Loving the Best Man (Friends & Lovers Book 2)

by Jaye Diane

  She was laying back in the wide Jacuzzi, just staring at the ceiling, not moving. The Jacuzzi was on and the low hum was the only sound in the bathroom. It was hard not to stare at her lush breasts bobbing in the water but he forced his eyes to focus on her face.

  “Em?” He called gently.

  “Yeah?”

  “The food’s here. Come eat.”

  Slowly, she sat up.

  “Are you okay?” He asked when she just sat there without moving.

  “I’m okay. I’m sleepy.”

  “Well, you can go straight to bed as soon as you finish eating.” He remembered then that Robyn was on her way over.

  “Robyn’s coming here,” He said, prompting her to jump up, splashing water down to the tiled floor.

  He watched the rivulets of water trickle down her body and he was instantly hard.

  “What the hell, Lincoln! You called her, didn’t you?”

  “N-no,” He said, staring at the triangle of hair between her legs. He could take her then and there and he knew she wouldn’t mind. If Robyn wasn’t on the way over, he definitely would give in to the urge.

  “Lincoln,” She snapped, waving her arm in the air. The movement of her arm caused her breasts to bounce and he again had to force himself to look at her face.

  “I called Devin,” He told her, distractedly. “I thought they should know.”

  “No, it’s not their problem.”

  “You should tell your Dad too. I’m sure he’d want to know.”

  “He’s so busy with his wife’s family that he didn’t even think to ask why I’d asked him to stay at his house.” She opened the drain and the water began to go out of the tub in a soft gurgle. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself.

  “You asked your father if you could stay with him?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded and began drying herself off.

  “Why?” Why did it bother him so much that he hadn’t been her first choice? He was stupid as hell to have thought that she’d come running straight to him.

  “Why not? He’s my dad. He’s the only family that I’ve got. Blood-related, anyway.”

  “You’re right,” Linc said simply. But his feelings were hurt. “So why didn’t you go stay there?”

  “His wife’s family is visiting. Apparently they invited themselves over. They were supposed to leave after dinner yesterday.” She shook her head and frowned while she spoke of her dad’s in-laws.

  “The older people are alright.” She stepped out of the tub. “But Samantha’s nieces and nephew are seriously fucked up in the head.”

  “What happened?” Linc said, smiling in spite of everything.

  “The girls hated me as soon as I got there. For no reason. And their brother was trying to push up on me and couldn’t take it when I told him no.”

  “Did he do something to you?” Linc asked, the smile wiped clear off his face.

  “No,” She assured him, touching his arm. “He was just an asshole. He thought I’d dressed up for him. He kept trying to talk to me and spend time with me. It was aggravating. Like when I looked for parking, he invited himself to come along and tried to make conversation…”

  “Well, you’re a beautiful woman,” Linc said, “You should be used to all kinds of attention by now.”

  “I know I’m attractive,” She said, no hint of ego in her tone. “But some guys just try too hard and don’t take the obvious hint that’s dangled right in their faces. I obviously wasn’t interested and he still thought he had a chance. And then accused me of playing hard to get!”

  “That guy’s a dumb ass,” Linc murmured.

  The bell rang and he left the bathroom.

  “Where is she?” Robyn asked, nearly running him over in her urgency to get inside the apartment. “Emerald?”

  “Over here,” Emerald replied, standing down the hall wrapped in a large fluffy green towel.

  He made himself turn away as Robyn rushed down the hall without even bothering to take off her coat. Emerald looked entirely too gorgeous and appealing in the towel and he didn’t want to be caught staring. He decided to go to his office to make an attempt to get some work done and to give the two women their privacy.

  “I don’t understand why you kept all this from me, Emmy. I’m supposed to be your best friend.”

  They were in Lincoln’s bedroom, facing each other and sitting cross-legged on the bed.

  “You know you’re my girl,” Emerald said, taking Robyn’s hand in hers. “You’re really more like a sister. But I didn’t want my problem to become your problem.”

  “But that’s what friends and family are for!”

  “I know.” Emerald did feel guilty. She felt bad for being dishonest with Robyn and Devin, and even Lincoln. “I’m sorry.”

  “I can’t believe that jerk Marley would do all of this. What a loser!”

  “I didn’t want to believe it at first either,” Emerald said. “But he is very pathetic. When I think about the times he tried to force himself on me…if a man could do that, he’d do just about anything.”

  “Thank God you weren’t anywhere near that car!” Robyn exclaimed. “You have to stay here with Linc until they arrest that loser.”

  “No.”

  “Or come stay at my house. You know you don’t have to ask. We’d love to have you.”

  “In a few days I’m going to stay with my father and Samantha.”

  “Samantha? You mean she’s not ‘SM3’ anymore? And why couldn’t you go stay with them today?”

  “They have houseguests,” Emerald responded, “And I think my father might really be trying to make it work with her…so I’m going to do my best to accept her too.”

  “That’s great, Emmy,” Robyn smiled a little half-smile.

  “Yeah, it’s one of the few good things going on right about now.”

  “It seems like you and Linc are getting closer... I mean, you’re staying with him.”

  “I’m staying here because I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “I just told you-”

  “I know I can stay with you and Dev. But you two are newlyweds. You don’t need me around.”

  “We wouldn’t mind.”

  “I know that,” Emerald replied gently. “It’s just how I feel. I want you two to have your newlywed privacy.”

  “There’s not much privacy with an infant around,” Robyn pointed out. “But I just love her so much.”

  Emerald smiled as she thought of that precious baby. Olivia was such a sweet little girl.

  “That’s something else I’m starting to worry about,” Emerald admitted, letting go of Robyn’s hand. She folded her hands together in a very tight clasp.

  “Marley might find out where I’m staying and bring the drama wherever that is. I really don’t want to bring trouble into your home.”

  “How could he know?” Robyn whispered.

  “I don’t know. But I just want to be on the safe side. I don’t know if he’s following me.”

  “You’re right. This is terrible.”

  “It will be over soon,” Emerald said with false confidence. It would be over soon but would she come out unscathed?

  “The police will hopefully arrest the joker soon.”

  “It’s my fault it got this bad,” Emerald confessed.

  “Honey, you can’t blame yourself.” Robyn’s eyes were wet.

  “He was sticking with his stupid ass messages and then I went to the gym and threatened him. Now he’s destroyed my car because of it.”

  Robyn’s mouth fell open and she didn’t speak for several seconds. At last, she said, “You confronted him?”

  “I was just getting sick of all this bullshit, you know?” Emerald threw herself back on Lincoln’s pillows and immediately got assaulted by his scent. She licked her lips and pushed herself back up.

  “What did he say?”

  “He said he didn’t know what I was talking about.”

  “Wow, you were really brave.
He’s a nut. Don’t blame yourself for him snapping. None of this is your fault.”

  There was a knock on the door before Lincoln walked in.

  “Do you two want some dinner? You’ve been in here for almost an hour.”

  “I could eat,” Emerald said. She hadn’t eaten all day. There had been too much going on.

  “I ate already.” Robyn slowly got off of the bed. “I’m going to actually get ready to go back home.”

  Emerald nodded slowly.

  “But I want you to be upfront with me from now on,” Robyn said fiercely.

  Emerald nodded again.

  “I mean it, Emmy. If I find out you’re hiding something else, I’m going to be very upset with you.”

  “I promise.” Emerald gave Robyn a hug, ignoring the curious look that Lincoln gave them. They hugged and Robyn soon left.

  She sat on the couch with a glass of wine while Lincoln warmed up the food. A movie played on the big flat screen TV but she wasn’t paying much attention. She just kept thinking about how the detectives would be interviewing her tomorrow and how she hoped they had some good news.

  She’d thought she’d been ignoring the harassment but it had really taken a toll on her. If she had really been ignoring or handling anything, she wouldn’t have fallen apart when she’d gotten the news about her car.

  Lincoln entered the living room carrying a plate of food. He gave it to her, smiling tenderly, and walked back out of the room.

  She sat her glass of wine down on the coffee table and began to eat. It was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, a roll and vegetables. She was starving but she tried not to eat like a pig. She didn’t want Lincoln to think that she was greedy. He soon joined her with his own plate of food and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

  She stared at him out of the corner of her eye, admiring his profile. He really was sexy as hell. She was amazed that they went so well together. She’d flirted with men of various races and gone on dates with a few of them but it had never been serious, and the couple of serious relationships she’d had had been with black men. Now here she was, falling for a good old-fashioned white boy.

  Her eyes widened and she stared at him, wondering if she’d actually voiced the critical thought aloud. But he was staring at the TV screen and eating quietly.

  She stared down at her plate, trying not to panic. Falling for him? No way was she falling for him. Why had she thought such a stupid thing?

  “Are you alright?”

  “Yeah,” She answered, her appetite suddenly gone. “I’m tired. I’m going to go to bed soon.”

  “I know you’ve had a long, bad day.”

  Bad was putting it mildly. But she’d dealt with much worse in her life so she would try not to complain too much. It hurt to lose her car but she was so thankful that she was okay. And after the stunning events of the morning, the day had actually gone better. She’d confessed to Lincoln and Robyn and gotten the whole sordid mess off her chest, and she hadn’t had any nasty messages all day.

  She suddenly remembered her phone. She put her plate on the coffee table and went to retrieve her phone from her coat pocket. It was dead. No wonder there hadn’t been any messages. She should have known it was too good to be true. She debated over whether she should even bother to plug it in but she needed to be able to get in touch with Robyn and that had her quickly plugging it in.

  When she turned the phone on, it rang with several alerts. Lincoln was standing behind her, looking over her shoulder, before she’d even gotten to the first one. She had messages from Robyn and Grace. The message from Robyn was only a few minutes old, letting her know that she’d gotten home. She quickly replied, feeling Lincoln’s warm breath fanning over the back of her neck.

  Grace’s message was simply asking for her to call. Emerald quickly texted her back, deciding that she would call her the next day. She didn’t want to be on the phone with anyone, even a good friend. She just wanted to go to sleep and escape from everything that she’d been going through.

  She opened the message from the unknown number, bracing herself for what she’d read.

  You can hide but I’ll be there soon.

  “Fucking sonofabitch!” Lincoln exclaimed. “When I find this guy, I’m going to kick his fucking ass!”

  She swallowed several times, her throat suddenly dry, and set the phone down so it could keep charging. Wordlessly she grabbed her plate and went to the kitchen to dump the food out. She felt bad for wasting food that he’d spent his money on but she just had no appetite.

  He stood quietly behind her. She only knew he was there because she could hear him breathe. She turned the faucets on and picked up a sponge.

  “Just leave that, I’ll take care of it.” The anger in his voice was barely restrained.

  “I’ll do it. I’m already standing here.” It only took a minute to wash the plate and fork that she’d been eating with. She turned to see him leaning against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest and looking very grim.

  “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go lay down now.”

  “Of course I don’t mind.” His voice had completely changed and was low and gentle. He approached her and softly grabbed her by the arms. “I want you to get some rest.”

  His hands slowly ran up and down her arms which were nearly completely bare in the short sleeved pink nightshirt that she’d chosen to wear. He kissed her forehead and tapped a finger against her chin.

  “Thanks.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek and left him standing in the kitchen. Her heart was pounding and it wasn’t from reading that stupid message. It was from the look in Lincoln’s eyes, the tenderness that she’d seen there. He’d gotten rid of his anger for her sake. He’d treated her as if she was delicate. As if he cared about her more than he should. And that shook her to her very core.

  She climbed under the thick blankets and comforter on his bed but instead of going to sleep, she lay there replaying the scene that had just played out in the kitchen. Even though it was not yet eight at night, she’d been so exhausted that she was sure she’d fall to sleep right away. But now her heart wouldn’t calm down enough for her to even relax, let alone go to sleep.

  She kicked at the blankets and pulled a pillow over her head. It was going to be a long night and she had way too much to think about.

  Linc tried to finish eating his dinner but the desire to eat was completely gone. He finally cleaned up the remnants of their meal and wondered how Emerald was doing. He considered going to check on her but he was acting whipped enough as it was. No, better to leave her to her alone time. He needed some time alone too.

  He went to the window and stared out. It was pouring down rain. He thought about going to the gym that was in the basement of the building but he wasn’t ready to leave her alone. He settled on push-ups and sit-ups and felt mellow once he was done. He stripped and went to take a shower.

  He’d been surprised at his reaction to finding out what had happened to Emerald. In the couple weeks since they’d gotten together, there had been times that she’d been distant but he’d just attributed that to whatever fear she had of commitment. Now he knew the truth. She had a crazy stalker who’d been after her for months. The knowledge of all she’d had to deal with made him furious to the point that he wanted to break something. Or someone.

  She’d trembled when she’d read that last message. But when she’d looked at him she’d tried to hide her reaction. He’d seen the truth. The bastard was starting to scare her. After what had happened to her car, he didn’t blame her. The sick fuck was obviously desperate.

  Linc would make sure that the asshole didn’t get within a foot of her. He knew she wouldn’t like it but she didn’t have a choice at this point. He was going to keep her safe as best as he could.

  Realizing that he stood in the shower unmoving, he hurriedly finished washing and turned off the water. He briskly dried off, eager to get into bed with Emerald. The prospect of waking up with her the following morning excited
him as much as the prospect of making love.

  But when he entered his room, naked, she was already asleep. She was curled up on her side with her head resting on her hands. His disappointment was keen and he stood watching her for several seconds. Finally, he went to his dresser and grabbed a T-shirt and pajama bottoms and dressed swiftly. After he turned off the light, he got into the bed and pulled the blankets over them.

  He lay on his side and faced her, hoping that sleep would come. But he was never in bed this early. And lying in bed with someone, and not having sex, was a brand new concept. He knew he should probably get up and try to go watch television and yet he just wanted to be near her. He slid closer until they were nearly touching and allowed himself to kiss her soft cheek. She didn’t stir, an attest to how exhausted she was.

  In the dark quiet room with only his thoughts to keep him company he began to think about his future and how he very much wanted Emerald to be a part of it. He hadn’t thought he could settle down anytime soon but with her, it was so clear that she was the one he’d wanted and needed all along.

  No one else had come close or been good enough. He was just starting to understand why. He and Emerald just clicked. They just matched. They were just meant to be and he could feel it in his heart.

  The problem he faced now was waiting for her to catch up. Either she didn’t feel the same way he felt or she was very good at hiding it. He’d keep trying to be patient. She was more than worth the wait.

  The sooner the police arrested Marley and locked the bastard behind bars, the better. After that he and Emerald could truly focus on themselves and what they wanted and needed. He needed her more than he’d thought possible and he prayed that one day -soon- that she’d feel the same.

  Emerald came awake the next morning, feeling very warm and snug, draped over Lincoln. Something had woken her but she wasn’t entirely sure what it was. Laying on top of him as still as she could, she listened for any sounds but heard nothing. After a few seconds she got comfortable on his shoulder again. She’d just closed her eyes when she heard it. The doorbell.