It was odd to Eddie that all the guys seemed more protective of Haley than Krista, Jessie, or Becca, especially since Haley was the oldest. He guessed it was because she’d spent the most time with them growing up. Or maybe it was because of her personality. The other girls, especially Krista and Jessie, had much more take-charge attitudes.
“Hello, boys. Eddie.”
Eddie looked up and saw Krista walking towards them. She had the strangest look on her face, and she was looking directly at him.
“Hey, red.” Jason called her by the nickname only he could get away with. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. Just about to go to the movies.” She stood at the end, not taking her eyes off Eddie.
“With who?” he heard Seth ask from beside him.
“Chris,” she said, still not breaking her gaze.
“Everything okay?” Jason asked, looking between Krista and Eddie.
Shit. Haley had probably told her about the kiss and she was pissed.
“Yep. Why?” Krista replied in a clipped tone.
“Because you look like you want to kick Eddie’s ass,” Jason said matter-of-factly. Jason was known for saying what everyone else was thinking. Most of the time, Eddie appreciated it. Tonight, he could have done without it.
“I would if I thought it would make him remove his head from it,” Krista said pointedly to Eddie then, turning to her cousins, quickly changed the subject. “Just wanted to let you guys know that Becca and Jessie will both be in town for Hales’s birthday and the grand opening. Mom wants to do a dinner or something with everyone.”
The guys all said that they would be there just as Chris came out from the back and he and Krista left. There was silence at the table, and Eddie could feel all of the attention focused solely on him.
“Sooo,” Jason, never one to let anything go, asked, “what was all that about?”
Eddie shrugged and took a drink of his black and tan. He had a hunch but he sure as hell was not going to be filling them in.
“Is there something going on with you and Krista?” Seth’s deep voice was deadly calm.
Eddie almost spit out his beer. He couldn’t get the word out fast enough. “No!” Krista was like a little sister to him. The irony was not lost on him that he should view Haley the same way, but he never had. Not even when they were kids.
“So how is Haley?” Jason’s faux-innocent tone was not fooling Eddie. He might not have known what was going, on but he definitely had his suspicions.
“She’s fine. I guess.” Eddie set his beer down.
He saw Riley and Seth both look at their brother and then back at Eddie. Deciding that this was not a can of worms he wanted opened tonight, he gestured for Nina to come over.
“Want another one?” she asked with a friendly smile.
“No, I’m ready for the check,” Eddie answered.
“I got this.” Jason pulled it from her hands before Eddie could grab it. “I told you I wanted to take you out to celebrate.”
Normally, Eddie would have argued and won the check war. He paid his own way. Always had. Always would. But tonight, he just wanted to get the hell out of there before any more questions about Haley came up.
“All right. Thanks man.” Eddie stood up from the booth.
“You takin’ off?” Riley asked.
“Yeah, I’m tired.” Eddie wasn’t lying. He was exhausted. And the couple of beers he’d had weren’t helping his energy any.
“All right.” Riley had a suspicious look in his eye. “You want us to keep Em tonight?”
“No, that’s all right.” Eddie just wanted to go home and go to sleep. And he never slept well when Emily stayed the night other places. He just felt better when she was home, under his roof.
“See you tomorrow,” Jason said with a smile that told Eddie he was off the hook for now but this conversation wasn’t over.
Great. That was just what he needed.
Chapter Fourteen
Haley signed for the latest delivery. She still hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that she needed to pinch herself to see if this was really happening. The store had come together so quickly that she wasn’t sure it had really sunk in that this was hers. When the sign out front had gone up yesterday, she’d started crying. She hadn’t been able to help herself.
It was a moment she’d never forget. She’d lifted her hand to block the midday sun that had been shining brightly and tilted her head up. It was just so beautiful that the next thing she knew she’d felt drips of moisture falling down her cheeks.
Luckily, no one had been around. Haley hated when people saw her crying. It wasn’t that she thought it was a sign of weakness or anything like that. It was just that Haley was a private girl. Crying was personal, at least to her. Just like sex.
Krista and Jessie loved to tease her by calling her a prude, but she wasn’t. Really. Haley had always had a very strong inner compass and she followed it. She didn’t do things just to do them. Peer pressure, teasing, other people’s opinions never really fazed her, even growing up. As she’d gotten older, she’d appreciated her strong sense of self more and more after having witnessed the issues she’d seen other people finding themselves in just because they hadn’t known who they were and had been easily influenced.
Part of her self-awareness was that she knew she was not a casual-sex gal. Haley had only ever wanted to have sex with people she loved. That meant that everyone she’d been intimate with she’d also been in a relationship with. So even though she could count her sexual partners on one hand—and she didn’t even need the thumb or pinky—she didn’t have a single regret. Inexperience, maybe. Regret, nope.
Considering the fact that over the past four years the only person she’d loved or had any interest in was Eddie, her sex life had become nonexistent. So, was she having a dry spell? Yes. Was she a prude because of it? No.
“Nice shop,” the smokin’ hot delivery driver commented as his eyes scanned the floor room.
“Thanks.” Haley’s smile was filled with pride. She knew that the tattooed, too-good-looking-for-his-own-good Fed Ex guy’s comment had much more to do with the merchandise she was carrying than anything else, but still, it was nice to hear.
Looking around the space, she tried to see it through fresh eyes. The large windows that lined the back walls faced west and illuminated the room with gorgeous natural lighting through midday. The displays and merchandise all flowed effortlessly and cleanly around the space. The brick walls were such an amazing backdrop for the delicate undergarments. Not only did Haley love the visual strength the bricks represented, she loved the dichotomy between the hard brick and mortar and the soft lines of the lace and silk.
“Is it yours?” he asked, leaning against the black counter, his mouth turning up into a sexy half smile that she immediately categorized in the panty-dropping column of smiles.
“Mmm hmm,” she nodded.
“Tempting by Bella. I know you’re tempting sooo…are you Bella?” he asked with a flirty glint in his deep green eyes as he glanced down at the signature she’d just written.
“No, Bella is the name of my business partner’s store,” Haley explained. She couldn’t count the amount of times over the years that customers, mailmen, and delivery men had asked her and Amber that same exact question.
“Oh, is her name Bella?”
“Nope, it’s Amber.”
She thought for a moment that he was going to ask her yet another follow-up question, but to her surprise, he dropped that line of questioning and asked her out instead.
For a split second, she considered it. He was off-the-charts good-looking. Probably around her age. Gainfully employed. Also, the healthy dose of charm and charisma didn’t hurt. But she turned him down. Why? Because he wasn’t Eddie.
Thankfully, he took the rejection in stride. He even pulled out a card from his wallet, scribbled something on it, and left it on the counter in case she changed her mind. Haley thought that was a classy move.
Sometimes guys, especially guys who were used to having girls fall at their feet—which had to be the case with Mr. Hottie Fed Ex!—could be real a-holes if you weren’t interested in them.
After he left, Haley reached into her back pocket and took out her box cutter. Clicking the blade out, she sliced open the tape. She knew it was silly, but receiving and opening packages always made her a little giddy. It was one of her favorite parts of working retail because it reminded her of Christmas. Which was her favorite holiday.
For some reason, Christmas always seemed like a more romantic holiday to her than Valentine’s Day. Obviously, she knew that she was in the minority. She’d just always thought that sitting on a couch, snuggled up to the one you love, sipping egg nog next to a roaring fireplace and beautifully lit-up Christmas tree was a lot more appealing than going out to dinner and eating an overpriced meal. But hey, that was just her.
Kneeling down, she pulled open the cardboard tabs and her eyes lit up as she saw the contents. It was her new Hidden Fantasy line. She’d loved all of the lines she’d created. There were six in all. But this one was special to her. This one was personal. She’d been inspired by one particular person while designing this line.
Haley’s inspiration came from all different places. Anything from a bright burst of color splashed on a building, a sunset, a piece of furniture—inspiration was everywhere she looked. Shapes, colors, textures that most people might look past, she saw—really saw.
In fact, her first line of undergarments had been inspired by a bike ride she’d taken on the river, the fluidity of the deep blue waters, the lines of the waves that would appear when the winds picked up. She’d studied it for hours then gone home and stayed up all night. By the morning, she’d had a full sketchbook and blisters where the pencil had dug into her sensitive skin. Now, every day she’d be able to look out her windows and see the same river that had inspired her almost four years ago.
She was definitely having a full-circle moment.
“What’s this?”
Eddie’s gruff voice cut through Haley’s Oprah moment. Glancing up, she saw his large frame looming over her, his dark eyes unreadable yet radiating intensity.
Haley’s body instantly responded and she felt a flush of warmth rising on her cheeks. Glancing down at the contents of the box she was unpacking then back up at him, she explained what she would have thought fairly obvious. “Bras and panties.”
His jaw twitched at her response. She noticed that that had been happening a lot lately.
“This,” he growled, holding up his hand, displaying a card. His expression was clearly readable now, and he was not a happy camper.
“Oh.” Haley hadn’t given the delivery guy’s card a second thought after he’d dropped it on the counter. “That’s nothing. You can just leave it there,” she instructed as she looked back down and continued her unpacking.
The piercing heat of Eddie’s gaze radiated through her like the roaring flames of a fire. Eddie’s energy could be very intense when it was focused, which was why she had always wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of said intensity while he was inside of her, making love to her.
The kiss they’d shared had given her some frame of reference and all evidence pointed to the conclusion that it would be out-of-this-world amazing. She just knew it. It was a fact. It was inconceivable to her that it would be anything less.
She’d fantasized and dreamed about it more times than she could count. His large hands touching her, exploring her, driving her crazy with…
“Are you keeping it?” Eddie’s rough voice interrupted her sexual escapade ponderings.
She looked up, her forehead creasing as she asked, “What?”
“Are you keeping it?” he asked again, still holding the card.
“I don’t know.” Haley shrugged. She honestly couldn’t imagine why he was making such a big deal about this. As far as she knew, he was totally finished with the installation of her black marble counter area. Why would it matter if a card was sitting on it? Clutter was definitely not the reason for this. Not that his house was messy, only that there were plenty of times Haley had been there and things had been sitting on the countertops.
“Are you going to go out with him?” he asked in a low tone that sent her stomach flipping around like clothes spinning in a dryer.
Whoa! What?!
That was the reason he was asking about the card?! He was jealous?! Had he heard the guy ask her out? No. He’d been in the back. Even if he had, wouldn’t he know that she’d turned him down? A better question was why did it matter if nothing could happen between them? He hadn’t said two words to her that didn’t have to do with work or Emily since he’d kissed her last week. So what if she did have a date?
“Why?” Haley asked, sitting up a little straighter.
Eddie’s emotions, unlike Haley’s, were not written all over his face. If he didn’t want you to know what he was feeling, then good luck trying to figure it out. He was a master at masking his emotions. Haley had never wished for the ability to read minds until this very moment.
He stood perfectly still. The only movement she detected was a slight twitch of his mouth as it opened slightly. Haley’s heart rate picked up speed. Was he going to say that he didn’t want her to go out on a date with that guy? Was he going to say he wanted to be with her?
He remained silent.
Was he going to say anything?
“Never mind.” Dropping the card on the counter, he turned and stalked back to the breakroom, where he was installing a storage shelving unit.
Well, he had said something…
* * *
Eddie slammed the hammer again and again. The wooden handle vibrated in his hand. He knew he was pounding these nails into the shelving unit harder than was necessary or even practical. He’d already split one board, which was a first for him. He didn’t want to bring the count up to two.
But he couldn’t help it. He was mad. Irritated. Pissed off.
At himself. At the delivery guy. At Haley, which he knew she didn’t deserve.
This had to stop.
His behavior the last few weeks had been out of hand. Not a minute had passed that he hadn’t thought about Haley. Her eyes. Her smile. Her hair. Her kiss. It was borderline obsessive, he could easily admit that. Of course, it wasn’t helping the situation that he’d been in the same fourteen hundred square feet with her every day, all day, for over a week.
All throughout his work day, there were reminders of her everywhere he looked. And it wasn’t just what he saw. He’d hear her too. Laughing. Talking. Even cursing under her breath when she was frustrated and didn’t think anyone could hear her, which was cute as hell.
Eddie had always felt like he knew Haley. He couldn’t explain it. Even when they were growing up, he’d felt a connection to her. A lot of people in the small-knit community of Harper’s Crossing grouped the Sloan sisters together since they were so close age in age. The four girls had even been dubbed The Quad Squad.
The sisters were all beautiful and had done well in school, but in Eddie’s eyes, there had always been something special about Haley. She stood out. Not just physically, although she was breathtakingly stunning. It was more than just skin deep. He’d felt like he saw her—really saw her—for who she was.
He had to admit though, after witnessing her opening Tempting, he realized that there was a whole side of Haley Sloan he didn’t know. Eddie had always seen the gorgeous blond—with heartbreakingly, incredible blue eyes—as a smart, sweet, and loyal girl. She would do anything for her friends and family. Haley was selfless in the truest sense of the word.
Now, after seeing Haley interacting with vendors, fellow store owners, delivery men, he’d seen her through fresh eyes. She handled everything with maturity, grace, and class.
No matter what the issue—and he’d seen some doozies come up as he was sure was common with any new establishment—she never lost her cool or treated other people b
adly. He could honestly say that, besides his sister, he couldn’t think of another woman on this earth he had more respect for.
He realized that he’d really only known Haley the girl, not the Haley woman. Until now.
“Hey, man.” Jimmy stuck his head in the doorway. “I’m about to take off. Do you need anything?”
“Did you get the display cases mounted up in the loft?” Eddie was sure that he had, but it never hurt to double-check.
“Sure did. Haley saw them and signed off. She was really happy.” Jimmy’s eyes lit up a little when he said Haley’s name and spoke about her happiness at his job well done.
A tightness formed in Eddie’s chest. He didn’t like it. Not one bit. Despite the fact that, from everything he knew about Jimmy, the kid was a stand-up guy and, as far as Eddie had seen, had always treated whomever he was with well, Eddie wanted to wrap his hand around his throat and tell him to stay the hell away from Haley.
Damn, he needed to get a grip. He wasn’t thinking straight.
The end of this job could not come soon enough. After he finished this last shelving unit, he was done. Tomorrow, he would be heading out to check on the status of several sites and then he would be back in the office on Friday.
He could go back to stealing glances of her across the street. And since he didn’t plan on ‘dating’ for the foreseeable future, there would be no reason to have Haley over at his house. No more ‘alone time’ after Em went to bed.
Jimmy patted the door twice. “So are we good?”
“Yeah, you can take off.” Eddie turned his attention back to the unit he was constructing until he heard the door shut.
Glancing up, he saw Jimmy standing in front of it looking…uncertain.
“What?” he snapped. Eddie didn’t want to take out his frustration, sleep deprivation, and overall poor mental state on the kid, but his patience was running thin.
Tempting Love - Haley & Eddie Page 13
