by Pamela Yaye
“Do you know she wants to sleep with you?”
The idea was so ludicrous Will laughed. “No, she doesn’t. She has a boyfriend.”
Juanita was cool. The way she tucked his sheets in the corners of his bed, tight but not too tight, was perfect. She left snacks or sandwiches for him on days he had practice. Sure, she was sweet, but she’d never come on to him. He’d never tried to come on to her. She was too close for comfort. With access to his home. He liked her cleaning style and had never considered messing that up by sleeping with her.
Erin didn’t look amused. “Having a boyfriend doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to sleep with you. You should have heard what she said.”
He dropped the smile and gave Erin his attention. “What did she say?”
“She says you like the way she makes up your bed. That you work her hard in that room. Or something like that.”
Will chuckled, Erin glared, and he forced down his amusement. “I am particular about the way I like my room set up. She knows that.”
Erin stopped the treadmill. She stepped off and grabbed the towel hanging on the rail. “I don’t think that’s what she meant.” She sounded irritated.
“What else could she mean?”
“She made it sound like you two were sleeping together.”
Will shook his head. “No. Not at all. I haven’t touched her. Never have. Never will.”
“Are you sure? I mean...if you have you can just—”
Will put his coffee mug down and stood. “Erin, I’m telling you the truth. There is no way I’d ask you to live here while you’re in town if I was sleeping with my housekeeper. I’ve got too much respect for you and too much faith in what we’re trying to do. I promise you, I won’t have you around women I used to date or had any type of relationship with. I would never put you in that type of situation.”
She nodded but still looked unsure as she pulled her foot behind her toward her backside and stretched. Will placed one hand on her waist and used the fingers of his other to tip her head up.
“Believe me. Juanita is just my housekeeper. Nothing more. If you don’t believe me or if you don’t want her around just let me know. I’ll fire her.”
Erin shook her head. “No. No, of course I believe you. Don’t fire her. Maybe I read too much into what she said.”
“I’m serious. If she says anything you think is out of line let me know. I want you to be comfortable here.”
She smiled and her body relaxed. “I can’t believe we’re really doing this.”
Neither could he, but he couldn’t find an ounce of regret with his decision. “No turning back, right?”
“No turning back.”
“Good.” He quickly swept her up and over his shoulder before she realized what he was doing. Her shriek of surprise and hitting his back made him grin.
“Will. What are you doing?”
“Taking you back upstairs.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve got one hour and you look too damn sexy in those workout clothes for me not to make love to you at least one more time.”
Chapter 14
After a successful meeting with the convention center bigwigs followed by a good meeting with the visitors’ bureau, Erin decided to treat herself to a mocha latte. She was excited about how the expo was coming together. There was a lot more work to do, but nailing all the final details was crucial.
She went to a bakery Kelly had told her about the last time she was in town. She hadn’t spoken to Kelly since arriving, but since Kelly didn’t work far away she pulled out her phone to call and surprise her friend. Maybe they could meet up.
She opened the door to the bakery while also dialing Kelly’s contact info. She pressed the phone to her ear and walked to the counter.
“Erin?” Kelly’s voice, but not through the phone.
Erin spun and grinned when she saw Kelly sitting near a window. “Hey! I was just calling you.”
Kelly jumped up and ran over to hug Erin. “What are you doing here?”
“Getting a mocha latte.”
Kelly slapped Erin’s arm. “In Jacksonville. Not in this bakery.”
Erin laughed. “Here for work. I’ll be in town for several weeks preparing for the auto show and scoping out a few potential clients.”
Kelly beamed. “That’s great! We can hang out.”
“I know.” Spending more time with her best friend was another bonus to being in Jacksonville.
“Where are you staying? You know what, it doesn’t matter. You can bunk with me instead of a hotel.”
“Oh. I’m staying with Will.” An inexplicable shiver of guilt went through Erin. She’d been so excited to spend time with Will, and distracted by the woman talking in the background, that she’d forgotten to tell Kelly about her trip to Jacksonville.
“He knows you’re here?” Kelly sounded affronted by the idea of her brother knowing before her.
“Yes. He offered when I told him yesterday.”
Kelly’s head cocked to the side. “You called him before calling me?”
The hurt in Kelly’s voice sharpened the spiral of guilt in Erin’s midsection. She hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings. “I thought he’d be happy to know I’d be in town.”
“You didn’t think I’d be happy to know? I mean I am your best friend. Or I thought I was.” Kelly crossed her arms.
Erin placed a hand on Kelly’s stiff arms. “You are. Of course you are. Really, Kelly. Don’t be upset.”
“I’m not mad. I’m just...” She sighed and waved a hand. “I don’t know. I guess it makes sense. Calling your man first. He’s more important.”
“That’s not true. You are just as important.”
“Well... I’m not giving you orgasms,” Kelly said wryly.
Erin cringed and placed a hand over her face. “Can we please not talk about Will and orgasms.”
Kelly pulled Erin’s hand down. “Why not?”
“He is your brother and it’s weird.” She and Kelly always talked about their relationships and the good, bad and ugly sexual encounters they’d had over the years. She had no desire to discuss Will’s abilities with his sister.
“You’re right. That is kind of weird,” Kelly agreed. She bared her teeth and cringed. They both laughed.
Relief washed over Erin as they both relaxed. Though Kelly had said she would respect Erin’s wishes after All-Star Weekend, it had taken several weeks afterward for Kelly to really accept that Erin and Will were dating. She’d had plenty of snide remarks whenever Erin mentioned Will. So much so Erin had stopped bringing up anything related to her and Will when she and Kelly spoke.
“Do you know how long you’re staying with Will?” Kelly asked. “After you two do what we aren’t talking about then you can stay with me.”
“I’m not just staying with Will for a night or two. He wants me to live with him while I’m here.”
Kelly took a few steps back. “Wait, move in, move in? Already?”
A couple entered the coffeehouse. Erin and Kelly moved out of the way. Erin followed Kelly to the table she’d occupied before. That gave her a few minutes to prepare for the upcoming conversation. Kelly accusing them of moving too fast or saying Erin wasn’t thinking straight.
“We are moving in together while I’m here,” Erin said once they were seated at Kelly’s table.
As expected, Kelly’s disapproval came swiftly. “Isn’t this too soon?”
“I thought the same thing, but this feels right. I miss him so much when I’m not with him. We’ve known each other forever. It’s not that big of a step.”
“Spoken like Will,” Kelly said dismissively. “Those are his words, right?”
They were, but Erin felt the same as him. At first, she’d been skeptical and worried she was too optimistic about the way th
ings were between them. Then there’d been the way he’d looked at her yesterday. The joy on his face. He was just as invested as she was.
“They’re my words, too.”
Kelly was unfazed by Erin’s admission. “Oh no. Please don’t tell me you’re going to fall for Will’s line?”
“It’s not a line. Or a scheme. We’re in this. We’re finally going for what we’d been too afraid of before.”
Kelly looked ready to argue, then she held up a hand. “You know what? I’m staying out of it. Do you. Be happy.”
There wasn’t an ounce of sincerity in Kelly’s declaration. Erin decided to ignore that. She wanted to move on and focus on the good part of being in town with her best friend. Not spend the weeks she was here arguing about her relationship with Will. “Thank you.”
Kelly rubbed the back of her head. “Now you have to deal with Juanita.” The casually spoken words hit with a mighty punch. They weren’t dropped unintentionally.
A sick feeling churned in Erin’s stomach. “The housekeeper?”
Kelly sighed and nodded. “Yes. She’s obsessed with Will. Always trying to make him happy and comfortable.”
She was irritated at Kelly for “casually” mentioning Juanita, but she asked the question she knew her friend wouldn’t lie about. “Have they...you know? Slept together?” She didn’t want to doubt Will. She wanted to believe he hadn’t lied to her, but Will was used to having his way. He may have thought not telling her about any involvement between him and Juanita was easier than dealing with the truth.
“I don’t know, I haven’t asked.”
“Oh.” Erin was not relieved.
“But I do think if they haven’t it’s not because she doesn’t want to. The way she fawns over him.” Kelly crinkled her nose. “Disgusting,”
“He offered to fire her for me.”
Kelly’s eyes widened. She leaned forward. “What? Really? Why?”
She saw no reason to lie. If she wanted to know how much of a pain Juanita was going to be she’d rather find out sooner rather than later. “I got the feeling she wanted me to think she’d slept with Will. He said he never touched her. Then offered to fire her.”
Kelly considered the words and took a sip of her coffee. “If he wasn’t my brother I’d say it’s weird to fire someone you haven’t had an inappropriate relationship with.”
“You would?” That thought hadn’t crossed Erin’s mind. When Will made the offer she’d taken it as him trying to make her more comfortable in his home. Had it just been a way for him to get her off his back?
“Yeah. Get rid of the other woman before she causes problems. But he is my brother,” Kelly said with what Erin guessed she thought was a reassuring smile. “Sounds like he’s trying to get right. No more games.”
Erin tried to return the smile, but her lips felt stiff. “No more games.” She got up and ordered her mocha latte. When she joined Kelly again they talked about other things. Kelly’s job, the progress with the auto show. The entire time Erin smiled and laughed, but still thought about Will and his sexy housekeeper.
Chapter 15
Three weeks later, Erin tripped over her shoes as she entered the smaller of the two closets in Will’s master suite. She landed on her hands and knees with a thud. Pain shot through her old injury and her body like a fiery harpoon.
With a groan, she rolled over and eyed the shoes. The heels she’d worn the day before and a pair of sandals from the day before that. She looked from the shoes on the floor to the neat row of shoes sitting on the rack in the closet.
She gritted her teeth and swallowed a curse. Pulling herself off the floor, she picked up the shoes, threw them onto the rack, then stormed out of the closet. She marched to the bathroom and pounded on the door.
Will swung open the door quickly. A towel was wrapped around his trim waist. The smell of his body wash drifted out. Erin’s skin immediately prickled with awareness. She almost forgot why she’d marched over after seeing his naked chest.
“What’s wrong?” Will asked.
She lifted her gaze from his chest to his confused eyes. “I tripped over my shoes in the closet.”
He raised a brow. “Okay...did you hurt yourself?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I did. I landed on my bad knee.”
Concern replaced the confusion in his gaze and he lowered his eyes to her knees. “Are you okay? Do you need me to get you something?”
“The only thing I need is for you to tell Juanita to stop throwing my shoes right in the door of my closet.”
The confusion returned to Will’s face. “What?”
“She throws my shoes right in the door of my closet. I’ve asked her not to do that because I tripped last week, but she’s still putting them in there.”
“I asked her to put your shoes up for you.”
“What? Why?”
Will went back into the bathroom and picked up a brush. “Because you leave them all over the house. Mostly in the entryway, but other places, too. I almost tripped.”
She was momentarily stunned. She did tend to take off her shoes wherever she wanted. Remembering where a pair were when she was running late in the mornings was a frequent source of frustration, but that frustration had always been hers alone. She didn’t think about changing the habit when she moved in with Will. “Why didn’t you say something to me?”
He shrugged and brushed his hair. “Because Juanita cleans up the house. So I asked her to pick up your shoes for you.”
She didn’t need Juanita being the solution to any problem Will might have with her. “If you have a problem with me then you discuss it with me. Not her.”
“I didn’t discuss a problem I had with you with her. I asked her to add picking up your shoes to her list of things she does around here.” His voice was calm.
“Then why is she just leaving them in the door of my closet instead of putting them on the shelf? They’re right where I would trip on them.”
“I’m sure it was an accident.” Will dropped the brush and picked up his toothbrush.
“An accident? I specifically mentioned asking her not to put my shoes there because I tripped before. She did it again. She doesn’t like me.”
The truth she’d been more certain of in the past three weeks. Juanita hadn’t said anything specifically to Erin, but she let her know in subtle ways. She poured out the coffee after Will fixed a cup but before Erin got coffee. She’d accidentally washed one of Erin’s dry-clean-only shirts. Made a seemingly innocent comment about how if Erin would allow her to clean up the bedroom it would help Will sleep more comfortably. A dig at how Erin wasn’t straightening the room up to Juanita’s standards. Nothing she’d done was outright mean, but Erin felt the unwelcoming undertone in all of Juanita’s reactions.
Will scoffed and spread toothpaste on the toothbrush. “Come one, Erin. Juanita just told me she likes you.”
“And you believe her when I’m telling you she doesn’t?” What else was the woman supposed to say? No, Mr. Hampton, I’m jealous and hating on your girlfriend?
“Of course I do. She has no reason not to like you.” He brushed his teeth.
“She has a very good reason not to like me.”
“Like what?” he said around the toothbrush.
“She wants to sleep with you. She hates that I’m here. I’m cock-blocking her. And by that, I mean literally blocking her from your cock.”
Will’s shoulders shook with laughter as he continued brushing his teeth. Erin got an overwhelming urge to pound him over the head with one of the shoes she tripped on. “This isn’t funny.”
Will finished brushing, rinsed his mouth and then wiped it with a towel. “Yes it is. Juanita is not interested in me.”
He walked out of the bathroom. Erin let him pass and followed him to his larger walk-in closet. “Are you blind? The woman pran
ces around here in cutoff shorts and midriff shirts, calling you Mr. Hampton in her Hello Kitty voice, while flipping her hair and pushing out her breasts.”
Will chuckled again and flipped through the color-coordinated rows of shirts in his closet. “Hello Kitty doesn’t have a voice.”
“Will you stop pretending this is a joke? I’m serious. Why do you want to ignore what’s blatant? She’s interested in you. You can’t tell me she’s never hit on you.”
Will pulled down a dark blue shirt, then turned to the rows of already-pressed pants. “I can tell you she’s never hit on me. Just like I told you I’ve never slept with her nor would I put you in a position to be in this house if I had. Will you stop looking for problems that aren’t there? I offered once, and I will again. You want me to fire her, I will.” He pulled a pair of pants from a hanger. “I’d be more than happy to if it meant never having this conversation again,” he murmured with annoyance.
Erin crossed her arms over her breasts. She did not like Juanita. Did not believe the woman had no interest in Will. She couldn’t figure out why Will was so oblivious to the way the woman eye-screwed him every time he walked in a room. She was trying to believe him. Trying to not become a jealous, insecure girlfriend who let Will’s past play into their future.
Will walked over to the sock drawer and opened it. Erin frowned. “Are you going out?”
He looked at her with surprise. “We’re going out. Remember?” Her frown must have been his answer, because he sighed heavily. “It’s Isaiah’s wife’s birthday. He’s throwing a small dinner party for her at the new nightclub downtown. I mentioned it to you yesterday.”
“Oh crap, I’d forgotten all about that,” Erin said, slapping her forehead. “Do we have to go?”
“Yes. Isaiah is my boy. He’s excited about throwing Angela a party. I told him we’d come.”
“I’m swamped with work. I’ve got to get the updated proposal back to my home office and the coordinators with the auto show tomorrow. I have to work on that tonight.” Plus, her knee throbbed, and she was exhausted from the busy day.
Will’s eyes narrowed. “Or do you just not want to go out again?” The emphasis was on again.
