Free The Suit by B. N. Toler Page A

special. And if you try anything on her…mess with her…you’ll have me to deal with.”
    It takes every bit of strength I have not to laugh in his face. I don’t do well with threats, especially undeserved ones. Instead of telling him that, I mimic him and nod, sipping my beer before saying, “I’m just here to work the summer.” I would love to say something shitty to him, put him in his place, but what’s the point? I have no intentions of making a move on Edie so his threat is pointless.
    “Good.” He nods again and walks away. What a fucking joke.
    I sit on the back of someone’s tailgate—Nikki left me to go say hi to some friends—when Edie climbs up and sits beside me.
    “You look like you’re miserable,” she smirks and bumps my shoulder with hers.
    “No. Just don’t know anyone.”
    “You know me,” she says, and our eyes meet. The light of the fire flickers in her eyes and I’m lost in them momentarily. She’s a good girl, it’s easy to see, but in this moment I can see there is more to Edie James than meets the eye. I think this town is only seeing what she lets them see. There’s another side to her she’s been hiding, but I have no idea what it is or why she’s hiding it. All I know is I kind of want to find out.
    Breaking eye contact with her, I say, “Thanks for inviting me. I appreciate the olive branch.”
    “There are a lot of nice girls here I could introduce you to,” she offers.
    “I’m sitting next to one. That’s enough for me.” I smile as I glance at her. She smiles back and her cheeks go pink. She’s blushing. And it’s adorable.
    “One of many synonyms used to describe me,” she sighs loudly before sipping her beer.
    “What does that mean?”
    “I’m nice, polite, sweet, kind, and so on. That’s my official town description.”
    “And that’s bad?” I question reflecting back to my previous thoughts that there is more to Edie James than meets the eye.
    “No. But I feel like I’ve been pigeonholed into this reputation. Guys don’t date the good girl. They marry her. So I’m like that girl no one dates because they’re all busy hooking up with other girls. I’m the girl they come after when they think they’re through sowing their oats.”
    Well that makes sense. She is the kind of girl you want to marry. “What would you want them to see if you could show them anything?”
    “I don’t need or want ‘them’ to see anything but what they see. I just want one, the one,” she clarifies, “to discover me.” She sighs and sips her beer again, letting her legs swing. “I’m sorry. Not sure why I’m saying all this to you. My mind has been all over the place since Daddy Bud passed.”
    “Understandable. I know I don’t know you as well as everyone else here does, but I know there’s more to you than being a good girl.”
    “And how do you know that?” she asks and quirks a curious brow at me.
    I know I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t say what I’m about to say to her, but I have to. I lean toward her and whisper, “Because a good girl wouldn’t wear those naughty little panties you had on the morning I showed up at your house.” Edie’s cheeks flush bright red with my words, but her gaze never leaves mine. She shifts in her seat briefly and I watch her as I sip my beer, awaiting her response. Something about her shyness is such a fucking turn on I have to bite my bottom lip to stop myself from saying anything else. Her gaze falls to my mouth and her chest rises as she takes a deep breath.
    “One of my indulgences,” she shrugs tearing her eyes away. There’s no doubt I’ve just embarrassed her, but she’s determined not to show it. “Maybe nobody else will see them, but I do, and I like the way they make me look and feel.”
    I like the way they make you look, too, I think to myself.
    “Good girl. Naughty panties. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.” I grin as she refuses to meet my gaze again.
    “It’s going to be a long