Between Friends (18 page)

Lolita Lopez

other male—or female, for that matter—could partake of the visual buffet.

Eddie shot a dirty look at Danny for that whistle. Whitney wasn’t a piece of meat to be barked at. She was
his
woman and deserved respect. “Stow it, Danny.”

The younger man paled. “Sorry, boss.”

Whitney’s eyes flashed as he neared her. Heat rolled low in his belly when she gave him one of her sinfully sexy smiles. Her fingertips brushed his forearm. “I thought you only used that tone with me.”

His cock stirred at her touch and the reminder of the way she reacted to his Dominant side. “It’s a multipurpose gruff.”

She laughed. “I see.”

His gaze moved to the garment bag tossed over her right shoulder.

Her hanger was crooked over her fingers. “What is that?”

“It’s your tuxedo and shoes,” she said matter-of-factly and swung it off her shoulder. “Here.”

Eddie took the heavy bag and held it at arm’s length. “My tuxedo?”

“Yep.” She grinned impishly. “You’re taking me to the wedding tonight.”

“Oh, I am?” He groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted to do was go to a wedding. Lowering his voice, he asked, “I thought Mick was taking you?”

“He was, but one of his colleagues has food poisoning so he has to cover the night shift.” She stepped closer and put her small hand on his chest. When she turned those big doe eyes up at him, Eddie melted. “Please?”

He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Okay. What time?”

“Seven, but we should probably meet up around six. You mind heading over to my office? We can take my car. It’ll be easier for the valets to park than your monstrosity.”

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Eddie chuckled. “True.” He jiggled the bag. “How the hell did you find a tux so fast?”

“Honey”—Whitney petted his chest—“I’ve got connections.” She got serious. “But don’t spill anything on that, okay? It’s a loaner from a friend’s styling closet. Dribble steak sauce on the jacket or scuff those shoes and you’ve just bought yourself about three thousand dollars’ worth of clothing.”

He blew out a stunned breath. “What? Is it lined with gold?”

“No, it’s very well made.” She touched his jaw. “And it’s going to make you look deliciously sexy.”

“Deliciously sexy, huh?” He grinned at her teasing remark. The desperate urge to run his fingers through her soft hair and kiss those sweet lips made him antsy. He was keenly aware of the curious stares from his coworkers.

“I should go.” Whitney checked her watch. “I popped over here on my way back to the office from a branding meeting. I left our intern in my car.”

“Did you crack the window?”

Whitney snorted and smacked his arm. “Be nice! She’s a sweet kid. Such a hard worker and really smart. Kind of reminds me of me when I first started in the business. All starry-eyed and eager.”

Whitney shook her head. “God, those were the days, huh?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Yeah because you’re so old.”

“I’m staring twenty-six in the face, Eddie. My life is rushing by, you know? Professionally, I’ve made it.”

His gut clenched. “And personally?”

The happiness in her eyes warmed his heart. “I’m getting there.”

“Glad to hear it.” A calm sensation settled over him. He reached out and took her hand. “You look beautiful today.”

“Oh?” She gestured to her dress. “I got the feeling you weren’t all that impressed with the outfit today.”

Eddie grunted. “It’s nice. I’d prefer to keep you covered from neck to ankle, but what do I know about fashion, right?”

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She giggled. “Exactly.” Whitney glanced around. “Can I give you a kiss or is that, like, prohibited here?”

“Well…”

“Not even a small one?” She held up her fingers with an inch of space between them.

The hopefulness in her voice got him. “Okay. A quick one.”

“Jeez”—she laughed—“don’t sound so enthusiastic.”

“Come here, woman.” Eddie slid his arm around her waist and hauled her close for a chaste kiss. Even without tongues and only minimal touching, Eddie felt the familiar zing of arousal. As if electrified, his body vibrated with desire for her.

Whitney seemed to feel it, too, and took a step back, breaking the connection. Her flushed cheeks made him smile. “I’ll see you later.”

She squeezed his hand. “Be safe.”

“I will.”

“Bye!”

“Bye, sugar.”

Eddie titled his head as he watched the wicked swing of her hips.

She tossed a wink and kiss over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner. Groaning, Eddie decided a cold shower was in order. Like now.

“Goddamn, boss!” Danny swore and shook his head. “Where the hell do you find girls like that?”

“There aren’t any other girls like that.” She’s a one of a kind, he thought to himself. “Besides,” he added with a smile, “she found me.”

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Chapter Ten

Whitney touched up her makeup and fingered the tousled waves of her hair. The office-bathroom counter held her beauty supplies. She checked her reflection. The deep V-neckline and spaghetti straps of the cerulean silk dress complemented the fitted waist and slim-fitting skirt. There were ruffled petals adoring the waist and bodice. When she’d spied the dress on a hanger, Whitney had been skeptical. It seemed a bit busy for such a small piece, but once on her body, it looked totally different.

Satisfied, Whitney stepped away from the counter. The dress gaped in the back because she couldn’t reach the zipper, but she didn’t pay it much mind. Hopefully Kadie or Judy were still hanging around out in the office.

She packed her things into the backpack she’d carried into work that morning and grabbed the gold heels she’d chosen for the outfit.

Heels dangling from her fingers, she left the bathroom and made her way down the hall to her office space.

As she came around the corner, Whitney caught sight of Eddie.

She gasped at the transformation. He looked drop-dead sexy in the tux. And uncomfortable, she realized, as he fidgeted with his cuff and stretched his neck.

“Eddie?”

His gaze snapped to her. His face relaxed. “Wow! You look amazing. I mean…wow!”

“You look so hot. I’m blown away. Really.” Whitney smiled and strode toward him. She spun around and presented her back. Lifting her hair, she asked, “Can you zip me up?”

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“Sure.” Eddie slowly tugged the zipper up her back. His big, strong hands settled on her shoulders. The caress sent goose bumps rippling along her skin. “You smell so good.”

Whitney hummed as Eddie’s lips ghosted across her bare collarbone. Heat flooded her core. She worried about getting too turned on before the wedding and stepped away. “Let me get my things, and we’ll head out.”

Eddie trailed her to her office area. “I like this. It’s nice and open.” He glanced around. “But how do you do meetings?”

She pointed toward the ceiling. “We have conference rooms upstairs.”

“I was happy to see a guard downstairs. Especially since you work late some nights,” he added.

Whitney smiled as she switched off her computer monitor and slipped into her heels. Leave it to Eddie to size up the place for safety and completely ignore the beautiful architecture. “This building houses mostly women and a lot of us work late. Delilah and Isabel, the founder of the graphic design firm on the top two floors, share the costs of security.” She handed her backpack to Eddie. “And, yes, I do ask George or Nate to walk me out to my car when it’s dark.”

“Good girl.” Eddie pecked her cheek. “You got everything?”

“I think so.” She cast one final glance at her desk before gesturing toward the elevator. They made small talk about their days as they rode down to the ground floor and left the building. Whitney searched for her keys as they approached her car. “You want to drive?”

“Yes.” He happily took the keys and walked around to the driver’s side. Whitney hadn’t expected anything less. Like Mick, Eddie nitpicked when she drove. According to the pair, she was too fast, too quick to switch lanes, and never properly signaled. Mick swore he lost ten years off his life the first time he rode with her to the grocery store.

Whitney slid into the front seat as Eddie placed her backpack in the back. She watched with amusement as Eddie tried to squeeze
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himself into the seat. His knees were jammed up to his chest. He looked like a giant. His hand slapped around between the seat and the door. “Where the hell is the button to adjust this thing?”

“It’s down here.” Whitney leaned across the center console and ducked her head down by his legs. She felt around until her fingers found the raised ridges of the buttons. The seat slowly moved back and down. “Better?”

“Your head is between my legs, sugar.” He grinned wolfishly. “Of course, I’m better.”

Whitney sat up a little and nipped at his chin. Her hand curved along the inside of his thigh. She grasped as much of his huge package as possible in her small hand and gave a seductive squeeze.

“Ever fucked in a parking lot?”

Eddie groaned. “You’re going to kill me.” He reluctantly moved her hand away. “And, no, I haven’t and don’t plan to try it out anytime soon. I’m an officer of the law, Whitney. I just can’t.”

Pouting, she returned to her seat and buckled her seatbelt. “You’re no fun. Mick would have knocked back the seat and told me to hop on for the ride.”

Eddie frowned as he turned the ignition and put the A/C on blast.

“Yeah, well, Mick is a hotshot surgeon with plenty of cash to burn through. Me? Not so much. One ticket like that would tank my career.”

Guilt slashed at her. She’d been unfair to Eddie.

“I’m sorry.” She reached across and touched his hand. “You’re right. That wasn’t a fair comparison to make. Anyway”—she smiled—“I like that you’re always the responsible one.”

“That makes two of us.” Eddie started out of the parking lot.

“Where we going?”

Whitney gave him the name of the hotel and the directions. He knew of a faster way to get there, of course, and they sped out of the parking lot. Like always, they disagreed over what radio station to listen to as they drove across town. Eventually, Whitney acquiesced
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to Eddie’s preference since he was driving. She wasn’t happy about listening to hair metal but reminded herself it was better than Mick’s favorite talk radio any day.

As they joined the line of cars queuing up for the hotel’s valet, Whitney spotted friends and waved. She loved a good party! Eddie seemed less than enthusiastic as he inched forward slowly.

“What’s wrong, Eddie?” She stroked the back of his neck.

He shrugged. “I’m not good at this kind of thing.”

“Social events?”

He nodded. “I always feel out of place.” His gaze followed a couple getting out of the car in front of them. “I mean, look at these people. I’m not one of them.” He swallowed hard. “This is more of Mick’s crowd, you know? Educated. Polished. Movers and shakers.”

“Eddie,” she said softly. Before she could find the right words, they were moving forward and stepping out for the valet.

Despite his assertion that he wasn’t polished, Eddie did everything right. He curved a protective arm around her waist and led her into the hotel’s opulent lobby. Whitney noticed the turned heads as they made their way to the ceremony room. She couldn’t blame them. Eddie in a tux was a mean combination. Hard and lean and so ridiculously sexy.

She’d have to keep her hand on him all night or else he’d be the one fending off drunken bridesmaids.

Whitney loved seeing so many old friends. She hadn’t seen many of them since the fall shows in New York. The busy pace of the fashion world made it so difficult to keep up long-distance friendships. Weddings and baby showers seemed to be the tent poles holding up their relationships.

She made sure to introduce Eddie to everyone. She loved the way they were all so surprised and interested by his profession. Whitney hoped Eddie could see himself the way other people saw him. So what if he didn’t have a doctorate or a six-figure salary? He put his life on the line every day and was a true hero.

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They found seats in the middle on the bride’s side. The room had been exquisitely decorated. Whitney marveled at the flowers. A small string quartet sat in one corner of the room and played a selection of soothing music. The change in tunes signaled the arrival of the bridesmaids not long after the groom and his party filed into place.

As a group, the guests stood and waited with bated breath for the bride’s entrance. Whitney felt tears prickling her eyes as Christy headed down the aisle on her father’s arm. She looked stunning in the simple lace sheath.

When they resumed their seats to watch the ceremony, Whitney was surprised by Eddie’s arm curling around her shoulders. So much for his weddings-stink stance. Mr. Tough As Nails apparently had a soft side.

His thumb stroked her shoulder as the couple exchanged vows and rings. Her heart soared with happiness for her friend as the minister pronounced them husband and wife. She stood and joined the rest of the guests in applause as the pair stood as a married couple for the first time before their family and friends.

And then it hit Whitney like a freight train barreling down the tracks.

That was something she would never have with Mick and Eddie.

It simply wasn’t possible. Two men and one woman couldn’t get married. Not legally, of course. It was one thing to keep their relationship behind closed doors, but eventually people would find out and gossip would spread and then what?

The fashion world would probably be more open to such an alternative lifestyle choice, but Eddie’s cop buddies and Mick’s medical colleagues? Oh, god. She couldn’t even bear to think about how terrible the two would be treated if the truth about their threesome came out. Eddie would probably face the most problems in such a macho, testosterone-heavy field.