Everything You Need by Melissa Blue

is
ready to take your place.”
    Hazel remembered the glint in Laura’s eye after the
extended vacation comment. She started to shake her head. “You
don’t want me to design your house. Hell, you have prime location
right on the beach. You could have sold it as a fixer-upper if all
you needed was money.”
    Something passed over his face. “It’ll be a great
opportunity for you—”
    She broke the eye contact first. “What did you bring
for dinner? I’d hate for it to go cold.”
    His warm hand covered hers. “Hazel?”
    “I love chile verde tacos covered.”
    Brice sighed. “I have some tacos, beans and
rice.”
    “Sounds delicious.” She saw he was about to start up
again.
    Hazel held up her hand. The bedroom was in her
peripheral vision, catching all the light, looking better, like it
had tons more space. But she wasn’t ready. The burn in her chest
wasn’t there to design. “I’ll tell your sister you ate something
other than Americanized spaghetti.”
    Brice smiled at her. “Truce.”
    Hazel nodded. “I don’t mind talking shop. I just
don’t want to do it. I’m on vacation.”
    “Vacation and that’s it?”
    She placed a taco on her plate. “In junior high I
found I had a knack for decorating. It changed into designing once
I took an art class in high school.”
    He gave her a deadpan spare. “My father told me to be
constructive.”
    Hazel laughed and the tension seemed to leave the
room. She leaned against the counter again, this time mimicking his
movements. “Tell me more.”

CHAPTER 6
     
    Brice stood on his new porch and watched the ocean
ebb and flow. He had taken a chance last night when he went to
Hazel’s house. He rolled his shoulders at the uncomfortable weight
of not confessing the truth. The idea for her to design his house
was strictly for his benefit. Yes, he saw how it could help Hazel,
but his motives were still selfish as hell.
    Something moved in the corner of his vision. Hazel
was striding up the beach in the distance. Her stride had a rhythm
now. The spandex material hugged her thighs and hips and, even with
the light jacket she wore, he could see her breasts rise up and
down. He swallowed. And that’s why I feel like a shit.
    He wanted her in his bed. They’d talked last night
for a few hours, and her wit and intelligence had shone through the
topics they picked—politics, classic books, and men who felt the
need to not shave.
    As she neared the porch he could see the smile
spreading over her face. His heart thumped in his chest, and he
stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep from touching her like
he’d wanted to last night.
    Though they had talked about surface issues,
something had weighed on them. If he recalled rightly, she’d looked
downright desperate when she answered the door. There had been
something in her demeanor that spoke of her relief at seeing him,
or maybe just at seeing someone, anyone. Now, the closer Hazel came
to where he stood the more he could tell her smile didn’t quite
reach her eyes.
    “Hey, I’m surprised to see you out here,” she
said.
    “Taking a lunch break.” He stayed at the top of the
porch steps, not willing to meet her halfway even though the
downtrodden expression tugged at him.
    She strode up the rest of the walkway. “Where’s
Tony?”
    Her words were like a knife, twisting in the sore
spot his brother had left. “I’d rather not talk about him.”
    The moment he’d walked into the house late last
night, Tony had started in on him again. Brice had ripped him a new
one in Italian and Tony had finally relented.
    “Why?”
    He frowned at her tone. Her hands were on her hips
now and the expression refused to lift. He knew what her problem
was, and damn, if he didn’t want to fix it. “Do you want to talk
about the magazine article?”
    She pursed her lips. “Good point.” She sighed. “I’m
sorry. I’ve just been spoiling for a really good argument.”
    “And I seemed like a good candidate to yell