by Anna Albo
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ZACH
Normally the first time with a new girl could be awkward, but with Emma it was so intense and natural. She literally had me by the balls. Thinking about the previous night got my blood flowing. I badly wanted to wake her up with a little morning sex, but thought against it. This was new and I didn't want to push the limits.
I watched her sleep, her body curled up in a ball, the blanket wrapped tightly around her. She'd hogged it a few times during the night, but I didn't care. I rarely let girls stay the night, finding crafty ways to gently kick them out. Letting them sleep over gave them ideas, but Emma could share my bed for as long as she wanted.
Her eyes fluttered open. She looked at me and smiled shyly. Those big hazel eyes killed me every time.
"Good morning," she said, stretching out her body. I glimpsed her breasts and wanted my hands all over them. I expected her to quickly cover up, like most girls, but she didn't. She scooted closer and kissed me.
"Good morning to you, too." I put my hand on her waist, then her ass. She had the tightest body with the most perfect little breasts. Everything on her was just right.
"How'd you sleep?" A nervous smile crept up on her perfect, rosy lips.
"Very good. And you?"
"Well, thank you."
She reached out and let a finger trace the muscles on my chest. I stiffened and wondered if she could feel it. I would have done anything to have her again.
"Are you my boyfriend now?"
There was something so innocent about her, those big eyes looking at me, waiting for an answer. She seemed worried what I'd say.
"Do you want me to be?"
She ran a finger over my Adam's apple. "Yes."
"Then I guess I'm your boyfriend."
She grinned. "I was worried you were going to get mad at me last night."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I didn't want you to think I was leading you on or anything. I know I frustrated you and—" I stopped her with a kiss. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about any of that shit again. We were starting fresh, no crap from the past.
"I like kissing you," she said as if she shouldn't.
"I like kissing you," I said, giving her any reassurance she needed.
She bit her lip and giggled. "I really like having sex with you. I thought you should know."
"I really like having sex with you, too. That could be a problem."
"Why?"
"Because all I'll think about is this amazing hot body of yours and then I'm going to want to have sex with you again and again and again."
"Well, if you want..." I didn't let her finish. I kissed her, pulling her closer. She grabbed hold of me and stroked, just like I'd shown her. I was so hard it hurt. "Em, from the nightstand, grab a condom," I said. She reached over and got one. I put it on and motioned for her to get on top.
"Really?" she asked, those eyes sucking me in.
I nodded and she straddled me, uncertain of herself. She eased onto me, only a little at first, sending the blood pumping through me. I grasped onto her breasts, gently pinching and massaging. She sank down lower, slowly grinding. I pushed deeper inside her and she resisted a little. She rested her hands on my shoulders, supporting herself as she began to move. I rubbed her clit which made her gasp and sink even deeper. I wanted to get her on her back, but I didn't know her limits yet and the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt her.
"Oh my God, this feels so good," she said, almost seeming pained to say it.
"It's supposed to."
"I think I'm going to ..." I felt her release and, in that moment, I held onto her waist, pushing her down on me. I came too.
She collapsed on top of me, her arm wrapped around me, her cheek resting on my shoulder. She let out a few deep sighs. "We should probably get up," she said after a minute or two.
"We should."
We didn't move, other than me caressing her back. Finally she sat up, her hair disheveled in a sexy kind of way.
"Do you think Genie heard us?"
"I doubt it. She could sleep through an air siren."
She pondered that then shrugged. "I'm getting hungry."
"Me too. How about a shower first?"
She smiled devilishly. "That sounds like a great idea."
We showered and the girl who barely let me touch her before now explored every inch of my body. Her fingers passed over every inch of my face, and she brushed her cheek against my stubbly one before kissing me. She broke the kiss and stared at me, an intense gaze that made me want her right there again. This girl was going to destroy me.
I tore myself away from Emma and got changed. Genie was in the kitchen reading the newspaper, a knowing smile on her face.
"I didn't see you on the sofa this morning."
I pulled out the coffee canister and put on a pot while Genie sipped her tea. "I slept in my bed."
"With Emma? In Emma?"
"Funny and really not your business."
Genie's face turned serious. "Don't break her heart. I really, really like her."
"Noted."
"I guess you won't be sleeping on the sofa then?"
I faced Genie, leaned up against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest, listening to coffee drip. "No arrangements have been made."
"I told you she'd come around."
"How did I get so lucky to have a genius for a sister?"
"Like I said, don't screw it up. What about her mom? Did you tell her?"
"Meredith talked to you, not me."
Genie tapped her fingers on the table. "Do I tell her?"
I'd pushed the whole Meredith fiasco from my head, but now it found itself back on my life's agenda. "I don't know. Why did she have to talk to you anyway?"
"I wish she hadn't."
"What's your gut telling you?"
Genie covered her face with her hands. "It's telling me how much I hate being put in this position. It's not like she and I had a long conversation. It was all so casual."
It wasn't often that Genie wanted me to tell her what to do, but this was one of those moments. "I say forget about it. If she doesn't have the decency to contact Emma herself, don't let her use you. It's not right."
"I agree with you. This isn't my circus. I hope it doesn't bite us in the butt later."
I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I needed to make an announcement to Mom and Dad about my new relationship, so I told them in passing when they called to find out about Steve and Genie's epic breakup. If I could have seen Mom through the phone, she'd be smiling and giving me the I-knew-it look. Dad was more reserved.
"Let's say I like her about as much as I hate Steve," he said.
A ringing endorsement if I'd ever heard one.
"Let's have her over for a proper dinner. I think we should get to know her better," Mom said.
"It's been less than twenty-four hours. Why don't we wait a bit before we subject her to family dinners."
"I knew she was a special girl," Mom said, ignoring me. "I was telling your father that the other day."
"That's nice. I should go. I'm meeting Brett for a workout."
"Let's get her over before your father goes to Washington."
"Yes, Mom."
I hung up and drove to the gym. Brett was running laps on the track, huffing and puffing and glad to see me. He jogged over, clutching his side and trying to catch his breath.
"You're late."
"I had a busy morning. I just got off the phone with my parents who wanted to grill me about Genie breaking up with her loser boyfriend. Also told them about Emma, but they wanted all the gossip about Steve. They are as happy as I am that he's out of her life."
I figured if I kept talking, he might miss the Emma part, but when he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, I knew it hadn't escaped him.
"What about Emma?"
"We're together now," I said, walking over to the weights.
"That took a lot longer than I thought it wo
uld. So you dated that blonde chick for a week and now you're banging the chick you wanted to bang all along. Congrats," he said, rolling his eyes.
"I wasn't going to mention it, but you're my best friend, so I thought you should know."
"You chased after that broad for months. I was beginning to think she only liked other chicks."
"She's definitely into guys."
"Good in the sack, then?"
"Are we working out, or what?"
Brett smirked. "Nice guys don't tell," he said in a mocking tone.
I grabbed some dumbbells. "That's right."
"How are you going to deal with the fallout from this?"
"What are you babbling about now?"
"Bianca. She's the only person who's going to care."
"I never hear any of this shit, but you do, so pass this along to Bianca. If she touches Emma, even breathes on her, I'll ruin her life."
Brett stared at me, blinking a few times. "You sound pissed off."
"This has to stop. Emma stays away from Bianca, why can't she leave Emma alone?"
"I'm not arguing with you. I think it's stupid."
"Then get the word out to her. She'll be sorry if she crosses me."
"This is about that video, isn't it?"
"What video?" I asked, playing dumb. The less Brett knew, the less he could blab all over town.
"I'd kill to see what's on it."
"If Bianca keeps up her harassment, you and many others will."
Brett nodded and his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor faded. "Remind me never to cross you."
I patted him on the shoulder. "I've always got your back, but if you screw me ..."
"You'll ruin my life?" he asked with an uneasy laugh.
"Precisely. Now let's finish this workout."
CHAPTER THIRTY
EMMA
While Zach was at the gym and Genie was out with Andrea for the day, I called Dad. He was at the shop and I took the chance he wouldn't be busy and be able to talk.
"Andrew's Antiques," Dad said in his most cheerful voice.
"Hey Dad, it's me."
"Hello, Kiddo. You're calling early."
"Did I catch you at a busy time?"
"No, it's pretty quiet right now. Just a few browsers. What's up?"
"I could call later."
"No, it's all right. If it gets busy, I'll let you know."
My mouth went dry. Telling Dad I had a boyfriend wasn't something I did every day...well, never. And he was a senator's son to boot. "So Dad, I wanted to let you know that Zach Walker and I started dating." No use drawing it out or prolonging my own agony.
Silence. The longer it went, the more my heart raced. Was Dad angry? I wondered if I should have waited until I'd seen him in person to drop the bombshell. His only kid had a boyfriend, a boyfriend he'd never met.
"I see," Dad finally said. "I figured it was inevitable. When am I going to meet this young man?"
Dad's tone wasn't thrilled, but he wasn't furious either. "I don't know. I have a tennis tournament next week, midterms after that, and then it's spring break. We could come to Pine Falls then."
More silence.
"He's a good kid, right? I'm not going to lie. I've been asking around and I googled him. I even got Wendy to look into him. He seems fine. Does he do drugs?"
"No!"
"What does Jake think of him?"
I wanted to let out a sarcastic laugh. "Jake thinks he's all right."
"Well, then spring break it is. I want to meet him."
We talked a few minutes more before Dad had to go. I was relieved. Dad didn't have a coronary.
THERE WAS NO HIDING that Zach and I were dating. We kissed and hugged before and after classes, not the drawn-out PDAs or anything, just quick pecks and off we went. I expected the backlash from Bianca because one way or another she was going to find out. By Friday I started receiving a steady stream of texts. Some I deleted without reading, others I subjected myself to. The worst came as I was waiting for Zach. He texted to tell me he'd be a few minutes late. Almost immediately after I got another one.
000:000:0000: I'm going to mess you up.
That was the first one indicating violence. I looked around to see if anyone was watching me for a reaction, but there was no one. I didn't care about any of these harassing texts but this one had me spooked.
Me: I'm going to call the cops.
000:000:0000: Go ahead BITCH.
Me: Who is this?
000:000:0000: Your worst fucking nightmare.
Me: Leave me alone.
000:000:0000: Can't. And I'll get you when you least expect it.
My hands shook and I stuffed my phone into my backpack. Did I tell Zach? I'd been keeping the texts quiet because they'd been nothing more than an annoyance. Bianca was harmless, that's what Zach had assured me, but these latest texts crossed the line. Suddenly I felt exposed, a wide-open target. I hated that I needed Zach around to feel protected, but Bianca was sounding crazy.
"Sorry I'm late," Zach said, kissing me on the cheek.
"Oh, hi."
"You look upset. What's wrong?"
I'd reached my breaking point. I pulled out my phone and brought up the texts. I showed them to Zach, and he scrolled through them. His face went from cheerful to furious.
"Why didn't you tell me about these?"
"Before today they were all harmless and stupid."
"Do not reply to any more of them. I'm going to download them and see if Dad can help."
"No, please don't make a big deal," I begged. "That just pisses her off."
"I thought this was over."
"She probably found out about us and is pissed. Can't we just forget about it?"
He put his arm around me and kissed my cheek. "At the very least let me download them so we have a copy. Then I want you to delete them. And any other ones you get, I want to see and download. Okay?"
"Yes, fine."
I felt relieved telling him, but I didn't trust him to let it go. Just like getting Bianca not to press charges, I had a feeling he was going to do something. Secretly if it kept her from bothering me, I didn't care.
We got home to the smell of butter chicken in my Crockpot. I put on a pot of water for rice and prepped a salad and a vegetarian paella for Genie. She and some friends were going on a weekend shopping trip and she'd already informed us she'd have a quick dinner with us before packing. They'd asked me to come along, but Helen and I had our big tennis tournament Saturday and Sunday. She'd been practicing on her own all week in preparation.
"I was going to invite Brett over tomorrow night," Zach said. "We were going to watch hockey. Why don't we make pizzas?"
His voice sounded weird, taking on a bit of a higher pitch. "I won't be home until about six. Why is this a big deal?"
"It's not...well, it kind of is. Brett's my best friend and I want him to get to know you."
I involuntarily frowned. "You can't make him like me."
"He doesn't know you."
"All right, I'll make pizzas and hang out for a bit, but I don't want to be a third wheel. And you'll need to do some prep work. I'll leave you a to-do list."
He smiled. "No problem."
Genie breezed through the door like a whirlwind. "It smells fantastic in here! Are we eating soon? I've got to pack and turn in early because we're on the road at six am. Outlet shopping, here I come!"
"We'll be eating in about twenty minutes."
"Perfect. Call me when it's ready."
And she was gone. Zach and I looked at each other and laughed.
"So I was thinking," I said, handing him tomatoes to slice. "Spring break is coming and I'm going back to Pine Falls for a bit. Do you want to come out for a couple of days and meet Dad and Grandpa?"
He popped a chunk of tomato in his mouth and gave me a thumbs up. "I'd like that."
"There will be rules. You'll have your own room and no sneaking around for sex. I'd be mortified if either one of them caught us."<
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"I can be on my best behavior for a little while," he said with a wink.
I plated the food and put out the naan I'd bought the night before. I wanted to learn how to make it, but I had no time for that right now. Zach called Genie, and we sat down for the meal.
"Who needs a man when I can get an orgasm from this food," Genie said, savoring her paella.
"Really?" Zach said. "Steve was that bad?"
"Come on, maybe you're used to it, but eating like this? You're so spoiled. My compliments to Emma."
"Thanks."
"Emma, why are you wasting your talents here? Go to culinary school."
"There's nothing around here. I don't want to be a plane ride away to go to school."
"What are you going to do instead? Toil in some shitty job you can't stand? Zach talk some sense into her. Besides, once Zach graduates, he's not sticking around here."
"He's not?" That news was a punch to the gut. Zach had one year left. Not once had he mentioned leaving for law school; I'd assumed he'd stay at Western.
"Dad won't let him get his undergraduate and his law degree from the same university. As we speak, he's probably trying to get him into Harvard."
I looked over at Zach. He was biting down on his lower lip, trying to keep his temper in check. I thought he was going to reach over and strangle Genie.
"Nothing is set in stone," he said, shooting Genie the death glare.
"Law school is set in stone. Wherever Zach ends up, there has to be a good culinary school nearby." Had Genie realized she'd upset both of us and was trying to find some kind of bright side?
"And maybe you could just shut up?" Zach suggested.
"Oh shit, Emma, did I shoot my mouth off? I'm sorry. I thought you knew." The fun and lively Genie was replaced by an apologetic one.
"No, I didn't."
"Why don't you take your dinner and bugger off so that I can talk to Emma," Zach said to his sister.
She dutifully picked up her plate and disappeared.
Zach grasped onto my hand. "Emma, it's more than a year away and so much can happen before then."
"Like what?" I asked, taking my hand away and pushing my half-empty plate to the side. I'd lost my appetite.