Passionate Rivals

by Radclyffe

  Damn, it would be nice if everything in her life didn’t remind her of Syd.

  At the distant sound of a door slamming, she got up to see who had come home. A little company to get her thoughts off what—or who—was keeping her up at night would be good right about now.

  The living room was empty. Frowning, she opened the front door. A car she didn’t recognize, packed to the roof with boxes and black plastic bags, sat at the end of the walkway. The front door on the adjoining twin was propped open.

  Pulse quickening, she hopped the railing and walked to the open doorway. “Hello?”

  “Hello,” Syd called back.

  “Hey, it’s Emmett.” She didn’t enter, waiting for an invitation she wasn’t sure was going to come.

  Syd appeared from the depths of the house, dressed in khaki shorts and a patterned cotton tank top. Emmett hadn’t seen her out of scrubs more than a few times since she’d arrived, and then she’d been wearing jeans and T-shirts. She looked terrific. Her arms were toned, her legs long and lean. She’d actually gotten even more beautiful in the last five years. Emmett’s throat went dry.

  “Hi,” Emmett said, “I didn’t realize you’d be here so early.”

  Syd slid her hands into her back pockets. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t think about the noise. Did I wake you?”

  Constantly.

  Laughing, Emmett shook her head. “No. I’ve been awake for quite a while.” She hefted her coffee cup. “I just made a fresh pot. Do you need some?”

  “You have no idea,” Syd said.

  “I’ve also got day-old jelly doughnuts, pizza that’s only twelve hours old, and Cap’n Crunch. That never out-dates.”

  Syd smiled. “I wouldn’t say no to a jelly doughnut. Unless it’s got anything tasting of banana inside.”

  “What do you have against bananas?”

  “Nothing in theory, it’s just that anything you eat with a banana in it tastes like a banana. So you might as well eat a banana.”

  Emmett shook her head. “Raspberry, blackberry, or apple cinnamon. Anything strike your fancy?”

  Syd gave her a long look, and lust curled in Emmett’s middle. She had to tell herself that she was just reading things into that smoky look in Syd’s eyes. Maybe.

  “Apple cinnamon.”

  “Come on back to the kitchen.” Emmett led the way over the railing and into her side of the twin.

  “Is everyone else asleep?” Syd asked in a low voice.

  “Nope. All gone.”

  “Oh.” Syd stopped just inside the kitchen door, looking a little uncertain.

  Emmett poured a cup of coffee. “You want milk? That never outdates either.”

  Syd snorted. “Should I pass, or have you taste-tested it this morning?”

  Emmett grinned and held up her cup. “It’s safe if you trust me to tell.”

  “Hmm. Tough question.” Syd wagged her fingers. “I’ll risk it.”

  Emmett brought her the coffee and a jelly doughnut. She backed away, got a second doughnut she didn’t really want for herself, and took a bite while leaning against the counter. Syd tasted hers and looked a little less spooked. She also looked sexy as hell with a smidge of white powder on the corner of her mouth.

  Emmett’s clit woke up with a vengeance. Feigning casual, she asked, “So where’s the rest of your crew?”

  “As far as I know, Jerry is…somewhere else.”

  “You mean at Sadie’s?”

  “That’s my guess.” Syd hesitated. “Does that bother you?”

  Emmett frowned. “Why would it?”

  “Uh, no reason, really.”

  “Sadie and I are not a thing, Syd. We were never actually a thing, so whatever you heard—”

  “Sorry, totally none of my business.”

  “Well, I’m making it your business,” Emmett said quietly. “We had a very brief thing that wasn’t a thing, except maybe I wasn’t as clear as I should have been. And that was over quite a while ago. Sadie’s actually really smart and a little shy. That comes off as snobby sometimes.”

  “I’m glad. Jerry’s a really nice guy and doesn’t play games.”

  “What about Dani? Is she coming by?” Emmett tried not to sound hopeful. The idea of having Syd all to herself was about the most exciting thing she’d contemplated in forever.

  “She’s sleeping in.”

  “So they left you to move?”

  Syd polished off the rest of the doughnut and rested against the doorway. “Well, to be fair, they did offer to do their share as soon as they were free, but I didn’t see any point sitting around with a pile of boxes and nothing to do all day.”

  “I’m volunteering, then, because I’m sitting around with nothing to do, and I don’t even have any boxes to look at.”

  Syd grinned. “You really want to spend your morning toting boxes? It’s supposed to be seventy-five by noon. Isn’t this supposed to be spring still?”

  “Hey, no complaints here. It could be fifty in a couple of days.” Emmett took Syd’s empty cup and set it with her own in the sink. “Besides, you get to wear shorts.”

  “True,” Syd said. “But still, it’s going to be hot, dusty work. I don’t think that place has been cleaned for a while, and I’m not unpacking stuff over there until it is.”

  “Oh no. I draw the line at vacuuming. I’ll carry boxes, but I’m not cleaning.”

  Syd put her hands on her hips. “What, cleaning is women’s work?”

  Emmett crossed the kitchen and stopped a couple of inches away from Syd. “I do my share of housework.” She grinned. “But that mostly means plumbing, fixing loose boards on the porch, and taking out the trash.”

  “Aha,” Syd said, giving Emmett a knowing look. “Like I said, no women’s work.”

  Emmett rolled her eyes. “I don’t believe in dividing chores along presumed gender lines. I’m just good at plumbing.”

  “Well then, you can take the bathrooms.”

  “Considering it’s mostly plumbing, I can handle it.” Emmett grinned. Hell, she’d clean the whole place with a napkin if it got Syd to smile at her that way all day.

  “Then consider yourself drafted.”

  Emmett got the smile she wanted, the special one Syd only shared when she was relaxed and enjoying herself. She was so beautiful Emmett couldn’t breathe. She was pretty sure if she didn’t touch her right now she’d never breathe again.

  She leaned a little closer, watching Syd’s eyes grow wide. Keeping her gaze on Syd’s, she ever so softly, ever so slowly, brushed her thumb over the corner of Syd’s mouth.

  “You had a bit of sugar right there.” Emmett eased around Syd and walked through to the front of the house.

  A few seconds passed before she heard Syd follow. She smiled to herself and didn’t look back.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Syd leaned against the bathroom door to admire the view. She’d never seen a woman look so sexy in a sweat-stained T-shirt and jeans with holes in strategically located positions. Was that a swath of red and navy stripes showing through rips over Emmett’s right butt? The image of Emmett in red and navy briefs made her brain fuzzy. And then there was the way Emmett’s dark hair clung to the back of her neck in ridiculously captivating ringlets in an incongruous juxtaposition of innocence and seductiveness. All that was nearly enough to distract her from Emmett’s profile—almost. Viewed from the side, a lock of hair fell over Emmett’s forehead in a thick bold slash, just brushing the arch of her dark brow. The angle of her jaw was as clean and strong as if it had been sculpted. The muscles in her bare forearms flexed as she braced herself on one arm and wiped down the last of the water from the floor. She had almost backed out as far as the doorway, and if Syd leaned over, she’d be able to rest her hand on the arch of her back.

  The idea filled her with more excitement than she’d imagined was still possible—no, that she would’ve been certain was impossible if it hadn’t been for the kiss just the other day. The kiss that somehow managed to ling
er in the nerve endings throughout her body, indelibly stamped on her brain in some way that kept replaying at the slightest provocation. Just thinking about reliving that kiss had her sliding her hands into her back pockets again, which seemed to be the only safe place she could put them with Emmett so close. Every time she caught sight of Emmett she had the urge to touch her, and since she had no intention of doing that again, she was going to be spending a lot of time with her hands in her pockets.

  She cleared her throat, as much to dispel the tension of arousal as to announce her presence. “I think it’s about time for a break.”

  Emmett glanced over her shoulder, a grin easing the perfect line of her jaw. “Really? Because I don’t think I’ve suffered enough yet.”

  Syd laughed. “You are such a drama queen.”

  “I’m sorry? I’ve now cleaned two of the world’s most disgusting bathrooms. Neither term applies to me at the moment.” She frowned. “Or really, at any moment.”

  “How would you feel if I walked down to that deli and got us lunch?”

  “I would offer to have your children.”

  Syd caught her breath, working on a smile. “Oh no. That’s a bit extreme.”

  “That’s how thirsty I am right now.” Emmett tossed her damp towel into a nearby bucket and rose. Her gaze narrowed. “Why do you look so fresh? And clean.”

  “Well,” Syd said, feigning guilt and struggling to hold back a giggle. Really, giggling? What was wrong with her? Emmett just looked so damn adorable all hot and grumpy, that was all. “I might’ve taken advantage of the clean bathroom down the hall to shower.”

  “I heard the water running,” Emmett said, “but I thought you were cleaning the kitchen.”

  “I swear, that will be my first task as soon as we have something to eat.”

  “Pretty sneaky.” Emmett abandoned her cleaning equipment and walked toward Syd. “I need ten minutes to shower.”

  Syd took a step back. Emmett was altogether too close. Even slightly sweaty, she was delectable. Another thought that was totally unlike her. She never thought of women as…well, she never thought of women as possible bedmates, really, and certainly not as something edible. And now she was, and she was really in trouble. She took another step back, all the way into the middle of the hall. “Chicken steak, no onions, mushrooms, peppers, and ketchup.”

  Emmett followed her retreat and her smile widened. “Very good. You were paying attention.”

  “Just a good memory,” Syd said.

  “Really?” Emmett said slowly, her voice dropping. “And I thought it was just me.”

  Syd bit the inside of her lip. Why was the ground so unsteady everywhere around Emmett? Why couldn’t she manage to keep a safe distance? Emmett was all twisted up with so many things she didn’t want to remember.

  “I’ll be going now,” Syd said lightly, “so you can get cooled off. In the shower.”

  Emmett nodded, her smile turning rueful. She knew—she always seemed to know—the minute Syd retreated. Good. Maybe that’s what they both needed. A little reality.

  “I’ll be back soon,” Syd said, and fled.

  The deli was nearly empty on Sunday afternoon, and fifteen minutes later, she was on her way back with extra steaks for everyone who might show up later. She’d learned those house rules already. She half hoped someone else would be home when she got there. Just the two of them alone might not be such a good idea. As soon as she thought it, she scoffed at herself. She had enough control not to repeat her admittedly insane, out-of-the-blue kiss. Of course she did.

  She stopped at Emmett’s first and called through the screen door. “Emmett?”

  When she got no answer, she decided Emmett must indeed be a very quick showerer. After a quick stop in the kitchen to drop off the extra steaks in the fridge, she headed back around to her own side of the twin.

  “Emmett?” she called as she entered.

  “Upstairs in the front bedroom,” Emmett said.

  That bedroom, with its bay window shaded by a huge old oak, was the one she intended to claim for herself. Did Emmett know that? Maybe she should tell her to come down to the kitchen. One quick look decided her against that. The place was still half filled with boxes, and she wasn’t really keen to eat off any of the surfaces until she disinfected the place. She dug out their steaks and put the others in the fridge for later. She grabbed a roll of paper towels from an open box of cleaning supplies and carried them upstairs.

  “Sorry,” Syd said as she walked into the bedroom. “It was Sunday, and they didn’t let me buy any be—” She stopped just inside the threshold, taking in the impromptu picnic Emmett had spread out on the floor—a faded army-green blanket she didn’t recognize, several paper plates, napkins, and, thank all the powers that be, two beers running with condensation in the heat. “I couldn’t get any beer.”

  “I figured you wouldn’t be able to,” Emmett said. “And we deserve them.”

  “God, do we ever.” Syd dropped down on the corner of the blanket, which was surprisingly soft against her bare legs, and put the steaks in the middle. Emmett sat on the opposite corner, the windows behind her open, letting in sunlight and spring breezes. Syd smelled freshly cut grass, early lilacs, and what appeared to be an ever-present scent in the neighborhood, barbecue. Something else caught her attention then, spicy and slightly tangy. Emmett. Something she’d showered in or put on afterward.

  Aware of her racing heart, Syd glanced down at her steak and concentrated on unwrapping the paper, trying not to think about Emmett in the shower, about her muscles sleek and shimmering with a sheen of falling water. Her hands trembled. She wasn’t having a lot of success banishing the images.

  “Here,” Emmett said, passing her a bottle of beer. “Eat something, you’ll feel better.”

  Syd raised her eyes, found Emmett watching her intently. “I’m fine.”

  “Okay. Have a beer anyway.”

  Syd laughed softly. “That’s a great idea.”

  They ate in companionable silence for a few moments, trained to eat quickly by years of never having enough time to eat. They were conditioned to take everything quickly—sleep, food, pleasure—when and where it was to be found. Sitting and relaxing was a foreign sensation. Funny thing was, sitting with Emmett didn’t feel strange at all.

  “Most of the hard work is done,” Syd said after she’d finished her sandwich. “The kitchen is a disaster zone, though. They managed to keep the surface fairly clean, but if you look carefully, and believe me, I didn’t really want to, there are certain things that ought to be declared health hazards. The microwave and the toaster oven are two of them.”

  “You know,” Emmett said, leaning on one elbow, her legs stretched out along the edge of the blanket, “the better part of valor might be to toss them and just get new ones. They’re not too pricey these days.”

  “I might decide that after I get a better look at them.” Syd finished the rest of her beer and set the bottle down on her paper plate. “Believe me, I’m not above paying a little bit to avoid nightmares.”

  “Wise decision.” Emmett wrapped up the remains of their meal and deposited everything except Syd’s returnable beer bottle into one of the plastic garbage bags they’d been using while cleaning. She tilted her beer bottle to empty it.

  Syd watched her swallow, thinking the movement of her throat was both vulnerable and beautiful.

  “What?” Emmett said when she leaned over to put her bottle next to Syd’s. The movement put her face on a level with Syd’s.

  Syd shook her head. What could she say? I think you’re beautiful? I think you’re the only woman who’s ever made me feel peaceful and excited at the same time? I wish we didn’t have a past, and that I just met you?

  “Something,” Emmett said softly.

  “Hard to explain,” Syd said.

  “Maybe one of these days, then.” Emmett glided forward as effortlessly as if she hadn’t moved at all until she was inches away. “Maybe one of these days
you’ll tell me. But not today.”

  “No, not today,” Syd whispered, her gaze locked on Emmett’s as Emmett’s pupils grew larger and darker.

  Then Emmett’s mouth was on hers, not questioning, not tentative, but as certain and sure and confident as Emmett was about everything else. Syd tasted the yeasty sweet flavor of new beer, smelled the tangy aroma of Emmett’s skin, absorbed the heat of her mouth and the demand of her kiss. She grabbed on to her, one hand in Emmett’s hair, the other twisted in her T-shirt. She clung to her, drowning in her. The floor was probably hard when she lay back on the thin blanket and Emmett moved over her, when Emmett’s weight came down on top of her and Emmett’s thigh slid between her legs, but she didn’t notice. The rough surface of Emmett’s jeans pressed against the soft skin between her thighs, but all she registered was heat and desire. All she felt was the length of Emmett’s body, fitted into every curve and angle of her own, the weight of her, the heat of her, the perfect fit. She wrapped her arms around Emmett’s shoulders, curved one bare calf over the back of Emmett’s jeans, tilted her hips until they cleaved even closer together. Emmett’s teeth were on her throat, grazing the undersurface of her jaw. Her tongue flicked out, teasing at the soft spot below her ear. One hand slipped between them, curved around her breast.

  Syd’s breath came so quickly she was light-headed. She bunched the back of Emmett’s T-shirt in one hand, dragged it out of her pants, and ran her fingers over columns of muscle, along the dip above her ass, and down beneath the waistband until her fingers dug in to tight, toned muscles. Emmett’s fingers slid beneath her tank top, captured a nipple between her fingers, and squeezed lightly until Syd whimpered. Emmett’s growl speared through her, and need pounded between her thighs. She pushed at Emmett’s pants, frustrated when she couldn’t get them down.

  “They’re in my damn way,” she gasped.

  Laughing, Emmett lifted her hips and reached between their bodies, unbuttoning her jeans and opening Syd’s shorts.