A Tempting Friendship (Clover Park #10)

by Kylie Gilmore

  Hailey leaned back, clearly disappointed. “Wait for Angelo, and then you can share.”

  Angelo. Her mustachioed date. If only he could really be new for her.

  Angel distributed small confections to all the ladies—mini cupcakes, banana bread, and a brownie—stopping in front of Julia and saying in a firm, staccato voice, “No sweets for you.”

  “Ha-ha,” she said. “I’m fine.”

  “She’s eating healthy,” Angel told the group. “Lost twenty pounds last year.”

  Julia shot Angel a dark look that he completely ignored, returning to his seat next to Charlotte. Really. Not everyone needed to know about her weight loss.

  “Wow,” Charlotte said to Julia, “good for you. If you want to start working out, I’d love to get you in the gym.”

  “Thank you,” Julia said, really miffed at Angel for bringing up her private stuff. She held up her book. “I just wanted to share with you all how much this book changed my life. Rejuvenate Your Life Through Decluttering sounds kind of hokey, but it really works.” She warmed to her topic. “As I worked through my house, room by room, tossing things that I didn’t need, keeping only my most prized possessions, and seeing empty surfaces for the first time in years, well, it was like a spiritual awakening.”

  “Whoa,” Ally said. “Really?”

  “Her house looks amazing,” Angel put in. “Like a showcase—gleaming wood, lots of roomy, open spaces. The kind of house you see in a magazine and want to move in.”

  “Wow!” Carrie exclaimed.

  “It was wow,” Julia said, smiling. “Like major wow. I put the house on the market. It’s finally presentable enough to do that, and I’m getting a fresh start with a new house. I’ve always wanted to live in a contemporary style. My husband picked out the house I’m in now, a two-bedroom ranch from the fifties.”

  “Your house is for sale?” Charlotte asked. “What town?”

  “Not far from here. Fieldridge.”

  “I’d like to take a look,” Charlotte said.

  “I’d be happy to show you,” Julia replied, thrilled to already have a prospective buyer.

  Angel clapped once and rubbed his hands together. “Okay, ladies, let’s get to the juicy stuff. Would a guy like Fierce Longing?”

  “Omigod, you’re going to love it!” Hailey exclaimed, which sent the women off on a flurry of praise for the hero, the heroine, and all the sexy times in between.

  Julia squirmed in her seat as Angel listened in his careful way to each new vote of approval before finally declaring, “That’s it! I’m reading it. No one tell me any more. I don’t want any spoilers.”

  Hailey took control of the conversation. “Okay, ladies, Fierce Longing is temporarily tabled. Next time we’ll talk about Fierce Longing and the sequel, Fierce Craving, since you’ve all gotten it already. Angelo, is that okay? Can you read both books before we meet again in two weeks?”

  “Happy to,” Angel replied.

  Shit. Fuck. No. He’d end up reading the whole trilogy. This would be so awkward. Angel, unafraid to broach any topic, would be all over this. It didn’t matter that the books were dirty, he’d want to talk about them. In his sexy voice, he’d talk about symbolism, imagery, metaphor, underlying meanings. He’d read deeply. Too deeply.

  “I really prefer to stick to nonfiction,” Julia announced, and then ducked as the women threw pieces of pastry at her head.

  “I’m afraid you’re outnumbered,” Hailey said, picking a piece of brownie out of her hair.

  Angel met her eyes across the room, a clear challenge in them.

  “Can we at least talk about decluttering too?” Julia asked desperately. “I’m sure if you all read the book, you’d find it helped.”

  “Of course,” Hailey said diplomatically. “The agenda next time will be decluttering results, followed by the first two Fierce books.” She turned to Julia. “I’m sorry, but we definitely need to read the third in the trilogy. After that, we’ll vote on the next book. Okay?”

  Julia glanced around at the other women, who appeared to be at various levels of annoyance, all leveled at her in a silent hard look. “Yes, okay,” Julia mumbled.

  “Tell us more about the decluttering book,” Angel said, rescuing her.

  “Yes,” she said, opening the book to the table of contents for a reminder of the principles. “Step one, three piles, keep, donate, toss.” She heard an exaggerated fake yawn but plowed on. Twenty minutes later, it appeared the women were nearly catatonic with boredom. Angel was gazing at her with no small amount of amusement though she had no idea what was so damn funny. “And that’s it.” She closed the book.

  Hailey jumped. “Okay, everyone get your copy next door.”

  The women and Angel headed next door. Julia stood and put on her coat. The women seemed to suddenly perk up as their voices rose to high, flirty tones and Angel’s voice dipped to husky, flirty tones. She pursed her lips, annoyed that he was here, annoyed that the women were acting like he was the last man on earth they desperately had to hook, and mortified that Angel planned to join them next time. She couldn’t just not show up either because Angel would needle her relentlessly about it and, knowing him, talk about the books to show her it was nothing to be embarrassed about. His social worker training had made him able to talk about most anything without a hint of embarrassment.

  Hailey appeared at her side. “Julia, honey, I really think you should go back to online dating. The fact that you’re too embarrassed to read this book tells me you need to get out there again. You seem…repressed. And that’s not healthy.”

  “I’m not repressed. I just don’t think it’s for me.” If Hailey only knew the kinds of things Julia had done.

  “O-kay,” Hailey sang, patting Julia’s arm. “You have my number. And remember, they don’t call me the Love Junkie for nothing!” Hailey sailed next door to chat with the other women, presumably urging them to try online dating.

  Julia waited for Angel. He appeared a few minutes later, decluttering book in hand. She shook her head. What on earth was he doing with that? The man lived like a Spartan in a studio apartment sparsely furnished with no clutter whatsoever.

  “What?” he asked with a devilish, dimpled grin.

  “What are you doing with that book?”

  “What everyone else is. Getting rejuvenated. What, you don’t think guys can get rejuvenated?”

  “I don’t think you have anything to declutter.”

  “I could empty some cabinets.” He inclined his head. “Ready to go?”

  She nodded and followed him out the door. “Are you really going to read those Fierce books? They’re written for women.”

  He quirked a brow, his lips playing at a smile. “To quote some very knowledgeable women, abso-fucking-lutely. Maybe I’ll learn a thing or two.”

  No, no, no. Bad idea. Very bad. She stopped walking and turned to him. “Why did you come here tonight?”

  “It sounded like fun, and I was very curious to get the skinny on this book all the ladies in the teachers’ lounge are whispering about.”

  “Who? Who’s whispering about it?”

  “Ally for one. Principal Johnston for another—”

  She grabbed his arm. “No!” Their boss, Principal Johnston, was an extremely stern woman in her late sixties. Her business suits were buttoned to her neck, like a suit of armor, with a skinny tie. Her dyed brown hair in a tight bob was sprayed to an inch of its life so it never dared get a hair out of place.

  He laughed. “Yes, even senior citizens have a sex drive.”

  “She’s married.”

  “So? It’s fiction.”

  “Yeah, but…Principal Johnston? Omigod.” She started laughing, and she couldn’t stop. Angel chuckled and resumed walking. She kept up. “The women really liked having you at book club,” she told him.

  “Women generally appreciate the token male,” he said dryly.

  “They were asking if you were single.”

  “Yeah, I h
eard. They’re not exactly quiet even when they’re whispering.”

  “You going to ask someone out?” she asked. At his silence, she quickly added, “I don’t mind.”

  “Maybe I will,” he said darkly. “Who should I pick? The young blonde?”

  “Carrie,” she supplied.

  “Or the workout demon with the killer bod?”

  She clenched her teeth. She’d never had a killer bod by any stretch of the imagination. She had curves, but she’d never had the kind of toned lean body topped by large breasts that men seemed to find so appealing. “Her name is Charlotte,” she informed him hotly. “Geez, if you’re going to ask someone out, at least learn their names.”

  “Good tip. I’ll work on that. Maybe I’ll bring name tags for everyone next time. Except for you, ol’ Julia.”

  She huffed. Really. Name tags. It wasn’t that hard to remember someone you liked.

  They rounded the corner to the small parking lot where their matching cars were parked in opposite rows. Angel walked with her to her car, as he always did at night to make sure she got in safely. She unlocked it and reached for the handle to pull it open when he leaned a hand against the door, right by her head, keeping it shut. A prickling tingling sensation ran down her spine. He was close, his front to her back, which did something strange to her limbs, making them heavy and weak. She slowly turned to face him and found herself in what nearly felt like an embrace.

  His voice dropped to a low register that scraped against her insides. “What’s the deal with these sexy books? You were blushing like a virgin in there.”

  Heat crept up her neck, blooming into her cheeks. “Nothing,” she managed.

  “Is it talking about them in front of the group or—” his dark brown eyes were hot on hers “—are they turning you on?”

  She turned her head away, suddenly breathless. This was dangerous territory for both of them. “Please. I need to go.”

  He dipped his head, his mouth nearly brushing her ear as he spoke, giving her a hot shiver. “I’ll find out. I can’t wait to talk about them with you.”

  “I’m not…I won’t…” His eyes locked on hers, and she lost her train of thought.

  “You will,” he said firmly, and she wasn’t sure if it was a threat or a promise. Before she could formulate any kind of response, he stepped back, turned, and headed to his car.

  She sank back against the car, the cool metal welcome to her overheated body.

  Holy Angelo, she was in deep trouble.

  Chapter Eight

  Julia joined a table of her friends in the teachers’ lounge for lunch on Monday, including Angel, and unwittingly joined yet another hushed discussion about Fierce Longing. Ally was sharing with her eager audience of Angel and some of the tenured older teachers—Dana (fourth grade), Emma (kindergarten), and Suzanne (fifth)—how the book spiced things up for her and her boyfriend of barely two weeks.

  Geez, if you have to spice things up that early on, maybe the guy doesn’t know what he’s doing. Julia clamped her mouth shut so she wouldn’t blurt out her unasked for opinion and took out her salad and sandwich.

  “We’re in love,” Ally announced, beaming her sunny the-world-is-a-wonderful-place smile. “This just clinched the deal. Compatible in every way.”

  The older women tittered.

  “How do you know it’s really love?” Julia couldn’t help but ask. “You just broke up with Dean. How do you turn around and fall in love that quickly? You haven’t even been with this new guy for two whole weeks.”

  “Julia,” Angel said quietly.

  “Sorry,” Julia said, flushing at Angel’s gentle rebuke. “I was just surprised.” She squeezed Ally’s hand. “I’m happy for you. Really. What’s his name again?”

  “It’s Mark,” Ally said tightly.

  “I can’t wait to meet him,” Julia said. “Don’t listen to a bitter old lady like me.”

  Ally exhaled sharply, making her blond bangs flutter. “It’s not your fault you’re a widow.”

  Julia blinked, momentarily stunned because sometimes it did feel like her fault. Like payback for what she’d done. A long, uncomfortable silence followed. The word “widow” had that effect on people.

  “I’m so sorry!” Ally exclaimed, slapping a hand over her mouth.

  Angel smoothed things over. “So about Fierce Longing, what appeals to you about the hero?” He took in the group with his question.

  Dana, a mild-mannered middle-aged brunette with her hair in a bun, perked up. “Yeah, Ally, what’s this guy Damon like? Is he rough?”

  “Is he hung?” Suzanne, a practical woman in her fifties with a specialty in the science curriculum, got right to the biology.

  The women giggled. Apparently only Ally had read the book.

  Julia sensed Angel’s gaze and couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. She cleared her throat and looked at Emma, the only married teacher there, presumably less interested in fictional sex.

  Julia tried to turn the topic. “I read a fabulous book from the same book club—Rejuvenate Your Life Through Decluttering. It’s really been life changing.”

  “Hush,” Emma said. “I haven’t had relations with Howard in a year. The sizzle has fizzled! I think we need this other book. Tell us more, Ally. How rough is he? Like painful or like pure delicious—” she shivered “—domination?”

  “That last thing,” Ally said with a big smile. “A total alpha male.”

  The women chortled. Angel grinned, winking at Julia. Heat crept up her neck. Dammit! He must’ve read it.

  “Is it okay to talk about this in front of a guy?” Dana asked.

  Angel smiled widely. “I’m in the same book club. I read it. Good stuff even for a guy to read.”

  “Who’s the author?” Dana asked, pulling a pencil out of the bun in her hair and grabbing a napkin to write on.

  “Catherine Cliff,” Ally said. “Anyway, there’s this one scene where Damon unexpectedly comes up behind her in the morning. She thought he was sleeping, right? And she was about to get dressed…” The women leaned in. Julia found Angel watching her, biting back a smile. She shot him a dark look for teasing her, which was a mistake because their gazes locked, bringing an unwanted rush of heat just as Ally continued. “Next thing you know he’s got her plastered against the wall, pinned.”

  Julia broke the heated connection with Angel and crossed her legs. That just made the throbbing worse, so she uncrossed them and took a long drink of cool water.

  “Pinned how?” Suzanne asked. “Are her feet touching the ground? Are they facing each other?”

  “Feet on the ground,” Ally said. “And they never face each other.” She grinned. “It’s exciting. You’ve got to read them.”

  “Can anyone join this singles book club?” Emma asked. “Even married people?”

  “I’m sure Hailey wouldn’t mind, right, Julia?” Ally asked. “I mean, I’m there, and I have Mark. Besides, it’s not exactly a singles scene. All women and one guy.”

  The single teachers, Dana and Suzanne, eyed Angel speculatively. Angel took a bite of his sandwich, ignoring them. They were both at least twenty years older.

  “Angel’s extremely popular over there, as you can imagine,” Ally said.

  Angel held up a hand. “I never date coworkers.” He grinned. “Not that you asked. Just putting that out there.” He wagged a finger at them. “I know those racy books can get you all thinking.”

  The women giggled like teenaged girls.

  Julia took a forkful of salad. She knew he’d say he didn’t date coworkers. Though he had dated her one time. But that was different. She’d known Angel forever. Still she found herself watching him, talking easily with a tableful of women, smiling his dimpled smile, his dark brown eyes twinkling with good humor, and she saw more of what the other women saw—an appealing, sexy, great guy. Oh, shit. She couldn’t let herself fall for Angel. It would just be adding another wrong to all the other wrongs she’d committed. And if it didn’t
work out, she’d lose him for good. Like she’d almost lost him after the last time they’d hooked up. She pushed the memory deep down and focused on her lunch.

  “Ally, did you get to the third book yet?” Angel asked. “Fierce Loving?”

  “No!” Ally exclaimed. “No spoilers! I’m trying to read along with the book club.”

  “All right,” Angel said. “Let me know when you get to it because I have some thoughts and want to hear your take on it.”

  Julia’s head shot up, her gaze colliding with Angel’s. What kind of thoughts? She didn’t dare ask. His return gaze was serious and made her stomach do a weird flip.

  She returned to her lunch. When the buzzer rang for the end of the period, she happily made her escape back to the classroom.

  ~ ~ ~

  Julia couldn’t help but notice that Angel walked into book club the following week like he expected the women to fawn all over him. He made a late entrance, snagging not only the attention of the usual ladies but also the teachers who’d shown up from work. He didn’t walk so much as strut with a sexy, charming smile thrown to the group. He waited until he was at the circle of chairs with everyone’s focus on him before slowly removing his black leather jacket and carefully folding it in half, draping it over one forearm. His black long-sleeved collared shirt with an open button on top highlighted his dark Italian good looks and showed off his best features—broad shoulders, muscular arms, and a narrow, trim waist. His faded jeans and black leather shoes screamed hot bachelor male, and the women responded in kind by gazing at him in open appreciation. And all Julia could think was—want.

  Dammit. Angel was making it so hard to do the right thing.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said with a hint of his dimpled smile.

  “No problem!” the women chirped. The book club now had ten women, the original seven—her, Carrie, Mad (who still pretended she didn’t want to be there), Lauren, Charlotte, Ally, Hailey—and the three teachers from work, Dana, Emma, and Suzanne. A chorus of “so good to see you” and the like rang out, and Angel graced them all with another sexy smile. His gaze collided with hers, a glimmer of amusement shining in those dark brown eyes. She got a very uneasy feeling from that look. He was up to something tonight.