“Christ!” He tore his hand through his hair and then fel to his back. “I even know you’re worth it and I’m wondering if you’re worth it,” he muttered and it was his turn to address the ceiling.

I lay there a moment and then, mindlessly, I got up and grabbed the t-shirt I slept in. I didn’t know where to go from there. I pul ed it over my head and just got my arms through when I was tagged around the waist and pul ed back into bed.

“What are you doin’?” he asked, again looming over me with me on my back.

“Getting up.”

“Why?”

I blinked. “You’re angry at me. I thought I’d go.” His eyes narrowed.

“Is this your new tactic, piss me off and I’l let you go?” It wasn’t, but it was a good tactic. I wished I’d thought of it. It was kind of the essence of the Bitch Strategy, but that was more to make him think I wasn’t worth the effort. Now that he thought he knew I was and he knew I couldn’t hold onto the Bitch Strategy for more than an hour and a half, I was looking for new ways to go.

He watched my face move with my thoughts and then he rol ed over me. His hands went in the shirt and swept it off faster than it took me to put it on. He arched up and tossed it, far, far away from the bed. Definitely not in arms reach.

Then he came back to me, opened my legs and pul ed them around his back.

Dear Lord.

“Eddie,” I said.

“I thought I wanted to hear what you had to say, but I prefer you bein’ secretive. Your friends and family wil tel me al I need to know and it’l be the truth.”

“Eddie,” I tried again.

“Chiquita, you come complete with bad guys after you with guns and knives, an ass**le father that takes you for a ride and puts you in harm’s way, a Mom you have to take care of a lot less than you think you do and a sense of self preservation that’s nearly impenetrable—”

“Eddie,” I tried to interrupt him but he was on a rol .

“You also have the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen and you’re the sweetest piece of ass I’ve ever had. I don’t know if that balances out, but right now, I don’t give a shit. You aren’t goin’ anywhere.”

“Eddie!” I yel ed.

“What?” he yel ed back.

“Okay! I’l stay, we’l see how it works out.” The minute the words left my mouth, my eyes grew huge.

What was I thinking? Had I lost my mind?

No.

No, no, no.

I had to find a way to go back.

He watched my face again and shook his head.

“Un-unh, Cariña, no retreat. You’re mine.” Then, he kissed me, his tongue slid inside my mouth at the same time he slid inside of me.

He started moving, his mouth went to my ear and into his I said, “I can’t do this, Eddie. I have things to do, I have to find another job… I have to…”

“Jet. Quiet.” he said, moving inside me, “We’l figure it out.”

My arms went around him and my h*ps started moving with his.

“You don’t understand,” I whispered.

“We’l figure it out,” he repeated.

“I can’t ask you to…” I started to say but his hand went between our bodies, his fingers pressed against me and my mouth stayed open but no sounds came out as electricity shot through me.

His mouth came to mine and against it he said, “We’l figure it out.”

Chapter Fourteen

Blanca’s Party

“Isn’t this exciting?”

Ada was sitting between Eddie and me in the truck and we were on the way to Blanca’s. Mom and Trixie were fol owing, it was easier for Mom to get in and out of Trixie’s car and her wheelchair was already safe in the trunk. Ada wanted to ride in the “fancy truck” and no one had the heart to refuse her. It took us three goes to shove her bony behind into the cab but we got her in and we al headed out.

So, there we were, a mini-convoy on the way to my doom.

I’d spent most of the day in Eddie’s bed, Eddie spent most of the day in me.

Around three o’clock, I caught sight of the clock and panicked.

I pul ed Eddie out of bed and nagged at him to shower.

Then I paced and texted Daisy as a response to her second phone message (the one left after the cal Eddie didn’t let me answer), setting a meeting with her the next day while he showered and dressed. He wore what I considered (in my limited experience) an Eddie dress-up outfit, black, light-weight, v-neck sweater over a white tshirt, jeans that were seriously faded (the only kind I think he owned) and his signature black cowboy boots and silver-buckled belt.

Then, I dragged him to Fresh & Wild so I could buy flowers for Blanca. I even wore my Smithie’s uniform, ignoring al the stares as I tramped through a swank Cherry Creek grocery store in my slut outfit.

Then we went to my house. I took a shower and began my herculean preparations. At the same time I made peanut butter cookies and smushed a big, old square of Hershey’s chocolate in them after they came out, hot and puffy, from the oven. I ran back and forth between the bathroom and the kitchen like a woman on fire.

Eddie hung out through al this activity, alternately watching a footbal game and watching me.

At one point, he strol ed into the kitchen and grabbed one of the cookies when I wasn’t paying attention and ate it in one bite then immediately reached for another one.

I smacked his hand.

“Those are for your mother.”

His arm wrapped around my waist and he pul ed me to him. “Trixie was wrong. Chocolate sheet cake bought you protection. Make these for me and I’l put a ring on your finger.”

Dear Lord.

Trixie and Mom came home, thankful y both already done up in new outfits they reported they’d picked up that day at TJ Maxx; hair and makeup at the ready.

I wasted precious time trying on seven hundred and fifty outfits for them while my ear was to the cel phone, describing every outfit to Al y for her opinion.

We settled on the green dress Trixie bought me for my birthday the year before. It had cap sleeves, a square neckline, a square cut at the back exposing my shoulder blades and the skirt came to a respectable brush-the-knee hem. Problem was, it was skintight. That was a con. The pro was, it went with Tod’s sexy green sandals. I had nothing else suitable and Mom, Trixie and Al y al approved so I went with it.

Trixie did my hair while I did my makeup, saving time multi-tasking. I put some big, gold hoops at my ears, some clackety, thick, carved-wood bracelets on my wrists, spritzed with my swish perfume and tore out of the bedroom.