In Your Arms

by Shannyn Schroeder

  The waitress returned with their coffee and they sat in an awkward silence for a few moments.

  Finally, Emma said, “I’m really bad at this. I’ve never joined an online dating site before and it feels awkward.” She waved her hands quickly. “Not you. This is totally on me.”

  “It’s fine. The first in person is sometimes rough. I asked you out because we seemed to click when we spoke. This doesn’t have to be awkward. Tell me about the kids you teach, what you do in your spare time, whether you think the Cubs will ever win the World Series.”

  Her nerves settled, and they found the rhythm of the conversation they had last night. Their lunch was leisurely, and when they parted, Rick walked her to her car. He leaned in, and they shared a weird hug as he kissed her cheek. Then he promised to call her to set up a “real” date.

  She drove back home feeling relaxed, but something nagged at her. As she parked in front of her apartment, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out. A text from Sean.

  A smile bloomed on her face as she opened the text.

  Still on for tonight?

  Yes.

  You could come for dinner. There will be cake. From a real bakery.

  Tempting, but not a good idea.

  But it’s my birthday. You should do what I want.

  I will. After your family thing.

  I’ll hold you to that.

  She turned to leave her car when he phone buzzed again.

  I’m going to have you so many different ways, you won’t be able to walk tomorrow.

  Her mind raced with all the ways they could have fun tonight. Her blood warmed and anticipation tingled through her. Big promises, she answered.

  I’ll deliver.

  As she climbed out of her car, it hit her. The nagging feeling. For as much fun as she’d had with Rick, there had been no zing. They hadn’t shared any sexual banter. Or any kind of banter for that matter. She’d been telling herself it didn’t matter. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  Maybe she expected too much from a first date. She decided to put it out of her mind for now. Tonight she’d have a good time with Sean. The rest would keep. Besides, Rick might not even call.

  * * *

  Saturday night, Sean sat at the dining room table waiting for his family to hurry up and sit down with the pizza. He was still sore, but moving better than he had been last night. Every time he thought about spending the night with Emma again, his dick rose to half-mast. He wasn’t even hungry for dinner.

  And cake made him think of her all over again.

  Norah and Kai came through the door carrying pizza. Tommy walked in behind them with the box from Blackstone’s.

  “Did you see Cupcake?” he asked his little brother.

  “Who?” Norah asked.

  Tommy blushed and ducked his head. “Shut up.”

  Norah’s eyes lit. “Ooooh. Sounds interesting.”

  Kai laid a huge hand on Norah’s shoulder. “Leave Tommy alone.”

  “You’re no fun. It’s my job as his little sister to give him grief.” She smiled wickedly. “And if that grief comes in the form of a little prodding about his social life, so be it.”

  She set the pizza boxes on the table and followed Tommy into the kitchen. Kai sat down and flipped up the lids on the pizzas. “Doing anything fun for your birthday?”

  Sean pointed at the food. “You mean eating dinner with my family isn’t fun?”

  Kai grabbed a slice and smiled before digging in.

  “I have plans with Emma as soon as we’re done here.” Sean reached for a couple of pieces of pizza.

  Kevin came in and took a seat across from Sean and grabbed a slice.

  “Jeez,” Norah said when she came back. “You couldn’t wait for the plates and napkins?”

  “Who needs ’em?” Sean bit down and inhaled half a slice in one bite.

  Jimmy and Moira came through the front door, and Sean’s dad came from his bedroom.

  “Rude not to wait for us,” Jimmy said as he pulled out a chair for Moira.

  “Rude to be late,” Sean tossed back.

  “Enough of that shit,” Seamus said. Then he yelled, “Tommy, grab some beers.”

  “Moira, baby,” Kevin called. “Where’s my hug?”

  Moira flipped him off.

  Surprisingly, Kevin dropped it. Normally, he’d keep harassing her for another ten minutes.

  As everyone took their seats and reached for pizza, they all started to talk at once. Across the table, beside them, it didn’t matter. Sean watched Jimmy and Moira and Kai and Norah, and suddenly wished Emma had changed her mind.

  While he didn’t want the forever kind of shit his siblings had fallen for, he wouldn’t mind having Emma’s soft body next to his more often.

  But having his whole family together on his birthday was good.

  When everyone had had their fill of pizza and beer, Tommy grabbed the cake from the kitchen. Just like last year, he had filled Sean’s cake with too many candles. It was like a lung-capacity test every time to blow them all out.

  “Dude, you need to learn how to count.”

  “I did. One candle for each year. Twenty-seven. Plus one for each time you’ve harassed me in the past year.”

  Jimmy laughed. “If that’s the rule we’re gonna go by, you’re all in trouble.”

  “Hurry up and sing.” Sean eyed the quickly melting wax. As soon as they neared the end of the song, he blew the candles out. He didn’t need to make a wish like he had as a kid. His life was pretty damn good.

  Norah stood with a knife in her hand and a pile of plates in front of her. She carved the cake into gigantic pieces and passed them around the table. Sean ate like a runner sprinting toward the finish line.

  “In a hurry?” Tommy asked.

  “Plans with Emma when we’re done.”

  “Why isn’t she here?”

  Sean lifted a shoulder. “She didn’t want to come to a family thing.”

  “I thought things were getting serious between you.”

  Sean choked on a bite of cake. When his throat cleared, he said, “Nothing serious. We’re having fun.”

  “Except she’s the only one you’re having fun with. She’s got girlfriend written all over her.”

  “We have a simple arrangement. We have fun until she finds the thing she wants. I’m her favorite pastime for the moment.” The words sounded fake. He hoped Tommy wouldn’t call him on it.

  “It’s a shame.”

  It sure was. Sean wiped his mouth and cut a slice of cake to bring to Emma. The girl needed to know what good birthday cake tasted like.

  “Damn. Hungry?” Norah asked as he slid the cake onto a new plate.

  “I’m taking this to Emma. She’s only ever had grocery store birthday cake.”

  Everyone at the table froze and stared at him.

  “What?” Sean looked around at his siblings and waited for an answer.

  Kevin leaned forward. “How the hell do you even learn a detail like that?”

  Sean shook his head. “Long story.”

  “But you’re just fuck buddies,” Tommy lobbed.

  “Yeah. We’re fuck buddies who hang out and talk. So what?”

  Again, the room dropped into silence.

  Sean pushed away from the table. “Whatever.” He took the plate into the kitchen to find some plastic wrap. Of all people to follow him, it had to be Kevin. Sean braced himself for the onslaught of jokes.

  “Kind of defensive there, bro.”

  “Yeah, well, you guys have that effect on me.” Sean opened and closed drawers looking for the wrap.

  “What’s the problem? We all like Emma. We’re teasing. But I should add that if she’s really just a fuck buddy, we wouldn’t have all met her.”

  “I don’t know what to call us. We have a thing and it’s working for us.”

  “Is it?”

  For the jokester, Kevin knew how to throw out a disturbing question. Sean’s relationship with Emma had been working, but she
was better at keeping their boundaries intact than he was. Maybe that’s what bugged him. He wanted more and she wouldn’t give.

  “Look around, man. Everyone’s falling. There’s no shame in it.”

  “Yeah? What about you? I don’t see you with a steady woman on your arm.”

  Kevin’s grin was lopsided. “Learn from my mistakes. I let a good one get away. Haven’t found a way to replace her yet.”

  The admission surprised Sean. He scanned his memory for a serious relationship Kevin had had and came up empty. Kevin didn’t do anything serious. Who was he referring to?

  “Have a great birthday. When’s your next game? Haven’t seen you play in forever.”

  “Tuesday, I think.”

  “Text me the time and shit.” Kevin tipped his chin toward the back door. “Escape while you can. You know Moira and Norah are probably in the other room hatching a plan to drill you for more details.”

  “Thanks.” Not having found the plastic wrap, Sean picked up the plate and hoped he could keep it safe on the passenger seat on the way to Emma’s.

  He texted her before he started the engine. She responded with a picture of her bare leg and the word Waiting beside a winky face.

  He sped all the way to her apartment, one hand on the wheel and the other on the edge of the paper plate with the cake. Parking was tight on her block and he drove in circles to find a spot. He practically jogged to her door, and it wasn’t until he almost lost the cake that he realized how silly he was being.

  Emma was just a girl. Granted, he liked her, but when she was ready to move on, he’d find someone else.

  He inhaled a slow breath and rang her bell. Through the glass in the door, he stared at her blurry, naked legs descending the stairs. She wore a short blue robe and held on to it at the neck. She opened the door and said, “Happy Birthday.”

  “Yes, it is.” He reached out with his free hand and ran it up the outside of her thigh.

  “Come on,” she said, tugging his hand away from her. “I see you brought cake. I don’t think the birthday boy is supposed to bring cake to his own party.”

  Her hips swayed as she climbed the steps. The short robe shifted to reveal even more bare thigh, and his mouth watered. “I know how much you like cake.”

  “Oooo, so is this a bribe? I’m already a sure thing.” Her voice was low and husky, and shot straight to his dick.

  With a cock of her hip, she opened her door and pulled him through. She kicked the door shut and slipped her fingers through the loose knot on the robe. The satiny material immediately spread apart, and he thought of her silky thighs spreading the same way.

  “Cake can wait,” he mumbled. He slid the plate onto the small table near the door and kissed his way down her body until he was on his knees.

  Her sigh held a hint of a moan, but she grabbed his hair and pulled him away from her body. “It’s your birthday. I’m supposed to take care of you.”

  “You said I could do whatever I want. This is what I want. You panting, wet, hot, moaning my name as you come. Sounds like an excellent way to spend my birthday.”

  Even though her tight fingers in his hair pulled almost uncomfortably, he pushed forward again to get his lips on her. As far as he was concerned, there was no better way to spend his birthday.

  * * *

  Late Sunday morning—so late it was almost noon—Emma rolled out of bed in search of coffee. Sean had spent the night again, and they’d celebrated his birthday most of the night and in every room of her apartment. Now, she was sore and exhausted, but if she didn’t get moving, her day would be shot.

  As she started the pot of coffee, she pulled her phone from the charger in the living room. She had two missed calls, but only one voicemail. Rick. She couldn’t hold back the small smile on her lips. He’d called, just like he said he would. She peered down the hall to see if Sean was out of bed yet, and when she saw no sign of him, she hit the button to hear the voicemail.

  “Hi, Emma. It’s Rick. It’s Saturday night, so you’re probably out having fun. I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed lunch today and I hope to see you again soon. I’ll give you a call Monday afternoon to make plans.”

  She listened to the entire message and then replayed it. She didn’t know exactly what she’d hoped to hear on her second pass. He was polite and clear and friendly.

  Suddenly strong arms wrapped around her waist and warm lips pressed against her neck. “Mornin’,” Sean mumbled against her skin.

  “Good morning.”

  “Something wrong?”

  “No, why?”

  He pointed to her phone. “You don’t look happy with your phone.”

  Although they had agreed they weren’t any kind of exclusive couple, she wasn’t sure she wanted to discuss her dating life with him. Especially after the fabulous night they’d spent together.

  “I missed a call last night. I was listening to the voicemail.”

  “Anyone interesting?” He nibbled on her skin, causing a shiver to trail down her spine.

  “No one you’re interested in.” She extricated herself from his grasp before they ended up naked again. “How about brunch?”

  “Are you cooking?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then hell yeah, I want brunch.”

  He scratched his bare stomach in that sexy way only guys could do. Emma tried to imagine Rick making the same move and couldn’t picture it. Of course, she hadn’t seen him naked yet so that was a bit of a hindrance. She rummaged through the fridge to find some food to make a good brunch. The cake Sean had brought stared at her. She pulled out the paper plate and set it on the counter.

  After grabbing some eggs, she took a bite of cake. The buttery richness of chocolate cake and fresh buttercream frosting coated her mouth. “Oh my God. This is delicious.”

  Sean reached around and used her fork to snag a bite. “Told you Blackstone’s cake was better.”

  And he was right. He might’ve ruined her for regular birthday cake.

  Emma took another bite and almost convinced herself that she didn’t need to cook. The cake would suffice, but since she’d offered Sean brunch, she felt obligated.

  Sean poured two cups of coffee and handed one to her while she cracked eggs. It was all feeling a little too domestic. Sean had slid into her life and made a spot for himself. Like he belonged. A casual thing wasn’t supposed to make her a cup of coffee. Or bring her cake on a regular basis. At least not in her experience. Her phone pinged on the counter.

  It was Rick again, wanting to know if she would like to get brunch. She stared at the eggs she’d just poured into the pan.

  “Who’s that?”

  “A guy I met online.”

  “Huh.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  Sean lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t think you were really going to go through with the online thing. It doesn’t seem like you.”

  “Well, it is.” She stirred the eggs and popped some bread into the toaster. This was looking way more breakfast than brunch, but she didn’t have the energy to be more creative.

  “Does this guy seem like your keeper?”

  “I don’t know. We had lunch, but he wants to go out again, so that’s something, right?”

  “Yeah, it means he’s willing to take you out a couple of times so he can get into your pants.”

  “Shut up.” She bumped him with her shoulder, but he didn’t laugh. She stole a glance at him. His face was still. It wasn’t a look she could remember seeing before. Sean was always animated and laughing. A serious face wasn’t what she’d expected.

  She turned the flame off so the eggs wouldn’t burn and leaned against the counter beside him. “You okay with this? I mean, we talked, so this isn’t a surprise, right?”

  “Yeah, I know. I like what we have going.”

  “So do I. It’s been fun. But I’m ready to settle down. I want to get married. I want kids, but want to have time with my husband before having them. I’m al
most twenty-seven. I know you don’t get it. Guys never do. You can have kids when you’re seventy. But I don’t want to wait until I’m forty to have a baby. That means I’d be near retirement before they’re done with college.”

  “Damn, that’s some long-term planning.”

  She laid her head against his arm. “After twenty years of uncertainty, I need a plan.”

  Her voice sounded wistful, and she hoped he didn’t catch it. He wasn’t a planning kind of guy. His future was widespread freedom.

  He wiggled his shoulder. “Hey, are you gonna feed me or what, woman? You depleted all my energy stores last night.”

  She laughed and returned to the stove. “Coming right up.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  By the time Tuesday night’s game came, pent-up energy filled Sean. He wanted a fight tonight, and he wasn’t even sure why. No, that was a lie. He was pissed. Although Emma had been upfront about wanting a guy to settle down with, he didn’t believe her hurry to make it happen. Knowing that she’d rolled out of bed with him to make plans with another man bugged him. It would’ve been one thing if they fucked once and ended it there, but they had a thing.

  He wouldn’t label that thing, but it was something.

  On his way out of the locker room, Kevin thumped a fist on his shoulder.

  “Hey, man. You made it,” Sean said.

  “I told you I would. Where’s the best spot to sit?”

  Sean pointed across the rink. “There’s a section for family and wives and shit. It’s nothing official, but they all sit together.”

  “So if I look for Emma, I’ll find it.”

  Like Sean needed to hear her name. He shook his head. “No, she won’t be here.”

  He left his brother to find his seat and skated out onto the ice. His teammates joined him, and they warmed up for a few minutes before starting. Even though his bruises hadn’t yet completely healed from the last game, he was ready to get some more. They were playing the Dirty Bastards tonight, and this was a team that lived up to its name.

  Sean raced around the rink one last time before the puck was dropped to get his blood pumping. As he skated into place, Kai looked at him. “Slow the fuck down.”