by Nia Arthurs
His dark skin is especially striking beneath the golden lights and his hair is perfectly shaved as if he just got it cut today. He looks dashing, debonair, but there’s a hint of childlike innocence in his gaze that seems out of touch with his imposing figure.
The young man’s eyebrows hike. “You look so familiar. Have we met?”
“I’m Ember.” I nod, overcome by an unreasonable amount of excitement.
“Ember! Hey!” To my surprise, he reaches down and scoops me into a hug. I’m not petite, but—just like his brother did when I met him in the park—Kolby’s height makes me feel dainty. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve waited so long.”
I pull back. “You waited for me?”
He nods, a handsome grin pulling his cheeks. “Everyday. I want a re-do on that sketch.”
“Deal.” I laugh.
“Have you seen Axle?” Kolby asks, raising his chin to easily skim above the crowd. “He recently came back to town too.”
“Axle doesn’t live here?”
“No. He moved a year after we met you.”
“Oh.”
Before I can ask more questions, Kolby steers me back to his painting. “So what do you think?”
“I think,” I study it with a practiced eye, “you’ve got insane talent.”
He ducks his head like the shy little boy I remember meeting in the park. “I appreciate that.” He glances behind me and brightens. “There he is. Axle!” Kolby waves.
I stiffen, preparing myself to face Axle. No matter what, I can’t make a fool of myself tonight.
7
Axle
Kolby waves at me from across the room and I hurry that way, fixing the collar of my shirt in an effort to look more put together. The crowd parts as I forge through the open path. In the distance, I notice a woman standing next to Kolby.
She has straight black hair that spills over creamy brown shoulders. A navy dress accentuates her waist and shows off long, gorgeous legs. The girl’s face is turned away from me so I can’t tell who she is, but I know one thing. Kolby is completely enamored by her.
As I draw near, Kolby’s friend turns. My jaw drops. It’s Ember. She’s even more beautiful than usual. Which is saying a lot. Color shimmers on her eyelids. Gloss plumps her lips. Breathtaking.
I’m so busy ogling her I stumble into one of the patrons standing near the raised platform at the front of the gallery. With a mumbled apology, I slip past the disgruntled man and stop in front of Ember.
She smiles at me.
I think I smile back.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
All the nerves in my brain are firing with excitement so I might be wincing or snarling for all I know.
Who gave this woman the permission to look so alluring?
I’m aware that I’m staring. I’m also aware that Ember chewed me out this morning for that very thing, but my eyes can’t seem to disengage.
I’m glad Kolby’s feeling chatty because the only thing running through my mind is ‘wow’ and I’m pretty sure if I open my mouth that’s the word that will fall through it. I don’t want to scare Ember off by drooling over her when we just met.
“Took you long enough, Ax.” Kolby beams the way he does when he’s particularly proud of himself. “Ember, you remember my brother Axle.”
Her generous lips curve up. “Yes, I remember. We actually met by chance this morning. Axle’s the one who invited me to come and see your work.” She swings toward Kolby. “Didn’t he tell you?”
“No.” My brother gives me a look that says ‘what’s up with that?’
I ignore him and clear my throat. “Ember, you look… fantastic.”
“Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.”
I glance at my maroon-colored jacket, sweater and jeans. It took me far too long to settle on an outfit for the exhibit tonight, but I’ll never admit it. “Thanks.” I nod at Kolby. “Where’s Mom and Dad?”
Kolby cranes his neck. “Around here somewhere. They went off with my art teacher about ten minutes ago.”
“Ember!”
We all turn toward the voice. A beautiful woman in a form-fitting white dress glides toward us. Her long black hair swishes behind her. I see the family resemblance immediately. Both Ember and the mystery woman have the same high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes.
“Aunt B.” Ember’s smile is tinged with relief. She grabs the woman’s elbow. “I’d like you to meet Kolby and Axle.”
Aunt B wears a big smile that glints with mischief. Something tells me that her relationship with Ember is more of a friendship than one of aunt and niece.
“You’re Axle, huh?” She eyes me and flashes a secret grin. “Ember has good taste.”
I tilt my head, puzzling through her statement.
Ember stabs her aunt with an elbow and mutters through gritted teeth, “We’re here to support Kolby’s artistic accomplishments. Nothing more.”
“If you say so,” Aunt B mumbles.
Before Ember can argue, the sound of a hand thudding against a microphone echoes through the room. We all glance toward the stage where an old man is clutching the edge of a podium.
Kolby leans over and whispers, “That’s Mr. Jarvis, the owner. He’s about to introduce me.”
“Good luck.” I slap his back for encouragement.
Kolby moves toward the podium then stops and narrows his eyes. “Don’t embarrass me.”
“Relax. I left my ‘I Heart Kolby’ poster at home.”
He chuckles.
Ember nudges Kolby toward the stage. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t go overboard. Go on.”
“Thank you.” Kolby winks at her and trots away. I stare at my brother’s back. It’s obvious he has a little crush on Ember, but I’m hoping it’s not too serious.
Ten years ago, I let Ember walk away without bothering to get her number. Those years were filled with regret. Now that I have her beside me, I don’t plan on giving her up. Even for my brother.
Aunt B sidles beside me. “Axle, I’m so sorry, but could you do me a huge favor?”
“Is something wrong?” Ember asks.
“I just remembered I have a prior engagement.”
“What?”
Aunt B ignores her distraught niece and cuts a delicate hand through the air. “Would you mind taking Ember home tonight?”
“You didn’t say anything about a prior engagement when I invited you,” Ember hisses.
“Didn’t I?” Aunt B says breezily. “It’s very important and I can’t miss it.”
“Why don’t you take a cab then?”
Aunt B blinks as if Ember’s words flew right over her. “Axle? Can you help me out?”
“Of course. It would be my pleasure.”
Ember shakes her head. “You don’t have to do that. Aunt B!”
“Don’t make a fuss.” She pulls Ember in and kisses her cheek. “Have fun.”
“Wait…” Ember’s protests fall against her aunt’s exposed back. In a second, she’s gone. Swallowed up by the crowd. When Ember turns to me, she looks truly distressed. “You don’t have to go out of your way. I can call a cab.”
“No, I want to. Don’t worry about it.”
Her smile softens. “Thank you.”
A sudden round of applause prevents me from saying anything more. The gallery owner and Kolby’s teacher are on stage inviting my brother to join them.
For the next ten minutes, I make it my mission to applaud as loudly as I can while Kolby receives his prize. I missed all his football games and graduations. Tonight, I’m making up for what I can.
Kolby shoots me a sheepish look when he’s on stage, but the smile quirking his lips says he’s pleased to have me here. I’m glad I made the effort to drive into town.
When I quiet down and glance at Ember, I see her observing me.
She tilts her head. “You guys are still close?”
“I guess so.”
“It must have been fun growing up
together.”
I shrug. “We didn’t really. I left for college a year after Kolby came to live with us and then I stayed out of state, but I kept in touch. Plus Kolby flies out to stay with me as often as possible.”
“Kolby mentioned you’d left town.”
“Yeah.”
She tilts her head. “Were you running toward something or were you running away?”
There’s a hint of mischief in her eyes, but I take the question seriously. “Away.”
“I see.” She studies my expression and then drops the topic. “Would you like a tour?”
“Is it that obvious that I’m out of my element?”
“Only to an expert.” She nods toward the hallway. “Come on.”
Ember doesn’t have to insist. I trail behind her as she leads the way to a quieter area and describes the artwork. I have no idea what she’s saying, but instead of dozing off like I do when Kolby geeks out about art, I’m at rapt attention.
In the middle of an explanation of an abstract painting, Ember stops and ducks her head. “Am I boring you?”
“What? No. This is amazing.”
“Your eyes glazed over just now.”
“A trick of the light.”
She holds a finger over her mouth as she laughs. “I’m sorry. I can get a little carried away when it comes to art. Aunt B hates it.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I was enjoying myself. You’re a teacher, right? That’s what you wanted to be back then.”
She tilts her head. “You remembered.”
“I did, but I would have guessed so anyway. Your explanations are clear and entertaining. If the presentations at my company were half as engaging as yours, I wouldn’t have to sleep through them.”
“You work at a company?”
“I’m in marketing. You’d think making advertisements would be more exciting, but it’s really not.” While I speak, I notice a crowd heading into the room. They near us, bringing a cloud of noise, champagne and chatter with them.
Someone bumps into Ember and she falls into my chest. I instinctively wrap an arm around her, hugging her close and spinning her around so no one else has an opportunity to knock her down.
The scent of her perfume weaves a spell around me. I glance down. Realize that she’s staring up at me with something close to awe in her eyes. My heart thumps out of rhythm. It’s suddenly hard to swallow as her thick lashes sweep up and down.
“You okay?” I ask huskily, my arms still around her.
She nods.
The polite thing to do at this point is to release her. The threat to her safety is gone. The crowd has moved deeper into the room to check out the artwork there. I have no real excuse left to hold onto her.
But instead of slipping away, my grip tightens. She’s so soft in my arms. So right. A strange feeling wells in my chest. Like I was waiting for this moment all my life.
Ember breaks our stare-down first. She ducks her head. Licks her lips. “Uh, Axle?”
“Yes?”
“You can let me go now.”
I drop my hands and step back. Giving her a once-over. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She fans her face. “Is it me or is it hot in here?” Her fingers flutter to her throat. “I’m suddenly thirsty.”
I put my hand on her back because, now that I’ve touched her, I don’t want to stop. “The champagne’s this way.”
We turn and head toward the door as another couple steps inside. My gaze casually skims the man and then launches back. I freeze. His face is familiar.
Seb?
Ember glances up at that moment and leans closer. “Axle? Something wrong?”
My thoughts rush through my mind. Should I run? Stay and make small talk? I haven’t seen Seb in years. We fell out of touch after I left for college, and I made no attempts to keep those bonds.
I push my discomfort down and paste a smile on my face so Ember’s not concerned. “Nothing’s wrong. I just saw an old friend.”
“Oh?” She cranes her neck to look around. “Who?”
Seb notices me just as I start to point him out. His face lights up and he strides forward, his eyes glued to my face. “Axle!”
“Hey, man.” I accept the hand slap and shoulder bump.
“Look at you. I thought you’d dropped off the face of the earth. How long have you been in town?”
“Not long. Kolby needed moral support so I stopped by.”
“Kolby.” Seb grins, his dark eyes brightening. “I heard he was into art. And football. He’s good at everything. Just like his older brother.” Seb glances sideways. “And who is this? Your girlfriend?”
“Uh—”
“I’m Ember.” She holds out a hand. “Who are you?”
“Sebastian Trent. Ember… that name sounds familiar. Wait, are you the girl Axle met in the park ten years ago?”
Ember shoots me a quick look. “Yes.”
“That’s insane.” Seb laughs uproariously. “This guy was head over heels for you. It was painful to watch.”
I interrupt before he can expose me further. “Well, this has been fun. We should go—”
“Wait, wait.” Seb slides in front of us. “There’s someone I want you to meet too.” He glances over his shoulder and holds his arm out toward a beautiful woman. “This is Maribella.” Seb looks at me with a grin. “My fiancée.”
8
Ember
There’s no way Axle and Seb are friends. Not with the tension pulsing between them. Axle’s grin is more like a grimace and discomfort is stamped all over his handsome face. He stiffens even more when Seb introduces his fiancée.
I survey Maribella jealously. She’s one of those sultry-looking, Hispanic queens—thick, wavy hair, perfectly tan skin, a dainty mouth and curves more dangerous than a rocky highway.
Stunning. Gorgeous. A model in the making.
Did Axle date her in the past? Is that why he seems so uncomfortable around Seb?
I start crafting a story in my own mind. Picturing their tragic backstory like the plot of a sad movie.
Seb and Axle were probably best friends until Maribella sashayed into their lives. They fought. Told her to choose one of them. She chose Sebastian, leaving Axle to heartbreak and bitterness.
A sliver of disappointment winds through me, but what did I expect? That a man as sexy as Axle would be single all his life? That our one encounter in the park would leave him so affected he never found another woman attractive?
Envy in a case like this is ridiculous and unnecessary. Axle and I aren’t even together.
I hold out my hand. “Ember.”
“Maribella,” she says with a practiced smile. Her long, manicured fingers curve around Seb’s arm instead of taking my handshake. “Axle. It’s been a while.”
Axle bobs his head. “Yeah.”
I slowly pull my hand back, my cheeks heating with embarrassment. I’ve been snubbed. Clearly. What I don’t understand is why.
My gaze trails Maribella’s skintight red dress. It looks identical to the one Aunt B tried to foist on me tonight. Except Aunt B’s is a knock off and I’m almost certain Maribella is wearing the original.
I compare her gown to my own. Maybe I look underdressed. Who knows why this snob doesn’t like me? At least I don’t have to pretend to be civil anymore.
“How long are you here for?” Seb asks.
My gaze shifts to him. Seb’s a handsome man with dark brown eyes, a square jaw and coiffed black hair. Everything about his outfit screams ‘expensive’, but something about him makes me think of an Italian mob boss.
Maybe it’s the oily way he talks. It seems forced. Insincere. Slick.
“A little over a week,” Axle says. He clears his throat and then touches the small of my back. “It was great seeing you, Seb, but we were just leaving.”
The words ‘we were?’ pop into my mind, but I don’t voice them. Mostly because every inch of my skin is exploding with sensations from where Axle’s hand i
s touching me.
I don’t understand the feelings coursing through my veins.
Axle. Axle is to blame.
His touch is deadly. More than I could imagine. I’m surprised I’m still breathing the way my body revolted earlier when he rescued me from that drunk. He lit me up like a Christmas tree with just one look.
Seb smoothly accepts Axle’s reluctance. “No problem. I’ll get in contact with you tomorrow. We should do something. For old time’s sake.”
The muscles in Axle’s jaw bunch. He doesn’t agree to any plans. Something that Seb seems unconcerned about.
“Ember, it was a pleasure meeting you. And may I say, if you were half this beautiful back then I can understand why Axle fell so hard.”
I dip my head in acknowledgment but that’s about all I can do because Axle is whisking me through the crowd, out of a side door and into the parking lot. He walks briskly. His grip is tight.
The thud of his shoes against the concrete is peppered with the clop of my heels as I stumble along, struggling to keep up with him while my brain scrambles for an explanation.
At last, I yank my hand free. “Axle, what’s going on?”
He spins, his eyes hazy as if he’s just remembering who I am and why I’m standing there. Fingers trembling, Axle runs a hand through his hair, undoing the style and causing silky brown tendrils to sink over his forehead.
I study him in the light of the streetlamp. His shoulders, hugged by that blazer, are tense. His chest, covered in a stylish green sweater, heaves. He paces, his long, jean-clad legs eating up the pavement.
“Axle, talk to me.” Maybe I’m being demanding, but he’s the one who dragged me into this situation. I think I have a right to ask why he’s being weird.
“It’s nothing.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “Don’t lie to me.”
“Really. I’m fine.” He lets out a breath and coaches his expression so he looks calmer. Stepping forward, he puts both hands on my shoulders and slants me a charming smile.
