Hold Me Down Hard

As a humid summer breeze fluttered the lacy curtains over her sink, Eden blinked her mind back into focus and met Janie's shrewd glance. While the four girls sitting around the table were all actresses, having met on a movie set after Eden moved to the Big Apple three years ago, Janie was by far the most flamboyant and loudest of the bunch.

Eden shook her head. "Sorry, where was I?" she asked, with only half her attention on her cards. The other half was still on her neighbor and how she'd do just about anything to get a glimpse of him in his police uniform before he peeled it from his rock-hard body and called it a night.

God, if he only knew what it did to her, knew how many times she'd lain in bed and conjured naughty scenarios with the big bad cop in his work wear-doing delicious things to her with his cuffs-he'd surely think she was a deviant and run the other way. This, of course, was the main reason she'd never admit her desires to anyone. Not ever again, anyway. The one time she'd told a guy how she felt about men in uniforms, the way her mind's eye played out a bevy of kinky fantasies-like being shackled to the bed or tied at the ankles—he'd run straight into the arms of a normal girl. Apparently, because she was from Iowa, he, as well as everyone else, expected her to be a shy country girl, not some wild and twisted pervert-which was what he'd called her on the way out of her condo and out of her life.

But dammit, she was tired of hiding the real Eden, and she wanted a guy she could be herself with, a guy who accepted her for who she was and who wasn't afraid to explore all her darkest desires.

Except it wasn't just any guy with whom she wanted to share her wicked side. Oh no, not at all. The guy she wanted to lay herself bare to was none other than her best friend, Jay Bennett.

"Oh. My. God," Maria whispered, her big blue eyes bulging wide as she studied Eden. When Maria's mouth dropped open, her chin dangling inches from the table, Eden feared her friend was about to catch the fly buzzing around the kitchen.

Angie picked up her strawberry daiquiri and gave a small salute to Maria. "Oh my God is right."

"What?" Eden asked, working to keep a measure of calm as all three glared at her like they could see straight into her soul. Then again, they'd all shared so much over the last few years that maybe they could. Maybe they knew how much she wanted her neighbor, in and out of his uniform.

Janie snapped her fingers and did some weird head-bobbing thing before saying, "You've got it bad, girlfriend."

Eden stared at her friends for a moment longer, then let loose a long-suffering sigh, deciding any attempt to hide her feelings from the trio, who probably knew her better than she knew herself, was simply an exercise in futility.

"I know," Eden admitted and buried her face in her hands. "I've got it bad. But he totally friend-zoned me. He's not interested in sharing anything more than pizza and movies."

The truth was, while she wanted a shot at a real relationship with her best friend, one that would eventually involve a white picket fence and a brood of kids, he seemed more than happy with the way things were between them. She loved hanging out with him, loved how he checked in on her every night, and especially loved lounging on the sofa and sharing a bowl of popcorn during one of their many weekend movie marathons. But as much as she pried, Jay never opened up on a deeper personal level and never shared his work life with her, even when she knew he'd had a bad day and needed to vent.

Maria frowned. "Are you sure he doesn't have a girlfriend somewhere?"

"Positive."

Janie arched an inquisitive brow. "Maybe he just isn't commitment material." She rolled her eyes and added, "Typical playboy."

"You could be right," Eden said, nodding in dismay.

Maria blinked dark lashes over hopeful eyes. "Maybe you could reform him. Prove to him you're the one and only girl for him."

Eden blew an exaggerated breath. While she would love to do just that, she wasn't sure how to go about it. Nor was she even sure if she could tame him, considering the amount of women she'd seen coming and going from his place over the last three years. Maybe he just wasn't interested in long-term with anyone.

"Yeah," Angie said. "Show him just how good you two can be together."

"How? We're friends and he just doesn't seem interested in anything more."

"Then make him interested," Janie said.

Eden planted her elbow on the table and rested her forehead in her palm. "Make him? How am I supposed to that?"

"He helps you rehearse your scripts, right?"

"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"

Across the table from her, Maria giggled and shared a conspiratory look with Janie. Janie winked at her as Angie reached over and pulled Eden's palms from her face and handed her a much-needed drink.

"It has everything to do with it," Maria said.

Wondering what she was missing, Eden took a big sip of her daiquiri and leaned back in her chair. "You two want to enlighten me?"

Janie rolled her big brown eyes and her voice was teasing when she asked, "God, Eden, do I have to spell everything out for you?"

"Apparently."

"Get your ass over there right now and ask him to help you rehearse."

Frustrated, Eden threw her arms up in the air. "He runs lines with me all the time and it's never made him notice me before. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

Janie leaned forward, a mischievous grin curling her painted lips. "Because this time, sweet, naïve Eden, you're going to write the script."

Eden exhaled slowly and sank a little lower in her chair. Even though she couldn't believe what her friend was suggesting, it didn't stop her salacious mind from racing with devious plots, ones that involved Jay in his sexy uniform rescuing and cuffing an innocent-or not so innocent-damsel in distress.

Her gaze shifted to Angie, the most logical and rational thinker of the bunch, but when Angie pointed one manicured finger toward her door and gave her an encouraging smile, Eden's thoughts once again careened in an erotic direction.

Shivers of anticipation trickled along every vertebra in her spine as she thought about playing out the role she'd been fantasizing over for months. Her breath came in shallow bursts and a low, needy moan lodged deep in her throat when her eyes strayed toward her door. She blew a wispy strand of hair from her face as basic elemental need took over, urging her to heed her friends' advice and show Jay how good they could be together both in and out of the bedroom. Her body trembled almost uncontrollably as she visualized herself going over to his condo with her very own sexy script-before he climbed out of his uniform.

But it was so risky. So outrageous. So downright naughty.

Then again, hadn't she just said she wanted a real relationship with Jay, wanted him to like her for who she was? Five minutes ago, she swore she would never share her secret fantasies with anyone, but wasn't this the perfect way to show him the real Eden-to let him see the naughty beneath the nice-and show him how they could be together? Plus, she also wanted Jay, a guy who risked his life every day to serve others, to really open up to her and share all aspects of his life.

Feeling restless, needy, and oh-so-edgy, she took a moment to give the wicked scheme further consideration. Less than a heartbeat later, as she warmed to the idea of seducing the bad-ass cop next door, ribbons of desire pulsed in her blood and she fought the urge to squirm in her seat. But then worry hit like a sucker punch when she thought more about their friendship.

What if her seduction and secret fetishes ruined their relationship?

What if they didn't?