Touch Him (ManTrap Book 3)

by Olivia Jaymes

  "You make a valid point. Now...shoo."

  Owen finally stepped out onto the patio and I started work.

  1.What one word describes you best?

  Busy.

  Emmy

  I thought Shelby was going to have a cow, right there on Skype.

  "You took the test? What was it like? Do you have the results yet?"

  "I did take the test this morning," I confirmed, relaxing in my room later that day. Owen had a business conference call so I'd decided to call Shelby and see what was going on back home. "It wasn't too bad."

  The test wasn't the ordeal that I'd feared it would be. In fact, many of the questions didn't appear to have anything to do with relationships at all. Knowing Owen, those were probably the most important.

  "That doesn't tell me anything."

  "What do you want to know?"

  "Tell me about the questions," Shelby demanded, her tone huffy. "You know that's what I'm interested in. I think this is fascinating."

  "You could take the test yourself," I pointed out. "You don't have to do anything with the results. I'm sure Brad would understand that you did it for science."

  "Brad would understand. Now tell me about the test."

  Briefly I told her as much as detail as I could remember and received the requisite ooh and ahhs in return. She was acting like Owen was in a famous boy band.

  "When do you get your results? What if you're not compatible with Owen Campbell?" Now she sounded panicky. "That would be awful. Maybe you shouldn't have taken the test."

  "Since this version of the test is a beta they’ve been working on, the ’scoring’ doesn't happen immediately. I will get my results in a few days. As for us being a match, Owen explained to me that our being compatible wasn't a yes or no answer. The system scores matches on a continuum. We might be eighty percent compatible or only fifty percent. But he's absolutely positive that we'll be some sort of match."

  "Wouldn't it be great if you were a one hundred percent match?"

  "No such thing. I asked."

  "That's disappointing. I would love to talk to some of those couples."

  "I can't even imagine what a match like that would be like. Would they dress and talk the same? Finish each other's sentences?"

  "Perhaps they could read each other's minds," Shelby suggested with a laugh. "Although that might be dangerous. I wouldn't want my significant other to be able to read my mind."

  Me neither.

  “How is your bride feeling, by the way? Shelby asked. “Is she any better?”

  “Lisa? She’s feeling pretty awful but Dan is taking care of her. They think she might be on the upswing, however, and she might get to taste some of her wedding cake tomorrow if she continues to improve. So what's going on back home? Did we get more snow?"

  "Emerson Marie Grant, are you kidding me? You're asking about the weather? It's cold. How does that sound? Now get to what's really important. Your date last night. It must have gone well if you took the test this morning. Tell me every detail and don't leave anything out."

  "You're not getting every detail."

  Shelby's eyes went round onscreen and her smile widened. "That good, huh? Start at the beginning. What happened?"

  My friend wasn't going to let this go.

  "I went to his suite for dinner and then we were going to watch a movie. But..."

  "But," she prompted. "He didn't want to watch a movie?"

  There wasn't much my friends didn't know about my life and vice versa. What the hell.

  "I didn't want to watch a movie and I really got the feeling that he didn't either so..."

  If possible, her eyes grew even bigger.

  "So you...found other activities?" she suggested delicately. "Horizontal ones?"

  "We were horizontal last night. This morning we were definitely vertical."

  I should have known by now that Shelby was unshockable. She'd heard too many wild things in her private practice to ever blink an eye at whatever we got up to.

  "Good for you," she replied, clapping her hands together in delight. "How was it?"

  "They haven't invented words to describe it yet."

  All the adjectives that I could have used would have been too weak.

  "You lucky duck. So you had amazing sex last night and this morning. Then you took the matching test. Will there be wedding bells in the near future?"

  Whoa. Just...hold the phone.

  "Wedding bells?" I echoed, rolling my eyes. "We just met a few days ago. I would hardly think that we'd be talking about getting married."

  "He isn't the kind of man that you could have a future with?"

  "That's not the point." This was awkward. "From what I know about him so far, he's definitely the kind of guy that I could get serious about. Sometime in the future. It's too soon to be talking about love."

  Shelby's mouth twisted. "Because you don't believe in love at first sight. Or even second, third, fourth, or fifth sight."

  We'd been through this a million times but it looked like we were going to do it again.

  "Love at first sight is just lust and infatuation," I explained patiently. "You can't possibly love someone that you don't know."

  "And yet, we hear stories about it all the time."

  "No, we hear stories about couples who fall in lust at first sight and manage to fall in love later. Don't get the two confused. If Owen and I continue this relationship when we return to Arborville–"

  "If? Is there any question about that?"

  "If we decide to continue," I kept going as if she hadn't said anything. "Then we will spend time with one another, learn about one another, and at some appropriate time in the future make the decision to take the relationship to the next level or end things in a civilized manner."

  Groaning, Shelby slapped her forehead. "And what, pray tell, is the next level?"

  "You know...being in love. Meet the family. Talk about the future."

  "But you're not going to think about the future until you both decide to take it to the next level? How very rational and practical of you."

  "I'm a very rational and practical person," I replied icily. "Come on, as a psychologist you have to see couples every day that didn't think it through and now they have two kids, a dog, a mortgage, and a minivan while the entire time they tell you that they really don't love each other anymore. I'm just making sure that I'm not one of them."

  "I do see them," Shelby readily agreed. "But at least they could say they'd been in love. They've experienced the highs and lows that life and love have to offer. Not every great love has a happy ending."

  "That's the most depressing statement I've ever heard. If it doesn't end happily, can you really call it a great love? I don't think so."

  "Romeo and Juliet."

  Uh-uh. No way.

  "Two teenagers with a crush that killed six people, including themselves? That's not love, my friend. Try again."

  "I don't have anything off the top of my head. Give me some time."

  "Fine, take all the time you need."

  Shelby leaned toward the camera on her laptop. "You like him, right? Because you look really happy. Glowing, even."

  "I am happy," I confirmed. "But that doesn't mean I'm in love."

  I would know if I'd fallen in love. Right?

  "Do you think about him all the time?"

  Well...yes.

  "We're in the same hotel on a small island, Shelby. It would be hard not to."

  "You are such a hard case, Emmy. You need to let it happen. Enjoy it. Savor the journey. Take a chance."

  I'd taken a chance last night and it had worked out pretty well but that didn't mean I needed to be jumping off cliffs all the time. It could easily have gone the other way.

  "I know," I replied with a sigh. "I read that in your book and that's what I'm trying to do. I'm enjoying myself. But that doesn't mean that I'm falling in love."

  "I think you're fighting it," Shelby said, authority in her tone. It was the one
she used when she was in doctor mode. "You need to open yourself to it. That's in the book, too. Did you get that far?"

  "No, but I intend to. I got to the part about going after what you want and I did that last night. I also read the part about how to enjoy dating someone without evaluating them as a potential spouse. That's what I'm doing. Having a good time."

  "And that's what I want you to do. Just don't deny your feelings."

  "I won't," I promised. "But you have to be okay if this relationship doesn't turn into the romance of the century."

  "As long as you're okay if it does," Shelby shot back, a gleam in her eye that I could easily see even over a laptop camera. "Don't fight the magic of love, Emmy. It's so worth it."

  The magic of love. Were Shelby and Owen ganging up on me?

  I might follow the advice in my friend's book...but I'd fall in love on my own terms.

  Chapter 14

  Owen

  I wanted to make our last evening on the island together as special as possible. I'd spent the last two nights with Emmy in my bed and as far as I was concerned, she could stay there for a hell of a lot longer.

  She had all the qualities that I'd hoped for in a woman. Okay, that's going a little too far. Emmy had most of the qualities that I was looking for. She definitely had all of the important ones that I couldn't bend on. Smart, funny, kind-hearted, ambitious, and curious. I think it was her curiosity that I adored most of all. The fact that she'd been willing to take Symphonic's matching test showed that she was open-minded and wanted to learn about all sorts of things. Despite appearing to the contrary, she wasn't set on one way of thinking.

  The fact that she was beautiful and the sex was out of this world didn't hurt either, although I would have been fine if she'd been a hag and the lovemaking so-so. It would have been a disappointment but we certainly could have worked on it together. As for her looks...external beauty fades. But hate and nastiness were bone deep.

  I was ready to admit it. I was falling in love. That's why I wanted to make this last evening as romantic and memorable as possible. Luckily, I'd establish a rapport with the concierge who had been filled with ideas. Emmy didn't think she was the traditionally romantic type but after seeing her set up Lisa and Dan's wedding, I thought she was selling herself short.

  That's why I was standing in the middle of the hotel lobby, heart in my throat, sweat pooling on the back of my neck. Nervous as hell. I could only hope Emmy would see the effort that had gone into my plans for the evening and it would let her know how I felt about her. I'd never gone to such lengths to impress a female.

  "Owen?"

  Whirling around, I was riveted in place. Emmy looked gorgeous in a white halter dress that just skimmed the tops of her knees. She'd put her hair up tonight and it showed off her graceful neck and kissable shoulders.

  "You look amazing."

  I wasn't the most eloquent of men. Emmy's cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink and she clutched her small handbag a little closer to her chest.

  "Thank you," she replied huskily. "You look good, too."

  I was wearing my best suit, the same that I'd worn to Lisa and Dan's cocktail party a few days ago. I'd told Emmy that we were doing something special and I wanted to look the part.

  "Are you ready to go?"

  "Go?" she echoed, her gaze darting around the lobby. "Are we leaving the resort?"

  "We are," I confirmed. "I hope that's okay."

  If it wasn't then we had issues because there was no plan B.

  "It's fine," she said quickly. "I just didn't realize, that's all. Where are we going?"

  "It's sort of a surprise."

  "Oh."

  She'd been excited about the surprise last time. This time? Not so much.

  "You're not in the mood for a surprise."

  Sighing, she wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "I'm really sorry. I have my moments and this is one of them. My friends say I'm difficult. They're probably right."

  "You're not too bad," I laughed, linking my arm with hers and leading her down the path toward the marina. Her perfume mixed with the smell of hibiscus. "But since you don't want a surprise tonight, I'll tell you where we're going. I've hired a yacht to take us out on the water around the islands while we eat a gourmet meal under the stars. How does that sound?"

  Emmy stopped and stared up at me. "It sounds amazing. Are you kidding?"

  "Yes, Emmy. I'm totally joking. We're not going on a yacht. We're going to pick up some fast food and then hit the arcade for the rest of the evening."

  "I'll have you know that I am the Ms. PacMan champ among my girlfriends. I play a mean game of air hockey, too."

  "If I can find an air hockey table on this island consider yourself challenged to a winner take all match. In the meantime, we're going to have to make do with moonlight and romance."

  It was romantic. The for-hire yacht had pulled out all the stops as I'd requested. A rose petal strewn path to the candlelight table on the back of the boat. Soft music in the background. Champagne on ice. I popped the cork on the bottle as the yacht smoothly glided away from the marina, headed for open water.

  Handing her the flute filled with bubbly golden liquid, I lifted my own glass in a toast.

  "To us."

  Did I mention that I wasn't an eloquent fucker? I didn't have those smooth-talking skills. If that's what Emmy wanted then she was barking up the wrong tree with me.

  "To us," she echoed, our glasses clinking together. The chilled liquid slid easily down my throat and the bubbles tickled Emmy's nose, making her giggle. "This is really good."

  "You must really know your wines and champagne in your business. You probably have it all the time."

  It wasn't that special after all.

  "I don't," she said, placing her glass on the dinner table and running her hands up my arms to my shoulders. "I never drink on the job and I don't know that much about wine and spirits. I let others guide me. This is wonderful, Owen."

  "Not too over the top romantic?"

  Inwardly wincing at my question, I waited for her verdict. She didn't answer right away, her expression conflicted.

  "It's lovely, really, really lovely, and I am completely surprised."

  "But?"

  "But nothing. This is wonderful. Thank you for going to such lengths for us to have a special evening together."

  I still wasn't convinced. Blame it on my inner paranoia. But I was going to shut the hell up and not ruin our last night together.

  "I'm glad you like it. The food is supposed to be out of this world." Leaning down, I dropped a kiss on her full lips. "I know you like to eat."

  "I do." She turned to look out onto the shimmering water. "Do we have a specific destination?"

  Inwardly I chuckled. Emmy was so practical and goal-oriented. She'd want to know where we were going and how long it would take to get there. If her GPS gave her an estimated time of arrival, she would want to beat it like an Olympic swimmer.

  "No destination. Just cruise around the islands. Isn't it beautiful to look at the lights and the stars?"

  "It is beautiful," she agreed, her gaze still trained on the night sky. It was a clear night with a simple warm breeze. "I've been to the Caribbean a few times before but I never get used to how gorgeous it is."

  I could say the same about her. She knocked me sideways and made me happy to stay that way. Did she feel the same?

  Emmy

  Owen's evening rivaled anything that I could have put together, and I was a professional. He'd pulled out all the stops - rose petals, champagne, good food, soft music. Heck, even the stars and moon had cooperated. He must have them on retainer.

  It was all so...romantic. Over the top. Almost cringingly so. Displays such as this always made me slightly uncomfortable. How could I ever live up to it? Did I even want to try?

  For his part, Owen seemed happy enough. We'd eaten the delicious food prepared by the onboard chef. Delicate lobster tail dipped in clarified butter. Grilled veg
etables with some sort of spicy sauce. A decadent chocolate mousse at the end that I couldn't stop eating no matter how full my stomach.

  I'd drank a few more glasses of champagne and was feeling delightfully fuzzy. Not drunk. Just...happy. There were no cares to be had at the moment and tomorrow's departure from the island seemed a long way away.

  I was savoring.

  I wanted to simply sit back and enjoy this moment with a man that made me tingle. He lifted the champagne bottle and held it over my glass.

  "More champagne?"

  Shaking my head, I placed my hand over the top of the flute. "I'd better not. I'm already tipsy."

  "You're adorable when you're tipsy."

  "I'm not sure all of my friends agree with you, Owen. That does not seem to be the prevailing opinion back home."

  "They're wrong," he drawled, instead lifting the carafe of ice water and freshening up my glass. "You're sweet and funny. Giggly, too. It's very cute."

  It should go without saying that I wasn't normally a giggly female. That wouldn't really match my persona as someone that a client could trust with their event planning needs.

  "Ashlyn would never describe me as cute. She's cute, though. She's a petite blonde. Very dainty."

  "I haven't heard so much about your other friend Mia. What's she like?"

  "Lucky."

  The word popped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Not that it wasn't the truth.

  "Lucky? How so?"

  How to explain this without it sounding crazy? Well...I'll give it a shot.

  "Mia was in love with the boy next door, so to speak. This guy Josh, however, had her firmly in the friend zone. It was really heartbreaking for her because he was dating all these women and he was treating her like a pal."

  "That is terrible," Owen said with a shake of his head. "What happened? You said she was lucky but that doesn't sound like it."

  "I'm getting to that," I said, taking a sip of my water. "She stopped at a convenience store near her house one night and got caught in a robbery. She survived but when she had a gun pointed at her chest, she made a deal with the universe. She was going to go after what she wanted. No more sitting back and waiting. So she went for Josh."