“No other woman has ever answered your door wearing your shirt before,” Drake pointed out.
“Yeah, well, I was lucky she put that on,” he said, biting back the reminder of how nonchalantly she’d almost answered the door buck naked beneath that shirt. “She doesn’t always think things through.”
Rick and Drake exchanged a glance he couldn’t read.
“Spit it out,” Dean said as the resort came into view.
“I was all for this the other night, but then she picked up that guy at the bar,” Drake said carefully. “And now she’s answering your door wearing your shirt. We don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Goddamn it. He’d finally gotten that asshole out of his mind. That guy didn’t matter. She was with him now. “I’m a big boy. I can handle myself.”
“You just said she doesn’t think things through, and although Des loves Emery like a sister,” Rick said, “she’s alluded to the fact that Emery is pretty uninhibited. Think about it. That’s all we’re saying. I can count the number of women you’ve had in your place on one hand, and they’re all related to us in one way or another—sister, sister’s best friend, mother…”
“You’ve had my wife in your place?” Matt asked with a teasing glare. “Something I should know about?”
Dean shook his head. “You were there, too. Halloween barbecue.”
As they came to the resort grounds, they slowed to a walk. “Listen,” Dean said. “I know Emery is a whirlwind, and I understand why you’re concerned. She’s nothing like the women I’ve gone out with, and there was that guy at the bar, but that’s because she’d put me in some sort of friend zone. She was in complete denial about what was going on between us.”
“In Emery’s defense, friends to lovers is a hard bridge to cross,” Matt said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I held back from being with Mira until I was sure I had the time and energy to devote to her. It took me a year to finally ask her out, and it only took me a few weeks to ask her to marry me. When you’ve met your soul mate, you know. In Dean’s defense, I wish I hadn’t wasted that year.”
“Sometimes crossing bridges bites you in the ass,” Drake ground out. “I’m glad it didn’t for you and our sister, and I hope it doesn’t for Dean and Emery.”
Another strained look passed between Rick and Drake, and then Rick turned his attention back to Dean.
“After three days she’s answering the door in your shirt? Come on, man,” Rick said. “She might be good in bed, but just be careful. We care about you.”
Dean’s hands fisted by his sides as he closed the distance between them, chest out, shoulders back. He was sure he was breathing fire. It took everything he had to not lay into Rick physically. “It hasn’t been three fucking days. I spent months getting to know her before we got intimate. Months, Rick. Talking every damn night, video chatting. I can tell you what her puppy’s name was when she was growing up, for God’s sake, and who her first kiss was with, and probably hundreds of things that would seem insignificant to you, but to me, they’re everything, because they made her who she is. And I fucking love who she is. She’s honest, smart, and she’s got a love for life like no one else. She doesn’t care about the bullshit most women care about.” As he said the words, he recalled how he and Drake had been just as worried about Rick when he’d fallen for Desiree. “You fell in love with Desiree after knowing her for just a few days, remember?”
“Pretty much overnight,” Drake pointed out.
“We’ve had months, Rick. And not months of sex. Months of talking, getting to know what makes each other tick. I was there for her when she had shitty dates and decided to swear off dating guys who were friends. I know what she wants out of life.” And I know how she sabotages it. “I was there for her when she was deciding whether she should leave Virginia, and I’ll be there when she misses her family.” He took a step back, pausing to rein in his emotions. “And she has been there for me. She’s been a calming force every time my father has left me so angry I wanted to kill someone. Just like you guys have been.”
Regret rose in Rick’s eyes. “I’m sorry, man.” He opened his arms and Dean reluctantly stepped into the embrace of the guy he’d known since they were both kids. “I should have known you’ve thought this through. And for the record, she looked very satisfied when she answered the door.”
She hasn’t even begun to be satisfied, thanks to you guys. “What do you say we go see how satisfied you made your fiancée last night? I’m starved.”
“I’ve got to take off,” Matt said.
“More baby making?” Drake teased. Matt and Mira had just begun trying to get pregnant.
Matt laughed. “Not this time. We’re taking Hagen to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium. I’ll catch up with you guys the next time I can make it out for a run.”
“I’ve got to head out right after breakfast,” Drake said. “I’m meeting a guy about that empty retail space in town. Thinking about opening my fifth store.” When they’d bought the resort, Drake had put his plans for opening another music store on hold. It made sense, now that the resort was fully functional, with administrative processes in place, that he’d want to move forward.
“Good luck with it,” Rick said.
“I’ve got a few places I’m checking out next week, too,” Drake said. “I figured I’d start looking now, but I won’t make any offers until the off-season. Better prices that way.”
They headed up to the Summer House, and Dean caught sight of Emery talking animatedly with Desiree in the side yard as they set the table. She was smiling and waving her hands, wearing a pair of tight black yoga pants and a bright pink sports bra, which he couldn’t wait to take off her. He wished she had a shirt on so the other guys wouldn’t get to enjoy the view of her gorgeous body, but he wasn’t a Neanderthal. At least she had pants on.
“I’m really sorry for coming across as a dick,” Rick said.
“It’s all right. I get it. I know what it looks like, but, man, I’ve been hooked on her since the first time she opened that sassy mouth of hers the night you proposed.” He understood why his friends worried, and the truth was, if Emery had appeared on his doorstep and they had never shared months of deep conversations, as well as light, ridiculous ones, he might worry too. But he knew his feisty girl, and once she stepped out of her own way, no one would question her feelings for him.
Chapter Fourteen
“I AM NOT humming!” Emery insisted, although not only was she buzzing like a hummingbird, but little aftershocks were quaking through her every time she thought of Dean. She was surprised she wasn’t causing the ground to shake.
“You started humming after Oscar Martin popped your cherry,” Desiree reminded her as she headed back inside for another tray of food, Emery and Cosmos at her heels. “And the only time you hum since is when you’ve had great sex. Why are you denying it?”
Desiree stopped walking, and Emery bumped into her with an oomph!
Desiree spun around, her jaw hanging open, her green eyes wide with horror. “Oh my gosh. We’re growing apart, aren’t we? You used to tell me about your sexual escapades. First we stop telling each other things, and then we’ll stop hanging out, and it’ll only get worse from there…”
“No, we are not growing apart.” Hearing the guys in the yard, Emery took her by the arm and dragged her away from the door. Cosmos scampered back outside. “I share everything with you. I haven’t had any escapades to speak of for months.”
“But you’re humming, and you swore there was nothing between you and Dean. Oh God, please tell me you aren’t staying at his place and sleeping with someone else.”
“Yeah, that’s it. I’ve turned into a flaming slut. You’d better lock up the men, or I’ll screw them all.” They both laughed, and Emery admitted, “There wasn’t anything between me and Dean before, or maybe there was and I didn’t let myself see it. But we haven’t had sex!” she whispered emphatically. “At least not full-on intercourse.”<
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“Ha! I knew it!” Desiree set her hands on her hips and smiled. “The way he looked at you over Christmas is nothing compared to how he looks at you now that you’re here. I knew you two would hook up.”
“Then you’re more intuitive than me, because I didn’t,” Emery confessed. She glanced toward the yard, where Dean’s distinct voice rose among the others’, and her stomach flipped. “Please don’t be mad, but I quit working at the resort and told Dean I’d see their customers here. I know I shouldn’t have said anything without asking you first, but I couldn’t fool around with my boss after what happened with the dickhead in Virginia.”
“That’s fine, of course, but I’m not buying that you didn’t know you and Dean would hook up.”
“I swear it!” She stopped talking as Violet descended the steps, eyeing them curiously. “Hey, Vi. I love your skirt.”
Violet looked down at the tie-dyed miniskirt covering the bottom of her black bikini. “Thanks. I made it.” She made a dramatic show of sniffing the air and said, “Ah, Rick’s a good man.”
Desiree blushed as Violet made a beeline for the crepes Desiree had set out for everyone. Then Desiree narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, staring at Emery expectantly.
“Denial,” Emery said flatly. “That’s my only defense.”
“Denial? Really? So are you two a thing now?” A smile lifted her lips, and before Emery could respond, concern wiped it away. “Em, he’s Rick’s business partner. Please tell me this isn’t a fling.”
“I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t feel like a fling,” she whispered. “It feels right. Righter than anything ever has, other than doing serious yoga back-care. It feels as right as that, only better. And that scares the shit out of me.”
“Why?”
Emery gazed in the direction of the voices coming from outside. The voices of her new life, her new friends, and the deep, sexy voice of the man who was singlehandedly upending her plans. “Because I feel all these things I haven’t felt before, and now that I’m not in denial, I know I didn’t stop dating friends just because I always screwed up our friendships. I stopped dating anyone because I preferred to spend the evenings with Dean, even if long-distance.”
“But, Em, those are good things. Wonderful things. Certainly not things to be scared of.”
“That’s not what scares me. What scares me is that I will probably screw this up, and I don’t want to.”
“Would you stop? You’re not going to screw anything up.” Desiree hugged her tight. “You gave me the courage to move forward with Rick, and I’m here for you, Em. Day or night. Whatever you need.”
“Thanks. I’m sure I gave Dean whiplash yesterday the way I was scared one minute and jumping in with two feet the next. But you know what? He didn’t freak out or run away. I think he really gets me.”
“You’re not that hard to get, Em. You’re pretty amazing.”
“Right back at ya, sister.” On the way back outside, Emery told her about Dean introducing her to Chloe. “I’m hoping she can get the approval for me to work with some of the residents there, but I promise it won’t interfere with my work here.”
When they stepped outside, Emery was sure all the guys looked up from the table, but she saw only Dean. He rose from his seat wearing nothing but running shorts and a predatory grin. As he ate up the distance between them, every determined step made her heart beat faster, her blood pump hotter. Oh man. She was so far past denial, she’d entered he’s mine territory.
“Hey, doll.” Dean planted a kiss on her cheek.
She was surprised by his open affection, but as she thought about the way he’d acted around Blaine and then around his friend Jonny as Jonny had measured her for a wet suit, she realized she shouldn’t be surprised. Dean was a possessive man, and boy, did she like him just the way he was.
“Looks like Em doesn’t have a problem with cock in the morning after all.” Violet lifted her glass in a toast. “To fantastic fuckery for all.”
Everyone laughed except Dean, who growled.
Emery turned his handsome face back toward her. She couldn’t help but giggle at his serious expression. “You didn’t really think you could kiss me without Violet announcing it to the world, did you?”
“This isn’t fuckery,” he said angrily.
“That blush on her cheeks tells a different story,” Violet chimed in.
“Does it matter what she calls it?” Emery asked Dean. “All that matters is what we think we are.” As the words left her lips, she wondered where her confidence in their relationship came from.
He gathered her in his arms, but his expression did not soften. Why was that such a turn-on?
“And what is it, doll? What are we to you?”
She drew in a deep breath, gathering her courage and choosing her words carefully. “The start of something that feels too right to be wrong.”
He lowered his mouth to hers, causing everyone to whistle and cheer. Cosmos barked up a storm.
“Did I just see a smoking-hot kiss between you two?” Serena asked as she came through the gate.
“The fuckery has begun,” Violet explained.
“Enough, Vi.” Dean led Emery to the chair beside his, and she immediately snatched a strawberry from his plate. He smiled and leaned in for another kiss.
“I guess Dean told you guys that I won’t be working at the resort,” Emery said as she plucked another piece of fruit from Dean’s plate.
“What?” Rick glared at Dean. “No, he didn’t tell us that.”
“She can’t work for me if we’re going to be together,” Dean explained.
“What about the classes I’ve booked?” Serena held a hand over her plate to stop Drake from putting a third crepe on it. “I can’t eat three, but thanks.”
“I’ll see your clients here at Summer House, if that’s okay with you guys. I’ll still give the resort a commission from each person you refer. I feel really bad about letting you down, but I swear I’ll teach just as many classes, and—”
“You didn’t have to quit,” Drake said with a hint of frustration as his gaze slid to Dean.
“I fired her,” Dean mumbled.
“No, you didn’t. I quit,” she insisted.
“We could have worked around it,” Drake said. “We’re all friends, after all.”
The relief of not having the pressure of working for Dean hanging over Emery’s head was indescribable, and she wasn’t about to go back to worrying about that. But she owed them a better explanation. “Thanks, Drake, but I wouldn’t have asked you guys to do that, and I couldn’t have done it. I had a really bad experience back home when I made the mistake of going out with my boss. I couldn’t take the chance of ruining everything if for some reason Dean and I don’t work out.”
Dean squeezed her shoulder. “We’re going to work out.”
“By that twinkle in her eyes, I’d say you already worked out,” Violet teased.
“Vi,” Dean warned.
Suddenly Emery worried that she’d put Dean in a difficult position by quitting. “Drake, if it’s a problem, I can…” Not see Dean? That wasn’t even an option anymore. “I can find someone else to teach at the resort if you want me to. I’m sure there are lots of yoga instructors here.”
“No, it’s fine,” Drake said. “And don’t worry about the commission. We don’t need it. I just didn’t want you to think you had to quit.”
“It’s fine, Emery. It’s not like we went to any great expense to prepare for you to work there,” Rick clarified. “We might have to repaint the office you were going to use, because Dean insisted on painting it buttercup yellow, but that’s not a big deal.”
Emery’s heart filled up. Dean hadn’t mentioned that he’d chosen the color. “You did that for me?”
“I would have built you an ashram,” Dean said casually. “Painting a room your favorite color was hardly difficult.”
“No, but it was the most thoughtful thing you could have done.” She
mentally corrected herself. The second most thoughtful thing. Talking to Chloe about me was even more thoughtful.
“Does this mean I can use the office? You don’t even have to paint it! I love buttercup yellow,” Serena piped in. “I’ve been talking to Shift Home Interior about working with them part-time. Having an office here would allow me to see clients without having to drive all the way to Hyannis.”
“You have a job,” Drake reminded her.
“A temporary job,” Serena said. “I told you guys I’d get the resort office up and running, but hopefully by next summer I can find a replacement and get my real career back on track.”
As Serena and Drake discussed the office, Emery felt a weight lift from her shoulders. With the morning sun shining down on them and the bay kissing the shores in the distance, she thought about how much her life changed in just a few days. How much she was changing. Was she really doing this? Reorganizing her life around a man? Her brothers would have her head on a platter if they found out. Either that or they would keel over from disbelief.
Dean speared a piece of crepe from his plate and offered it to her. She glanced down at her empty plate and at his, which was overflowing with fruit and crepes.
“My girl thinks everything tastes better when it’s mine,” he said. “So I doubled up.”
Oh yeah, she was rearranging her life, all right, but not just for any man. For one of her closest friends. A very patient, caring, sinfully hot, and sexually talented man.
AFTER A LONG day of running around town and setting up her yoga studio at Summer House, Emery raced home to shower for her and Dean’s date. Example outing, she corrected with a smile. Example, right! The bugger had known exactly what he was doing when he’d offered that up. And when he’d sent her sexy texts throughout the day. She’d been revved up all afternoon from his playful texts, which had made her imagination work overtime, like, Looking forward to getting dirty with you later.
Bayside Passions (Bayside Summers Book 2) Page 16
