“I was not making any kind of eyes at Sean.”
Moira reached over and patted her hand. “It’s okay, honey. You can’t help it. Those O’Malley boys have some crazy charm. Few can resist.”
Emma didn’t know how to react to the good-natured ribbing, so she took a swig of beer. Her stomach tightened with the thought that these women accepted her as one of them, but she shouldn’t be enjoying it. Things were getting far too comfortable with Sean. This was the exact trap she’d feared when he’d suggested they continue on as friends. Friends with benefits. Whatever.
She glanced over at him again and knew she was in trouble.
* * *
Sean’s ribs hurt like a bitch and his thigh wasn’t much better. The game tonight was brutal. Everyone who played was going home with bruises. Instead of heading home, though, he drove to Emma’s house in the hope she would be awake. They hadn’t seen each other since Sunday afternoon football a week and a half ago. Between his job and hockey, his time was filled. Texting or talking before falling asleep wasn’t enough tonight. He needed to see her, inhale her scent, feel the press of her body against his.
Damn. She’d screwed him up in ways other girls had tried to and failed. He wanted to have her all the time, and whatever she gave him was never enough.
He rang her bell and leaned heavily against the door, almost losing his balance when it swung open.
“Sean?”
“Hey, babe.”
“What are you doing—What happened to you?”
He waved a hand. “Looks worse than it is.” He stepped in and cupped her jaw. “You’re awake. Can I come in?”
“Yeah.” She moved away from the threshold and let him pass. “Are you able to climb the stairs?”
“Told you. I’m fine.” He wrapped an arm gingerly around his ribs and bit down on the pain as he plodded up the stairs. He felt Emma behind him, sensed her fear, as if she thought he might collapse.
“Who did that to you?”
“Rough game. You should see the other guy.” He got to the second floor and leaned against the rail to catch his breath.
“So after some player beat the crap out of you, you beat him up?”
Sean smiled and shook his head. “Kai did. That’s what we keep him around for. Usually his size alone intimidates other teams, but this one was vicious.”
Emma took his arm and led him into her apartment. “Maybe you should go to the hospital. You might have broken bones.”
“Already been cleared by the medic. I’m just banged up and bruised.” He sat on the armchair, fearing he wouldn’t be able to get off the couch.
“I think I have some bandages in the bathroom. The one on your eye is bleeding through.” She left and he settled back, but only for a second because the position caused a shooting pain through his torso. He straightened and focused on her laptop on the table in front of him.
He squinted at the screen. It was an online dating site. Emma’s profile stared at him. He scooted forward and reached for the computer. Bringing it closer, he read her page.
“Nosy much?” she asked as she came back into the room.
He set the laptop back down. “It was just sitting there.”
She pushed it a little farther away and sat on the edge of the table with a small first aid kit. He hissed when she peeled the tape and gauze off. As she poked around her kit, he said, “You can’t find a decent date, so you’re doing the online thing?”
“My friend Barb suggested it. It’s how she met her husband.”
The last word hung in the air between them.
She leaned forward again and applied a square of gauze. “Hold that.”
He did as he was told. “If you want to find a husband, lying on your profile isn’t the best way to do it.”
“I didn’t lie.” She ran a piece of tape over the gauze.
“Whoever the woman described in that profile is, it’s not you.”
“I was careful in my answers, but I didn’t lie.” She closed her first aid kit and stared at him.
“You were cautious enough that you described someone else. You’ll draw some guys in, but it won’t last. The guys attracted to that profile aren’t the ones who want the real you. And they won’t be able to satisfy you.”
She stood abruptly. “What do you know about the real me?”
He grabbed her wrist before she slid away. “I know you, Emma.”
She yanked free from him and walked away.
Well, damn. That wasn’t how this night was supposed to go. He slowly pushed up from the chair and hobbled to the bathroom. When she turned to leave, he blocked her path.
“I know you like motorcycles and tattoos. You’re a rebel, even though you don’t want to be. You’re a rule breaker, but you do it in small ways, like eating cake for dinner. And you want a man who can take charge and be a little rough, but still bring you pleasure.”
Her eyes darkened as he spoke. He waited for her to slap him or push him. Instead, she crossed her arms. “That’s the old me. It’s not how I want to spend my life.”
“It’s still who you are. You can change how you live, but not who you are.”
“You’re wrong.” She took a deep breath. “It’s who I need to be.”
He tilted his head and almost said, We’ll see. But he knew it wasn’t worth fighting with her. “So what are you looking for in this magical guy?”
“Don’t.” She patted his chest and pressed a little to move past him.
“I want to know. Seriously. I can help you weed out the bullshit. I know guys.”
She laughed, and the sound trickled after her. “I don’t need your help vetting my dates, but thanks.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.” He winced as he pushed away from the bathroom. “You got an ice pack?”
“I guess you’re planning on spending the night?”
He reached for her and slid his fingers into her hair. “Unless you throw me out.”
She wrapped an arm around his waist, causing another grimace. “You look a little useless tonight. Go lie down and I’ll get you ice.”
He’d rest for a bit and then show her how not useless he was. He walked to her bedroom, gingerly peeled off his T-shirt, and kicked off his shoes. Climbing into bed was another unpleasant task, but once he was there, he settled in. Emma would have to be on top tonight. Slow and steady.
When Emma came to the room, she held a cold pack and stared at him. “Where do you want it?”
“Ribs.” He shifted his arm painfully to show her.
She laid the pack on him, and he hissed from both the cold and the pain. Emma reached for the snap on his jeans.
“In a hurry?”
She shook her head. “You’re going to sleep. I’m helping you get comfortable.”
“Keep running your hands over my skin and I won’t be comfortable until I’m inside you.”
Her fingers skimmed along the waistband of his underwear before tugging both the jeans and boxers down. He shifted his hips up a little so everything could be pulled off. Emma took her time about it, slowly caressing his legs as she moved.
“Trying to torment me?” he asked.
“I’m enjoying the incapacitated version of you.”
“Don’t be fooled. I could move.”
She rose up on her knees between his legs. “But I don’t think you want to do that. You’ll miss out.”
Her tongue slid from her mouth and wet her lips. Sean did his best to exert patience and control. He closed his eyes and waited for her to continue.
Seconds later, her hair brushed his stomach and her fingers curled around his hard dick. He went hot all over, except where the ice pack melted against his ribs. He opened his eyes and lifted the curtain of her hair so he could watch her mouth take him in. Her warm, wet mouth engulfed him, and the pain was forgotten.
She sucked and licked, but he wanted more. He wanted her. “Come here.”
She lifted her head. “What?”
&nb
sp; “Bring that wet pussy up here to my face.”
She bit her lip, obviously wanting to take him up on his offer. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Not possible.”
She took off her underwear and straddled his head. Her scent surrounded him, and he craned his neck up to reach her. Using his arms on her hips, he anchored her to his mouth.
After releasing a long moan, she returned her mouth to his dick. It wasn’t long before her hips were writhing and his muscles tensed. He shot into her mouth and she drank him down greedily. The sensation urged him to slide his tongue faster and flick against her until she came in his mouth. He wanted to sleep with the taste of her on his tongue.
Emma barely made it to her side as she collapsed. She lay face down on the mattress, her head beside his knees.
He tapped her thigh. “You survive?”
“Oh, yeah. I think I’m glad you came over here unexpectedly.”
“You think? That’s a definite.” He knew he shouldn’t be smug, but he couldn’t help it. He loved making her come.
She shifted and turned until her body was aligned the right way beside him, her head in the crook of his shoulder. He fell asleep with her warm body pressed to one side and a melted ice pack reminding him of his injuries on the other.
Chapter Twelve
Emma woke in the morning fully recharged. Her ongoing relationship with Sean had proved to be an excellent move. Orgasmic release had a way of de-stressing her like nothing else could. And the dating websites Barb had pointed her to were definitely stress inducing.
She climbed out of bed, careful not to bump into any of Sean’s numerous bruises, and went to make coffee.
To her surprise, when she came back into the bedroom with caffeine to wake him, he was already awake and half dressed.
“Wow. Never pegged you as an early riser.”
“I got work.”
Oh, yeah. How had she forgotten that? “Can you work in your condition?”
“I’ll be fine.” He winced as he bent over to get his shoes. After shoving his feet into them, he took the cup she offered.
He watched her dress for school and it was a turn-on. She’d never had a guy who spent the night linger, much less seem to enjoy watching her put clothes on as opposed to taking them off.
“There’s no game tonight. You want to hang out?”
She looked at him in the mirror over her dresser. “I can’t. I have a work thing.”
He stood, put his mug on the dresser, and nuzzled her neck. “Not possible.”
She sighed and enjoyed the sensation of his warm lips on her skin. “What’s not?”
“You can’t possibly have a work thing every Friday night. You’re a teacher.”
She pulled away from him. She knew she skirted the truth calling it a work thing. “Some teachers go out Friday after work for a few drinks. So while it’s not a school thing, it is a work thing.”
“Going to a bar isn’t a work thing. Why lie about it?”
“I didn’t lie.”
He jerked back. “You didn’t want me to know because you don’t want me to show up.”
“That’s not true.” Not completely.
“You don’t bring me into your life. You’ve met my family, my hockey teammates, my friends from the neighborhood.”
“You’ve met my family. You had dinner with us.”
“Yeah. I guess I know my place. Lumped with the other people you don’t like. People you’d cut out of your life if you could.”
“Stop it. None of that is true.” Her skin flushed, partly from anger, partly from embarrassment. She hadn’t thought about it quite that way. Was there truth to his accusation? It didn’t matter. It hadn’t been her intention, so she fought back. “We’re not a couple, Sean. We’re together having a good time until I find someone permanent. Remember?”
He stilled. Something glinted in his eyes, but she didn’t know what it meant. She didn’t want to hurt him.
“It’s not what you think.” She inhaled deeply. “It’s different when I’m with the other teachers. I’m the person you think is phony. The person I want to be. You probably wouldn’t like any of us.”
He reached for her and pulled her into his arms. “I like you.”
He kissed her neck, and just like that the fight was over, tension—poof!—gone.
“I have to go to work.”
“So do I,” he reminded her. “My family is doing my birthday dinner tomorrow night. Will you come?”
“Sounds like a family thing.”
“So?”
“After everything we just said, doesn’t it seem like things are getting muddled between us? Coming to a family party probably isn’t a good idea.” He looked disappointed, so she added, “That doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate on our own. In our own way.”
He growled and nipped her collarbone. “I like the way you think. Call you later.”
And she knew he would. He called or texted her often. Way more than she did. She rarely initiated anything because she feared making this relationship into something it wasn’t. If the guy who had no desire to settle down made the first move, she could keep it simple.
While the thoughts rapid-fired through her brain, Sean let go of her and stepped back. He made a show of licking his lips, and she knew immediately that his thoughts had returned to last night. He winked and walked out.
Emma gave herself a mental shake. Although Sean had interrupted her profile creation last night, she would complete them tonight and start setting up dates. The only way for her to reach her goals was to plow through and make them happen. Sean was a nice—even exceptional—diversion, but she didn’t want to abandon her real plan.
* * *
Emma didn’t stay at the bar late Friday night. She had one quick drink, shared a few laughs with her friends, and scooted out before Caleb showed. It seemed to be his place, and she wasn’t in the mood to see him. Besides, she had a date with her computer to find the man of her dreams. Or at least the man who could be her future. She didn’t hold much stock in dream men.
As soon as she got home, she booted up her laptop and scrolled through her incomplete profile. It wasn’t as bad as Sean had made it seem. She finished it and uploaded everything, including the extensive questionnaire. As soon as it was done, she poked around on the site to check out the guys looking for their soul mates. Ugh! Another concept she didn’t buy into.
By the time she finished her profile at the second site, she checked her inbox and found messages waiting from men who wanted to date her.
Giddiness surged in her. She hadn’t thought it would happen this fast. She went to the fridge, grabbed a beer, and settled in to read through some profiles. She immediately excluded a few guys based on what they did for a living: bartender, bouncer, mechanic. Not that any of those professions weren’t good enough for her, but they were too close to her old life. And she already had one mechanic. She didn’t want to be with a guy who would remind her of Sean once she moved on.
One guy was in marketing and another was a financial adviser. Their profiles made them seem like totally normal guys, so she sent them both messages. The financial adviser pinged her back almost immediately. They messaged back and forth a few times, and he asked for her number. Emma debated. Did she want to give her number to a guy right away? It was just a number, not a commitment for anything.
Then he sent his number to her and told her to call him if she wanted to talk. So she did.
“Hello.” Deep voice, always a turn-on.
“Hi, Rick? This is Emma.”
“Hi, Emma. I’m glad you decided to call.”
They spent the next hour on the phone talking about random things, and as far as a first non-date went, Emma thought it was pretty successful. Rick must’ve agreed since he asked her to meet for lunch tomorrow.
* * *
Saturday couldn’t come fast enough. Emma barely slept. She stressed over what she should wear and how much makeup to put on. She act
ed like she’d never been on a date before. In some ways, that was the way it felt. Rick was her first date who was an actual adult. He had his life together. He had a job, a career, and he didn’t live with Mom and Dad.
She drove to the restaurant and arrived early. Feeling foolish, she sat in her car to wait until she saw Rick arrive. She didn’t want to seem too eager. Then she saw him walk to the front door, look around outside, and walk into the diner. She hopped out of her car and tried not to rush.
As soon as she opened the door, he turned. A smile broke across his face. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She began to worry they had used up all the good conversation last night. What if they didn’t have anything left to say to each other? Another wave of worry washed over her.
“Let’s get a table.”
“Sure.”
He held out an arm for her to lead the way. She chose a booth and looked at him to see if it was okay with him. He nodded and they sat across from each other. Emma shimmied out of her jacket and stuffed it in the corner beside her. Rick wasn’t wearing a jacket but a Northwestern University sweatshirt. It looked worn and comfortable.
“Alma mater?” she asked, pointing to it.
“Yeah.” He looked over at her and said, “I’m feeling underdressed sitting with you. I figured a lunch date at a diner would be casual, and I’m meeting friends for a football game later. I promise I don’t always dress like a slob.”
She smiled. “You look fine.”
The waitress came, and they both ordered coffee. Nerves swirled in Emma’s stomach. “So tell me about your job. Your profile said you’re a financial adviser?”
He smiled. “Trust me, nothing kills a date quicker than me discussing my job. Unless you have a fascination with the financial world, I’ll bore you to tears.”
Emma laughed. She liked this guy. He wasn’t too full of himself.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“Uh, well, I teach kindergarten.”
“Wow. Those are little kids.”
“Yeah. Five years old.”
“That is frightening. Whatever they’re paying you, it’s not enough.”
Emma laughed again. “You have any pull with the mayor? I’d love for you to send him that message.”
In Your Arms Page 17
