Indy laughed.

“I heard what he said. I’l let you go. See you tonight.”

“No!” I said desperately, but she disconnected.

I took the phone away from my ear and flipped it shut.

One of Eddie’s arms wrapped around me and he pul ed me tight to him. I felt his tongue touch below my ear and the tingles intensified.

My phone rang again.

His head lifted and just before I could flip it open and embark on a very, very long conversation with whoever cal ed me, he pul ed it out of my hand, looked at it and then opened it with his thumb and put it at his ear.

“Yeah?” he said, then he waited. “She’s fine. Cal back later.” Then he flipped it shut without even saying good-bye.

I glared at him as he slid the phone on the counter.

“Who was that?” I asked and both his arms came around me.

“Al y, checkin’ in.”

“I would have liked to talk to her,” I said to him, my voice fil ed with attitude, an attitude I never knew I had before.

“I know, Chiquita, you’re so scared of me, you’d talk to Ted Bundy if you thought he’d keep you out of my bed.”

“That’s not true!” I lied.

It was s o true. Ted Bundy was gross but he’d be interesting to talk to and I was in a serious Eek Moment at the thought of being back in Eddie’s bed, especial y with Eddie in it.

“It’s true and it’s not gonna happen. I final y got almost an entire day where you don’t have to run around like a crazy woman, chargin’ through grocery stores or beggin’ bank tel ers to stay open for you. And you don’t have to work.

You’re mine al day and I have plans.”

Dear Lord.

Eddie had plans.

I felt my doo-da quiver.

“Eddie, I have to cal my Mom. Then I have to go get some flowers for your Mom. Then I have to make something, I don’t know, cookies or a pie, so we don’t go to Blanca’s empty-handed. My Mom would just die if we went to your Mom’s without some sort of baked good. Then I have to…”

He picked up my phone and handed it to me, then his arm went back around me.

“You have five minutes to cal your mother,” he said.

My mouth dropped open.

“Five minutes! What? Are you going to time me?”

“Yep,” he said.

Al right. So I’d programmed new friends in my phone and went ahead with this branding business without a fight.

There was only so much a girl could take.

Maybe there was something between Eddie and me and maybe I’d be stupid not to explore it. But I had bad guys to track down, first and foremost, my f**king father. I couldn’t spend the day in Eddie’s bed.

At least, that was what I was tel ing myself was my excuse. Not that I was scared shitless of being bad in bed and disappointing him. Or worse, being truly happy for the first time in my life and having it not last.

I pul ed out the glare again. It wasn’t working but I’d keep trying.

“You can’t make me go to bed with you.”

The dimple came out and one of his hands dipped down and went under my t-shirt, making a bee-line for my breast while he said, “Chiquita, I won’t have to make you.” He cupped my breast and my lips parted when his warm hand held its weight.

Damn.

Damn, damn, damn.

“I real y don’t like you,” I told him.

“Cal your Mom,” he said, his hand leaving my breast and trailing down my side to my back.

I cal ed Trixie and shoved the entire bottom of the muffin in my mouth. Eddie didn’t let me go but I heard him chuckle.

I continued with The Glare. It might not work but it made me feel better.

“Hel o?” Trixie answered.

“Trixie?” I said through a mouth of muffin.

“Jet? Is that you?”

I swal owed, painful y.

“Yeah, how’s everything?”

“Groovy tunes. Your Mom and I just got back from IHOP

and we’re thinking about hitting Target. You need anything?”

I tried to think of a list of things I needed. Not one thing came to mind.

“No,” I replied, dejected.

“You home?” Trixie asked.

I looked at Eddie. He was watching my mouth move.

“I’m with Eddie.”

“Good. Have a great day. We’l see you at 5:30.”

“Right,” I said. “Can I talk to Mom?” But she’d already disconnected.

Damn!

Everyone was conspiring against me.

I flipped the phone shut. It rang again immediately but Eddie plucked it out of my hand.

“Stop doing that,” I snapped.

He tossed it in my purse and then turned me so my back was to the door and started walking forward, forcing me to walk back.

“They’l leave a message,” he said. One of his hands was stil up my shirt, his other hand went low and up the shirt as well . They met, then separated, one going up my back, the other one cupping my behind. The whole time, he walked me backwards.

His mouth came to mine and he brushed his lips there and then they trailed down my neck, we cleared the kitchen door and he was moving toward the bedroom.

I thought wildly of how to delay.

“I’ve decided what I want to say,” I announced, even though I hadn’t, but if he stopped, I’d wing it.

“Later,” he said against my neck, his hand on my bottom coming up and then dipping in my undies, to cup me skin to skin.

It felt good.

Jet, focus, I told myself.

“It’s important,” I said out loud.

He pushed me into the hal , his mouth coming to mine.

“This is important, that’l wait until later,” he said against my mouth and kissed me, his tongue sliding into my mouth.

Next thing I knew, my ni**les were tingling, my doo-da was quivering, I was kissing him back and my legs hit the bed.

The minute they did, he stopped and his hands swept away the t-shirt and he tossed it aside.

“Eddie…” I was half in a daze, half in denial.

He pushed me back a bit and looked down at me.

“I haven’t even seen you properly, Cariña,” he muttered.

He took a long look and then his hands went to the middle of my back and gently pushed up, arching it. He was murmuring in Spanish and I was thinking my last thoughts of escape before his head bent and his mouth found my nipple.

“Yes,” I whispered, my mouth not control ed by my brain.

His mouth moved on me and I lost al thoughts of escape. Instead, I pul ed his t-shirt free of his jeans and slid my hands under it, taking a moment to explore the muscles and skin on his back as his mouth moved to my other breast.