Though it had taken a long time. And once he’d gotten well, she’d been afraid he would get ill again, and she’d tried to make things easy for him. Tried to be the perfect daughter who never caused any trouble.
“I know it’s nearly twenty years late,” she said, “but thank you.”
They were quiet for a moment, and then he said, “My parents want to see you. They want to have your whole family over for dinner.”
“They don’t need to go to all that trouble.”
“Emily, it’s not trouble.”
“But they did so much…”
“My mother practically thinks of you as her daughter. She misses you.”
“Oh.” She put a fist to her mouth, her heart swelling with emotion.
“She told us how you called her when you got your period.”
“Please stop talking. Now.” Emily covered her eyes with her hands.
When she’d gotten her period, she’d known what it was, of course, known she had to go to the drug store to get supplies. But the vast selection of feminine products had overwhelmed her, and she didn’t have a mother or older sister to ask. So she’d called Mrs. Cheng, who’d explained everything to her and gotten her ibuprofen in case she had cramps. Afterward, she’d taken Emily to get her nails done.
It wasn’t an unpleasant memory, but not something she wanted to talk about with the guy she was sleeping with, especially since it involved his mother.
He knew about her past, and in a way, that was lovely, because she didn’t need to explain anything to him, but at the same time… God, she was screwing around with her brother’s best friend.
“Does it bother you that I’m older?” she asked.
“Three years is hardly anything.”
“It felt like a lot when we were children.”
“It did. But now…”
He took her coffee cup and put it on the night table. A moment later she was under him again, the apron between them.
“May I?” he asked, one hand on the bow at the back of her neck.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Please.”
****
On Thursday Jay went to a pub with some guys from work. A few of the men played darts, and normally Jay would have joined them, but instead he sat with Cal and Roberto at a table nearby and didn’t say much of anything.
His thoughts kept drifting back to Emily, to how beautiful she looked spread out naked beneath him. God, she had the most gorgeous breasts. They fit perfectly in his hands, and her nipples peaked at the smallest touch. He couldn’t get enough of sucking on them or trailing his tongue along the edge of her birthmark.
He looked over at the dart game and sipped his beer. There was a good reason he wasn’t throwing darts right now. He was distracted, and he didn’t think his aim would be any good.
“Hey.” Roberto elbowed him in the ribs. “Looking at the babe by the pinball machine?”
Jay followed Roberto’s gaze. The woman was about his age. Tanned skin, long dark hair. Her jeans clung tightly to her legs.
“Yeah,” Jay said. That was exactly who he’d been looking at. The woman he hadn’t noticed until now.
She was definitely hot.
But she wasn’t Emily.
Emily in an old-school apron with nothing underneath…
“So?” Roberto nudged him again. “Why don’t you go over there? I would, but…” He slid his wedding band up and down his finger.
“Nah,” Jay said. “She’s cute, but she’s not my type.”
Cal frowned. “You sick? Normally you’d be all over that.”
He had a point.
She totally would have been his type … up until a few weeks ago.
“I’m a bit under the weather.” Jay wasn’t sure whether he actually expected them to believe that.
“I know what the problem is,” Roberto said. “He met someone.”
Jay laughed.
He hadn’t met anyone. He was just having great sex with his childhood crush. And soon Emily would be done with his “services,” and she’d have an easier time sleeping with another man after what they’d shared.
Jay couldn’t help but grip the table when he thought of her with someone else.
Chapter Twelve
Saturday morning, Jay woke up in Emily’s bed for the second time. She was still asleep, one hand tucked under her chin, her blonde hair fanned out over the pillow.
Last night, he’d come over around ten, after hanging out with a few of his friends, and she’d been washing the dishes, wearing only the cherry apron once more. He’d taken her over the counter, and then they’d moved to the bedroom, where he’d found her vibrator on the bed. He’d stripped off the apron and lavished attention on her breasts before fucking her again.
Obviously, he wasn’t complaining about last night, and he wasn’t complaining now about seeing her in the light of the morning. Sometimes he’d slip out if he woke up in a woman’s bed and she was still asleep, but he would never do that with Emily.
He wanted the nights with her, and he wanted the mornings with her, too—and not only because they’d probably have sex again. He wanted to drink coffee with her and watch her walk around in the big T-shirt she wore to bed.
Jay had been telling himself it was just great sex, nothing more, but now he had to admit that wasn’t quite accurate. This was different from usual. He wanted things he didn’t normally want with a woman, and he couldn’t help but be jealous at the thought of her with another guy.
His friends—including Nick—assumed he’d never tried to have a relationship, but that wasn’t true. When Nick and Diana had gotten together, Nick had seemed pretty happy, and for the first time, Jay had thought he’d try to figure out what the big deal was with relationships. He’d met this girl, Claire, at a bar. She wasn’t just hot, she was pretty funny, too. They’d gone on several dates over a month or two. More than he’d ever been on with any other woman. He’d liked Claire, yet the thought of an actual relationship with her had made him twitchy. A few months later, he’d tried again with another woman. Anika. Both of them were great women, but he’d been unable to feel anything for them, and he’d assumed relationships just weren’t for him.
It wasn’t like he’d never tried. He had.
But maybe it would be different with Emily…
He immediately rejected the idea. It wasn’t possible, was it? That after all this time, this one woman, whom he’d known since he was a child, could make him change his outlook on relationships? He just felt a little differently toward her, because, well… She wasn’t simply a random woman she’d met at a bar. He knew a lot more about her than the women he normally slept with, which was a little sad, now that he thought about it.
It wasn’t possible. He knew that. It was just who he was.
Besides, he doubted he was Emily’s type. They were compatible in bed, sure, but not for a long-term relationship.
When she’d first propositioned him, he’d worried she might develop feelings for him, but he could see now that had been a foolish fear. He wasn’t even in the same league as her. The more time he spent with her, the more obvious that became.
He imagined her with a man who wore a suit to work—not just when they were role-playing—and who had more sophisticated tastes than him. A corporate lawyer, perhaps, not a guy who spent a lot of time in a hard hat and had nearly flunked out of university. Someone who was ambitious, rather than preferring to go with the flow and enjoy life as it came.
His hand tensed on the blanket as he thought of this imaginary guy. He couldn’t help it. He’d become rather possessive of her lately, but that was a feeling he’d have to let go of.
She’d become comfortable enough around him to show him the skin that embarrassed her so much. She wanted to keep sleeping with him for now, but he couldn’t imagine it would last much longer. She’d want to get out in the dating world, and he knew it wouldn’t take long for her to catch a man’s interest. Emily was a successful woman professionally. S
he was intelligent, but also kind and beautiful. She was great in the kitchen, too. Both when she was cooking, and when she was bent over the counter with her naked ass in the air. Although she might not see herself as a great catch, he sure did—and he wasn’t even interested in relationships.
That bothered him more now than it usually did. Usually he just accepted it was the way he was, but he was struggling with that now. He felt broken.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and sat up to get a better look at Emily. He would just enjoy himself for the next few weeks, however long it lasted. When it was over, it was over, and he would move on easily, the way he always did.
Wouldn’t he?
****
“What would you like for breakfast?” Emily asked Jay as they walked into the kitchen.
Although she wouldn’t admit it to him, she’d made an extra trip to the grocery store to ensure she had anything he could possibly want in her fridge.
“Cold cereal’s fine,” he said.
“I could make eggs hollandaise? Pancakes and bacon? Fresh muffins?”
“I’m not paying for a room in a bed and breakfast, Em. You don’t have to make anything but coffee for me.”
She really wasn’t used to this morning after business. She’d only had one other man stay over at her condo before, and that was more than three years ago. A guy she’d dated for a few weeks, but she’d never felt comfortable with him the way she felt with Jay. The only time he’d stayed over, she’d tried to push him out the door in the morning as fast as possible.
Having someone stay over was intimate. You had to be okay with the other person possibly smelling your morning breath and seeing you when your hair was a mess. She was happy to have Jay stay for as long as he liked, and that was unusual.
Yes, the fact that this was an unusual occurrence for her probably explained why she felt the need to make fancy food. It seemed like a special occasion. Whereas for him…
Well, she didn’t want to think about that, but she was pretty sure this was a fairly ordinary experience for Jay.
That caused a tightness in her chest.
And soon, this would be over, and he would go back to being a man she saw every few years, rather than every few days.
“You okay?” he asked. “You look a bit spaced out.”
She smiled brightly. “No, no. I’m fine.”
I just can’t bear the thought of you leaving.
But what if he didn’t leave? What if they turned this role-playing into something real?
She dismissed the idea. Based on what Nick had told her, that wasn’t the sort of thing Jay did, and she had no reason to think she was the woman who would change him. She almost laughed at the idea. Yeah, the man was attracted to her, and that was flattering, but there was nothing more other than friendship.
Dammit. She still couldn’t get the image of him having a morning after with another woman out of her head. What if he’d slept with someone else just a couple days ago? It wasn’t like they were exclusive. She’d told him that he could see other women.
She had to know.
“Jay,” she said, “have you … umm…”
He placed his hand on her shoulder. “What is it?”
“Have you slept with anyone else since you started sleeping with me?”
She was anything but calm and cool, that was for sure.
She turned away from him, embarrassed. It wasn’t her business. He was free to do whatever he liked.
He stepped closer and turned her head back to his. Her skin warmed at his touch, and she nearly sank against him, but she was determined to keep a bit of distance.
“Why are you asking?” he said.
“Just curiosity.” She shrugged.
“Is that all? Or would you be jealous if I said yes?”
“Fine. I admit it. I would be a little jealous.”
“You’re the only woman I’ve been with in the past month.”
She released the breath she’d been holding.
“And you?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
She rolled her eyes. “Come on. You know I hadn’t had sex for three years before Nick’s wedding. It’s enough of a miracle that I’m sleeping with one man right now.”
“You could have whatever you wanted. I’m sure men just find you too intimidating to approach because you’re so wonderful.”
She burst into laughter, but he didn’t join her.
“You’re hilarious,” she said eventually, needing to fill the silence.
She placed her hands on his hips and looked up at him. His gaze bore into hers, and her breath started coming a little fast. She felt a touch light-headed.
Well, perhaps that was just because she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.
“I know what I’ll make for you,” she said. “A yogurt parfait with strawberries and homemade granola. Don’t worry, the granola is already made. I just have to assemble it.” She pulled two tall glasses out of the cupboard, then opened the fridge.
“You’re making me a parfait for breakfast?” He chuckled.
“Why not?”
Yogurt and berries in hand, she shut the fridge and turned, and she nearly smacked into his chest.
“Jay…” She couldn’t seem to say anything more.
“Yes, Em?”
He didn’t give her a chance to answer, he just dipped his head and kissed her, his lips soft on hers. It was a gentle kiss, a kiss that wasn’t meant to immediately lead to sex, and it seemed more intimate somehow.
Her head spinning, she stepped back to set the yogurt and berries on the counter, and then he was upon her again, his strong arms holding her up, his lips coaxing hers open. She surrendered to his touch, savoring everything he did to her, storing it up for when he was no longer part of her life. She wouldn’t let herself forget.
“I’d be jealous if you were sleeping with someone else, too,” he said quietly. He seemed uncharacteristically serious. “I promise that as long as we’re doing this”—he gestured between them—“I won’t be with any other woman. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He stepped back from her, and his serious expression slid into a lopsided grin. “Now I’ll quit distracting you so you can make me a parfait. I need some energy for what I plan to do to you this morning.”
****
“I don’t want to go home yet,” Chelsea said. “Mom and Dad are having a mahjong tournament at the house.”
“Tournament?” Jay said.
“You got it. So after I visited my friend and her new baby—my God, I can’t believe someone my age is old enough to have a baby—I figured I’d visit you. They probably won’t be done until midnight.”
It was eight o’clock on Saturday night, and his sister had stopped by unexpectedly. He wouldn’t normally mind, but Emily was supposed to come over in an hour, and it appeared Chelsea wanted to stay for a while.
Chelsea walked around his condo, looking at things here and there. “I haven’t been here in several months. It’s neater than last time.”
Okay, so maybe he’d wanted it to be clean for when Emily arrived.
He sat down on the couch, his arm stretched across the back, and watched as his sister poked at things here and there. Hopefully he could kick her out in a few minutes without too much fuss.
“How’s work going?” she asked.
“Fine,” he said.
She sat down on the chair next to him. “You doing anything this weekend?”
He shook his head.
“You’re usually more talkative than this.” She frowned. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
That probably didn’t help his cause.
“Hm.” She put her finger to her chin. “Come to think of it, it’s rather odd that you’re sitting at home alone on a Saturday evening.”
“The night is young.”
“You going out to a bar? Clubbing? Ooh—do you know any good spots? You could take me with you.”
“I am not going
clubbing with my baby sister.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m twenty-six. I’m hardly a baby. But really. What’s the hot new place to go downtown?”
He shrugged. He really did not want to continue this conversation. A certain woman was coming over soon, and he could think of nothing else.
“Seriously, Jay. What’s up? If you don’t tell me, I’ll tell Mom you’re sick, and she’ll descend on your bachelor pad tomorrow morning with a big pot of congee.”
Dear God. “You wouldn’t.”
“I totally would, and you know it.”
Alas, that was true.
“Look, I’m just having a few friends over,” he said, needing to tell her something. “They’re showing up at eight thirty or nine, and I’d appreciate it if you were gone by then.”
“Is Nick coming? I want to ask him about Banff.”
“Other friends. Not Nick.”
“I can’t wait to meet them.”
“I did not invite you to stay.” He glared at her. “I asked you to be gone by then.”
“Geez, you’re awful grumpy today. Maybe you are actually sick. Or am I just not cool enough for your friends?”
“Sure. Whatever. You’re not cool enough for my friends.”
But he was the one who wasn’t playing it cool. At all. Normally he’d be able to chat with his sister for a few minutes, then steer her out before she caused any damage, but he didn’t seem capable of that today.
His mind was on Emily.
He’d even bought granola, vanilla yogurt, and blueberries so he could make her a parfait tomorrow morning. Or maybe he’d be making one tonight, as a midnight snack, before round three…
He had to get his sister to leave.
His phone rang, and he pounced on it. Was Emily already here?
But it was just a telemarketer.
“Chelsea,” he said, setting down his phone, “I’m sorry. That was Mom and Dad. They want you to go home and help referee the mahjong tournament.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Why don’t you want me to meet your friends? You normally don’t mind.”
“I’m afraid one of them will hit on you, and that is a sight I don’t need to witness.”
“Ooh.” She shifted closer to him. “Who’s this? Is he hot?”
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