“What is all that crap in the front yard? It looks like Home Depot exploded on our sidewalk.” Whitney’s confused voice drifted in from the hallway. In a few seconds, she’d come around the corner.
Mick’s knotted stomach ached fiercely. Eddie stood frozen on the stepladder. Luggage wheels thunked, and high heels clacked on the entryway tile. “I took an earlier flight from Miami. I couldn’t wait to get home and relax with my two favorite-”
Whit’s voice trailed off as she appeared in the arched doorway. A flirty white sundress contrasted the warmth of her sun-kissed skin. Her fingers slowly drew down the designer sunglasses perched on her nose. Those soft green eyes widened as she looked around the demolished living room and dining room. Shock filtered across her pretty face.
Mick shot a quick glance at Eddie, but his friend’s gaze was fixed on Whitney. Mick silently prayed Whit wouldn’t blow up on them. Eddie was the kind of guy who would race through hell with a cup of gasoline just for the thrill of it, but that roughened exterior hid an incredibly sensitive man. One cross word from Whitney and Mick just knew Eddie would be crushed.
Whitney shoved her sunglasses onto the crown of her head. She left her hot-pink suitcase standing in the doorway and took a slow tour of the mess. “Well”-she put her hands on her hips-“I’ve seen worse.”
Mick exhaled with relief. She wasn’t pissed. Annoyed? Hell yes. But she wasn’t angry, and that’s all that mattered.
“We wanted to surprise you.” Eddie stepped off the ladder. “We just didn’t figure on a number of setbacks throwing us off schedule.”
“You’ve always got to account for Murphy.” Whit spoke with the authority of a young woman responsible for coordinating some of the biggest fashion shows in New York and Los Angeles. “If something can go wrong, it absolutely will.” She paused and flashed them a smile. “I appreciate the effort, though.”
Mick’s stress melted. He sensed Eddie was at ease now.
Whitney pointed to the stacks of hardwood flooring visible through the gaping hole. She wrinkled her cute little nose. “Those have to go back. They are way too dark for the dining room.”
Mick laughed, not the least bit surprised she’d noticed. “We were planning to take them back later.”
“So what’s the story of the half-nakedness?” Whitney frowned and fanned her face. “Why the hell is it so hot in here?”
Mick cringed as Eddie chuckled and slapped him on the back. “Doctor Know-It-All fried the A/C. Too many plugs in one outlet.”
Whitney shot him a knowing glance. “Imagine that.”
Mick’s face grew warm with embarrassment. He offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”
Whit shook her head. “So we have no living room, no dining room, and no air conditioning.”
“The kitchen is a mess. We have a lot of equipment and supplies stashed in there.” Mick avoided her annoyed frown.
“And one bathroom,” Eddie added reluctantly.
Her eyebrows lifted. “Excuse me?”
“Your bathroom is stuffed with extra furniture and lamps and stuff.” Mick motioned toward Eddie. “The master bathroom between our rooms is open.”
“I don’t need to hear any more.” She held up her hands. “For what it's worth, I can tell you put a lot of hard work into this, even if it didn’t go exactly as planned. We can get this place whipped into shape in no time.” She assumed her naturally bossy tone. “You two can throw those boxes of flooring in Eddie’s truck, and I’ll exchange them while I’m at the store.”
“You’re going to Home Depot?” Mick asked, not at all thrown by her take-charge attitude. If there was one thing Whit did well, it was boss other people around.
“Well, I sure as hell am not going to roast in my bedroom all night. And I’ve had enough of hotel rooms. I want to sleep in my own bed. So until we can get an HVAC guy out here, I’ll enjoy the cold breeze of a window unit.”
Mick and Eddie did as she’d instructed and carried the boxes of flooring out to Eddie’s truck while Whitney impatiently tapped her foot.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Mick asked when they reconvened in the living room.
“No. You and Eddie get to stay here and clean up your mess because you’ve been very naughty boys.” She sauntered over to Eddie and brazenly slipped her hand inside the front pocket of his board shorts. A flicker of lust licked at Mick’s lower belly. His groin tightened at the sight of Whitney’s hand buried in Eddie’s pocket. An expression of shock and arousal flitted across Eddie’s face.
With a teasing smirk, Whitney produced the keys to Eddie’s truck. She took a step back and lowered her sunglasses into place. “Get a move on, boys. I expect to see this mess cleaned up by the time I get back-or else.”
Seemingly unaware of the raging hard-ons she’d just inspired, Whit flitted from the room and escaped out the front door. Eddie unleashed a loud groan and wiped a hand down his face. Somewhat envious of Whit’s hands-on approach, Mick decided to poke a little fun at his friend. “I thought you were going to come in your pants.”
With a grunt, Eddie headed into the dining room. “So the hell did I.”
Mick smiled and glanced toward the entryway. Something had just happened between the three of them. The dynamic was shifting and quite unexpectedly. Whitney was…different. More carefree and relaxed. What had happened in Miami and Paris?
Maybe this disaster of a renovation had a silver lining after all.
Eddie watched Whitney drive away in his truck. She looked good in the front seat with the windows down and the breeze ruffling her blonde hair. She always looked good, damned good. Too good.
She tempted Eddie in ways he hadn’t experienced in some time. Whit invaded his dreams, his thoughts. She’d ignited his lust and made him want to break rules he’d set after the whole Miranda fiasco.
And that wasn’t a good thing. It was a terrible thing. He’d put those rules into place to protect not only himself but Mick, too. Their friendship, their love for one another, had barely survived the hurt and pain of that messy affair. Eddie never wanted to go there again. He never wanted to experience that kind of raw anguish and disappointment.
So he stayed away from Whit.
Well. He tried.
He allowed himself the small pleasures of sharing breakfast or accompanying her on shopping trips. He liked cooking dinner with her and even folding laundry together on the couch. Enjoying her company was one thing. Taking it a step further, touching her, was another. That was the line he couldn’t cross.
The line she’d just crossed with her saucy pocket exploration.
His still-raging hard-on pressed against the uncomfortable confines of his boxer briefs. That wouldn’t fade anytime soon. Whit’s unexpected touch had nearly sent him into a full-blown orgasm. He felt like some horny teenager about to experience his first frustrating dance with pre-ejaculation. At thirty-six, that oh-god-not-now feeling was definitely an alien sensation and one he didn’t particularly like.
Eddie inhaled a deep and cleansing breath. Control. He needed to regain some control.
“She seems different.” Mick tapped Eddie’s shoulder with the screwdriver he’d dropped earlier. “Right?”
“Yeah.” Eddie took the screwdriver and headed for the stepladder. “She’s relaxed. Fun again.” He climbed a few steps and started tinkering with the ceiling fan. “Like she was when she first moved in here, before the stress of the new boss and the style-house merger and all that.”
Mick hummed in agreement and stepped up to help him support the weight of the fan. His hot chest pressed against Eddie’s arm, sparking another round of indecent thoughts. First Whit teasing him and now Mick. Was the torture ever going to end?
Eddie shifted to allow his friend more room. He snorted in amused disbelief as the stepladder rocked from the added weight. “You’d think a trauma surgeon could read the warning plastered on the side of this thing.”
“It’s not a long fall. Besides”-Mick playfully whacked Eddie’s backside-“you’ll likely fall flat on your ass anyway.”
