by Amber Garza
She snorts. “My brother is fooling around with my best friend and you’re seriously gonna play dumb?” Throwing up her arms, she turns away from me. “Just go. I can’t take anymore lies today.”
No way am I leaving her like this. It kills me to see her in pain. Reaching out, I circle my hand around her wrist. Gently I pull her toward me. When she gets close enough, I tuck my finger under her chin and turn her head. “I promise you I’m not lying. I knew nothing about this. If I had I would’ve had a few choice words for Cal.”
Her eyes search mine. “Really?”
“Yes. Really.” Our gazes connect. “You trust me, right?”
She nods. “Right now, you’re about the only person I trust.”
“Even more than Josh?” I raise an eyebrow. It’s poor timing, but I have to know.
“Oh, yeah. Definitely more than him.”
My stomach tightens. “Do I need to kick some ass?”
She smiles, causing my heart to stutter in my chest. I love that I make her smile even after all she’s been through. “How about we take on one person at a time?” Sadness flickers in her eyes.
“Why do you stay with him?”
She yanks her arm from my grasp. “Why do you even care?”
Her words stun me. “You know I care about you.”
“Yeah, like a little sister.” She waves away my words flippantly. “I’ve heard it before.”
“It’s not like that,” I blurt out.
“Then what is it like?” There’s a flicker in her eyes that unnerves me.
I want to tell her how I feel, but I don’t know if I can. I’ve kept it inside so long I’m not sure how to say it. A minute passes in silence. The clock on the wall ticks.
Emmy’s gaze falls to her lap. “Forget it.” Sighing, she stands. Lifting her hand she cradles her forehead. “I can’t talk about Josh with you right now. I just lost my best friend and found out my brother betrayed me. I can’t handle anything else.” Her body shakes in frustration, and I feel like crap.
“I’m sorry,” I say gently.
She glances down at me with a look of surprise. Almost like she’d forgotten I was there for a minute. “The sad thing is that Cal doesn’t even like Ashley. He said he was just having fun.” A bitter laugh escapes through her perfect heart-shaped lips. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. This is what you guys do.”
My stomach churns. “What we do?”
“Yeah.” She shrugs. “It’s like when you kissed me and it meant nothing to you.”
I leap up. “Is that what you think? That our kiss meant nothing to me?”
“Didn’t it?” She appears so vulnerable, I can’t stand it.
Needing to touch her, I reach out and swipe my fingertips over her cheek. This is the moment I need to turn around and walk away, but there’s no way in hell I’m doing that. Frankly, I’ve let this charade go on long enough. It’s time to lay it all on the line. I’m tired of keeping my feelings private. All it’s doing is killing me slowly. “Emmy, that kiss meant everything to me. I haven’t stopped thinking about it…or you…for one minute since that night.”
“But what about what you said afterward? I think your exact words were ‘this never happened’. Remember?”
“I never should have said that.” I graze my thumb over her smooth skin. “I was scared.”
“You? Scared?” She smiles. “I don’t believe it. Nothing scares you.”
“Nothing, except for you.”
“Why?”
“Because you make me feel things I’ve never felt before.” I step closer, my hand curving further around her face. “Because I care about you too much to lose you.”
“What makes you think you’ll lose me?”
“It’s what happens. Love doesn’t last forever.”
“Sometimes it does. Look at my parents.”
“True.” I nod.
“It’s not me you’re scared of losing, is it? You’re scared of losing Cal. You’re scared of losing this family.”
She knows me so well. “In the days after our kiss that’s all I could think about.”
“And now?”
“Now it’s killing me to stay away from you. Every time I see you I just want to…” I swallow hard.
“You want to what?”
“I want to do this.” Unable to contain myself any longer, I bring up my other arm to grip her waist. Then I draw her into my chest, angling my head downward. Lowering my face, our lips almost touch when there’s a knock at the door. “Damn it,” I growl. Emmy stiffens, holding her breath. There is fear in her eyes. My protective side rears its head. Holding out my arm, I stand. “Stay here. I’ll get it.”
“If it’s Ashley, I don’t want to see her.”
“I’ll get rid of whoever it is, okay?” I catch her eyes and she nods, trust evident. It makes my heart swell. Leaving Emmy in the family room, I take large strides to reach the front door. When I swing it open, my stomach drops. “What are you doing here?”
Josh’s eyebrows furrow in a quizzical look. “You the guard dog or what? I came to see my girlfriend.” With a look of disgust, he shoves past me.
It’s all I can do not grab him by the arm and restrain him. The only reason I hold back is because I’m not sure Emmy can handle it today, but I’m still not letting him anywhere near her. Stepping in front of him, I block his path.
“Emmy’s not up for visitors right now.”
“Visitors?” Josh cocks his head. “What is this? The damn hospital? I don’t know what game you’re playing, but you better step aside and let me see my girlfriend.”
“I’m not stepping aside,” I say firmly. “Not ever again.” Glaring at him, I hope he catches my double meaning.
“I know you’ve got a hard on for my girl, but she wants me. Not you. Got it.”
I wonder if he’d say that if he’d seen what was about to happen.
“Josh?” Emmy’s sweet, lyrical voice rings out.
He tosses me an I-told-you-so-look. The fight drains from within me. He may be an ass, but he’s right about one thing. She’s chosen him. Not me. Blowing out a breath, I step aside and allow him to pass me. But not before seeing the triumphant expression on his face.
“Hey, baby, what’s wrong?” He asks.
I can’t watch this shit.
“I’m gonna go,” I mumble, heading for the door.
“Christian, wait.” Emmy hurries after me.
When I reach the door, I swing around. The minute her light eyes meet mine, my heart softens. Man, she owns me.
“Don’t leave mad.”
Her words are like a punch to the gut. I thought she was going to stop at the word “leave”. I thought she was asking me to stay. But no, she was asking me not to be mad.
Too. Flippin’. Late. I was mad the minute she let that idiot into the house.
My gaze flickers over her shoulder to where Josh watches us with a wary expression. Leaning down, I whisper, “Ask him to go, and I won’t leave at all. And I sure as hell won’t be mad.”
Conflict rages like a storm in her eyes.
“You can’t have us both, Emmy. I’ve told you how I feel. If you don’t feel the same way, then fine. Own up to it. But if you do, you need to cut the extra baggage,” I speak softly, yet harshly. “I want you, but I won’t be strung along.” Stepping back, I say, “Ball’s in your court.” Spinning on my heels, I open the front door and step outside without bothering to look back. I don’t want to know her reaction. I won’t be able to stand it if I see that she isn’t watching me; if I see that she’s running back to him.
Without meaning to, I slam the door shut.
Hard. Too hard.
The windows shake with the force. Sometimes my emotions get the best of me, and I underestimate my own strength.
“Whoa. What did that door ever do to you?” Cal swaggers in my direction.
Cal and I have only been in a few fights over the years. Normally we see eye-to-eye. Cal’s a good guy. I tr
ust him. And I certainly never thought I’d have to protect Emmy from him. But I guess there’s a first time for everything.
“Ashley? Really?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“She told ya, huh?” He looks toward the house.
I nod. My stomach knots when I think about Emmy inside with Josh. A part of me wants to know what they’re talking about, but the other part of me is sick just picturing it. “She’s pretty upset.”
“Yeah, she took it hard. I’m not sure why.”
I cock my head to the side in disbelief. “You may be a lot of things, man, but you’re not stupid.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His eyebrows knit together.
“C’mon, it’s her best friend. Of course she’d be upset.” The minute the words leave my mouth I feel like a hypocrite. I’m the last person who should be judging him for this. And really, I’m not. I don’t care if he wants to be with Ashley. Well, other than the fact that I can’t stand her, and I know he can do better. But my main concern right now is Emmy, and judging by how upset she is, I’m guessing there’s a lot more to this story.
He shrugs. “She’ll get over it.”
I’m surprised by how callous he’s being. For someone who has spent the past sixteen years defending his sister, his behavior is baffling. “It doesn’t bother you at all that you’ve hurt Emmy?”
“Dude, you know my sister. She’s overdramatic. By tomorrow she’ll move on to something else to cry over.” He grins. “Besides, it’s not like I did anything bad. So, I messed around with Ashley. Who hasn’t?”
He has a point. Ashley’s been around the block a few times. I can’t count how many times she’s come on to me. Fortunately, I never took the bait. Then again, desperation is not a turn on for me. I thought Cal felt the same way.
“But if you didn’t think it was wrong, why keep it a secret?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. She’s the one who didn’t want Emmy to know, so I went along with it. And, honestly, it was kind of a turn on to keep it under wraps.”
I shake my head, still trying to process this. A montage of Ashley and Cal bickering floats through my mind. “I thought you hated Ashley.” That’s the part that bothers me. If he had a thing for Ashley I could understand that. Hell, I’ve been pining away for his sister behind his back. I get that you can’t always chose who you like.
“You know what they say, man. There’s a fine line between love and hate. Ash knew how to get me to cross it.”
I pause. “Do you actually like her?”
“Nah.” He shakes his head. “But she’s hot. And a hella good kisser.”
“Dude,” I start, but Cal cuts me off.
“Don’t worry. After my sister threw her royal hissy fit, I broke things off with Ashley. Nothing will happen between us again.” He looks at me pointedly. “So, we good?”
“I’m not the one you should be asking.” The minute I raise my thumb toward the house, the front door bursts open.
Josh stalks outside, a frown on his face. His expression stops me cold. Dude looks pissed. And his cheek is bright red. What the hell?
“Congratulations. Looks like you got what you wanted,” Josh snaps at me before storming down the driveway and hopping in his car.
“What was that about?” Cal asks, a perplexed look on his face.
“No idea,” I lie. But deep down, my insides are having a freaking party. Did she really end things with him? And did she say it was for me? The longer Cal stares at me, the more I worry he’ll figure out what I’m thinking. If Emmy’s chosen me, I’ll have to tell Cal everything. But I’m not ready yet. Not until I know for sure. “Um…we should go see if she’s okay.”
“Be my guest. The last time I saw her she told me to go to hell. So I think I’ll give her some more time to cool her jets.”
Relief floods me, but I keep my face neutral. “Okay. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Thanks for taking one for the team, bro.” Cal chuckles as I head for the front door. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I mumble. I’ll take all the luck I can get.
EMMY
“What the hell?” Josh barks. That’s what it sounds like. Like a dog barking at me. Incessantly. It never stops. All his stupid yapping. “You take off while I’m talking to Chase on the phone without even saying goodbye. Then I send you a million texts, and you never respond. But when I show up here you’re with him?”
With a groan, I put my head in my hands. This has gone on long enough. Lifting my head, I face him. “Did you ever think that if I wasn’t texting you back that I didn’t want to see you?”
Stunned, he recoils.
Yeah, that’s right. “Doormat Emmy” has left the building.
He takes a few steps toward me. “What is this about?” His gaze lowers to my dampened cheeks. “Was he telling you lies about me? Because I haven’t cheated on you, no matter what anyone else says.”
Lame. “I never said anything about you cheating. Why would you assume that’s what this is about?”
“Your eyes are all puffy like you’ve been crying, and Chris is acting like your freakin’ guard dog.”
“And the only conclusion you can draw is that he told me you were cheating on me? Why would he say that?” I throw him a challenging look. “Are you?”
“C’mon, baby. I didn’t come here to fight.” He reaches for me, but I move away, noticing he doesn’t deny the accusation. But, honestly, it doesn’t matter. Whether or not he’s cheating is irrelevant. Either way, I don’t want to be with him. And at this point I’m too tired to hash this out with him.
“My being upset has nothing to do with you,” I say.
“Then we’re cool?” Smiling, he grabs my hand.
I shake him off. “No, we’re not.”
“But you just said--”
“I said that I’m not upset with you,” I interrupt him. “And I’m not. I just don’t want to be with you anymore.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“’Fraid not.” Man, this guy’s ego is infuriating.
“Is this about him?”
I know who he’s talking about, and I know that it is about him. At least partially. But not completely. “No, this is about me. This is about what I want.”
“And you want him?” His nose curls upward in disgust. “You’re more like his mom than I thought.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I answer smugly. In my opinion it’s an honor to be compared to Olivia.
“Don’t.” His tone is hard. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
Every word he says builds on the one before, like a stack of bricks. And they are further proof that I’m making the right choice.
“Well, that’s the way I took it,” I say.
“Because you want to be just like her – a slut who goes after a cradle robber?”
Now he’s gone too far. Without contemplating the repercussions, I reach out and slap him across the face. His head reels back, anger darkening his features. But a small sense of satisfaction fills me when a red mark emerges on his skin.
Grabbing his cheek, he glares at me. “He can have you. In fact, I should’ve given you to him months ago.”
“I was never your property, Josh.”
He snorts. “You’re right. Property is worth something.”
His words sting, but I hold my head high. I will not get upset. And I sure as hell won’t cry. He doesn’t deserve it.
“I hope you and your cradle robber will be very happy together.”
Pressing my lips together, I don’t bother to respond. There’s no use wasting my voice. Once he leaves, I blow out a breath. It’s like a weight has been lifted. My chest expands, air clearing out my lungs and flowing freely. Until now I hadn’t even realized how caged in I felt with him. How constricted and repressed.
Outside, I hear males talking. Straining, I try to make out what they’re saying, but I can’t. However, I know one of them is Christian. I’d reco
gnize his voice anywhere. And merely the sound of his voice sends a shudder down my spine. A car door slams and an engine starts. It’s probably Josh. At least I hope it is. I want him long gone. When I hear the front door opening, I take deep cleansing breaths while counting the footsteps on the hardwood floors. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
Christian stands in the doorway. When he spots me, he freezes, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. My heart hammers in my chest and my palms clam up. I feel like my whole life has been leading up to this moment.
“He’s gone?”
I nod.
“For good?”
I nod again.
“His cheek?”
“Slapped him,” I say softly.
Christian chuckles. “Thatta girl.”
I giggle. Only Christian can make me smile right now. He’s always had the uncanny ability to make everything better. He steps further into the room, his gaze never leaving mine. It’s like there’s an invisible string tethering our gazes together. When he reaches me, I swallow hard.
“I’m sorry about Josh,” I mumble.
He waves away my words with a flick of my wrist. “I can handle that jerk.”
“I mean, I’m sorry for ever going out with him.” I suck in a breath as if the air is courage and I’m gathering all I can. It’s now or never. He spilled his guts to me. Now it’s my turn. “He never meant anything to me. No boy ever has.” Cheeks warming, I look down at my feet. “Because my heart has always belonged to you.”
CHRISTIAN
Words aren’t my friends. English is my worst subject. So I don’t even try to articulate my feelings. I’m a doer. I show how I feel with my actions. And the last thing I want to do is screw this up by attempting to be someone I’m not. Bridging the gap between us, I take Emmy’s face in my hands. Her eyes widen, her lips parting. Last time we kissed it was soft and gentle. Not this time. This time all of my pent up desire rises to the surface. My lips crash into hers with desperation, with need.
Her fingers brush over my shirt as she touches my waist. Something about her reaching for me breaks me open. As I grip her face tighter, our kiss deepening, it’s like I’ve opened up my veins and am bleeding out. It’s like I’m giving her every part of me.
