“You need a lift, you cal me,” he said.

I didn’t take the card.

“I’l be okay.”

“Jet.”

“Seriously. I’l be okay.”

Al of a sudden, he took three steps forward, backing me into the corner of the overhang that shielded the front doors.

My back hit the wal , I stopped and Eddie came in close.

I looked up at him to protest and kept my silence when I saw his eyes al pissed off glittery.

“Someone offers to do something nice for you, you take

‘em up on it.”

“I’l be okay,” I repeated, kinda angry myself then too.

“I think it’s pretty clear you won’t be okay. You’re workin’

two jobs; one of them isn’t safe. You don’t have time to sleep. You don’t have a car. You’re taking care of your Mom who isn’t well . Your Dad blows into town, cleans out your bank account and makes you the target of a thug. That’s not okay.”

“It’l get better,” I told him.

“When?”

“I don’t know but I have to believe that because if I don’t…”

Damn!

Tears started to fil my eyes; I bit my lip and turned my face away. Now was not the time to lose my cool. Not in front of Eddie.

“I have to go in,” I said and I did. I had to get away from him.

There was no getting away from him because his arms went around me and he drew me into his body.

I looked up at him, surprised, and saw his eyes had gone liquid.

My body tensed when it came into contact with his from our chests down our bel ies to our hips. Electricity shot through me, I tried to pul away, but one of his arms slid up my back, holding me in position while his head came down and he kissed me.

It was the worst kiss in the history of the world. I could not believe he was kissing me. Hot, handsome Eddie Chavez kissing me, plain, boring Henrietta Louise McAlister. It freaked me out; I went al stiff and this was not a good combination.

His head came up and he looked down at me.

I felt the heat in my face.

Such a bad kiss was humiliating and I knew it was al my fault. I would have been happy to be running from a charging elephant. Dancing around in a g-string at Smithie’s. Anywhere but there.

He didn’t say anything, he was just watching me and I started to squirm to get away but he held on tight.

“Let’s try that again,” he murmured.

“No, I don’t—” I started to say and then his mouth was on mine.

Since I was talking when his lips connected with mine, my mouth was open and, right away, his tongue slid inside.

Dear Lord.

The instant his tongue touched mine, my stomach curled, my bones turned to water and I melted into him. My arms went around his neck, my fingers slid into his hair, I tilted my head to the side and that was it.

His hands went under my camisole, I could feel them sliding across the skin of my back and it made me shiver. I pressed deeper into him, kept one of my hands in his hair and tucked another one under his arm, pul ing his t-shirt free of his jeans and then I slid it across the skin at his back. His warm skin felt yummy. In fact, the kiss was pure yum and I wanted it to go on forever.

“Jeez, Jet, get a room.”

I jumped and pul ed back; Eddie’s arms went slack (though not that slack, he didn’t let me go). Both Eddie and I turned to see RJ, one of my neighbors, maneuvering out the front door in his wheelchair.

My face felt like it was on fire.

My body was on fire.

“Hey RJ,” I said, stil trying to recover from the kiss. This was hard, considering Eddie hadn’t let me go.

“Who’s the dude?” RJ asked, looking at Eddie.

Eddie was looking over his shoulder, his arms stil around me.

“The dude is Eddie. Eddie, RJ, RJ, Eddie,” I said, feeling like a complete moron. I’d taken my hand out from under Eddie’s t-shirt but I was now clutching it at his side for fear my legs would give out if I didn’t hold on for dear life.

Eddie nodded to RJ making it plain RJ was interrupting.

In any other circumstance I might find this funny. Eddie and I were necking at the public entrance to an apartment building in broad daylight and Eddie glared at RJ as if we had a right to privacy.

However at that moment, I did not find it funny.

RJ did and his face cracked into a huge smile.

“Boy, Jet, can always count on you to be entertaining.” Wonderful.

I was never going to convince Eddie I was your normal, everyday, average girl.

RJ put his gloved hands to the angled wheels of his chair and pushed forward.

“Later dudes,” he said, taking the hint, and then he was off.

I looked back to Eddie and he was shaking his head. “I haven’t made out on someone’s doorstep in… fuck, I’ve never made out on someone’s doorstep.”

I smiled at him because he was funny and the minute I did it, his eyes changed and the change made my insides melt.

“Christ, Jet, you should do that more often,” he said.

“What?”

“Smile.”

That wiped the smile from my face.

Eddie’s slack arms tightened around me. “Un-unh, no retreat. I’ve gained ground here, I’m not gonna lose it in two minutes.”

“I have to go upstairs,” I told him.

“I’l let you go upstairs when you agree to have dinner with me tonight,” Eddie said.

Eek!

I hadn’t had the chance to process kissing Eddie, I certainly wasn’t ready for a date.

Luckily, I had an excuse.

“I can’t, I have a shift at Smithie’s.”

Eddie was not deterred.

“Tomorrow.”

Damn, I had the night off from Smithie’s tomorrow.

Before I could think of a plausible excuse, Eddie grinned. He knew he had me.

“Six o’clock. I’l pick you up here.”

He didn’t give me a chance to say anything, his lips came down and touched mine. I could feel most of his body pressed up against me, his arms were around me, I could smel him and he’d just touched his lips to mine. Therefore, I lost the ability to think.

His lips went away and he asked, “How’re you getting to work tonight?”

I blinked to clear my Eddie Daze.

“Smithie found out about the knife thing. He says I have to be escorted to and from the building and, while my car’s out of commission, he’s arranging for one of the bouncers to take me to work.”

Eddie ran his fingers through my hair at the temple and, I had to admit, it felt nice.