Ember in the Heart: A Novella

by Samantha Young

  Ember tensed as if she could feel him staring at her behind his glasses. Then she shoved her sunglasses up into her hair and he saw the bemusement in her eyes.

  “Like I said,” he said, voice hoarse with wanting her. “Not interested in them.”

  Before she could reply, G suddenly threw herself at him and he caught her just before she faceplanted on his chest. “Daddy, come see our castle!”

  Nice timing, angel, nice timing.

  Because he’d just been about to make a huge mistake.

  5

  Ember

  “You miss them, don’t you?”

  I looked up from my breakfast to find Jade and Celeste staring at me with big, concerned gazes from across the kitchen table. It was the end of my first week without Georgie (and Foster). The new nanny started a week ago and, other than catching glimpses of them in their yard, I hadn’t seen much of the Darwins.

  “You should go visit. I’m sure Georgie misses you,” Jade insisted.

  I shook my head. “I haven’t been invited.”

  And stupidly, I’d expected Foster to text me at some point and ask me to come over or grab a milkshake with them … or something.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  “It’s a Sunday. They’ll be home, you’re home,” Celeste said, “Why don’t you make your lemonade and take it over?”

  I grimaced. “Like a desperate spinster from the nineteen fifties?”

  “That’s severe and unfair.” Celeste made a face.

  “You know what I mean. I have to be careful with how my behavior appears.”

  Jade cocked her head to the side. “When have you ever cared what people think?”

  “Not people. Georgie. And Foster. I don’t want to be that middle-aged woman who can’t take a hint.” Melancholy was a sharp ache near my heart. “No, I won’t go over uninvited.”

  My sisters exchanged a look as if I were a problem to be solved.

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  “Tell that to your mopey face.”

  I scrunched my nose up at Celeste. “Stop being childish.”

  “Pot Meet Kettle.”

  Jade pushed away from the table. “Well, I’m meeting Colt in half an hour. We’re making final decisions at the venue today.”

  “Good luck. Have fun.”

  My sister paused and turned toward us. “I promised I wouldn’t say anything but I feel like if I don’t, you and Foster might miss an opportunity here.”

  Frowning, I turned in my seat to meet her gaze. “What’s going on?”

  Jade’s eyes lit up. “Foster likes you.”

  My pulse skittered. “What?”

  She nodded, barely containing her excitement. “He told Colt he’s extremely attracted to you.”

  Extremely attracted to me.

  Well, I knew that.

  The man did not hide that fact.

  But there was a difference between like and attraction. “Attracted to me or likes me?”

  “Well… both.”

  “So why hasn’t he done anything about it?” Celeste asked. “He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who doesn’t go after what he wants.”

  I gestured to my younger sister as if to say, “Yes, thank you, I agree.”

  Jade narrowed her eyes on Celeste before turning back to me. “I don’t know why he’s holding back. I think Colt knows but he won’t tell me. But maybe he thinks you think he’s not mature enough. I mean, you did call him a man child. Several times.”

  Hope was a wretched blossom blooming deep within me. I tried to shove it down. “It’s more than likely I’m the opposite of the kind of woman he usually dates.”

  “In what way?” Celeste frowned.

  “I am neither in my twenties, beautifully athletic, a college graduate, and nor am I from a good east coast society family.”

  “You don’t really think that stuff matters to Foster, do you?” Jade retorted. “He had a child when he was still in college. Not exactly Mr. Perfect Society Guy.”

  Hmm. That was true. Maybe I was projecting his initial attitude about me onto who I knew him to be now. And hadn’t we decided we were going to see the best in each other?

  Still … “Like Celeste said, Foster is a man who goes after what he wants. If he wants me, he knows where to find me.”

  “Does that mean you would be interested?”

  I shrugged. “Certainly in sex. Anything more than that … I’m not sure.”

  Jade’s face fell. “But you’re not a casual sex kind of woman.”

  “There is a huge age difference between us and I might not look so hot to Foster when I’m sixty and he’s still forty-nine. However, I am attracted to him so …” I shrugged, feeling butterflies at the mere thought, “I wouldn’t say no to sex with a hot younger man. As long as he knows what he’s doing.”

  The thought of Foster’s mouth and hands on my body made me shiver with unfulfilled desire.

  Foster Darwin was the last man I’d ever let near my body with his hands and mouth!

  In fact, he could rot in hell for all I cared!

  Furious, instead of my leisurely breast strokes across the pool, I powered through the water in the front crawl. Back and forth, hammering out my hurt and rage.

  I tried not to think of the events earlier that day, but I couldn’t stop seeing it.

  A warm near-summer’s day, I decided to spend it outside, pottering in our garden. The pool took up most of the backyard, but we had a lawn out front with flowers beds and pots that hung over the porch. I’d bought some fresh plants and was near the flowerbeds adjacent to Foster’s driveway, digging in the cool soil when a Range Rover swung up onto his drive.

  An older woman in gray linen pants, a white high-neck blouse and matching gray linen jacket, hopped out of the SUV. She wore sunglasses but I felt her gaze on me and sat back on my heels. A man who looked an awful lot like an older version of Foster rounded the hood.

  “Grandpa, grandma!” I heard Georgie shout and suddenly she dashed down the porch and across the driveway as fast as her little legs could take her.

  My heart pounded at the sight of her and I felt stupid tears prick my eyes.

  Jesus, I missed her.

  And I was so thankful to see her happy as her grandfather swung her up into his arms to hug her. I smiled, watching them greet one another, noting Foster had appeared on the driveway too. As Georgie turned her head to look at him, she caught sight of me.

  Her pretty little face lit up. “Em!” she took off across the drive before anyone could stop her and I dropped my garden implements just in time to catch her.

  The feel of her in my arms made me emotional and I hugged her tight without touching her with my dirty hands. Then she let me go and I realized she’d gotten soil on her pretty purple dress anyway. “Oh, honey, I got you dirty.”

  “G, you can’t just attack Ember like that.” Foster came toward her, frowning down at her spoiled dress. “You’ll need to get changed now for lunch with grandma and grandpa.”

  Her face fell.

  “It was my fault,” I said, even though it wasn’t.

  “I’m Madeline Darwin.” Foster’s mom hovered on the boundary between our yards. She offered me a smile. “You are?”

  “Ember Bonet.”

  “She’s Jade’s sister,” Foster said, without looking at me.

  “Oh.” Her smile wilted a little but she gestured to the flower beds. “I love to garden too. Isn’t it therapeutic?”

  I nodded though I barely paid attention. I was too busy staring at Foster, wondering why he refused to acknowledge me.

  “This is my husband, Edward. Edward, come meet Foster’s neighbor. She’s Colt’s fiancé’s sister.”

  “I heard.”

  I stiffened at his dismissive tone. And scowled as he said, “Georgie needs to change into a clean dress so we better move if we want to make our reservation.”

  “Can Em come?” Georgie asked, staring up at her dad with big, pleading eyes.
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  Just as I was about to open my mouth to protest, Foster replied firmly. “Absolutely not.” Then he took her hand and walked away. She stared back at me, her lower lip trembling.

  I know the feeling kid.

  I gave her a weak smile and a little wave.

  It only made her face fall further.

  Guilt bloomed in my chest.

  “Georgie seems close to Jade’s sister,” I heard Madeline say as she followed Foster up the driveway.

  Edward grunted in displeasure.

  And that’s when I heard Foster reply, “Not really. She just watched G for a few days while I searched for a nanny. That’s all. We barely know each other.”

  See.

  Rot. In. Hell.

  I glared as I hurtled across the pool.

  “Ember.”

  I was so mad at him I was hallucinating his voice?

  “Ember!”

  I paused mid-stroke.

  “Ember!”

  Turning my head, I caught sight of a shadowy figure leaning over the fence.

  Foster.

  “What do you want?” I asked flatly.

  “Can you come over here?”

  Screw you, asshole. “Not really?”

  “Look, I can’t be long. My parents are still here … but G was asking for you a lot after we saw you today and I wondered if maybe she could hang out with you one evening this week?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Guilt consumed me but I couldn’t be around someone like Foster.

  “Why?”

  “Because I have very good hearing. You said we barely knew each other, which is a lie. And I don’t associate with people who are too embarrassed to properly introduce me to their parents.”

  Silence reigned from the other side of the fence.

  My hurt and rage built so I started to swim, ignoring his presence.

  A few minutes later the sound of water splashing at the other end of the pool startled a cry from me and I whirled around to see Foster swimming toward me.

  What the hell?

  I backed up away from him. “What are you doing?”

  His face was grim. “Apologizing.”

  Scowling, I shook my head, grateful when he stopped before we touched. “You can’t apologize for a fundamental personality flaw. You clearly think it matters what family a person is born into and I don’t. And I can’t be friends, or associate with anyone, who would think I’m less worthy because of who my family is or isn’t. By the time you get to my age, Foster, you’ll realize none of that shit matters.”

  Frustration flashed in his gorgeous eyes as he floated before me.

  In nothing but his boxer briefs, I realized.

  Heat flushed through me and I hated my attraction to him more than ever.

  “I already know that shit doesn’t matter. I do. But my relationship with my family is complicated. However,” he moved closer to me, “That does not give me the right to treat you that way.” Remorse softened his gaze. “I hurt you and I hurt G… and that’s not on.”

  Confused, I looked away. “I … what do you want from me?”

  “You don’t want the answer to that question.”

  My breath caught at his hoarse response and I finally looked at him.

  His desire was there, darkening his expression, his features taut with it.

  “Foster…”

  Suddenly he wrapped a hand around my nape and dragged me across the water to collide against his hard body as his mouth crushed over mine. Foster groaned, the vibration of it sparking my arousal, like hands down my body, fingers teasing my nipples, whispering across my belly and sliding home between my legs. His kiss grew harder, more demanding and desperate. We panted into each other’s mouths, refusing to break the kiss, as if afraid we’d never do it again.

  When I became aware of his erection digging into my stomach I was lost. Arousal was a luscious flip, deep and low between my thighs. My desire grew as Foster’s hand slid up my waist, brushing my heavy breast and coming to a stop at the string halter. He broke the kiss, pulling back only an inch to gaze into my eyes. His lips were swollen from my kiss, his eyes dark and wicked.

  He tugged on the bikini string and I gasped as the wet material fell into the water, revealing me to him.

  “Jesus, fuck,” Foster groaned. “Jesus, fuck, you’re so beautiful. So sexy.” He cupped my naked breasts and shivers of need skated through me. Arching my back, my nipples tightened in the cool air and my breasts swelled as Foster’s thumbs caught on the tight points.

  Then he lifted my right breast as he bent his head and his mouth was on me.

  I reached for the back of the pool for purchase, struggling to contain my cry of pleasure.

  “Foster, we can’t… ah…” he sucked hard, causing bolts of lust to shoot between my legs. “Not here. Anyone might see us.”

  That seemed to be the splash of cold water he needed.

  Foster lifted his head but pressed his body against mine, up against the wall of the pool.

  He throbbed against me.

  Then he kissed me again.

  Hard, hungry as he squeezed and caressed my breasts like he just couldn’t help himself. Finally, he released my mouth, the bristle of his unshaven cheeks scratching against my skin as he whispered in my ear, “This is far from over.”

  Then he pushed away, swimming at impressive speed across the pool.

  My fingers trembled as I grabbed at the strings of my bikini top and fumbled to cover myself. Foster hauled himself out of the pool, his boxer briefs clinging to the muscles of his perfect ass. He shot me a look of dark promise over his shoulder, then bent down to scoop up his clothes.

  “Holy. Crap,” I murmured, touching my bee stung lips.

  So we were two completely different people and we weren’t going to ever be anything permanent … but that didn’t mean we couldn’t indulge in a little after hours fun.

  Yeah, now that I’d had a taste of him … this was definitely far from over.

  6

  Foster

  It was serendipity. At least, that was the excuse Foster used as he pulled into the parking lot outside Ember’s spa and store.

  He stared up at the sign for the spa:

  House of Bonet

  And then to the sign above the attached store:

  Ember’s Zen Den

  He smirked at her sense of humor, pulse racing.

  Of all the places he could be that afternoon, it was in town. Colt had set up a meeting with a guy who was looking to sell several properties he owned on the coastal line. Unfortunately, Colt had a bad case of food poisoning after a sample test day yesterday with their wedding caterer. Not only had he upchucked all through the night, he and Jade now needed to find a new caterer.

  And Foster had to cover his meetings.

  The day after he almost screwed Ember Bonet in her swimming pool.

  Definitely serendipity had kept him in town today.

  Georgie was at school, there was no point in him driving into the city only to have to drive back a half hour later to be home for G… so with time on his hands, he found himself heading toward Ember.

  Despite knowing it was probably a really terrible idea, he just couldn’t get the taste of her out of his mouth. If he didn’t have her, he was pretty sure he’d never be able to fully concentrate on anything else ever again.

  Striding into Ember’s store, he drew to a stop in disappointment to see a woman with long black hair sitting by the counter. She eyed him with a furrow between her brows.

  More than likely because he didn’t look like their usual customer.

  “May I help you?”

  “Uh … is Ember here?”

  Instead of answering, she turned and yelled toward the doorway that led to the storeroom and Ember’s office, “Bonet, some hot dude is here to see you!”

  He raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond, only took a few more steps toward the counter. It was a wonder Ember’s employee couldn’t hear his
heart pounding.

  “Is that really how you’re going to address our customers?” He heard Ember say. “Raven, please—” she was suddenly there, staring at him open-mouthed.

  “Hey.” His gaze flickered over her long dress, loving the way it hugged her breasts and waist before it flared out into a full skirt. The way she dressed was so different from the women he’d dated but Foster liked it. Everything about Ember was enticingly feminine.

  “Hey.” Ember took a step toward him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Had a meeting in town. Thought I’d stop by.” He knew he couldn’t hide the heat in his eyes.

  He knew it in the way she sucked in a breath and addressed the so-called Raven in a breathy tone. “Honey, why don’t you finish up early?”

  Raven raised a brow. “You sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  “Sweet!” she hopped off the stool and grabbed a huge black purse. “For once I can do grocery shopping without two teens chirping in my ear and adding fifty dollars’ worth of crap we don’t need, and can’t afford, into my cart.”

  Ember gave her a strained smile. “Have fun.”

  “Sure, sure.” Raven wiggled her fingers at him as she passed but Foster could barely keep his eyes off Ember.

  In fact, his attention was glued to her as her chest rose and fell with quick breaths as she followed in Raven’s wake. Bemused, Foster turned to watch her sashay across the store and turn the lock on the door. She flipped the sign to CLOSED and then sashayed back.

  “Come with me,” she murmured as she passed him and anticipation hung heavy in his groin.

  Practically chasing after her like a panting teen, he followed her down two steps to the narrow corridor that led off to the stockroom, the restroom, and her office. Ember’s skirts disappeared into her office with her and it was like a haze of lust just came down over his mind.

  As soon as he stepped into the room, he rushed her, pressing her up against her desk, molding his body to hers. Foster’s heart slammed against his ribs as their eyes locked, her soft body crushed to his, the fire between them blazing.