The Emi Lost & Found Series

by Lori L. Otto

  “Is that what you want?”

  “What?”

  “To end up together?” Her eyes search mine as a small smile forms. Without blinking or wavering, she nods.

  Marry me, Emi. I remember back to the first time I wanted to whisper those words to her as we danced at the engagement party. The urge to attempt to steal her away from Nate was almost too great as I held her in my arms that night. I can definitely see myself marrying her someday.

  “I love you, Emi.” As soon as our lips meet again, she’s pulling me on top of her, opening up the comforter and inviting me in to join her.

  “I’m sorry I was upset,” she says as she removes my t-shirt.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I have no more surprises, I promise.”

  “It’s okay.” She starts to unfasten my pants and I begin to get lost in my desire for her. A sliver of sanity brings me back into reality, and I stop her from going any further.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks as I still her hands with my own.

  “Emi,” I laugh quietly, “as much as I want to do this with you, I don’t really think it’s a good idea to start a family now. I don’t have any protection.”

  “Oh, I’ll go upstairs and get it.” She nudges my shoulder and moves out from under me. I turn over on my back and hold her hand tightly before she can walk away.

  “No, you’d have to go to the store. We used the last one earlier.” She climbs back onto the bed, putting one leg on either side of my body, and lies down on my chest with a look of consternation.

  “Well, that’s not very like you. You’re always so prepared.” Her finger traces my lips that ache to find hers once again.

  I kiss her hand, finger by finger, my eyes burning with need. “As I would have been if we had followed our earlier plans.”

  “There aren’t any at my place,” she says, her head shaking.

  “There sure as hell better be. Or else I’ll have to ask what man you will allow to sleep with you at your loft.” I turn her hand over and kiss her palm.

  “Huh?”

  “You don’t look in your nightstand often... although I could see how you could miss them in the mess of whatever you cram in that drawer.”

  “You went through my nightstand?” Her cheeks blush a dark shade of pink, her eyes wide with recognition.

  “No. I just pushed everything over to carve out a tiny square for my stash. Call it wishful thinking... but speaking of what’s in that nightstand–”

  “Jack!” she slaps my chest playfully.

  “Not judging,” I smile. “Whatever makes you happy.”

  “You make me happy. Whatever’s in that drawer just placates me when you’re not around.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Hey,” she whispers as she kisses my chest. “Back to the whole reason we got off track with this conversation.” She begins to move her body back, kissing my stomach. “You know there are other ways... for me to make you happy.” She grips the waistband of my pants and looks up at me.

  “Emi, you don’t have to do that.” She pulls my pants off, leaving my boxers.

  “But I don’t want to leave you like this...” I inhale sharply as she brushes her fingers against me, and I pull her body back up so her lips can meet mine once more. Her hips move against me, slowly at first. As her actions come quicker, so does her breathing.

  “Jack, please make love to me. Please,” she begs. I turn her over, less gently than I’d hoped but desperate to be with her. I push against her, listening to her soft moans. “Please, Jack,” she pleads again as she tries to remove my boxers.

  “Emi, we can’t.” But god how I want to... My words say one thing, but my movements say something completely different as I allow her to push the waistband of my underwear down. “Oh, god,” I exhale as I feel her skin touching mine. She pulls my face to hers, her eyes reflecting the same passion I’m feeling. Her hands grasp my back, needy, as I kiss her cheek, her neck, her ear, ravenous, wanting to taste every inch of her.

  “I’ve been on the pill for a few weeks,” she breathes into my ear.

  “Are you sure?” I ask, barely assigning meaning to what she just said to me as I kiss her soft breasts.

  “Yes,” she whispers. Without any further thought, she shifts slightly and I feel the most all-encompassing pleasure I have ever felt in my entire life. We move together slowly, without reservations, wholly committed to each other’s total satisfaction.

  Emi’s arms are clasped tightly around me, holding me to her, as I feel the familiar stirring in the pit of my stomach. “Let go,” I tell her.

  “I am,” she says.

  “No, I’m coming,” I caution her as I kiss her cheek. She pulls me even closer to her.

  “Oh, Jack,” her voice is sexy, sultry, and I can’t contain myself any longer. “I am, too.”

  We continue to kiss softly as we both come down. The reality of what just happened keeps the exhaustion I normally feel at bay.

  “That was unbelievable, Emi,” I tell her.

  “Thank you,” she blushes. I move to her side and she nuzzles into my chest, tracing figures on my stomach with her fingernail. She pulls the blanket around us when she feels me shiver.

  “Can I talk to you about something?” I ask, kissing the top of her head.

  “Of course,” she says as she brings her eyes to mine.

  “About tonight. You have my word that I will be better prepared from now on.”

  “You worry too much, Jack,” she smiles. “It’s fine.”

  “No, it’s not. I’m not entirely comfortable with what happened here. I didn’t mean for... that... to happen.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the pill isn’t a 100% guarantee.”

  “You’re so freaking practical!” she groans. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

  “Please don’t get frustrated with me. I just want to make sure we’re taking precautions. I know for a fact your dad owns a shotgun,” I try to lighten the mood.

  “Are you implying he’d have to strong-arm you into marrying me?” she laughs.

  “Definitely not. But I would like to marry someone on my own terms. That’s all.” She nods and continues to lightly scrape my chest.

  “Can I ask you a question?” I begin again after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

  “Sure.”

  “Were you on the pill when it happened... before?”

  She looks back up at me, smiles and pauses. “No. Is that why you’re worried?” Her hand moves a few strands of hair from my forehead.

  “No, I’m not worried, Emi. I trust you.” She kisses my chest and pulls her leg over my thighs. I rub her back lightly. “Was that common?” I ask quietly.

  She sighs. “It was our first time– my only time– to ever have sex without contraception.”

  “Wow.”

  “Wow?”

  “Yeah, wow. That doesn’t exactly put my mind at ease.”

  “I’m on the pill,” she reminds me.

  “I know, but still.”

  “What, you think I’m easily... impregnatable?”

  I laugh lightly. “Is that a word, Emi?”

  “I just said it,” she says with a determined look on her face. “That makes it a word.”

  “I think you’re thinking ‘impregnable–’”

  “Well, then that,” she shrugs.

  “But it doesn’t mean what you think it does. And no, I’m not saying you’re easy to impregnate. I don’t know one way or the other.”

  “Then why ‘wow?’”

  “Emi,” I sigh as I wrap both of my arms around her. “The only woman I want to get pregnant is my wife.” I hear a quiet gasp escape her lips as I kiss her forehead. She moves up slightly so I can kiss her lips.

  “That’s very idealistic for a realist,” she mumbles against me.

  “I have my moments.” Our kisses grow deeper, more tender. “Wait,” I stop her, pulling back to see her eyes. “It’s idealist for me t
o want to only get my wife pregnant? Would you just let any old man get you pregnant?”

  “You’re not any old man. You’re my old man,” she says as she jabs me in the side.

  “You’re asking for it,” I warn her, leaning over her until her back is pressed against the mattress. I lean into her and kiss her again.

  “I know I am,” she says flirtatiously.

  “Wouldn’t you rather it be your husband?”

  “If you were my husband,” she blushes.

  “Listen, I have one more question.” She groans. “Well, if you don’t want to go on a vacation with me, that’s fine.”

  “Wait, vacation?”

  “No, never mind.”

  “Jack,” she sighs and tries to tickle me.

  “You don’t want to start that,” I warn her, tickling her back and finding the sensitive spot. Laughing, she finally grabs my hand and weaves her fingers between mine. “I love you,” I tell her again. I can’t tell her enough.

  “Tell me about this vacation.”

  “Well, there’s this resort... Mirabella, in Vail, Colorado, and I would like you to come with me... for a week, in March.”

  “Skiing?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve never been skiing... do you think we can just stay in the room and make love all day?”

  “Mmmm...” I ponder her request. “Probably not. There is a catch,” I tell her.

  “What, is this a business trip? Because I can just spend my days in the spa and then make love to you all night. That’s fine, too.”

  “No, not a business trip,” I explain. “It’s a, uh... family thing.”

  “Family, like, who?”

  “Dad, Mom, Kelly, Thomas, Matthew, Lucas, Steven, Renee... and about six kids.”

  “Holy...” she says, apprehensive. “Everyone, huh?”

  “My grandmother isn’t coming this year,” I tell her.

  “Of course, Grandma can’t make it.” She laughs.

  “Are you still in?” I poke her playfully in the side.

  “A week?”

  “Leave on Saturday, come back the next Sunday.”

  “I don’t know, you tell me. Is your family tolerable for a week?”

  “I think they are,” I tell her. “My parents spoil the grandkids and the rest of us just catch up with each other. We’re all really close... we always have a great time. We only all get together once a year, really... when the kids are out for Spring Break. Christmases are impossible with all the spouses, girlfriends, partners...”

  “Will I be the only outsider?” Emi asks. “You’ve told me about Lucas and Matthew, I know they’ve been together forever... What about this Renee girl, is she a first-timer?”

  “Uh, no. This will be her third trip. First one for her daughter, though... but we’ve all met her at some point...”

  She exhales deeply, but her dimples can’t hide her evident excitement. “Let’s do it.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Of course, I want to go! The trip sounds amazing... I’d like to meet the rest of your family... and I assume we’ll have our own room... we will, right?”

  “We’ll have our own private cabin,” I tell her.

  “The whole family?”

  “No. You and I will have our own. All the couples will have their own. And Mom and Dad have bravely accepted the responsibility of the kids.”

  “Wow.” She claps her hands together. “I can’t wait.”

  CHAPTER 3

  “This is an insane amount of luggage,” I tell Emi, eyeing the four large suitcases and two duffel bags at baggage claim. I begin to load our things onto a cart.

  “It’s the ski clothes, I swear,” she laughs.

  “And not your need to have ‘choices?’” I smile.

  “Pretty sure it’s the ski clothes... and you’re the one who made me buy them in New York. We could have rented them or something once we got here.” She shrugs her shoulders playfully.

  “I told you,” I explain, “I don’t think this will be your last trip to the mountains. I hope not anyway.” She picks up both duffel bags, putting one on her shoulder and one on mine, then kisses me.

  “Thank you for this,” she says.

  “Jacks!” my brother’s familiar voice calls from across the room.

  “Matty,” I say, walking toward him and meeting him halfway. I hug him and his partner Lucas.

  “Is that her?” Matthew asks me, nodding at Emi, waiting with our luggage about twenty feet away.

  “She’s beautiful, right?” I ask him.

  “Gorgeous,” he says, outpacing my stride to meet her first. “Even prettier than she was when we rescued her on the streets of New York.”

  “Emi,” I call out to her, “Matthew.” She extends her hand to him.

  “Uh-uh,” my brother says. “This is not a handshake family.” He pulls her into a bear hug, her smile growing into a laugh. “Sweetie, you are breathtaking.” Her cheeks turn bright pink.

  “You’re not too bad yourself,” she says. Growing up, before my brother came out to the family, he was always the most popular with girls. Kelly used to share with us the opinions of her friends. “Handsome” and “boy next door,” she would call me. “Rugged, gorgeous, and sexy” were Matthew’s words. Steven, six years younger than us, was forever pigeon-holed in the “cute” category, even as he grew into a man. At twenty-nine, he still had a baby face, his wide-eyed optimism adding to the perception.

  “Lucas,” Matthew jokes, “watch out for this one.” Lucas hugs Emi, kissing her on the cheek.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asks her. “I know all the family secrets, just stay close to me.”

  “Okay,” she sighs.

  “Honestly, I look forward to this every year,” he confesses. “I was an only child so I’ve got years of sibling rivalry to catch up on.”

  “Emi, how much of this luggage is yours?” my brother asks.

  “Um... three of those... and this bag...”

  “Love her,” Matthew says to me. “She can stay.”

  “Where are your things?” I ask him.

  “Already loaded in the SUV. You ready to go?”

  “Lead the way.” I push the cart behind Emi, Matthew and Lucas flanking her sides, engaging her in lively conversation. She laughs easily, my brother and his partner always charming and entertaining.

  Once our bags are loaded, Lucas takes the driver’s seat and Matthew offers the front seat to Emi, but she chooses to sit close to me in the back seat, holding my hand.

  “When will Kelly be here?” she asks.

  “Kelly and the girls are coming later on today,” I tell her. “And Thomas is bringing the boys Monday. Brandon and his friend have a basketball tournament this weekend.”

  “Stevie and Renee will be here this evening, though,” Matthew adds. “Now what’s her daughter’s name again?”

  “Lexi,” I remind him.

  “That’s right. Renee got pregnant in high school,” my brother tells Emi, a scandalous tone in his voice.

  “Matty...” I warn him.

  “What?” he says. “It’s true.” He shrugs quickly.

  “Yes, it’s true,” I tell Emi. “She was apparently pretty wild in her younger years. She lost both of her parents when she was a teenager and finished her high school days with a distant aunt. Motherhood has mellowed her, though. She’s different... very smart, very honest... very good for Steven.”

  “She’s still pretty wild, Jacks,” Lucas laughs. He’s right. She could drink us all under the table, and had many times before. “She and I click. She was an only child, too.”

  “And they’ve been dating how long?” Emi asks.

  “Two and a half years.”

  “Cool,” she says. “And your parents came on Thursday?”

  “Yes,” I answer her. “I flew them up early so they could have some peace and quiet before the circus comes to town.”

  “You’re a good son,” she says, laughing, squeezing
my hand. I pick it up and kiss it, then lean over to kiss her.

  “I’m watching you,” Lucas says, eyeing us through the review mirror.

  “So, is there anything on the agenda I need to know about?” I ask them. “You guys are still staying until next Sunday?”

  “That’s the plan,” my brother says.

  “I think Steven’s up to something,” I tell him. “He wanted me to book his cabin through next Wednesday... said he’s going to pay for it and everything.” Matthew and Lucas exchange glances, then shrug in unison. “What do you guys know?”

  “Nothing...” Matthew answers. “Yet...”

  “Is he proposing?”

  “Possibly... at this very moment...”

  “Matthew, you promised him.”

  “Well, it’s about time,” I tell them.

  “Matty,” Lucas warns. “He’ll be pissed.”

  “Yeah, just forget I said anything.”

  “Damn it, Matthew. I hate it when you do that.” After sitting in silence, I accept that my brother isn’t going to say anything more.

  “So, what do you think about Colorado?” I ask Emi.

  “It’s beautiful. Pictures don’t do it justice.”

  “See that mountain up there? That’s where we’re going skiing.”

  “Do they have, like, baby slopes?”

  “Bunny slopes,” I laugh. “And yes...”

  “Can everyone ski but me?”

  “Yes.” She crinkles her nose at me. “I won’t abandon you, though. I can’t wait to teach you. I promise you’ll love it.”

  The in-car navigation system guides us to the main hotel. “I’m going to get us checked in. Em, you want to come?”

  “Sure,” she says, excitedly hopping out of the car. “This is incredible.”

  “It’s not bad,” I smile, knowing that what’s to come is so much better. The manager had sent me pictures of each available cabin and their views, letting me select which ones I wanted to book since I was a preferred member of their hotel group. I was confident we would get VIP treatment for the whole trip.

  The manager is waiting for me when we walk in.

  “Bill?” I ask after seeing his name tag.

  “Mr. Holland?” He extends his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”