unreadable. “You’re the hot chick next door that Eddie is trying to bang.”
I looked at Eddie. “You’re the science teacher. You’re Mr. LaRoche.”
The three of us just kept starting at each other in utter disbelief. I felt like I had just been transported into one of those bedroom farces that community theaters often produced. Only this was far from a modern comedy. I had a horrible feeling it was going to quickly turn into a tragedy.
My no wake zone was quickly being overtaken by a tempest.
When I glanced over at Eddie, I noticed he was smirking.
Asshole.
I wanted to smack the smirk right off of his face.
When I glanced at Daniel, his expression was so pained, it looked like he had just been smacked. I wanted to give him a big hug.
Daniel looked like he wanted to say something but no words came out. Instead, he just shook his head, turned and walked into his apartment. I could feel my chest constrict. Why was this happening?
Eddie stepped closer to me and said, “So, did you think about me when you were kissing Danny?”
What the fuck? It took me a minute to register what he was saying.
As if I was watching a movie in slow motion, I could feel my hand as it swung toward Eddie’s face. He grabbed my wrist just before my palm made contact with his cheek.
“I wondered if you were the kind of girl who liked it rough,” he said as he closed the distance between us. I could feel his breath as he spoke. “I can do rough. I’ll do whatever it takes to rock your world.”
I made an attempt to free my wrist but he held it tighter. “You know you want me,” he said, his brown eyes boring into me. My chest tightened so much I could barely breathe.
“You have no idea what I want,” I managed to spit out.
Eddie grabbed my other wrist and pushed me up against the wall of our duplex. He pinned my arms to the wall above my head. I would have protested if I hadn’t been so completely aroused. He slammed his mouth into mine and kissed me fiercely. Hunger and longing raged through my body like a wildfire as his lips assaulted mine. The intensity of his desire, and the heat radiating from his body, was almost too much to bear. Every part of my body responded to Eddie in ways I had never felt before. It was as if every nerve I had was suddenly activated. Holy. Shit.
The exterior light flashed on over Eddie and Daniel’s door and I gasped.
Daniel.
Oh, my God. I wondered if he had seen us. All of the lust drained from my body and was quickly replaced with guilt and horror.
I ripped my arms free and wrenched myself from Eddie. He blinked a few times as if he was processing what just happened.
I shook my head. “I can’t do this.”
I didn’t have the nerve to look into his eyes. I knew if I looked into those sexy brown eyes again, Eddie would be in my bed in minutes.
I could feel his hand grab my shoulder and I could feel his breath on my neck as he whispered into my ear, “Yes, you can.” Three little words, but they held so much power.
Could I? Could I ever be with Eddie knowing Daniel was right next door? Could I be with Daniel now that I had a taste of Eddie? If I kissed Daniel again, would my thoughts drift to Eddie?
A few seconds passed, and when I didn’t turn to face him, Eddie let go of my shoulder. I unlocked my apartment and was barely able to shut the door behind me before I slid to the floor and started to cry.
I was awash in a sea of emotions as tears of anger, frustration, confusion, humiliation and sadness flowed down my cheeks. My only saving grace was that I had a full day to try and restore my sanity before I had to go to work and face Daniel again.
SIX
Unhooked
All day Sunday, I stayed holed up in my apartment, drowning my sorrows in several pints of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy ice cream. I had no idea what was going to happen when I had to see Daniel at work on Monday. I wondered if I should even call him Daniel. His friends called him Danny or Danny-O. I wasn’t sure if he’d even consider me a friend anymore. Or if I ever was one.
I