Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection (177 page)

Eddie’s caveman instincts immediately kicked in and he wanted to throw Haley over his shoulders and pound on his chest. Knowing that probably wouldn’t go over too well, he held out his hand instead. “Nice to meet you.”

The blond-haired, blue-eyed coffee shop owner tentatively shook his hand like a wet noodle. Eddie had to suppress a smirk.

When Eddie and Riley had been about twelve years old, The Colonel had taken them and a few other boys to a World War II museum. That day, he’d talked to the boys about what it meant to be a man. To live with honor. To serve your country. To protect what’s yours. All that he’d said that day had resonated with Eddie, but one pearl of wisdom in particular stood out in Eddie’s mind, something he knew until the day he died he’d never forget.

After making an impassioned, eloquent speech to the boys, The Colonel had finished by looking them all in the eyes and saying with conviction, “And always have a firm handshake. As a man, you’re only as good as your word and your handshake. When you shake another man’s hand, you lock your wrist and look him in the eye. A handshake says a lot about you. Don’t be a pussy.”

At the time, all the boys had been so shocked to hear that word come out of The Colonel’s mouth that they’d just stared at him in stunned silence. Later, he and Riley had laughed so hard they almost cried talking about the fact that The Colonel had said the word ‘pussy.’

But The Colonel had been right. A handshake did say a lot about a man, and in Trenton’s case, it said that he was in fact a pussy.

“Trenton was just talking about cross promotions and maybe even putting together a ‘small business owners of the Riverwalk’ group.” As Haley spoke, her words sounded perfectly polite but her eyes were screaming ‘
Help me!’

Now, instead of suppressing a smirk, he was suppressing a smile. “We need to get going.” He tilted his head towards the door.

“Oh, okay.” She mouthed, “Thank you,” before turning back to Trenton. “It was great seeing you. Let me know if you need any help organizing that group.”

Trenton began to speak but Eddie wrapped his arm around Haley and guided her out of the hallway before Trenton had the chance to utter a peep.

They stopped at the bar so Haley could say her goodbyes to Krista, who gave him a nod and said that she was glad he’d finally removed his head from his ass. Haley looked up at him with a questioning look in her eye. He just shrugged it off.

As they walked to his truck, Haley was smiling from ear to ear. He could feel her happiness. It was palpable. Somehow knowing that he was the one who was making her radiate joy caused that caveman in him to rise back up. Haley felt like
his
. Not like he owned her but like she was his to take care of. He wanted to keep making her smile. To keep that joy radiating off of her like rays of sun beating down on the earth.

Opening the door, he held her hand as she stepped up into the truck. She smiled down at him sweetly as she settled in, and his heart ached. It was like he could physically feel it cracking open. Haley was slowly breaking down the protective barriers he’d erected.

They were there for a reason, and he didn’t want to think about what would happen if she tore them down completely.

As he made his way around to the driver’s side, he tried not to think about it. Tried not to worry about the future. Tried to live in this moment and just...be.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

��WHAT’S THIS?” Haley asked, holding up the small box he’d painstakingly wrapped before he came here tonight.

“It’s for you. Open it,” Eddie said as he shut his door and put his key in the ignition.

Her face shined with excitement as she carefully ran her finger beneath the taped wrapping paper, keeping it intact as she opened it. This was a far cry from what he’d seen his daughter do earlier today. She’d torn into her packages like the Tasmanian Devil. He’d half expected to see her sitting in a puff of smoke when she was done.

After Haley had unwrapped it completely, she carefully folded the paper on her lap.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

She continued her task, not glancing up as she answered, “Saving the paper.”

“You save wrapping paper?” Eddie had always considered wrapping paper to be kind of like toilet paper; it was only good for one use.

“When it comes from you, I do,” she said quietly, her light blue eyes peeking up at him through dark lashes.

Time to go
. Urgency roared inside of him. Since the moment he’d laid eyes on Haley tonight, he’d been sporting a half-stiffie. Now it was at full strength. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he was concerned that he was so hard he wouldn’t be able to drive.

His eyes were trained on the road illuminated by his headlights ahead of him when he heard a gasp from the passenger’s seat. Stealing a glance to his right, he saw Haley cradling the antique silver locket he’d picked up in Chicago almost six months ago in her palm.

“Happy birthday,” he said. Eddie really hadn’t planned this well. He hadn’t known when to give it to her. He hadn’t wanted to do it in the club or at his daughter’s birthday party. Now he wished he’d waited until he wasn’t driving so he could put the delicate silver chain around her neck.

“Oh my gosh, Eddie. It’s so beautiful!” she exclaimed.

“Open it,” he said.

He heard the soft click of the locket separating. “Where did you find these?” she asked in a surprised tone.

“Your mom gave them to me,” he explained.

After he’d found the locket, he’d had no idea what to put in it. So he’d asked Chelle what girls liked in their lockets. His sister had given him a strange look before telling him that it was probably different for every girl but usually whatever they loved the most.

That was easy. Haley loved her family. So he’d gone to see her mom and asked if she had any pictures of Haley and her sisters that were small enough to fit in the tiny silver locket. Luckily, she did.

“It’s perfect. Thank you so much,” Haley said as she pulled her hair to the side of her neck and then clasped the silver chain around her neck. Looking down as it hung right below her collarbone, she held it in her fingers and said sincerely, “Thank you so much. It’s perfect.”

As he pulled up to a stop light, he took a moment to turn and admire it on her delicate neck.

“I love it so much,” Haley told him as her hand moved over the locket.

“I’m glad.” He turned his attention back to the road just as the light turned green. While he was driving through the intersection, Haley lifted the hand he had resting on the console to her mouth and pressed her full lips against the back of his hand in a sweet kiss.

“Thank you, Eddie. For everything.” She lowered his hand so it rested on her thigh. The moment he felt her soft skin beneath his touch, his body surged with need.

Haley’s hand rested on top of his as they drove on the frontage road along the river. His thumb drew lazy circles on the top of her thigh as his fingers dipped down, grazing her inner thigh. He stared straight ahead as he felt her legs open, her hand tightening over his and guiding it slowly up her thigh.

The sounds of Haley’s breaths, growing shallower with every inch his hand traveled farther up her inner thigh, filled the cab. Eddie’s body surged with desire when he felt the fabric of her dress bunch against the side of his wrist as Haley slid his hand between her thighs.

Eddie’s jaw tensed as his pinky brushed against the damp fabric of her silken panties. As his little finger rubbed across her silk-covered mound, Haley slowly spread her legs farther apart giving him ample access to the neediest part of her. A primal groan sounded from deep in his chest as he moved his hand over her wet femininity.

Her hand remained over his as he moved his fingers, rubbing against the pulsating apex of her legs. As he erotically caressed her body, Haley’s hand moved with his.

“I love it when you touch me,” Haley whispered, her head dropping back against the headrest.

“I love touching you,” Eddie gritted out as he took his eyes off the road for just a moment. Looking over, he saw that Haley’s eyes were closed as seemingly all of her concentration centered on what she was feeling.

His large hand cupped between her open legs, with hers resting on top of his as she sat with her dress bunched up at her waist beside him, was the most erotic sight he’d ever laid eyes on.

It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to once again turn his eyes back to the road. They were almost home. Turning onto their street, Eddie’s eyes were focused on the road but his attention was focused on Haley’s damp core. Eddie massaged her center, feeling every fold of her fabric-covered swollen flesh beneath his touch. As his fingers rubbed against her, moisture seeped through the silky fabric, coating his fingers.

As her arousal grew, she tightened her hand over his. Eddie let her set the pace as she used his hand to pleasure herself. His heart beat erratically at the sensual torment of being an active participant as Haley brought herself to climax. Breathless, urgent gasps escaped her as her body shuddered in release.

They were just pulling into the driveway as the last tremor radiated through her body. After several beats, Haley removed her hand from his, releasing it. His hand was wet with her juices as he clicked his key in the ignition.

When the engine shut off, the only sounds in the small space were their labored puffs of breath. When he turned his head towards Haley, she looked over at him with a sated expression.

“Fuck. That was hot,” he rasped as he tried to still his racing heartbeat.

A seductive smile lifted on her lips as she blinked her heavy-lidded eyes. “Happy birthday to me.” Then she grabbed her purse, reached for the door, and opened it. Looking over her shoulder as she moved to get out, she said, “Your turn.”

Eddie could not get out of his truck fast enough. He was moving so fast as he stepped out that he dropped his keys. By the time he picked them up and shut the driver’s side door, Haley was already inside the house. He’d given her a key a couple of years ago since she watched Em so much.

She stood, perfectly framed in the doorway, waiting for him. With every step he took closer to her, his body’s hunger built for her. Haley took two steps back as he moved inside, remaining just out of his reach. As the door shut behind him, she moved forward, backing him up against it.

As she looked up at him, her hands lifted, splaying on his chest. He reached out to pull her closer to him but she swatted his hands down and shook her head, making a tsking sound. He liked that she was feeling so feisty and taking the lead, but damn, he wanted to touch her.

Grasping his wrists, she placed them at his sides, silently communicating that she wanted him to keep them there. With a focused look in her eye, she untucked his shirt and began unbuttoning it. When she got to the last button, she placed her hands flat on his chest and moved them up and over his shoulders, removing his shirt.

Before it had even hit the ground, her hands were on his belt. He watched as she unbuckled and pulled his belt out of the loops. Then she let it slip from her fingers.

Her eyes locked with his as she sank down, kneeling before him. Reaching up, she began unbuttoning his slacks.

His hands moved over hers. “Haley, you don’t have to—”

Again, she swatted his hands away. Her blue eyes darkened with desire as she moved her hand over his length, which was straining against his pants. A sinful smile spread across her beautiful face as she said, “This is what I want for my birthday.”

Fisting his hands at his sides and his eyes closed, he let his head fall back against the door, his legs locking beneath him. She was going to kill him. His heart felt like it was going to explode, as did another part of his anatomy.

* * * * *

EXCITEMENT RACED THROUGH Haley as she kneeled before Eddie. She made quick work of unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. Then, carefully, she tucked her thumbs, hooking both his briefs and his slacks, and slid them down his legs. He kicked off his shoes. He lifted each foot, stepping out of them, and she pushed them aside.

She ran her fingernails up his thighs and they tensed beneath her touch. Her heart sped as she stared hungrily at his massive erection. She bit her bottom lip as her hands wrapped around it.

His skin felt so smooth beneath her hands. Her palms tingled as her fingers tightened around his length, and she saw a bead of moisture appear on his tip. A small smile lifted on her lips as she leaned forward and licked it off. He grew even larger in her hands, and Haley began moving them up and down his manhood as she licked and kissed the head of his shaft. Opening her mouth, she sucked him as her tongue moved along the base of his erection. She could feel his length throbbing as she enveloped him in the tight, wet, heat of her mouth.

He groaned as his hands moved to her head. Looking up, she saw him watching her, and it sent a jolt of pleasure shooting down her to her core. He spread his legs farther apart as his fingers ran through her hair, his gaze fixed on her mouth as it moved up and down his engorged flesh.

A deep moan vibrated from his chest as Haley’s hands gripped Eddie’s hips, and she sucked harder, deeper, taking all of him. She felt his length pulsing as her speed increased.

Then she felt hands grab her shoulders, pulling her up to a standing position. She was a little dizzy, probably with lust, as she watched Eddie retrieve a condom from the pocket of his pants lying on the floor. She was mesmerized as he tore it open with his mouth and sheathed himself.

When he looked back up at her, she saw the same predatory gaze she’d seen in the dressing room. Her body instantly responded to it, trembling with desire.

“That was fun,” she said as he stalked towards her. Just like before, she felt her feet moving backwards, retreating until she was flat against the wall beside the doorway to the kitchen.

“Almost too fun,” he said with a smile as he lifted her dress over her head and pulled her panties down her legs in one swift move.