“Emerson,” he finishes. “Yeah, I know you're busy, Eva.”
There's something about the way he says it that rubs me the wrong way. “Is everything okay, Glen? Did something happen with you and Emerson last night?” I've been watching him as I speak, but he hasn't given me any clues. He opens his mouth to answer when I throw another question at him. “Has something new happened with Kelly?”
He closes his mouth, and then opens it as he sighs. “No, nothing new that I know of.” He gives me the grin he uses when he flirts or tries to get his way. “I just miss my favorite cousin. Let me know what time for Monday and I'll meet you there, okay?”
I nod and finish his sub. “You don't have a hot date tonight?”
Glen grins. “Not until later.” He hands me the cash for his sub and says his goodbye.
A glance at the clock on the wall shows that I have one minute until I can close. I get busy cleaning up and making sure everything is in order for whoever opens tomorrow. Soon, Glen is forgotten as my mind turns to Emerson.
Somehow, I'm energized after work. I think part of it may be because I'm about to see Emerson. I haven't been able to stop thinking about what Catherine texted Emerson last night. The idea of doing those things with him has been on my mind all day long. I'm buzzing with temptation by the time I knock on his door.
At first, no one answers.
I try the doorknob, but it's locked, so I knock again.
After a moment or two, the door swings open to a smiling Emerson, who is wearing only a towel. His black hair seems impossibly darker from being wet, which is making those soft blue eyes stand out even more. He must have just stepped out of the shower because he's still dripping wet.
“Seriously?” I mutter, allowing my eyes to absorb his body. “You shouldn't answer the door like this.”
He laughs. “I almost forgot the towel because I was rushing to open the door.” My eyes widen, picturing what a sight that would be. Emerson chuckles. “Come on in, Eva.” Emerson steps aside and I walk past him. “How was work?”
“The usual. You?”
“The same. I'm going to dry off and change.”
“I was hoping for a shower too. Are you done in the bathroom?” I ask.
“Have at it.”
I follow him down the hallway. I've never noticed how fantastic his backside looks. From his shoulders to his back to his butt, he looks great. Hell, even his spine is making him look hotter. How does that happen? Shaking my head, I enter the bathroom so I can shower and get the smell of Sub Grub off of me.
Anxiety blossoms within me at what I'm hoping will happen soon. Usually, that would cause me to second-guess myself, but my excitement is overwhelming in comparison. I shower, get dressed, and finally leave the bathroom with a deep breath. I drop my bag off in his bedroom before finding him sitting on the couch.
I take a seat next to him, and he leans over to give me a kiss.
“Feel better?” he asks. “Are you tired?”
“Yes and no, I'm not.”
“What'd you and Catherine do last night?”
“Besides sending dirty texts?”
He laughs. “Yeah, besides that.”
“We watched TV and ate junk food. The dirty text was the highlight of our night. Did you really almost spit your beer on Glen?”
Emerson nods. “I mostly choked. It's not everyday someone sends a text like that and when you're not expecting it, it'll catch you off guard.”
“Sorry?”
He takes my hand, interlocking our fingers, and gives me a sly smile. “I'm not complaining. Want to watch a movie?”
“Sure.”
Emerson pulls up Netflix and picks out a movie for us to watch. My mind isn't on the movie though. Nope. It's focused on how Emerson's thumb is moving over my knuckles. So innocent, yet it's driving me insane. I'm distracted by the unrated movie playing in my head, starring both of us.
“Eva?” Emerson's voice snaps me out of it. “Are you okay? You seem nervous.”
My brows pull together. “Nervous? What makes you say that?”
His eyes glance down at my knees, which are bouncing up and down. “You've never seemed nervous here before. What's going on?”
“I'm not nervous. I'm...” What am I supposed to say? That I've been thinking so much about sex I've turned myself on and want to jump him right this very second? That I'm surprised I'm not squirming in my seat? “I'm not not ready anymore,” I blurt out.
Emerson frowns with confusion. “What?”
Oh, goodness. “Before, I said I wasn't ready. Now—”
“You're ready,” he finishes for me. “For sex?” He seems surprised, and I can't say I blame him.
“Yes, and it's what I was thinking about. That's all. We can keep watching the movie now.”
Emerson laughs and points to the TV. “It's over.” Sure enough, the credits are rolling. Dang. I missed the entire movie. “Want to tell me what you've been thinking about?” His lips brush my ear as he whispers.
I don't reply. Instead, I stand and Emerson quickly follows. I'm not willing to miss the opportunity to bring to life all the dirty scenes in my head. The heat in his eyes sears into me. It gives me confidence. Wordlessly, I lead him into his bedroom.
In the morning, I wake up naked and with Emerson pressed against my back. His arm is draped over my waist, holding me close with our comforters overlapping. My morning groan causes a chuckle to sound behind me.
“Morning, sunshine.” His raspy voice sends shivers across my skin as he presses a kiss to my shoulder.
I'm deliciously satisfied. Emerson was way better than what I had been daydreaming about. He somehow managed to make me feel adored and worshiped while being devoured by a greedy man. His stiffness against my skin makes me want to wake up faster.
Emerson rubs his nose along the back of my neck and I hear him deeply inhale. I can feel his lips turn up against my shoulder. “You smell like me, yet still like you at the same time. I love the way you smell, Eva.”
I roll over and blink sleepily at him. “You're kind of delirious in the morning.” He laughs. His smile is almost too much. So bright, happy, and perfect this morning. I nestle my face into the crook of his neck. Bare skin against bare skin mixed with sheets covering us in some places and lacking in others feels amazing. Emerson's skin is warm mostly. He's really warm in one area while my forehead is pressed against coolness. I'm torn between lying here and going to the bathroom before I start something with Emerson. I want to freshen up first, but he's so comfy. He laughs when I tell him so.
“Prettier and comfy. My adjectives are starting to add up.”
This time, I laugh. “Oh, I can think of a few more now.” Before I can go down that road, I back away from him and slip out of bed. I want to brush my teeth first. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk out without covering up.
He surprises me by appearing next to me in the bathroom, grabbing his toothbrush from the holder. I shake my head at the sight of us. Naked and brushing our teeth, our hair wild from the night before, but our eyes are bright. Once we're done, Emerson leads the way for some morning fun.
By the time we leave his bedroom for good, I'm starving.
“What are you going to feed me?” I ask.
Emerson laughs, opening cabinets and searching for food. “Maybe you should be the one feeding me.”
“I think I already did,” I say before I can stop myself.
Emerson's laugh shakes his entire torso. “Good point.” He grabs a box, turns, and holds it up for me. “Pancakes sound good?” I nod and he goes about fixing them. “So, there's something I need to talk to you about.” He's facing away from me since he's working on the pancake batter. My muscles instantly tense, because no good comes from those words. “I'm not saying you have to leave; you're free to stay if you want. I won't mind having you here either.” Will he spit it out already? “But Glen and a few other guys are coming over later to watch the football game.”
He wanted to
tell me he has friends coming over to watch football? That's it? I glance over my shoulder into his living room. He has the couch and the TV. “Where's everyone going to sit?”
“We use the stools from the bar and they'll bring their own fold-up chairs too. They don't care if they have to sit on the floor as long as they can watch on my TV.”
I shake my head. “Boys and their TVs.”
Emerson moves to the stove to start cooking the pancakes. “I don't have you pegged as a sports fan, but if you want to stay, you can. That's what I was getting at.”
He's right. I'm not a sports fan. I don't care for any one team. However, I have spent many Sundays with my cousins watching football. I don't mind watching the game. I kind of enjoyed pulling a “girl move” and rooting for a team based on their colors or who had the hottest quarterback. Drove my cousins crazy, but it was fun. While spending time with Emerson is tempting, I doubt I'll stay. The thought makes me frown. Emerson chooses that moment to look over at me.
“What's wrong?”
“Would you seriously want me here during an obvious guy time? You could nicely kick me out instead of trying to be nice by inviting me.”
He stares at me for a moment before focusing on the pancakes. “You're upset because I invited you?” Emerson seems so confused.
“No, not really. I just—” I pause, trying to figure out my thoughts. “No one has ever invited me to their time with the guys, except for my cousins and they didn't always have a choice. You threw me off and I wasn't sure if you were sincere, which is why I asked. No one likes the clingy girlfriend who doesn't want to leave her boyfriend alone so he can hang with the guys.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize two things. I claimed myself as his girlfriend and I'm worried about being liked by his friends. Glen, I don't have to worry about. He's my family.
“Eva, I wouldn't have given you the option if I didn't want you here.” My lips quirk up as he chides me. “If you want to stay, it wouldn't be the first time a chick watched the game with us. In fact, one of the guys has a girlfriend who is more of a football fan than he is and she will come sometimes. No one will care unless you start complaining and stuff like that.” He plates the last pancake, turns off the stove, and walks over to me. A thrill runs through me as he gently takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger. It's blue to blue as he looks into my eyes. “No one will think you're my clingy girlfriend, Eva.” Emerson kisses me softly before walking away.
I'm quiet as I watch him finish fixing our plates and drinks. I drizzle syrup over my stack of pancakes. Emerson does the same once I'm done. We eat in silence. Is that odd? We often eat without speaking. Should we fill the void with words? I shouldn't be overthinking this. There's nothing wrong with not talking while we eat.
Emerson tugs on a curl. I look over at him. “Are you staying or what?”
My smile is wide because what he said reminded me of the day I met him. “No. The game doesn't start until late, right?” He nods. “You know me; I'll fall asleep on you and where would the fun in that be?” That's not the real reason I'm not staying, but it's a reason. Honestly, I need some time away from him. Between Emerson being Emerson and the sex, my head is so full and overwhelmed, I need some down time.
He leans closer. “The fun would be in having you spend the night again. But if you don't want to, that's cool.”
“Do y'all get together every Sunday?”
“Every Sunday I don't work pretty much.”
“Then I'll stay next time.” I smile.
He wanted me to stay to meet his friends, I think. The thought makes me happy, as if he wants to show me off and pull me further into his world. I want nothing more than to be included in his world completely even with the ex-girlfriend hanging over my head. She shouldn't because things are exactly the same as they were when I started seeing Emerson, but my knowledge and his failure to fill me in himself makes me feel as if she's a weight on my shoulders. Figures the one guy who makes me happy and eager to fall in love brings so many complications to the table.
At least I knew what I was getting into, even if he hasn't told me yet.
IT'S BEEN TWO days since I last saw Eva and I still can't wrap my head around what happened over the weekend. My mind keeps tripping over the sex. Until Eva, the last girl I was with was Kelly. All the girls I saw in the spring and summer either never lasted until that point or I was still too distracted by Kelly to be with another woman.
When Eva told me she was ready, that she had been thinking about it through the entire movie, all I could think about was how ready I was to take that step with her. For once, I didn't think about what it would mean to Kelly and me. For once, I didn't think of my past. I only thought of my present and my future. After Eva left Sunday, I was a little relieved. Eva, who she is, her personality, her heart, is like a tsunami. So large, mesmerizing, and powerful enough to wipe everything out and force you to rebuild and start anew.
That used to scare me about her, but now I'm embracing it. When Eva left, the waves receded and allowed me to breathe. She's consuming so much of me already. I wanted her to hang out with the guys and me, but a break was nice too. I asked, figuring she'd fall asleep on me and would stay the night again. I asked because I wanted to see her with my friends. If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is.
I shake my head just thinking about her. My mind is so tempted to call her perfect, so tempted to fall into Eva, but I hold back. However, I can't stop what I'm about to do. The bell attached to the door rings as I walk into Sub Grub. Eva glances away from her current customer and grins widely. I fall in line and watch her interact. Her cheeks are flushed as if she's been running around back and forth. I swallow hard, remembering the last time she looked flushed.
There's a smile on my face as I watch her with the elderly man. She laughs as he shamelessly flirts with her. She gives him a sweet smile, not shutting him down, but not truly encouraging him either. When she finishes and he walks out the door, she comes over to me with a smile.
“Do you flirt with all your customers?” I ask.
She laughs and points toward the register. “Check the tip jar. I have excellent customer service skills.” Sure enough, the tip jar is nearly full of bills.
“Looks like you do.”
“You want the usual?” she asks and I nod. Eva begins preparing my dinner. I've never eaten so many subs in my life as I have since I started seeing her. “I love when you show up like this.” Eva quickly lifts her eyes to mine before focusing on what she's doing. “It's a surprise I didn't even know was coming, the best kind.”
I grin because that's exactly why I come. “I love giving surprises as much as you like receiving them. Today's is better than usual because I'm staying until you close.” She opens her mouth, probably to argue, so I add, “You can still work; I won't get in your way, Eva.”
She rolls her eyes. “I know I can still work, but you'll be bored.”
“You could never bore me,” I tell her as she rings me up. “You know, I thought I would have gotten a free sub by now.”
Eva laughs. “If I hadn't already eaten the free sub I get, then I'd let you have one for free. Maybe next time.”
I pay her before fixing a drink and taking a seat at a table. Eva disappears into the back. Moments later, she comes through the swinging door and sits down with me.
“How can you work if you're sitting with me?”
“I'm taking my break.” She shrugs. “Plus, it was slow earlier, and I got a lot of stuff done already.” Eva opens my bag of chips and eats one.
“Now you're eating my food?” I tease, stealing the bag from her.
“One less chip won't hurt you. How was your day?”
“Long.” I'm tired from classes and going to work. I still have to do homework when I get home, too. “Yours? Did you finish your homework before work?” When I was texting her earlier, she said she was going to try to have it finished.
Eva shakes her head.
I watch her for
a moment. Something feels off about her. Her blue eyes are bouncing around the room, but she doesn't seem to be focusing on anything. Something about her demeanor reminds me of the way she acted when she was having a bad day.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she sighs.
“Doesn't sound like it.”
“My mom's birthday is coming up. It's a big one, and she wants me to come home for it.”
“What's so bad about that?”
“Nothing.” Eva flicks her gaze away before settling on me. “Will you go with me?”
Ah, so that's what it is. She isn't having a bad day. She's nervous. I should have realized since she was acting the same way this weekend.
My heart suddenly stutters.
She wants me to meet her family? This is huge. I want to go though. I want to meet her family.
“Tell me when and I'll make sure to ask for the weekend off.”
Eva grins. “Really?” When I nod, she comes over to kiss my cheek. “Thanks, Emerson. I should finish working.” Eva returns to the kitchen, leaving me to finish my meal.
I throw away my trash when I'm done. My heart is beating fast at the idea of meeting Eva's family. I try to iamgine what her mom will be like, what her father will be like. If it's a big birthday, will her entire family be there?
“Emerson, will you lock the door and flip the light switch closest to the door?” Eva calls from the kitchen.
“Done.” I do as she asked and go into the kitchen myself.
“You can't be back here,” she tells me. She's washing dishes, up to her elbows in suds.
“No one will ever know. I won't mess with anything,” I promise. “Tell me more about this party.”
“Well, Glen will be going with us. He'll probably drive because ever since I ran into your truck, he keeps telling me how he doesn't trust my driving.” She shakes her head with a small laugh. “His family will be there as well as mine, my grandparents, his grandparents, and friends of the family. They are having it at a banquet hall in a local restaurant. Once dinner is over, it'll probably turn into a big party.”
Without a Doubt Page 10
