The Ocean Between Us (A Southern Heroes Novel Book 1)

by Michelle Heard

  “What brings you to a place like this, Emma?”

  She leans in. I’d like to think it’s to get away from Katia and closer to me, but the music’s been turned up so she’s only doing it so I can hear her answer.

  I haven’t dated in a while; I mean a long while. Saying that I’ve been too busy will only be fooling myself. The thing with Laurie, my sister, hit hard. It’s just been Zac and me ever since.

  The second she gets close, I get a dose of her faint scent. Something flowery.

  You’re working, dude. You don’t have time for this.

  She glances up at me, and the lecture I was about to give myself takes a hike. Okay, maybe I can make time for a little flirting. Having some fun won’t be so bad. Zac’s been on my case about dating, and there’s no harm in flirting.

  “Experiences. I promised myself new experiences,” Emma answers, way too honest.

  “Aiden, don’t keep her all to yourself,” Katia purrs behind Emma.

  “I can’t help she likes good company,” I say, adding a smile to take the sting out of my words.

  I know some of them have been frowning at the lack of women at my side. For some reason, it’s important to them to show what effect they have on the female population of Chapel Hill. I don’t want to bring someone into this group, not while I’m working.

  Then again, I didn’t bring Emma in. Katia did.

  I rest my arm on the seat behind Emma. “You should be happy, Katia.” I wait for her to take the bait, but instead, Colton does.

  “Why’s that, bud?” He leans forward, his eyes moving slowly from Emma to me.

  “I finally have a woman sittin’ at my side.”

  I lean closer to Emma, and I’m surprised when she doesn’t make a run for the exit. She’s letting me come onto her, and it makes my blood pump faster through my veins.

  I only pull back once the waitress arrives with our drinks.

  Reaching for two shots of tequila, I hand Emma one. I see the question in her eyes. Whether it’s about the comments or the drink, I don’t know. She has the most expressive face I’ve ever seen.

  “So, is everythin’ organized for tomorrow night?” I ask Katia.

  I have to remember I’m working. It’s imperative that I blend in as a student.

  “Yes, we have six new guys lined up. We’ll see if they’re stupid enough to show. Maybe we’ll find some new talent. We found you a few months back,” she says all possessively. Her eyes roam hungrily over Emma, and I have to admit that I don’t like it one bit.

  Emma takes the shot and throws her head back, swallowing the liquid. She grabs at her throat and gasps for air. Yeah, she’s obviously not used to drinking.

  “Have some salt and lime.” I hand her a slice of lime, so she can at least get rid of the aftertaste.

  Our fingers touch lightly as she takes the slice, and her eyes jump back to mine. I’m sure she felt the same spark I just did. Her eyes are huge as she looks from the slice to me. When I see the confusion on her face, I realize she has no idea what to do.

  Just how innocent is this girl?

  I lean in, placing my arm behind her again. “You need to suck it,” I say, and as soon as the words are out, I realize just how bad they sound.

  She nods, cheeks flaming bright red. When she brings the slice to her mouth, I freeze. Pulling back is no longer an option as I watch her lips part and a perfect line of white teeth bite into the soft flesh of the lime. I have to remind myself to breathe because damn, that’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.

  My eyes lock on Katia’s finger as she reaches to touch Emma’s flushed cheek. Emma flinches away from Katia’s hand, and it puts her face inches from my shoulder, while the side of her body brushes against my chest.

  I have to force myself to sit still. I can’t make a move yet. As much as I hate it, I have to wait for this thing to play out. If Emma makes a move, then only can I do something. But right now, I can’t interfere with Katia.

  “Not used to drinkin’, are you, princess?” Katia leans into Emma, and as her eyes focus on her target, I know for a fact that she’s going to try something.

  Emma will either freak out and run or play into Katia’s hands. For some reason, I don’t want to see either of the two happen.

  But then Emma surprises the hell out me as she turns right into me. Her hand clasps my thigh, her fingers digging into the muscle. The heat rushing through my body is all the encouragement I need. When she brings her other hand up to my neck, it sends streaks of lightning down south.

  I have to remind myself that Emma’s only coming onto me to get away from Katia. That is until her hot breath skims over my ear.

  “Aiden, dance with me, please,” she whispers. Her voice is laced with panic, and it’s all it takes for me to stake my claim.

  Grabbing her hand, we slip out of the booth. I can feel Katia glaring after us as we walk to the dance floor. I pray that I’m not flushing all our hard work to get closer to Katia down the drain by pissing her off.

  As I pull Emma into my arms, she takes hold of my sides.

  Damn, how can a stranger feel this good in my arms?

  I’m a Southern boy, but Emma has an accent which makes me wonder where she’s from.

  I lean down, and with my mouth close to her ear, I ask, “Where are you from?”

  She turns her face closer to mine as she answers, “South Africa.”

  “You’re far away from home,” I say more to myself than to her.

  Never in my life did I think I’d like a foreign girl. Maybe it’s because of the mystery of something new, something you have to have, and once you’ve had it, your world settles again.

  The air tightens between us, and I feel every muscle in my body tense as her body keeps brushing against mine.

  Needing to touch more of her, I slide my free hand from her back to her neck. Fuck, her skin is as soft as it looks. She moves her hips with mine, and her breath warms my shirt.

  Emma’s hand starts to tremble lightly in mine, and I press it to my chest. Brushing my thumb over her skin, I try to put her at ease.

  “Aiden,” she says. Glancing down, the look on her face slams hard into my gut and other places I shouldn’t be thinking with. She looks really anxious, vulnerable even, and it makes my protective side flare to full capacity. “Sorry I grabbed hold of you back there.”

  I smile. “I don’t mind. I know Katia can be a bit overwhelmin’. I’d rather be dancin’ with you than sittin’ over there.”

  Her eyes leave mine, jumping to my chest. Another nervous action. And then it hits me – she’s not anxious about Katia – it’s me, which only confirms that the attraction between us is mutual. I struggle to keep from smiling now that I know she’s all flustered because of me.

  “I want to ask you something,” she says standing on her toes, so she can get closer to my ear. I lean down as she continues, “I was wondering… you look like a pretty decent guy, and I’d like to have fun without Medusa over there.”

  Medusa, ha! Good one.

  “Would you be interested in… uhm… a one-night stand? No strings attached, of course.”

  Fuck me.

  Did I hear her right?

  I stop moving, and people start to bump into us. It’s the last question I expected from her. Right now my mama would smack me upside the head. My brother, Wyatt, would high-five me, and Zac would sigh with relief.

  Without thinking, I grab her hand and drag her out of the bar. Once we’re outside and I’m sure we’re alone, I turn to face her.

  “Do you have a death wish, Emma?” I snap. The detective in me takes over because, shit, I care about what happens to people. I’ve seen too many women assaulted and murdered to just walk away and not care. “What if I’m some psycho?”

  “You…” She actually looks shocked. “You’re not,” she says, and then glances away from me. She can’t even look at me. She sighs, a miserable sound, and I hear it catch in her throat. Then she just starts to walk away.r />
  “Hold on one damn minute.” I take hold of her arm. “Why ask the first guy you see to go to bed with you?” She flushes a deeper shade of red.

  I can’t be wrong about her which only makes this all the more confusing.

  “You’re not the first guy I saw. There were some creepy ones before you got to the bar. I really like you and thought it was something we could do.”

  She still won’t look at me. Is this all about that stupid “wanting to experience things” for her?

  I shove my hands through my hair. I can’t just let Emma go. I’ll worry myself to death whether her face will pop up on my screen tomorrow as one of the missing ones.

  “You’re being damn near stupid, woman,” I snap. I wish I could just talk some sense into her, but I’ll blow my cover, and I can’t risk that. Damn it all to hell.

  I should be angry at her for being so careless with something as precious as her life, but I’m not. I’m just damn-well frustrated. I have to pretend I’m some careless fucking student which means turning Emma down will only raise suspicions if Katia finds out.

  “Why?”

  “I just want to have some fun, Aiden. Isn’t it normal for people to sleep together without any strings attached?”

  The look in her eyes makes me take a step closer. It’s not pain or heartache, it’s something else.

  “I’m not looking for a big brother. I have one of those,” she continues. “Tonight is all I’m giving myself. Drinking, dancing, sex, all of it. Once I start school, there won’t be time for any of that.” Her eyes pin mine back for the first time. “Are you in, or are you leaving?”

  Dammit! I can hear it now. Hey, Mama, I just wanted to let you know I did the noble thing and got a girl drunk. Then, I slept with her so no other guy would.

  It just doesn’t sound right. Maybe I can still change Emma’s mind.

  “Fuck… okay,” I agree. “I’m in.”

  When she smiles brightly, I start to worry that she might just change my mind.

  Back in the bar, I order us drinks before pulling out a chair for Emma on the opposite side of the table from where Katia is sitting.

  When we’re settled with our drinks, I lean into her and ask, “You’re old enough to drink, right?”

  She lets out a burst of laughter. “I’m twenty-one. I’ve been legal for three years.”

  “It might be legal for you to drink at the age of eighteen in South Africa, but here the legal age is twenty-one.” Needing to make sure she’s not lying to me, I ask, “Do you have your passport on you? I’ve never seen a South African one.”

  Luckily, she falls for my white lie, and she reaches into her pocket. She opens it on the back page before holding it out to me so I can see.

  I check her date of birth and hold back the sigh of relief when I see that she’s telling the truth. Before I can see any more information, she pulls the document away.

  We alternate between dancing and sitting at the table, so I can at least still do my job.

  Getting up to go to the restroom, Emma staggers into my chair. Fuck, she’s drunk. I shouldn’t have gotten her that last drink.

  I watch her until she pushes through the door which leads to the restroom, before paying attention to the conversations around me.

  Just as Emma gets back to the table, Katia takes the seat next to me.

  “Looks like you’re havin’ fun,” Katia says as she watches Emma.

  Getting up, I reach for Emma to help her keep her balance. Emma ignores Katia, and grabbing my hand, she drags me outside. I was hoping to have more time to convince her to change her mind, but those drinks seemed to have hit her hard. I should’ve stopped her after the first one.

  In the parking area, Emma swings around, slamming hard into my chest before she pushes up on her toes. I feel every curve of her body rub against mine and my pulse speeds up, easily racing a mile a minute.

  She presses her lips to the corner of my mouth.

  “Let’s get you to a bed,” I say, taking hold of her shoulders and turning her in the direction of my car.

  My new roommate is only arriving on Sunday. I’ll let Emma crash in his room for the night. I help her into the car and make sure her seat belt is on before I close the door.

  Parking the car outside the apartment, I watch her tug at her seat belt as if it will just spring loose on her command.

  “Let me get that for you.”

  I reach over and unsnap the belt, but before I can pull back, her fingers slip into my hair, and she pulls me down.

  “Wow, they do get more intense when I touch your face,” she murmurs against my mouth.

  “What?”

  “The tingles,” she admits with her new-found drunken bravery.

  I meant to be a gentleman and to put her to bed, but there’s only so much a man can take.

  Her hot mouth presses against mine, and she teases me with those full lips I’ve been staring at all night long. I grab hold of her hips and pull her to my side of the car. As she straddles me, I tell myself that I’m only having a little taste of her.

  Her lips part on a moan which makes it feel like I’m standing on the edge of the unknown, and the moment our tongues touch, I free-fall.

  Digging my fingers into her hips, I tug her closer which makes another moan drift over her lips as her pussy rubs over my cock.

  I should thank Katia. If it weren’t for her unwanted attention, Emma wouldn’t be sitting on my lap right now.

  The thought makes me hold her tighter, and her softness feels perfect against every hard inch of me.

  She hums her approval as my fingers trail up her arm towards her neck.

  Fuck, she feels so good.

  I should take her up and put her in bed. I shouldn’t touch or kiss her.

  She pulls away and takes hold of my hand resting on her hip. Now there’s a lot I should and shouldn’t be doing, but when she slips my hand under her shirt and presses it against her breast, it’s practically game over for me.

  Feeling the warmth of her skin through the lace of her bra, along with her pussy grinding against my cock is unbelievably erotic.

  “Dammit, you’re hot,” I growl, before crushing my mouth against hers again.

  She kisses me back with the same maddening frenzy which only makes me take hold of her ponytail so I can pull her head back for better access. Her soft moans vibrate against my lips.

  When she grinds down hard on my cock, my vision blurs for a second.

  Fuck, that feels so good.

  I’m definitely not going to be able to keep control of anything if she keeps riding me like this.

  Her mouth brushes against my ear, making my body ache for her.

  “Do you want me to beg?” she whispers, and it’s just about the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.

  “Hell no,” I groan.

  It takes me mere seconds to get us out of the car and up the stairs.

  It only takes one second to cool us both down as Miss Jessie, my landlord comes walking down the passage.

  “Aiden. Oh, good, you found Emma. I wanted to hear if she’s happy with the place.”

  Damn, it feels like I’ve just been caught red-handed by my grandma.

  “You know Emma?” I ask. Right then Emma’s whole body stiffens, and her hand flies to her mouth.

  Shit, she’s going to be sick.

  “Of course, she’s your roommate. She came early, and I let-” Miss Jessie’s eyes widen as Emma makes a run for my apartment.

  I see her take the key from her pocket, and my eyebrows dart into my hairline when she lets herself inside.

  My roommate?

  Miss Jessie continues talking. “I went and got the applications mixed up. You see, Emma applied to share an apartment. You don’t mind, right?”

  Emma’s my new roommate? “What happened to the guy I would’ve shared with?”

  “He applied for a one bedroom apartment. You don’t mind?” Miss Jessie asks again.

  “We’ll make
it work,” I answer while trying to process the new information.

  Emma’s my roommate.

  Fuck me.

  CHAPTER 4

  EMMA

  Kill me.

  Shit, it feels like I’m dying.

  I heave, over and over again until it feels like my stomach is about to come out. If only the world would turn back on its axis so I won’t feel this sick any more, I swear I’ll never touch alcohol again.

  Minutes later, it still feels like I’m dying. How can Mom drink so much and never feel this sick?

  No wonder she’s such a bitch to me all the time.

  Ugh, I feel horrible. The one night I have a few drinks, and I gather enough guts to throw myself at a guy, it ends in disaster. And he’s my bloody roommate. Can it get any worse?

  I heave again as beads of cold sweat erupt over my skin, making me shiver.

  It took everything I had to ask Aiden to have sex with me. The only reason I went through with it was that it felt unbelievably good being touched by him.

  Aww crap.

  After tonight I’ll have to find a new place to stay. I have to phone Chloe and tell her what a massive failure the night was. She’ll help me figure things out. The thought should make me feel better, but instead, it makes me feel even more miserable.

  Why did I go out? I made a mess of what was supposed to be a fresh start for me. What am I going to do now?

  “Emma.” Aiden’s voice sounds far too kind for what I did. He should be disgusted with me, especially seeing as I’m hanging onto a germ-infested toilet for the little my life is still worth.

  “Go away,” I groan as my empty stomach spasms.

  I don’t want him seeing me like this. If I look like I feel, then they can use me for a scarecrow somewhere.

  I shouldn’t have talked because my body starts heaving again. Luckily nothing comes out. I’m not sure I’ll ever survive this humiliating night.

  After I flush the toilet, I grab hold of the basin to pull myself up. I stand still for a few minutes, hoping the awful spinning will stop.