“You’re such a charmer.”
“I’m truthful.”
“I know, but…” Laughing, she pushed his mouth away from her breast.
They lay in comfortable silence for a while. Her skin, both soft and not-so-soft, pressed against his. Never had he enjoyed the simple pleasure of holding a woman like he did with Emily. He traced leisurely circles over her back, and she sighed in contentment.
“Let’s go out on Saturday,” she suggested. “We can pretend to be strangers who meet at the bar, and you can try to pick me up.”
“Am I going to succeed?”
“I’d put your odds at one hundred percent.”
“Well, then. I’m not going to turn that down.” He paused. “You know the hotel down the street from here? It has a nice rooftop patio. We could go there. And perhaps you could do something for me.”
“Oh?”
“Wear the dress you wore to Nick’s wedding.”
“Actually…” She toyed with her hair. “I bought another dress when I got that one. I think you’ll like it a lot. It’s more revealing.”
He couldn’t wait for Saturday.
And he couldn’t help but wonder how much time they had left. She’d become an important part of his life in the last few weeks, and he would miss her when this was over. He’d been lying when he told himself he’d get over her easily.
Emily was special.
****
Saturday afternoon, Emily walked down Yonge Street with Liz. They were heading to the Eaton’s Centre to do a bit of shopping.
Liz was quiet for the first few minutes, which was unusual, and then she said, “You have a master’s degree, right? Did you ever think of doing a PhD?”
Emily rarely thought about that anymore, but after the conversation with her mother…
“That was my plan,” she said. “I wanted to be a prof.”
“A professor of physics? You must be so smart. I wasn’t too bad at math, but I took one year of physics in high school and…” Liz scrunched up her nose. “It was awful.”
“I loved it. Solving problems.”
“What was your research area?”
“Condensed matter physics.”
“I don’t even know what that means. And don’t bother explaining, I’m sure it’ll just go in one ear and out the other.”
“But then I realized,” Emily said, “what being a prof was really like. All the teaching and administration and grant writing. You have to be really dedicated, and I didn’t have it in me. Plus, you have to be willing to live pretty much anywhere. You can’t simply decide you’ll live in Toronto. And I wanted to stay here.” Near her family. “What will you do when you graduate?”
“Oh, God. Don’t ask.” Liz laughed and covered her face with her hands. “That’s what everyone asks me, and I have no fucking clue. Every conversation with my parents, I swear.”
They entered the Eaton’s Centre and were hit with a blast of cold air conditioning, quite a contrast to the hot summer’s day. They started at H&M and Forever 21, and then Emily dragged Liz to a couple of the stores she usually went to for work clothes.
“This is one of the things that sucks about having an actual job,” Liz said. “You have to dress like a real person.”
“I like getting dressed up for work.”
“I can see why you do. You look smashing in the black skirt you just bought. I bet it’ll make everyone stare at your ass.”
Emily couldn’t wait to wear it for Jay the next time she pretended to be his secretary. He would definitely stare at her ass, maybe when he took her from behind…
When they came to Victoria’s Secret, she had another idea. What about some sexy lingerie? Lacy bra and panties, or a slip of some sort. She’d never gotten anything like that before, because who would see it? She rarely had a boyfriend, and she hadn’t been comfortable with anyone seeing her chest until recently.
But she could do that now. With one particular man.
Liz grabbed her arm and hauled her away from the store. “We need to talk.”
“But I want go in.”
“I know you do. That’s why we need to talk.”
Liz dragged her to the food court, and they sat down near a group of teenage girls eating frozen yogurt.
Emily was confused. What was this about?
“So,” Liz said. “This guy you’re sleeping with. Jay, right?”
“Yes?”
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
“No, no.” Emily shook her head. “We’re just sleeping together.”
Liz crossed her arms. She looked a little smug. “Just sleeping together. I don’t think so. At least, I’m positive you want it to be more. You were thinking about buying lingerie.”
“I need some new bras.”
“Maybe you do. But I saw the mannequins you were looking at. You were thinking of buying something special. Not sensible, everyday bras. You want him to be your boyfriend, don’t you?”
Emily hesitated. “The idea did occur to me, yes.”
“But?”
“He wouldn’t be interested. You have to understand the kind of guy he is. He just wants a little fun, not a relationship.” As she said the words, something occurred to her. “Although when I started to get jealous, he did promise he wouldn’t sleep with anyone else as long as we were seeing each other.”
“How many times have you spent the whole night together?”
“Three.”
“And you already had him over for brunch with your university friends. Emily, he agreed to be exclusive, and he agreed to brunch. These are not the actions of a man who’s just interested in a little fun. Clearly he likes you a lot.”
Well, when her friend put it like that…
Was it possible? Was she really the woman who could change Jay’s mind about relationships?
The thought of having Jay as her boyfriend made her almost giddy. She wouldn’t have to worry about showing him who she really was. It would be so much different from her previous short-lived relationships.
“I can tell you’re crazy about this guy,” Liz said. “And he’s the one you went to after seeing your mom. Not me or any other friend. He was the one you wanted to see.”
“Are you insulted?”
“Of course not.” Liz paused. “So you’re in love with him, and it sounds like he returns your feelings.”
“I’m not sure if I love him. It hasn’t been all that long.”
“Don’t try to rationalize it away. You’ve known him for decades. When was the last time you felt this way about a man?”
That was an easy question.
“Never,” Emily said.
“Really? You’ve had boyfriends before, haven’t you?”
“Yes. But I’m not very good at letting people in.”
“That’s not how you come across to me.”
“I’ve gotten better lately, and with him, it’s not so hard.”
Of course, the first time they’d tried to have sex, Emily had completely freaked out when he unbuttoned her shirt, and they’d failed to do the deed. It had taken a while for her to get naked in front of him.
It wasn’t like she instantly shed all her insecurities and issues around Jay, but everything was easier with him.
“Tonight,” she said. “I’ll tell him I want something more when I see him tonight.”
“Go for it. He sounds amazing, and this won’t change things between you all that much, will it?”
“We’ll have to tell my brother. But otherwise? No, not really.”
Warmth bloomed in her chest. She needed to stop listening to her doubts. She could have this, and she could have it with Jay.
“Let’s go back to Victoria’s Secret,” Liz said. “You can find something to impress this man of yours.”
At the lingerie store, Emily studied the colorful displays, feeling lost. She wasn’t used to buying undergarments that were sexy rather than functional. Her underwear drawer was full of basi
c beige and black panties and bras, though there were a few whimsical exceptions, like the pink panties with hearts that she’d worn under her schoolgirl outfit.
With Liz’s help, she finally settled on a lacy black bra and matching panties, which she planned to wear tonight under her dress. She also bought a pale pink slip with black lace trim. It dipped low in the front and showed a lot of cleavage. But alone with Jay, that was okay. Perhaps she could model it for him tomorrow morning.
When she got home from the mall, she sent him a picture of her pink striped Victoria’s Secret bag. I got a surprise for you, she texted.
Emily loved the person she’d become because of Jay. Flirty and confident.
She couldn’t wait for tonight. Couldn’t wait to meet him at a swanky bar and pretend to be strangers, then tumble into bed again.
And later, she would tell him she wanted more.
He would agree, wouldn’t he?
Chapter Fifteen
Jay hurried up the stairs to the rooftop, his heart beating faster than it should from such limited physical activity.
He was going to see Emily.
He noticed her as soon as he made it up to the patio. She was sitting at the bar, facing away from him, but he knew it was her. He knew from her hair, the shape of her body, and the way his eyes were unable to look anywhere else. The rush of heat through his veins.
Her entire back was bare.
And, oh, she was lovely like this.
Her shoulder hitched up as she reached out and picked up a martini glass by the stem. He was transfixed by her slight movements, the curve of her shoulder, her slender arm.
Never before had he found shoulders so erotic.
Her hair was tied up loosely, and he ran his eyes over the slope of her exposed neck, like he wanted to run his mouth over it later.
He couldn’t help but wonder what was underneath the dress that was covering so little of her from this angle. She’d sent him a picture of a Victoria’s Secret bag earlier, and he’d been thinking about it all afternoon.
“Hey. What’s the hold up?” said a voice behind him.
Shit. He’d stopped at the top of the stairs, blocking the way to the patio.
Jay quickly moved to the side. As he walked toward Emily, he noticed the small crystals glittering at her ears. The twin moles midway down her back, which he’d kissed the other day. The light dusting of freckles on her shoulders. He’d gotten to know every inch of her body in the past few weeks.
He stepped beside her, feeling more nervous than he usually did when he approached a woman at a bar. Even though he knew her. Even though this was entirely set up, and he had a hundred percent chance of success.
“Hello,” he said. “May I buy you a drink?” Better to be straightforward than to use any silly lines.
Emily turned toward him, her face partially illuminated by the soft candles flickering on the bar. She rested her head on her hand and looked him up and down.
Her dress was a deep purple. The front of it was much more conservative than the back, as he’d expected. It ended just below her collarbone, the satiny fabric bunched up at the neckline, and tied behind her neck.
Although he knew what she would say, he felt a touch light-headed as he awaited her response.
“You certainly can,” she said. “I’m almost finished with the one I have.”
Indeed she was, as though she’d planned it perfectly.
He ordered their drinks, and then he said, “I saw you when I was on the stairs. And suddenly I couldn’t seem to move and people were yelling at me to hurry up.”
Her laughter tinkled into the night. Soft music and soft voices surrounded them, the lights of the city in the distance. But what she looked like, what she said, that was what mattered.
“You couldn’t have seen anything more than my back,” she said.
“That was enough. I’m sure men make fools of themselves in front of you all the time.”
She couldn’t seem to stop smiling.
“I bet you wanted to show off your back,” he said. “You wanted it to be the first thing men saw when they came up the stairs. Your fair skin against the dark night, the little purple bow at your neck.”
He wouldn’t usually ramble on about a woman’s features. But he couldn’t help it. There was a tint of surreality to the evening.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Rachelle,” she answered, and that surprised him. They had always used their real names before. “And you are?”
“You can call me … Greyson.”
“Mysterious, are we?”
The bartender placed their drinks on the polished wood bar. Jay handed over a few bills.
“Shall we find a table?” he asked Emily. “Or would you prefer to stay here?”
“Let’s get a table.”
She stood up, and he placed his hand on the middle of her back. Her warm skin sent tiny sparks up his fingers. Those sparks seem to travel to the very core of him.
He led her to a table at the corner of the patio. It was partly obscured by a potted evergreen.
“I don’t know about this,” she said. “You won’t even tell me your real name, and now you’re taking me to the most secluded table on the patio.” She raised her eyebrows.
Jay leaned toward her, his forehead nearly touching hers. “I think you know why I’m doing it.” He pressed a slow kiss to the underside of her jaw.
He did not understand why the eyes of everyone on the patio were not on her. He didn’t understand why he hadn’t needed to fight off other men to get to her.
He pulled out a chair for her. Despite the reservations she’d voiced, she sat down and placed her martini on the table. He took the seat across from her, utterly entranced. The highlights in her hair stood out, so much more than a simple dark blonde.
“So what do you do, Greyson?” she asked.
“I’m in business.”
“That could mean anything. The oil business? The piano business? Or perhaps the fertilizer business?”
“Does it matter?”
“Why, yes,” she said. “If I’m going to sleep with a man, I need to have some idea of what he does first.”
“You’re thinking of going to bed with me, Rachelle? A mere five minutes after meeting me?”
She put her elbow on the table and rested her chin on the back of her hand, leaning toward him slightly. Every movement she made was so alluring.
“Perhaps.” She shrugged.
“I have no such requirements,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me what you do for work.”
“Well, that’s good. Because I don’t think you’d understand it.”
“Oh?” He placed his hand on her bare knee. “Try me.”
He would stand behind her later tonight, next to the bed. Undo the little bow at her neck so that the top half of her dress fell forward, down to her hips. He’d curl his hands over her breasts as he kissed his way down her neck. Down, down, down her naked back, until he reached the edge of her dress. Savoring every exposed inch of her. And then he would straighten up and set his lips to her cheek. She would turn back and press her mouth to his, moaning, needing to taste him. Her nipples would become tight buds under his touch. Perhaps they were clad in black lace…
No. There was no way she could be wearing a bra with that dress.
He couldn’t help but stare at her breasts now. Her nipples were peaking just slightly beneath the thin fabric.
And when he was caressing them, she would strain against him, pushing her round ass against his erection…
“Emily? Jay? What are you doing here?”
He startled at the familiar voice. It took a moment for him to realize where the voice was coming from and who it was, because he’d been so absorbed in Emily and what he planned to do to her later tonight.
What he planned to do to this man’s sister.
His best friend’s sister.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
T
he delicious magic of the night was gone in an instant.
“What does it look like they’re doing, sweetheart?” That was Diana.
Jay quickly removed his hand from Emily’s knee and looked at Nick. Watched his expression change from confusion to anger.
Jesus. Jay should have known better than to be seen with Emily Branson in public. Except there were millions of people in this city. What were the odds?
And then he remembered that he’d recommended this patio to Nick. He’d told his friend it would be a good place to take Diana.
So much for trying to be helpful.
“You.” Nick grabbed Jay’s arm. “Outside. Now.”
“We’re already outside,” Jay said pleasantly.
It was a completely pointless thing to say.
Nick glared at him.
Emily looked rapidly between them. “Nick, please. I can take care of myself. Jay’s done nothing wrong. Everything’s fine, okay?”
Nick jerked Jay’s arm. “You’re coming with me.”
“You heard your sister. She doesn’t want you to interfere.”
His friend merely grunted.
Well, they didn’t seem to be getting anywhere here.
Jay held up his other hand in surrender. “Alright. Let’s go to the back alley and hash this out, if you insist.”
“Yes, if you feel the need to talk, then by all means, do it in private,” Diana said. “Talking, remember, sweetheart. Nothing more. I’ll stay here and keep Emily company.”
Nick tightened his hold on Jay’s arm and hauled him to his feet. He dragged him down the stairs, out the front door of the hotel, and around to the back.
Although Jay couldn’t help but feel regret, it was more regret at being caught than anything else. He remembered pulling Emily onto the dance floor, holding her close for the first time, telling her nothing could happen between them.
But it had. And he was glad.
At first he’d felt guilty. She was Nick’s sister. And not only were they having sex, but she was dressing up as a schoolgirl and he was treating her as a sex object.
But although he may have broken a silent code … he’d been good for Emily, dammit. He’d treated her well, and they had agreed on exactly where this was going.
Nick finally let go of his arm and shoved him against the brick wall.
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