“You’re not listening, Eddie. I’m going to make Fairview regret the day they found us on the map. ” She was so damned sexy. So hot and so passionate.
His eyes found hers. “Bring it, gorgeous. ”
She shifted. Damn, was she pulling away? But, oh…oh, she was only adjusting, repositioning herself to drag him down to her. She nuzzled into him. He felt her mouth on his jaw, tasting his neck, tugging his shirt lower to lick and suck at his throat.
He growled with pleasure and pressed his body into hers, his groin so hard he was sure she couldn’t help but feel it. Would it scare her off? But then she writhed into him, adjusting her body, nestling him against her.
He couldn’t catch his breath. He couldn’t believe it. Laura Bailey.
He wanted to feel her. He had to feel her, but he was afraid. If he’d fantasized about kissing her, how much had he dreamed of running his hands along that taut body? Of cupping those hot little breasts?
He couldn’t stop himself. He had to. Slowly he inched his hand up. The fabric of her shirt tugged beneath his palm. He rested his hand on her rib cage. Her chest rose and fell as though she were panting to catch her breath. Her heart hammered through her bones, through her skin. He felt it beating against his hand, pounding through his body.
“Yes,” she whispered, and brought her mouth back to his, kissing him harder, more frantically.
He didn’t need more urging than that and slid his hand the last few inches to her breast. So firm, her nipple was a hard peak under his thumb.
She moaned, and he did, too. He pulled from her, so starved for her, he had to speak through his clenched jaw. “I’ve wanted you so bad. ”
“You, too. ” She stole small kisses along his jaw. “God, Eddie, you, too. ”
He pulled from her in disbelief. His heart was punching against his chest, but he had to ask, “You have?”
“I did. I have. ” She looked as frustrated as he felt. “But you were so damned stupid in high school. I wanted you, but you never asked me out. ”
He couldn’t believe his ears. “I was totally in love with you in high school. ”
“You were a jerk. ”
He pressed his body against hers and gently raked his hands through her hair, cradling her head close against his chest. “Not anymore, Laura. I swear. If you still want me, I’m all yours. ”
Twenty-two
“Finally,” Helen murmured, seeing Laura walk in the front door. And what was with the dopey smile?
Laura’s eyes found her instantly. “There you are, Helen. ”
There she was? She’d been trying to call the girl all morning. When Laura finally got around to answering, she was the one who’d acted put out. She’d been out at the old Timber Creek ranch…of course. She seemed to make a hobby out of pestering poor Eddie. She’d invited these television people and then proceeded to take off, running around, waving her petitions, hounding Eddie, flittering around, doing whatever it was she did. Laura got to be free and easy, so busy keeping herself fit and pretty, while most days all Helen felt was used up.
“I’ve been here all—”
“Hey, Dad,” Laura greeted her father at the end of the bar. “I take it that’s the window?” She stormed to the shattered window and torn screen, and Helen heard her mutter, “Of course he couldn’t deal with this. ”
Helen followed her. “Your film people broke it with their microphone pole. ”
“It’s called a boom,” Laura said distractedly.
Fine. “Your film people broke it with their boom. ”
“They’re not my film people. ” Laura rounded on her. “They’re here for the whole town. ”
Helen could only shrug at that. She didn’t care who they’d come for; all she knew was they were about to be the straw that broke her back. They disappeared during the day, but mornings and evenings they crawled all over the place, making themselves at home, ordering her around, asking for things way outside her normal responsibilities…would she order pizzas, find them duct tape, buy the woman a box of tampons, for goodness’ sake.
She studied the window—didn’t seem like such an emergency, really. “Can’t we just tape it up till it gets fixed?”
“No, we can’t just tape it up. ” Laura looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “We have people filming here. ”
“Can Hope help?” Their new girl had yet to prove her worth. She was book smart, sure, but she seemed pretty helpless when it came to simple day-to-day chores.