Anticipation (6 page)

The one exception to all of the above being what had happened between them when she’d woken after her accident. She’d let him comfort her then. Not that he’d really given her a choice.

Blue’s eyelids flickered, and her eyes opened.

“I fell asleep,” she said.

“You did.”

“That’s annoying.”

He did his best not to smile at her acknowledgement that he’d been right about her being tired.

“Not for me.”

She pushed herself into a seated position, pulling away from him like a cat that had exceeded its tolerance for petting.

“I’m going to go lie down,” she said. “Thanks for the movie. And the popcorn.”

She shifted to the edge of the couch and reached for her crutches. He beat her to it, handing them to her and supporting her as she stood and slipped the crutches under her arms.

She didn’t look back as she made her way out of the room. A few seconds later, he heard the distinct click as she shut her bedroom door behind her.

He contemplated the empty popcorn bowl for a moment. Then he pushed himself to his feet and went to do something about dinner.

Blue sank onto the end of the bed and let the crutches slide to the floor. A hot tear slid down her cheek and plopped onto her thigh. She rubbed at the dark spot on her yoga pants, then used the back of her hand to wipe her cheek.

They were going to be okay. She hadn’t been sure, had been racked with uncertainty and anxiety ever since she’d agreed to stay with Eddie after her release from hospital. She’d been building this day to epic proportions over the past week, terrified that the uncontrollable feelings she’d experienced after the accident were here to stay and not just the result of a damned good scare.

But Eddie’s house felt welcoming and good. They’d played
Call of Duty
and watched a movie and eaten popcorn, and it had all been normal. Ordinary. Average.

Just two friends hanging out. No inappropriate urges or feelings — except for that moment when she’d woken and found herself looking up into his face and had been hit by the tsunami of relief that was still washing through her now.

Because
they were going to be okay
. The genie of her love for him had returned to its bottle, and she could once again stuff a cork in the neck to keep the genie in its place. Her leg would heal, and she would go back to her job and her apartment and her life, and those moments of weakness in the hospital would disappear like the aberrations they were.

Thank. God
.

Tugging the fluffy throw over herself, she reached for one of the many books Maggie had gifted Blue during her hospital stay.

She could hear Eddie moving around in the kitchen — the rush of water in the sink, the clang of a pot on the stove — and she curled her toes in anticipation of dinner.

Eddie was a great cook. Not fancy — never fancy — but he had a talent for putting ordinary ingredients together and making them sing. She especially liked it when he delved into his Brazilian heritage and offered up the food from his childhood —
feijao tropeiro, feijoada, moqueca de camarao.

Her mouth was watering, and she grabbed her phone from the bedside table. Eddie answered on the second ring.

“You’re kidding me,” he said flatly.

“You want me to yell? Would that be better for you?”

“What do you want?”

“What are we having for dinner?”

“Nothing fancy. Satay chicken with salad. Why?

“Do you think we could have some
brigadeiro
for dessert?” Chocolate truffle balls made from condensed milk,
brigadeiro
were one of her favorite foods in all the world.

“Let me see if I’ve got a can of condensed milk.”

She heard the sound of a cupboard door opening.

“You’re in luck,” he said.

“You’re the best.”

“For the next five minutes, anyway,” he said dryly.

“Bask in it while you can.”

She ended the call. Ten seconds later, her phone beeped with a message. She opened it to find a picture of Eddie’s middle finger.

“That’s beautiful,” she hollered, knowing he’d hear her through the wall.

A quiet knock woke her two hours later, and she realized she’d once again fallen asleep. That was all she did lately, apparently — slip into a doze the moment she was in one position for more than five minutes. Hopefully that meant her body was using all its energy to heal at a rapid rate of knots, but she wasn’t exactly thrilled by how helpless it made her feel.

“Dinner’s ready,” Eddie said, his voice muffled through the wood.

“You can come in. I’m not having an orgy in here.”

The door eased open and Eddie’s expression told her he was unamused by her sarcasm. “I was respecting your privacy.”

“So gallant. Be still my heart.”

He collected the crutches from where she’d left them and handed them to her. “Remember, I’m in charge of the
brigadeiro
supply.”

“Wow. Bribery and threats, and we’re only on day one.”

“I use the weapons at my disposal.”

“In that case, I take back what I said about you being gallant.”

“Since you didn’t mean it anyway, I’ll try not to be too wounded.”

She laughed, delighted by the way he never failed to return serve to her. He stood aside as she made her way toward the door.

Surprise made her hesitate as she entered the kitchen, and the warm weight of Eddie’s chest hit her back. Before she had a chance to teeter off balance, his arm snaked around her waist, checking her forward motion.

“Next time maybe give me a bit of warning before you slam on the brakes,” he said, his mouth very close to her ear.

His arm was gone almost instantly, but between it and the beautifully set table before her, she felt more than a little thrown.

There were candles, flowers from the garden, and real linen napkins folded on the side plates. A bottle of her favorite Italian beer sat at one of the place settings, while the other boasted a bottle of Brahma, a beer from Eddie’s homeland that she wouldn’t drink on a bet, even if she was dying from thirst.

“I figured it was a celebration. Your first night home,” Eddie said.

“Thanks.” She didn’t know what else to say. He’d gone to a lot of trouble for her, as well as making her favorite dessert.

“Sit.”

He gestured her toward the table and she maneuvered herself awkwardly into her chair.

“I’m going to owe you big time after all this, aren’t I?” She reached out to touch the delicate pale pink petal of a rose.

“I wasn’t aware we had a score card. You do this, I do that.” Eddie shrugged with one shoulder, his gaze focused on the chicken skewers he was arranging on two dinner plates. “You need me, I want to help. That’s all that matters. We’re family, right?”

Her gut tightened at his words and she found herself swallowing a lump of emotion. “Yes,” she said, the word coming out a little mangled.

Absolutely Rafel and Eddie were her family. That’s why she’d fought such a hard and bloody battle against her own desire for so many years. She had no one else.

“You’ll have your turn to be gracious and generous one day,” Eddie said, the corner of his mouth curving up into a roguish smile. “I’m not sure how well you’ll rise to the occasion, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“I can be as gracious as the next person,” she said, mildly stung by his assessment.

“If the next person is a sleep-deprived rhino with anger management issues.”

He was enjoying needling her, she could see.

“So let me get this straight — this is
you
being gracious with
me
? Insulting me? Questioning my character?”

“I’m simply making an observation.”

Eddie slid a plate in front of her before taking his place to her left.

“You know what? Bring on the day you’re in my power. I can’t wait to turn the tables. And it’ll happen, too. One of your women will try to run you down in a dark alleyway after you dump her, and then I’m going to show you what
gracious
and
generous
means, buddy. You wait.”

“I almost want to jump in front of a speeding car, so I can experience this generosity,” Eddie said.

He raised his beer, and she lifted hers so they could clink necks.

“To being gracious,” he said.

“To turning the tables,” she said.

They were both smiling as they concentrated on their meals. Eddie’s satay sauce was a delicate balance of spice and nuts, and she made appreciative guttural noises for a few minutes before asking about Brothers Ink. Eddie had already told her that her regulars — customers with full chest, back, or other major body tattoos she’d been working on for several months — had all signaled their willingness to wait until she was well again rather than have their work completed by another artist. She took a high number of walk-ins, however, as well as acting as an informal second-in-charge to Eddie and Rafel, and she wanted to know how they were covering her absence. Once Eddie had assuaged her concerns, talk moved to his mother’s upcoming birthday, and the fact that Eddie had yet to buy her a gift.

“You always leave it till the last minute,” she said.

“
You
always leave it to the last minute, you mean.”

She pushed her empty plate away, acknowledging the truth of his words. She always helped him pick his mother’s presents. The Lord only knew what the poor woman would end up with otherwise.

“We can go shopping on the weekend.” She’d seen a selection of French silk scarves in a local shop a month or so ago and made a mental note that Gabriela Oliveira would love one of the more brightly colored ones.

“I knew you would save my bacon.”

Blue eyed the fridge pointedly. “Shouldn’t we be stuffing our faces with chocolate about now?”

“Of course, my liege. My apologies, my liege,” Eddie said, pretending to tug on his forelock as he stood and collected their plates.

“I quite like that. Keep it up,” she said, leaning back in her seat and assuming the most regal/arrogant posture she could manage with half her leg encased in fiberglass.

Eddie placed a platter of sprinkle-covered chocolate balls on the table with a bow.

“Try not to make yourself sick,” he said.

“When have I ever been sick from your cooking?” she asked, eyeing the treats with avaricious intent.

The doorbell sounded before he could respond, and she reached for a truffle as he headed toward the front of the house.

“Man, these are
good
,” she told the empty room as she swallowed the first mouthful of sweet, creamy chocolate.

She could hear voices as Eddie spoke to whoever was at the door. Probably someone selling something. No doubt Eddie would give them short shrift — he hated being harassed in his own home.

She’d just popped a second
brigadeiro
into her mouth when she heard the click-click of high heels. Sugar dissolved on her tongue as she glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, a statuesque woman entered, Eddie following her. Her blonde hair was long and tousled, her skirt short and tight. Blue could smell her perfume from across the room, something heavy and floral.

Blue didn’t recognize her, but that was no surprise. No one could keep up with the women in Eddie’s life, including Eddie.

“This is Leanne,” Eddie said. “Leanne, Blue.”

“Oh. Hi,” Leanne said, confusion creasing her pretty face.

Obviously Eddie hadn’t mentioned he had a house guest.

“Hi.” Blue reached for her crutches. “I’ll give you guys some privacy.”

Eddie frowned. “You don’t need to do that. Leanne was just dropping off a magazine for me.”

Blue’s gaze found the rolled-up magazine peeking out of the other woman’s handbag. How long had it taken Leanne to come up with the magazine as a pretext for a drop-in visit? An hour? A day? A week? It would be churlish of Blue to take the wind out of Leanne’s sails when she’d gone to so much trouble to win some face time with Eddie.

“You guys don’t want me hanging around, cramping your style,” Blue said.

Leanne didn’t bother to hide the small, relieved smile that curved her lips. Blue tucked her crutches beneath her arms.

“Seriously. You don’t have to go,” Eddie said, his frown deeper now.

“I’m tired anyway,” Blue said. It was the one thing she knew that would shut him up.

“What about the
brigadeiros
?”

“I’ve had enough.”

“Are those chocolate? I love chocolate,” Leanne said. “They look amazing.”

“Help yourself,” Blue said, already turning toward the hallway that led to her room.

She could feel Eddie watching her as she left, but she figured he’d get over his host-guilt the moment he noticed that Leanne had no discernible panty line.

Blue shut the door with a firm push, then got rid of her crutches and hopped to the bed. Even though she’d planned to resume the
Call of Duty
game she and Eddie had been playing after dinner, she would be just as happy reading her book. Leanne turning up unannounced was no skin off Blue’s nose. It had happened more than once when she’d been hanging out at Eddie’s place, after all. Same old, same old.