyes and she thought she might cry. Why did this man have such an effect on her? Apparently Nick wasn’t the only one who couldn’t get rid of the past. She’d had Nick in her system forever it seemed, and it didn’t appear as though she could let go.
“Eden,” he whispered. “Nothing…nothing could be further from the truth. Having you here with me is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve thought about you for years. I don’t want to share you with anyone tonight.”
Of all the things she could have imagined him saying, that wasn’t one of them. What was he trying to say? Surely he didn’t mean he’d harbored a crush on her all this time, the way she had him.
“I don’t know what to say to that, Nick. I don’t even know what it means.”
“Don’t examine it, Eden. Just let it happen. I want you to get to know me for who I am, not who I was. Twelve days, honey. Give me twelve days to show you who I am.”
The bright convenience store lights revealed his face to her clearly. Sincerity marked his expression. This wasn’t some colossal joke to Nick. Somehow her approval of him mattered, but she didn’t know why.
“I can try.”
“That’s all I ask.”
He released her hand, seemed to settle himself, then drove them back out onto the highway and farther out of town. Eden’s mind spun with confusion, her body in such turmoil, she trembled. She was already half in love with him and seeing him so vulnerable softened her armor. Maybe he simply needed a real friend, someone who wasn’t like that pack of losers he’d hung out with in high school—only there for his leftover spotlight.
One thing was for sure, Eden could never be just a friend to Nick. The physical longing she had for him alone prevented their relationship from being platonic. But for now she’d try.
Even if she had to hide her true feelings.
Chapter Four
Nick turned off at the Jordan Lake exit and followed the now-familiar road toward the property he’d purchased a few years back. Evidently he’d disappointed Eden that he wasn’t taking her out to dinner, but the idea of walking into a restaurant and having men stare at her didn’t appeal to him at all. Her comment that he might not want to be seen with her had made no sense, but at least it had forced him to confess his intentions—well, sort of—and she hadn’t taken off running.
If she knew what he’d really like to do to her… Fuck! He couldn’t think straight. He wanted her to be his woman—his and naked, for God’s sake. Slick and wet with her legs spread wide open for him so he could ta
ste every inch of her pussy. That’s what he wanted. Nick bit his bottom lip, conjuring the image of his tongue delivering long, lazy licks up and down her slit. He shook his head in an attempt to shut out the fantasy. His cock pulsed. No. Wasn’t going to happen. Hell, maybe some fresh air will help.
Out deep in the countryside, yet only thirty minutes from the city, darkness enveloped the car’s interior. They’d stopped and picked up the pizza, and the spicy, aromatic flavors engaged Nick’s appetite. His stomach growled.
Eden snickered and slapped his arm playfully. He hadn’t had a bite to eat since breakfast. He’d been too nervous about seeing her tonight. Maybe relaxing with a little wine and having something to eat would relieve the tension. Probably wouldn’t do anything about his hard-on, though.
“Sorry. I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. I’ve got a bottle of wine and some glasses in a cooler in the trunk.”
“I’m starving too. Nothing for me since breakfast either. Too busy to break for lunch. And too mad. The wine sounds nice.”
“Why were you mad?”
“’Cause a certain someone declared he was picking me up tonight without actually asking.”
“Oh that. Well, there’s method to my madness. If I’d asked, would you have agreed?”
“Probably not.”
Nick slowed the car and entered a gravel drive between two wooden posts with reflectors. He’d developed a habit of driving out here at night and sitting on the hilltop, staring at the lake below. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as he wound the Camaro through the tree-lined lane and up the slope. Jenna had demanded the lake property in the settlement but he would have died and gone to hell before he gave in on that. This was his special place—the place where he planned to build a home someday.
If he found someone to share it with.
“Okay, Nick. It’s awfully dark out here. Isn’t it about time you clued me in on exactly where we’re going?”