Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
EDEN
The band sounded great, and the guy singing had an incredible voice, but as soon as Lincoln’s arm wrapped around my waist, I went completely wooden. He tried moving me around the floor, but when I wasn’t tripping over my own feet, I was stepping on his. It was a complete disaster.
To most women, it would have been a dream come true: the man of their fantasies walking up to them in a crowded bar, taking them by the hand, and leading them to the dance floor while a slow country ballad whispered through the air.
But to me, it was a nightmare. I was too uncomfortable in my own skin to be able to enjoy what was happening at that very moment.
A deep, sexy chuckle that did crazy things to my insides resonated from within his chest when I stepped on his booted foot for the millionth time in the thirty seconds we’d been dancing together.
“Relax, darlin’. You’re liable to break something, you keep holding yourself so damn stiff.”
God, I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.
I wasn’t sure if someone could actually die of embarrassment, but if they could, I was in serious danger. Casting my eyes down to our feet, I muttered, “I told you I couldn’t dance. I’m making a fool of myself, and I’m probably humiliating you.”
Lincoln’s arm came from around my waist, and for a second I thought he was going to take pity and lead me off the floor. That upsetting thought made my stomach plummet, but maybe it was for the best.
But instead, I felt a pressure beneath my chin as his fingers pressed upward, forcing me to lift my face to his. Those gemstone eyes glimmered with humor as he grinned down at me.
“I have a pretty girl in my arms, there’s good music playin’, and ice-cold beer just a few feet away. You think I give a shit about anything else, you’d be dead wrong, buttercup.”
Oh. My. God. Lincoln freaking Sheppard just called me pretty! I was still fairly certain I was going to die, only now it wouldn’t be from embarrassment. No, it would be because my heart filled with joy to the point that it exploded right in my chest.
Nerves made it impossible for me to look up at his criminally handsome face any longer, so I cast my gaze around at anything but him as I stammered, “Uh… well, um… thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Now try to loosen up. Just sink into me and let me guide you, yeah?”
“Y-yeah.”
It took a few seconds, and extreme effort, but I eventually got my limbs to cooperate and melted into him, leaning so close that only an inch of space separated us.
Apparently, unhappy with even that amount of space, Lincoln pulled me closer, until our bodies were pressed together from hip to chest.
We lapsed into silence, and I finally felt like I was getting the hang of the steps when I felt his jaw brush against my hair before coming to rest against my temple.
The close, intimate touch nearly made my knees buckle, and I had no doubt I’d have gone down had it not been for Lincoln’s strong hold on me.
“You do something different with your hair, darlin’?”
Man, oh man. He noticed my hair. Wasn’t that something most men never paid attention to?
“I, uh… Nona did it.”
His hand at the small of my back traveled upward until his fingers were twisting the ends of the long strands.
“Looks nice. I like it.” His head dipped lower until his nose met my neck.
I felt his chest rise against mine on a deep inhale, and I nearly burst into flames.
His voice was as thick and rich as melted chocolate as he said, “Like the perfume too, Edie. You smell fantastic.”
My feet were moving as if on autopilot as I lifted my head to meet his gaze from beneath my lashes. “I’m, um… I’m not wearing perfume.”
What I saw in his eyes as he stared back at me was nearly as perplexing as the way he was touching me and the things he was saying. It was almost as if he was shocked, like he was seeing me for the first time.
“Fuck me, that’s all you,” he mumbled in a voice so low and full of bewilderment that I had to strain to hear it.
When his words registered, I was hit with a tidal wave of shyness.
I couldn’t even begin to comprehend his reaction, and I didn’t have the first clue how to respond, so instead I changed the subject to something more neutral.
“So how’s Rocky doing?”
Lincoln seemed to shake off whatever was clouding his head, and his eyes cleared just before a tiny smile pulled at his lips. “Rocky’s doin’ great.”
I returned his grin and tried not to get too overwhelmed when Lincoln’s focus darted to my lips. “Good, I’m glad. He seemed like a terrific dog.”
“He is.”
“So… has he warmed up to Crystal?” I managed to ask without the slightest hint of bitterness in my tone.
His brow creased in confusion. “Who?”
“Crystal? The, uh, woman you were… the one there when Rocky and I first met? At my trash cans?” God, I wished I hadn’t just brought that disaster up again.
Recollection dawned on his face. “Oh. No, he didn’t.
But doesn’t really matter since she’s not in the picture anymore.
” I tried not to be too excited about that, but it was impossible.
“And speaking of… I have to go out of town on business early tomorrow morning. The job should only take a few days, but is there any way your offer to dog-sit is still open?”
“Oh yeah, of course!”
His grin went from warm to downright sexy in a blink.
It was only then that I realized for the first time that I’d never gotten a full-blown smile from him.
His little smirks and playful grins were sexier than most regular mens’ smiles, but my gut told me I was only seeing a shadow of what was really there. “Thanks, Edie. I appreciate it.”
Oh man, I loved that he called me Edie. I’d never had a nickname before. Heck, I’d never been close enough to anyone to warrant having one. I liked “darlin’.” I really liked “buttercup.” But something about hearing him call me Edie made me all gooey.
“N-no problem. I’ll take good care of your dick—I mean dog! I’ll take good care of your dog! Oh god.” I dropped my forehead to his chest on a loud, humiliated groan, giving it a few bangs for good measure. “Do me a favor, would you? Just kill me now. Right here. Just do it. Put me outta my misery.”
Lincoln’s whole body shook on a deep laugh. “If I killed you, then who’d take care of my dick?” My head shot up, and I gave him the best evil eye I could muster. “I mean dog.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Oh I disagree, darlin’. I think it’s fuckin’ hilarious.” He continued to laugh, and the damn sound was so nice I couldn’t stay prickly.
The song finally ended and, sooner than I was ready, Lincoln let me go. But what had started as a horrible dance had ended on a much higher note, and I spent the rest of the night walking on a cloud.
I shot up in my bed, startled awake by a knock at my door that was followed by the loud bark of a dog.
A quick glance at my clock showed it was barely seven in the morning. It took a second for me to get my bearings and realize the night before hadn’t just been a really good dream, and that Lincoln and Rocky were actually standing on the other side of my front door.
“Shit!” I squeaked when another knock, accompanied by a second bark, sounded.
“Coming! Coming!” I shouted as I grabbed my robe and quickly slipped my arms into the sleeves as I scurried toward the front door.
“I’m so sorry,” I said as soon as I got it open.
“I didn’t realize when you said you were leaving early that it would be so… well, early.”
Lincoln didn’t say a word as he scanned me from my face all the way down to my toes.
I thought it was the intense look in his eyes that sent a shiver down my spine—until a chilly breeze ruffled the edge of my robe, and I realized that, in my rush to answer the door, I’d completely forgotten about my penchant for silky, frilly nightgowns and the fact that I hadn’t cinched my equally silky and frilly robe closed.
I was currently wearing a peach satin nightie with ivory lace at the bust and up the two-inch slit at my thigh.
The thin spaghetti straps didn’t do much for support, but the nightgown hugged around my ribs well enough that it kept my girls nicely in place.
However, it showed off an abundance of leg and not a small amount of cleavage.
Up until last night, bedtime had been the only time I ever allowed myself to wear something so formfitting and girly.
My sleepwear made me feel pretty, and even if no one else got to see it, I felt like it had been my way of combatting my family’s insults all these years.
I did the same with my underwear, always wearing matching bra and panty sets with lace and bows in pretty feminine colors.
Snatching the lapels, I jerked the robe closed and tied it so tight it cut into my skin. I was thankful the sun hadn’t fully risen in the sky yet, or else Lincoln would have seen the utter humiliation burning on my face and neck.
“Sorry, darlin’. Should’ve told you how early I was gonna be.”
“No, it’s totally fine.”
Rocky, having decided he was done with being ignored, barked once more and head-butted my hand, demanding my attention.
Looking down at the eager dog with a smile, I rubbed at the scruff of his neck and greeted, “And good morning to you, monster.”
Stepping out of the way, I lifted an arm and waved Lincoln inside.
Having him in my house was totally surreal, and I couldn’t help but watch him as he looked around, taking everything in as I recalled the feel of his arm around me and the brush of his nose against my neck the night before.
Just the memory of it made my skin break out in goose bumps while my nipples pebbled into hard peaks beneath my nightie and robe.
Lincoln seemed totally comfortable in my home as he dropped the bag he’d been carrying onto my couch and bent to unclip Rocky’s leash, giving him pets before standing so the curious dog could explore, all the while saying, “I’ll leave his leash here if you wanna take him on a walk or something.
He does pretty well on it. I brought enough food to last through Monday.
His food and water bowl are in here, and his favorite toy too. ”
He turned back to me, and I quickly crossed my arms over my chest in an attempt to hide my body’s reaction to him.
But his attention wasn’t on me. It was on my front door.
“Shit, Edie. You don’t have an alarm system?”
“I….” I’d been too busy staring at his butt to pay attention to what he’d just said. “Huh?”
“An alarm. Babe, there’s a dude runnin’ around town breaking into people’s houses, and you’re a single woman living alone. You need an alarm.”
“I… have a deadbolt,” I defended lamely, because honestly I hadn’t given a single thought to needing anything else. “And one of those little chain thingies.”
He gave me a look as if to say you’re kidding, right?
“Someone who has even the hint of a clue what he’s doin’ could pick that in a second. And one kick, that chain’s popping right the hell off. You need a security system.” Before I had a chance to say anything in response, he continued, “I’ll see what I can do when I get back into town.”
“See what you can do?”
“Yeah. Part of my line of work. Like I said, we’ll handle it when I get back.
At least for the next few days you’ll have Rocky here.
” He moved closer to the door, closer to me, coming to a stop about an inch away.
Reaching up, he tucked a strand of hair that had come loose from my ponytail in sleep behind my ear.
“I gotta get goin’. Not exactly sure how long this job’ll take me, but it shouldn’t be later than Sunday night or Monday morning.
Give me your number and I’ll text you when I have a better idea. ”
His nearness, the feel of his fingertips whispering across my skin, the way his ass looked in those jeans, and the clean, fresh manly scent of his cologne had thrown me completely off balance.
“Yeah,” I said on an exhale that nearly expelled all the air from my lungs. “Okay.”
We stood just like that for a few more seconds before he smiled and said in a low, raspy tone, “Buttercup.”
That time I pulled in a breathy sigh. “Yeah?”
“Go get your phone.”
“Oh. Right!” My brain finally slipped back into gear, and I hurried to my room to grab my phone from my bedside table.
When I got back to the living room, Rocky was sitting by his master’s side with his tongue happily hanging out of his mouth.
Lincoln had his phone in his hand and his eyes firmly on me as I padded on bare feet back to him. “Got it.”
He took the phone from my hand. His fingers were so long that he easily held it and used his thumb on the screen to tap something in. A second later his phone rang. Hitting the screen of his phone, Lincoln ended the call and handed mine back. “There. Now I’m in yours and you’re in mine.”
God, everything he did was a turn-on. Just the simple act of him programming a number into his phone drove me crazy. “Okay,” I said on a whisper.
“I’ll see you in a couple days.” Squatting down, he rubbed Rocky on either side of his neck. “You be good for Edie, boy.”
Then he stood, gave me one last grin, and headed out. A few seconds later his big black truck growled to life and rolled down the street.
Sure, I wasn’t going to get my eye candy for a few days, but something told me this was better.
Or at least I hoped.