Forever Hers by Walters, Ednah (new ebook reader .TXT) 📗

a nice picnic on the boat. You get to choose what music to play while we eat.” Glancing at Amy, she wiggled her fingers, “Bye.”

Raelynn slid off the couch and took Lauren’s hand. “What is a munchkin, Aunt Lauren?”

“Adorable little people who love music, books and cotton candy ice cream.”

Amy watched them go. Raelynn had warmed up to Lauren after a few weeks of living at the lake house and even agreed to stay with her on Wednesdays while Amy went to Farmers Market. This was the first time Amy was going out at night and leaving the two of them alone. Choked with emotions, she left the house and headed for Lauren’s car.

The BMW purred gently as she narrowed the distance between her and Sandpoint. The past flashed in her head—she and her friends zipping off in the night in expensive cars, acting stupid and not caring about rules.

Amy came down North 5th Avenue, turned left and entered Cedar Street. Eichardt’s Pub was in a historic building with black and white paint job and floor to ceiling windows. Ahead was the famous Cedar Street Bridge Public Market. She found a place to park and started for the entrance.

Since she’d never been inside, she’d done a little research to get the layout—eatery and bar downstairs and gaming room upstairs—but the description hadn’t prepared her.

The place was packed; the patrons chugging ice cold mugs of draft beer and eating grilled burgers and garlic fries. This wasn’t a bar. The sweet aroma of spicy foods mixed with coffee said it all. It was a restaurant, coffee house and a bar all crammed in one room with dark wood paneling, a tap handle collection studding the ceiling and a large selection of domestic and specialty beers. Tourists in their designer summer clothes mingled with the locals in plaid. Once again, the past flashed in her head—her college years cut short by her pregnancy.

Silence filled the room, but she didn’t pay it much attention. She was busy searching for Nolan. No red baseball cap. No tawny hair. No Nolan. Eddie stood out at the end of the bar, his back to her. She couldn’t miss him if she tried.

He was so male and confident he’d draw attention wherever he went. Most men let their clothes wear them, but not Eddie. The polo emphasized his broad shoulders and the jeans hugged his powerful thighs and hips as though bending to his will.

Then he turned and their eyes met.

Surprised flickered in their gray depths then they darkened into a swirling mass of storm clouds; dark grays and silver lightning. His gaze skated over her once, twice before their eyes met again.

In seconds, Amy became a string of clichés—her heart thundered, stomach dipped and her palms began to sweat. This was why she had dressed. Not to find Nolan, but to see the flash of heat in Eddie’s eyes. To know she was desired by him. She knew she should cross the room, yet the expression on his face held her immobile.

As he started toward her, his gaze not shifting, people moved out of his way. Dizzying thoughts flashed through Amy’s head. He was going to sweep her into his arms and kiss her. Her body responded to her thoughts, anticipation racing under her skin and heat pooling in places that had been cold for so long.

Until this very moment, she hadn’t admitted to herself she wanted Eddie Fitzgerald. That she shouldn’t want him was bittersweet. Just because he was attentive didn’t mean anything. He was a cop doing his job.

***

Eddie had been listening to Sally explain how short-handed their investigative division was when she stopped and said, “Look what the cat dragged in.”

He’d turned, expecting to see Roland, and caught site of the breathtaking woman in red standing in the doorway. Air left the room as realization hit him hard in the gut.

Amy.

For a second, he’d stared, taking in the pixie bangs framing her breathtaking face, brilliant blue eyes luminous and lips slightly parted in a smile that promised a sinful night and decadent sex to any man that caught her attention tonight. Her dress didn’t leave much to the imagination either, draping over those delectable breasts and hugging her tiny waist and hips before stopping mid-thigh.  Knee-high black leather boots left an enticing stretch of thighs covered with shear black tights. His palm itched to touch, caress.

Whispers of longing came and went around him. Some wondered who she was. Others boldly voice their intentions to find out.

Mine.

The single word slammed into Eddie’s psyche with the finality of a judge’s mallet. No, no, no, definitely not his. No way. Amy was chaos in heels. He had enough craziness at work without getting involved with a woman like her.

Despite his stance, he couldn’t deny he wanted her. His body craved hers. His mouth longed to taste her lips. His heartbeat shot to a senseless tempo whenever she was around. Knowing she slept a few doors away from his only made matters worse. The attraction annoyed the hell out of him because it made no sense.

She was everything he avoided in a woman—stubborn, argumentative, unpredictable, yet he looked forward to their arguments, enjoyed their battle of wits and loved listening to her lengthy explanations on the most mundane things. But the most amazing thing about her was she made him laugh.

He reached her side and looked down into her eyes and steeled himself against her allure. Would she welcome him, if he did what every cell in his body was screaming at him to do? Kiss her and proclaim to the entire room she was his. The expectant look in her eyes said she might not fight him, but he wasn’t taking any chances. With Amy, he was never sure how she’d react to anything, which was maddening to say the least.

He gripped her arm, moved out of the doorway and against the wall then leaned down and whispered, “I thought I asked you to stay