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

guess, you don’t think turkey bacon is bacon either.”

“Damn straight.” He stared at the crispy bacon with longing. “Please tell me that’s real.”

Amy bristled. “You are unbelievable. Real is subjective.”

“You aren’t vegetarian, are you?” he asked, helping himself to more eggs and ignoring the bacon.

“Nope, but we are adventurous when it comes to food.”

“Adventurous how?”

“We eat a lot of tofu and veggie burgers.”

He made a face as though he’d swallowed something rotten.

She couldn’t help teasing him. “You must try my tofu lasagna, spaghetti sauce, tofu soups, stir-fried with crisp vegetables or smothered in oyster sauce. Yummy.” She closed her eyes, licked her lips and sighed.

***

His eyes locked on her lips, the soft, intimate sighs hit him to the core and Eddie shifted in his seat as blood rushed to his groin. He tried to tune her out, which was impossible. Amy was not the kind of woman a man ignored. Everything about her stirred his senses.

That he couldn’t control the strong attraction he felt toward her irritated him. She wasn’t even his type. He dated tall women. The more quiet and reflective the better. Amy spoke her mind without thought and most of the things she said were outrageous. She was short, curvy with lush breasts and hips. Worse, her tank top emphasized her cleavage and every time she moved, it took all his will power not to stare at her chest.

In the kitchen, she’d mesmerized him as she hummed and danced, her tank top showing a thin line of soft, golden skin around her waist. Every time he looked at her skimpy cut-off jeans, fantasies zipped through his head. They hugged her ass and hips, and bared most of her smooth, tanned legs.

“No, thanks,” he said. “I’m a meat man. Give me steak, roasts and burgers and I’m good.”

She winced. “Every day?”

“With an occasional chicken thrown in.”

She let out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine, even though the thought of slabs of red meat…” She shuddered and pursed her lips, then added, “but if I want to mow the lawn, I will mow the lawn. You go ahead and beat your chest and pretend to be King Kong.”

“I’m not a Neanderthal. I just believe that you should go into a relationship knowing exactly what is expected of you, so you shoulder your share of responsibility. It makes everything run smoother.”

“What happened to spontaneity?”

“Leads to chaos.”

Her eyes narrowed, dark clouds adrift in their blue depth. Her lips parted as though she was about to speak then she snapped them shut. Silence followed. He ate while she chewed on her lower lip and studied him. He was tempted to say, “What?” but that would only encourage her to ask more personal questions and make him focus on her.

“Do we have a deal?” he asked instead.

“You must lead a very boring life.”

Once again, she was going off on a tangent. “My life has nothing to do with our present living arrangement. Do we have a deal?”

“That depends. How long is your vacation?”

“Three weeks.”

An odd expression crossed Amy’s face. “Okay, we have a deal. However, I like to do things on the spur of the moment and would appreciate it if you don’t complain about it and walk around with a sour face.”

Eddie laughed, the sound of his voice surprising him. If she thought she could dictate how he reacted, she had another thing coming. Or maybe he’d be better off keeping to himself and eating his meals alone after she was done with hers.

He poured a liberal amount of syrup on his pancakes and started to eat. The tartness of the blueberries exploded in his mouth with each bite, adding to the sweet.

“These are really good,” he said.

“Try the bacon.” She picked one and slipped it between her lush lips and took a bite.

Ah hell! She also made eating sensual. Once again, Eddie fought the tightness in his pants. “No, thanks.”

“Chicken.”

“Only grilled, roasted or fried.”

She gave a derisive snort, but that unladylike sound and the glint in her eyes did it for him. She already thought his life was boring just because he wasn’t spontaneous. In his line of work, being spontaneous could get you killed. Only fools dove into situations without evaluating their odds of winning.

He wrapped his hand around her wrist and directed the piece of bacon she’d bitten to his mouth. He took a bite, his lips touching the tips of her fingers, and chewed, his gaze not leaving hers. His lips tingled and he licked them. Her cheeks grew red.

Score.

He went back to his breakfast. He was relieved when she served herself and focused on her food. But his relief was short-lived. His eyes were drawn to her mouth again. She closed her eyes as she chewed and hummed under her breath.

Once again, he redirected his thoughts and forced himself to finish his breakfast quickly, needing to put some space between them. He wasn’t looking for a holiday fling and he’d have to be an idiot to start something he couldn’t finish.

The buzz of his cell phone came to his rescue. He pulled it out and saw the number. His cousin. Eddie started to get up. “Excuse me. I must take this.”

Amy jumped up. “No. Stay. I need to check on Raelynn anyway. If you need more orange juice, there is a larger pitcher in the fridge.” She reached for her plate and glass.

“Thanks for breakfast, Amy.”

“No problem.” She disappeared inside the house.

Eddie brought the phone to his ear. “Chase?”

“Did you get lost in the woods or something?”

He was supposed to call his cousin as soon as he arrived. After facing a gun-wielding Amy, his thoughts had been elsewhere. “I got here all right.”

“So what does she look like?”

“What?”

“The housekeeper? Is she as hot as Baron described her?”

“Baron is married,” Eddie snapped.

“Doesn’t mean he’s blind. They were out there last month and brought home pictures. Mom took particular interest in the housekeeper. She even flew out there a few weeks ago with her friends, Barbs and Sissy.”

Eddie was