by C. R. Ellis
She nodded and sipped her drink. “What about you? Why were you all broody and mysterious out here by yourself?”
Something told me because I followed you and was trying to decide if I could talk to you wasn’t the best answer. With a shrug, I ran my hands along the stubble on my jawline. “Mysterious, huh?” Knowing she’d been watching me too sent a jolt of pleasure through my limbs. “I came with friends as well, and we had a, uh, disagreement, so I just needed a little breathing room.” Vague, but not untrue. My jaw tensed just thinking about the conversation, a reminder of why I shouldn’t even have come up to her in the first place. And yet…here I was. I’m such a fucking idiot.
She nodded slowly, her brows furrowing and a couple of lines wrinkling her forehead. “And I’m guessing you drew the short stick and had to be the designated driver,” she presumed, nodding toward the glass of water in my hand.
“Something like that. It’s nothing though.”
“Do you wanna talk about what really caused the scowl you were wearing until coming over here?” she asked, looking up at me with an invitation in her eyes. “I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener. Plus, I owe you for letting me ramble this afternoon.”
Yes.
I want to talk about anything.
I want to talk about everything.
As long as it’s with you.
But I can’t.
I shook my head and stuffed my hands into my pockets, needing to keep them far away from her. Jade’s offer to let me vent had caused all logic to vacate the premises of my brain and make me question my decision momentarily.
“Right.” She gave me a curt nod before dropping her eyes to her drink, like the liquid might have the answers to her unasked questions. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Being all mysterious and vague. Confusing. Closed off.” Her eyebrows re-furrowed.
“Maybe the mystery is part of my appeal,” I joked.
The evasiveness I’d exhibited in each of our conversations wasn’t something I did intentionally. I was used to the superficial kind of conversations with women—the ones that didn’t veer beyond the shallow end of the conversation pool. Deep conversations led to questions I wasn’t willing to answer, and feelings I wasn’t willing to feel anymore. So I kept things surface-deep and lived my life in the shallow end. Until, of course, Jade came barreling toward me like she thought I’d drown if she didn’t save me. Something about her had immediately reached down to the deepest parts of my being and shaken me from the lonely life of isolation I’d carved out for myself, and we’d cannonballed into the deep end immediately, no toe dipping or slowly easing in.
The truth, if I actually forced myself to dissect it, was our conversation earlier made me wonder if I was anything more than a complete hypocrite. I told her she had to realize she was in control of her own destiny. I firmly believed I was in control of mine, which was why I operated the way I did; so I didn’t repeat the mistakes of my past. But what if I’m doing the opposite?
She jerked me out of my thoughts and back to reality. With a snort, she crossed her arms and looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Tell me, Emmett, how does the mysterious, broody front you put up work for you?”
I shrugged. “Well enough. I like keeping things light and leaving personal shit private. Most women don’t usually complain.”
“I’m not most women,” she asserted with an effortless confidence I found hot beyond belief.
No, you’re definitely not. “I can see that. Look, the truth is I’m just not used to these kinds of conversations.”
“You mean like ones where people actually say words?” she asked, a facetious smile spreading wide on her soft, red-stained lips.
“As a matter of fact, yes. I’m not usually much of a talker when it comes to interacting with women.”
“Ah, I see,” she lamented. Her eyes moved down my frame and back up in a quick sweep. “Such a shame we met on the day when I swore off meaningless sex with assholes who only care about sex.”
I immediately found myself both angered at whatever hurt had come her way in the past, and curious about how much of her reluctance had to do with her comments at the lake.
Jade pushed away from the railing, and I could see the indecision in her eyes. She wanted to walk away, but the fight, the desire to figure me out, was still there. I surprised her, and even myself, by closing the distance between us. I should’ve let her go. Should’ve let her walk away.
But I couldn’t.
“I’m sorry. That was an asshole thing to say. The truth is, I’m not used to having someone call me on my bullshit. I’m definitely not used to wanting to let someone call me on my bullshit.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “I accept your apology, Emmett. On one condition.”
My eyebrows lifted in surprise. I wasn’t sure I’d like her condition, but I was somehow sure I’d be complying with whatever request she made. “Okay, name it.”
A fire ignited in the green rings of her irises, and I felt my chest constrict. I wanted to focus on the music cascading over my ears or the line of people at the bar somewhere behind Jade. Or even the feel of the condensation on the glass in my hand. I wanted to focus on anything other than the heaviness lingering in the air between us, but she demanded a monopoly on all five of my senses.
My ears functioned only to appreciate the sexy, raspy quality to her voice.
My eyes were glued to hers with every intention of remaining locked there for the next century.
My fingers itched to find out how her skin felt beneath them.
My nose couldn’t help but pick up the subtle, citrusy scent wafting toward me each time she tossed her hair over her shoulder.
My mouth begged me to find out what hers tasted like.
“Tell me a truth, something nobody else knows about you,” she requested.
I set my water glass down and shifted uncomfortably, my suspicion I wouldn’t like her condition confirmed. “A truth is your condition? Why?”
“Because I believe knowing something valuable about a person, something no one else knows, is powerful. Especially when you’ve just met. Let’s call it a reassurance in the goodness of humanity, to be honest and up front when you don’t have to be.”
“But how will you know if I’m telling you the truth? You just met me.”
“I guess I won’t. But I have faith in you, Emmett. I can tell there’s more to you than what you want people to see.”
Her observation stirred something unfamiliar and unexpected in my gut, something I chose to ignore. Just like I ignored the instant attraction I’d felt when I met her.
With a nod and a shrug, I said, “When I was fourteen, I jumped off the roof of my parents’ guest house. Broke my leg in two places. I told people I fell when I was climbing to get a Frisbee. But I jumped. And until now, I was the only person who knew the truth.”
After a few beats of silence, I expelled a breath I’d held.
“Why’d you jump?”
“It was stupid. I wanted to get my parents’ attention. To see how they’d react.”
Jade nodded, and her eyes warmed with sympathy. “So you risked your life to get a reaction from your parents?”
Her hand moved to rest on my arm, and I felt the warmth of her fingers through the fabric of my shirt.
“And they say teenage girls are dramatic,” she muttered under her breath.
I laughed because she had a point, though I knew she wouldn’t have scoffed if I’d told her why I wanted a reaction from my parents. I didn’t tell her my attempt failed, that my father didn’t bother leaving his office to come to the hospital, or that my mother didn’t even hold my hand or console me as our butler drove us there—that she was too busy calling the other committee members to tell them she’d have to miss their upcoming meeting because of me.
“Like I said, it was stupid,” I professed, taking a large gulp from my now half-empty water glass. “Your turn.”
&
nbsp; She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and narrowed her eyes in consideration as her fingers tapped against the railing. “When I was thirteen and my brother was seventeen, I absolutely despised his girlfriend. I made sure my parents caught him sneaking in after curfew one night, just because I knew he’d get grounded and miss her birthday party the next weekend. It worked, but she broke up with him and he was devastated. She was a total bitch, and I was glad they broke up. But I feel guilty I’ve never told him the truth,” she confided, and I could see the guilt flooding back to her. It was there in the way her shoulders tensed, in the way she dropped her eyes from mine after confessing her sin.
She clearly cared deeply for her brother, which made me admire her more.
“Sounds to me like he’s lucky to have a sister who’s looking out for him,” I offered, hoping to ease some of her renewed guilt.
A slow smile spread across her lips, and I found myself smiling with her.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she agreed, as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, sending another intoxicating wave of citrus my way. She inhaled a deep breath and looked back up to find my face. “You know, for someone who doesn’t like getting personal, it sure feels like we sailed right past the small talk stage. Maybe we should shift things to a lighter conversation.”
I looked away, unsure of how to respond. Silence stretched between us, but just like at the lake, it wasn’t forced or awkward.
She fidgeted with her drink and seemed to hold back a question. “Actually, I should probably go find my friend. Jasmine is never going to believe I ran into you. She probably thinks I made you up.”
“You told your friend about me?” I asked with a cocky grin I knew would elicit a blush. Sure enough, a shade of pink crept into her cheeks.
“Well, yeah. It’s not everyday you nearly knock out a hot stranger in a kayak,” she stated matter-of-factly. She wasn’t even bashful about calling me hot.
I grinned. “You think I’m hot, huh?”
“Oh, please. There is no way you do not own a mirror and know exactly the kind of looks you’ve got going on. I mean, seriously, have you seen you without a shirt on?”
I laughed. “Well, I’ve got a confession; I told my friends about you too.”
Her brows rose, and she crossed her arms. “Let me guess. You said, ‘This crazy woman almost killed me!’ And then showed them the bump to prove it.”
“Technically my words were, ‘This crazy beautiful woman almost killed me,’” I corrected. She’d been blunt and honest about finding me attractive, and I liked how we were laying our cards on the table. After all, a part of me was still acutely aware tonight was probably all I’d have with her. All I could have with her. “It goes both ways, Jade. I know you know how gorgeous you are.”
Her eyes fell for a second, and I wondered if she did know. She didn’t strike me as the insecure type, but I had a feeling she hadn’t been told, at least not lately, how beautiful she was. I tucked the possibility away for later examination, not even giving the reality of the situation any thought—the reality telling me I wouldn’t get a chance to ponder the idea later if tonight was all we shared.
But in a flash, her smile reappeared and she was back with me. “All right, Casanova, shall we go prove to our friends that the other does actually exist?”
“Lead the way.”
I lowered my hand to gently rest on the small of her back while I tried to remind myself what this weekend was about. I told myself crossing paths with her again did not mean anything. But I’d never been a very convincing liar, even to myself. Not when it counted, anyway.
Chapter 4
Jade
As we made our way through the crowd, I found Jas right where I’d left her, at the bar with a different guy wrapped around her finger.
“Jas,” I called, drawing her attention away from her latest admirer. “This is Emmett. He’s the guy from the lake. Emmett, this is Jasmine.”
She almost choked on her drink when I mentioned he was the guy from earlier. Her gaze landed on Emmett and she blatantly appraised him before tossing me a wink, giving her approval. “So you do exist,” Jasmine jested, sticking her hand out to shake his.
I snuck a glance at Emmett and he smiled, knowing what I’d told Jas about him. He turned to the guy Jasmine was with, and I recognized him as Emmett’s friend from the lake.
“Lance,” the friend stated, offering me his hand. “You have no idea how glad I am to meet you. This guy’s been moping around ever since we left the lake.”
I turned and beamed at Emmett. “Oh really? How interesting.”
Emmett shrugged and shook his head noncommittally, though the guilty smile was proof enough of Lance’s statement. “He’s drunk; you can’t believe anything this guy says after a few shots.”
Jasmine’s eyes smoldered with mischief, and I cut her a warning glare, which she promptly ignored.
“What a coincidence, Jade’s been completely distracted all night, too,” she reported loudly enough for Emmett to hear, totally throwing me right under the bus. I would’ve smacked the smirk off her face if I hadn’t been too stunned to react. “Good to know she wasn’t all mopey over an imaginary man.”
What the hell?! Blazing death lasers shot from my eyes into her skull, but she didn’t even meet my gaze. She just stood there smiling like she couldn’t be more proud of herself for betraying her best friend.
Correction: former best friend.
Clearly Emmett and I needed new friends.
My cheeks were on fire, but I hoped the dim lighting of the bar somewhat cloaked my blush. I also hoped the Beyoncé song blasting through the speakers masked Jasmine’s comment, but Emmett’s broad, gloating smile told me otherwise. A set of dimples appeared in the wake of his smile, making my mouth go dry.
Dear God. If Jasmine selling me out means I get to see his swoon-worthy smile, she can throw me right under every bus in the city.
I turned to him, completely expecting my heart to pound right through my ribcage. “I think I liked it better when our friends weren’t part of the conversation.”
“Agreed. Back to the patio?” he asked, holding his hand out. He could’ve asked me to go to the moon with him and my answer would’ve been the same. I had no explanation, but there was something undeniably alluring about him, and I found myself wanting to trust him.
I switched my half-full glass to the other hand and took hold of his fingers, not even hesitating to follow where he led. The part of my brain still clinging to logic pleaded with me not to leave with a virtual stranger, but I wasn’t going with Emmett due to logic; I was going with him because my body craved his presence like oxygen, and I needed to find out why.
Two stools sat unoccupied in the far corner of the patio. He pulled one out, and I tried to tug my dress down and haul myself up on the seat as gracefully as possible. Not an easy task in four-inch heels and a dress with little margin for error mobility-wise. I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally settled onto the barstool, and realized Emmett was studying me with an amused glint in his eyes.
“What? Did I flash you or something?” I asked, totally mortified at the thought.
A deep, too-sexy-for-words laugh escaped his lips, and he shook his head. “No, I’ve just never seen so much effort put into sitting down.”
“Oh. Well, you’d understand if you wore heels. You don’t even want to know the struggle of gracefully getting off a barstool in these ankle-breakers. Add in this dress and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.”
The dress was sexy, sure, but it was also struggling to contain my boobs and cover my ass.
His eyes lazily moved from my body down my legs to my feet, where he appraised my stilettos. “You know, I think I prefer your look from this afternoon,” he admitted, letting his eyes trace back up to mine. My jaw dropped in protest of how he could possibly think I looked remotely decent earlier. When he realized how I took his comment, he continued, “Jade, no. Don’t get me wrong, this is s
exy as hell. You just don’t need all this to be the kind of beautiful that turns heads and brings grown men to their knees.”
Oh. Well then.
I couldn’t decipher what kind of enigmatic anomaly Emmett was, but I could already tell I wanted to try. He was the best kind of mystery—a package of pure physical beauty on the outside, genuinely sweet and sincere on the inside, wrapped up neatly with a bow of intrigue.
In other words, a package I couldn’t wait to unwrap.
I let my eyes wash over Emmett in a shameless appraisal of his appearance. He was wearing dark wash jeans and a blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up his arms, showing the tan he’d earned from his time on the lake and part of a tattoo on his right forearm. He was over six feet tall; I could tell from the way he still towered over me, even in my monster heels. His eyes matched his shirt, the color of the Pacific, and I felt like I could swim in them for days.
Emmett was the kind of gorgeous that just shouldn’t exist outside of magazine pages and movies. It really wasn’t fair for the rest of his gender.
“I agree.” I nodded, gesturing to his body. “Your outfit isn’t doing it for me either. I prefer you shirtless.”
“Yeah? Well, lucky for you, that can be arranged,” he mused seductively with a twinge of an accent I hadn’t noticed before.
Um…yes. Sign me up.
“I’d say you ditch the threads here and now, but I think that might just cause a stampede of crazed females all vying for your attention. I’m talking like full on elbows being thrown by women ready to take each other down just to get one step closer to you. And I’m wearing the wrong bra for having to deal with drunken catfights, so…” I trailed off, realizing I just brought up my freaking underwear. “Plus, bars are usually sticklers for their patrons remaining clothed. I know, such a buzzkill.”
His playful expression shifted subtly into unease when I said he’d have a stampede of women coming after him, but it lightened just as quickly after my bra comment, making me wonder if I’d imagined the change.
