Back to December (Ward Sisters Book 1)

by Lucy Gage

  “Emily, what have you done? I thought I raised you better than this! Cheating on poor Josh? With that...that Lothario Deac Roberts?”

  “I didn't sleep with him, Mom.”

  “Really? Because that's what the gossip sites said.”

  “Mom, you have to know that most of what they print is false and that half the time the pictures are taken at inopportune moments from weird angles that imply things which aren't true.”

  “Emily, I hardly think you can say a video of you...making out...with that man is a photo taken from a bad angle. It shows you leaving with him and it shows his arm around you in a very possessive way as you head out a back entrance. You can't tell me nothing happened.”

  “I never said nothing happened, Mom. I said I didn't sleep with him. Josh and I are on a break. We're on a break. He just broke things off for good, so it's over now, but we were taking a break. I was clear on that when I left. And I didn't sleep with... Deac because I wanted to be sure Josh knew it was a permanent break before I moved on to another relationship.”

  “You're not telling me you plan to engage that man in a relationship! He's known to be a player, Emily!”

  “Right, Mom, because you know him so well. I don't want to discuss this with you any further. You have your opinions on it and I know the truth. It's over between me and Josh. What I do now isn't up to you or anyone else. Don't bother trying to get us back together, because Josh made it quite clear he won't forgive me for what I didn't do. And if he can't even listen to my side of things, to the truth, then frankly, I think it's best if things are over between us.”

  “You're making a mistake, Emily. Josh is the best thing that ever happened to you.”

  “Yes, well, that's now irrelevant, and I think you're wrong. I have to go. I need to get ready for work.”

  With that, Emily hung up on her mother for the second time in just a few short months. She had never imagined that her relationship with Josh would end so badly. And she was suddenly very angry with her family and with Josh for believing the worst of her when she had purposefully avoided what they believed took place.

  She got up to tell Rob what had happened. It was only 6:30, so she assumed he would probably still be sleeping after their late night. She went to his door and knocked softly, opening it just a crack to see if he was awake yet. As she suspected, he had been sleeping.

  Just as she was getting ready to leave, he said, “Wait, don't go. What's the matter? I thought I heard you talking to someone.”

  He sat and she could see every bit of his sculpted, beautiful chest. Her girl parts clenched. He did look better than he had in Freedom Isn't Free.

  Suddenly, she couldn't remember why it was that she had waited to sleep with him. Oh, right – Josh, who was no longer part of the equation. She walked over to the bed and sat next to him.

  He tilted his head to the side. “I think I like what you have on your mind, but can I ask why?”

  “That was my sister. And then Josh. And then my mom. Apparently,” Emily continued, her voice cracking with tears, “there is a video...a video of us kissing last night at the club. It's on YouTube and is already making the rounds among my family. No one wants to hear the truth, that I didn't sleep with you. They just assumed it was true because that's what the gossip sites are saying.”

  “Oh, Emily,” Rob said sympathetically, grabbing her hand, “I should have warned you better. I'm so, so sorry.”

  “You told me about the photographers, I just assumed that inside the club we were safe. I guess that's why you were holding back until we were in the limo, right?” He nodded. “You knew there was always a chance that someone would take advantage.”

  “Yes. There always is. I should've made sure you knew that before I kissed you. It wasn't fair to assume you'd understand that. I should've known you'd think of it differently, just by virtue of the fact that you had no idea who I was until I'd told you.”

  “Don't blame yourself. We were both there. I got caught up in the moment.”

  “You weren't the only one.” He looked down at her hand as he rubbed it with his thumb. “I won't blame you if you don't want to see me anymore.”

  “No, no that's not it at all. In fact, the opposite is what I want. If you'll have me?”

  “Really? Are you sure? Your family must be irate. Don't you want to smooth things over with them?” He seemed genuinely concerned.

  New Emily stared down Old Emily. “No. I'm tired of smoothing things over with them. Half the problem with Josh and me was the fact that I felt trapped.”

  She sighed heavily, then continued. “My family adores Josh. To them, he practically walks on water. He and my sister's fiance, Dan, are the sons my father never had. I felt like I couldn't end things with him, even though I haven't been happy for at least a year, maybe more.”

  She explained how she had thought Josh would be different when they got out of college and had more money, had real jobs, but after the first year of living together, she began to understand that Josh was who he was and that wasn't going to change. And as much as she cared for him, she slowly realized that he wasn't the one. She just didn't know what to do about it.

  “So, you came out here to get away?”

  “No, I came out here for the gala and the opening, and to make a big step in my career. But it was good timing for us to take a break. I just realized on the flight out here that for me, it was the permanent kind. I had intended to tell Josh after the holidays, so that he wouldn't be miserable for Christmas. I didn't anticipate meeting...you the first day I was here.”

  Rob curled an arm around her shoulders and pulled her down to the bed so he could hold her. “I didn't anticipate meeting you yesterday either. It threw me for a loop. If I wasn't such a veteran of this life, I'm sure I would have made even more mistakes. I'm more sorry than you can imagine that this is causing strife in your family, especially at the holidays. No one needs added stress.”

  The lust she'd experienced when she walked into his bedroom barreled into her like a linebacker's surprise tackle from the sidelines. Her desire pooled quickly and needed release. Emily turned her face up to his. Her hand was on his chest, where she could feel his heart thud inside. He was as nervous as she was. That somehow made her feel better about what she said next.

  “Then maybe you can help take that stress away.”

  Rob got the message. He dragged Emily on top of him and his mouth found hers immediately, the kiss as passionate as it had been in the car the night before. His hands slid under the shirt he had loaned her. A groan escaped his throat as he caressed her back and realized she wasn't wearing a bra. He rolled her underneath him so quickly it made Em gasp.

  He drew back, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded vigorously and brought his lips toward hers again. Emily opened her legs more and wrapped her ankles around his back. His hand was under the shirt, fingers trailed from her waist across her ribs and to her breast. He teased her nipple and she moaned. A smile crossed his lips as he lifted the shirt and looked at her bare chest. Then his mouth was on her breasts and she thought she would die from the pleasure. She arched her back and he yanked the shirt over her head, tossed it aside and kissed her again. Their skin touched chest to chest.

  Emily's fingers wandered lower and lower along Rob's chiseled chest and abs. Her hand found the waistband of his pajama bottoms and she sneaked it inside. She discovered what she'd sought and caused him to gasp.

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked. He looked at her with such intensity she thought she might crumble to pieces. It almost overwhelmed her, but the harlot regained the control she'd seized the night before.

  She reached in further, grasped him fully, pulled the pants down with her other hand and smiled appreciatively when she saw his impressive erection.

  “Yes. Absolutely.”

  He wiggled out of his pants, and there he was, the finest male specimen she had ever seen.

  “I want you, Emily. I don't th
ink I've ever wanted anyone so much in my whole life. Are you sure you want this?”

  Minutes ago, Old Emily, the cautious girl, would have hesitated when he gave her the opportunity. But this New Emily – the one who desperately yearned for Rob's touch on every single inch of her body – was in charge right now.

  “I can't think of a single reason why not,” she said, breathless. Her hands cupped his face and she kissed him, her lips saying what the rest of her body meant: she wanted him too.

  He slipped the sweatpants off her hips – an easy feat, given that they were barely held up in the first place – and his smile said he was pleased she wore nothing under them.

  If he had tried to just push inside her, she would have let him, the arousal was so potent.

  But instead, he took his time and appreciated her body with his hands, his lips, kissed her neck, her breasts, worked his way down her stomach. He eased apart her thighs and while she would normally have been shy and suggested that wait until later, when they were more familiar, she let him put his mouth on her privatest place. Her inner harlot asked, What reason is there to say no? She had never felt so sexually liberated before.

  His lips were magic. His tongue teased and stroked and Emily couldn't believe she felt so close to orgasm already. He slid one finger and then two inside her and she almost lost it then.

  A moan escaped her throat and her fingers entwined in his silky hair.

  “Don't stop. Please don't stop,” she begged.

  Who are you? Old Emily attempted to ask, but New Emily smothered her question and rode the wave. She came, hard, and ripples of pleasure smashed her into the bed.

  She screamed, “Oh God!” It was the first time Emily had ever cried out during orgasm before, but she couldn't help it. Sex with Josh was good, but this was some plane of existence that went so far beyond good there must be a special name for it. And this was just foreplay.

  Rob kissed his way back to her breasts and Emily thought she would die when it sent aftershocks of need through her as his mouth suckled her nipples. She had no idea they could be so sensitive after an orgasm. Usually, she just came during sex and that was it. They rolled away from one another, cleaned up, and maybe snuggled for a few minutes before going to sleep. These new sensations assaulted her left and right and she felt completely out of control.

  After paying attention to her breasts, Rob kissed back up to her neck, sucking hard enough to make her think about hickeys but not so hard that she felt compelled to care. His mouth found hers again, and she didn't even think about where it had been, she just kissed him, passionately.

  She could feel the smooth flesh of his erection pushing into her pelvis. She wanted him. Now. She tilted her hips to give him access and he paused for just a moment to reach toward the nightstand.

  “I'm an Eagle Scout,” he said to her confused look. He opened the drawer and pulled out condoms. She laughed. She had never laughed during sex. Wasn't that supposed to be a sin, to laugh during sex, lest the man feel you were laughing at him? And yet, she was laughing. And he was laughing too.

  He rolled on a condom and just before he could show her more of his bedroom talents, there was a knock at the door. He smiled wide and she was puzzled. He looked at the clock.

  “Room service. We said we were going to eat at 7 a.m. They're very punctual here.”

  He got up from the bed, his erection still prominent, sporting the condom. He grabbed a fluffy white robe off the back of a chair and threw it over himself.

  “I'll be right back.”

  She had to laugh. Who walked out to greet room service still hard as a rock with a condom on? Apparently, Rob did. Oddly, it made her like him more.

  She could hear him talking quietly to the attendant, directing the guy to leave everything. He must have tipped the man and sent him on his way quickly, because within a minute or so, he was back in the bedroom.

  “Now, where were we?” He threw off the robe and resumed his position to make love to her. Once again, he was about ready to push inside, then his cell phone rang. It wasn't a standard ring, it was some 80's tune she couldn't place instantly. He touched his forehead to hers.

  “We can't catch a break right now. I have to get that. It's Jenna.” Ah. It was 867-5309/Jenny by Tommy Tutone.

  He rolled off her and, lying there with his erection still covered in the condom, she was about to mount him to make him forget Jenna, whoever that was. He must have seen her intent on her face, because he put up a finger to tell her to wait.

  “Jen, what's up? Yeah, you're about an hour late. Yes. She's here. Yes. No, not last night. Jenna, you know I'm not going to tell you that. No, her sister called an hour ago. Well, she's from the East coast, they were all awake at that hour. I know. No, I don't blame you, it's not your fault. You did your job. If it was just me, then you'd have been right on top of things. You had no way of knowing. I told you that I don't want you doing that, Jen. No, it's not that crucial. Stop. You need to have a real life and get sleep, too. No, don't worry about that. Yeah, I think I've got that one covered. Call Barry and let him know so we can handle it for the interviews tomorrow. Okay. Yeah, let me know. Okay. Bye.”

  Em knew she must look perplexed, because he touched her face and said, “Sorry about that. Jenna is my assistant in charge of social media. Which basically means she monitors the tabloid sites, runs my Facebook page, my Twitter account, my website and whatever else she deems necessary to keep me in the public eye just the right amount. It's her job to warn me and my publicity team if there are rumors out there or if some photographer got pictures that might be compromising. It's ridiculous that I need a person in my life for that, but that's the name of the game these days.”

  She caressed his cheek. “I'm so sorry. You don't need this. I just made your life a lot more complicated.”

  He laughed. “This is my life on a regular basis, Emily. I should apologize. You're the one who doesn't need this right now. As much as I'd like to keep doing what we were doing – or about to do, at any rate – we should eat. You have somewhere to be and I don't want to make you late. I have a lunch meeting today, or else I'd ask you to lunch. But I'm free for dinner. Will you have dinner with me?”

  Emily smiled, touched that he was already thinking ahead to when they could be together again. “Yes. You're too sweet. When should I meet you?”

  “I'll give you my number and you can call me when you're done at the museum. We can decide what to do then. Does that work for you?”

  When she agreed, they put on robes and sat for breakfast. The conversation was light and easy, and it was, hands down, the best breakfast she had eaten in ages. Mostly due to the company, though the eggs, bacon, juice, pastries and coffee were all delicious. Before she knew it, Em was walking to her hotel room with Rick to get ready for work.

  Rick went inside first, to make a sweep of the room for her. “Is that really necessary?” she asked, concerned.

  “Just a precaution. There are all kinds of freaks out there. Everything looks fine. I'm sure I'll see you later.”

  “How can you be so sure about that?” she asked as he opened the door to leave. It seemed rather presumptuous.

  “Because he likes you. A lot. And you clearly like him. I haven't seen him like this in a long, long time. I'll see you later.”

  And with that, Rick left, with Emily wondering just what he meant.

  Emily got a clue about 45 minutes later as she made her way to the lobby so she could walk to the museum. A mob of people stood at the door, many of them with cameras. She assumed they waited for Rob or another high profile guest at the hotel.

  She was disabused of that idea as soon as Rick appeared at her side. His hand rested at the small of her back and he steered her toward the entrance where they arrived the night before.

  “What's going on?” she asked, clearly confused.

  His deep voice was loud in her ear. “I'm taking you to the museum. I'll send someone else over once you're there, but we thought you ne
eded an escort this morning. I saw those guys when I arrived. I told Rob I wanted a security detail on you. He won't get in your way while you're at the office, but he'll be as close or as far away as necessary if you have to leave. I've got a guy who's an ace at being discreet. Ex-CIA.”

  Em was scared. She knew it must show on her face, even if Rick couldn't read her as well as his brother.

  “Is that really necessary?” she found herself saying for the second time that morning.

  “Welcome to the entertainment business.”

  He ushered her into the limo. Mo said hello as he opened the door for her. This was getting more bizarre by the moment.

  They drove the few blocks to the museum and pulled up to an entrance she hadn't seen the day before. Mo let them out and Rick followed her to the office. No one batted an eye as he walked with her.

  Rather than reassure her, it unnerved Emily. The man was a giant. It wasn't like he was easy to miss.

  When they arrived at the desk that was hers while in Minneapolis, Becky, the girl she had met the day before, appeared at her side. Emily noticed her photo badge on the desk. She hadn't realized that they'd bypassed security.

  Before Em could speak, Rick said, “Hey, Becky. I'm sending Liam over. He'll be here in about an hour. She doesn't need to leave before then, right?”

  “Hi, Rick. No, we're all set. Today is mostly in-house except for lunch. You're all set there?”

  “Yeah.” He looked at Emily. “Okay, Liam will be here around 10 a.m. He's a good guy. Becky will find somewhere for him to hang out until lunch. When you leave, he'll tail you, but you won't know he's there unless you need him, okay? He'll introduce himself when he gets here so that you know who he is, but you'll hardly see him after that.”

  Emily could only nod. Rick said he would see her later and said goodbye to Becky. Em was struck dumb. What had she gotten herself into? And how, in God's name, did Rick accomplish all that in such a short time?

  Becky's voice brought her back to reality. “He's a good guy.”

  “I'm sorry, did you say something?”