During the last year, I’d had my fill of flings, none of them lasting more than a few nights. Nothing kept my interest. But the way Ember looked at me when I walked her to her car the night of the launch party, something changed. She made me want to know her better, but it was apparent I’d made her feel uncomfortable.
Finally, I got my chance to apologize and subsequently take her on a real date, and damn if I didn’t screw it up by canceling with a text message. Now, who knows if she’ll give me another chance?
Fuck it. I dial her number and wait. On the third ring, she answers.
“Hello.” Her voice is raspy and rough.
“Ember, are you okay?”
“No, I’m dying. Absolutely dying. Why are you calling so early?”
“It’s ten am. I’m at work. Are you still in bed?” This girl loves her sleep.
“Yes, because my crazy ass cousin talked me into doing Fireball shots last night, along with other stuff. I’m serious about dying.”
“Shots?”
“Yeah, you know, like liquor in a small glass that you toss in your mouth and swallow.”
Her sassy answer makes me laugh. “I know what shots are, but you didn’t strike me as the shots type of girl.”
“I’m not, but last night was a special occasion.” She groans.
“What kind of special occasion?”
“Rites of passage type of thing.”
“How so?”
“It was the first time I was ditched for a date by text.”
All humor vanishes. Total dick.
“Ember, I’m sorry.”
“Oh My God! Did I say that out loud? What the hell? I must still be drunk. Please, let me go, so I can wallow in more humiliation. Ugh.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. It was a lame thing to do. RJ called a meeting, and it was pretty important.”
“RJ?”
“Raven. Her name is Ravenel James. We call her RJ for short.”
“Is everything okay?”
“They’ve decided to get married in Florida in March. The fucking madness became too much. People went crazy. Honestly, it’s a better plan.”
“That’s too bad, but I hope she’s happy.”
“Enough about her. I’d like to take you out tonight.”
Silence.
“Ember?”
“I can’t tonight.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“I close the shop Tuesday through Friday this week.” There’s a tinge of disappointment in her tone.
All fucking week? She’s busy all week?
“How about Saturday then?”
“Okay, that sounds good.”
“Feel better. I’ll text you later to check on you.”
We hang up and I look at the clock on the wall. A plan comes to mind, so I reschedule my afternoon appointments. My dad looks at me curiously when I walk by his office with a half wave.
I make a quick stop at the deli and head in the direction of Ember’s house. I’m taking a note out of the Declan Collins playbook. He fucked up hard with Raven a few times, but showing up unexpected always worked. Let’s hope Ember’s as receptive.
I ring the doorbell and run my fingers through my hair. What the hell am I thinking? This is completely unchartered territory.
There’s a rustling behind the door before I hear locks click. When she opens the door, I hide my laugh. A very sleepy and disoriented Ember is looking at me in shock.
Her hair is wild and loose, hanging in knotted waves; blue eyes stare and grow wide with surprise. Her face turns a bright shade of pink.
“ROBBIE!” she shrieks.
“Thought some food may help you feel better.”
She shakes her head a few times, looking between me and the bags in my hands.
“You brought me lunch?”
“Or breakfast. I have a variety of things here. Can I come in?”
She steps back and closes the door quickly, leading me to the kitchen.
“I’m not sure what to say. But I guess saying this morning was a dream is out of the question.”
“What do you mean?”
“I fell back asleep, hoping I didn’t really have that conversation with you.“
“Why?”
Her face heats up, and splotches break out across her neck.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I wrap my hand loosely around her wrist.
“I can’t believe I told you about last night! You must think I’m a fool.”
“No! It’s me who’s the fool. I wanted to take you out. That’s why I’m here. Saturday is a long time to wait. It was a jackass thing to break our date with a text. If my Mom or sister knew I did that, I’d be in the hospital right now. I came to apologize. Ready for lunch?”
Her eyes meet mine, and I know it was the right thing to say. She smiles, giving me the two dimples and nods. “Give me a few minutes to change. Be right back.”
She takes off running to the stairs as I watch. Her oversized sleep shirt lifts up slightly, giving a glimpse of black satin covering her ass. My dick jerks, and I mentally chastise myself.
It’s a full fifteen minutes before she reappears, looking around in confusion. While she was getting dressed, I found everything to set her table for two.
“How much did you think I’d eat?” she asks me playfully, looking at the massive amount of food.
“Didn’t know what you’d like, so I brought options.”
“I certainly hope you’re hungry.”
She makes a small plate and offers me water. We sit to eat, and I can tell something’s different about her. She’s still quiet, but the light in her eyes is brighter.
“Tell me about last night. It must be quite a turn in plans to move a whole wedding to another state in just over a month.”
“Nope, we’re not talking about that. Today, it’s all about you.”
Wrong thing to say. She looks around the room nervously, setting her bagel down.
“I don’t really talk about myself much.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not really interesting,” she says softly.
My stomach clenches at the undeniable look of sadness on her face
“How about this. Let’s do question for question.”
She nods and releases the tension in her shoulders. When her eyes meet mine, they are clouded with apprehension.
“Where are you from?”
“Originally from Alabama. I moved here five years ago and will probably never leave. I love Nashville. Not to mention, my family is here.”
“I can totally understand that. Nashville’s a great place,” I agree with her.
“So when you called this morning, you mentioned being at work. What do you do?”
“I work for my dad in security. He owns a business with two distinct sides. One is more geared toward general corporate security, investigations, and research. This is where I work doing corporate analysis. The other side of the business focuses on high-profile security jobs. He provides a lot of protective security around town for concerts, special events, high-end parties, and once in a while, Finn and I work those gigs.”
“That sounds really exciting.”
“It can be. Dad also works with the government on special projects. Eventually, I’d like to be on that side of the business.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Can be. Depends on the situation.”
She opens her mouth, no doubt to ask another question, but I cut her off. “Tell me about your job.”
“You know what I do. I work in retail.”
I start to ask her to tell me more, but her phone rings and she rolls her eyes when she answers. “Hey.”
There’s mumbling that I can’t make out coming from the other end.
“Nah, I’m okay. But never in my life are you talking me into a blow job again.”
Her statement catches me off guard, and I start choking. She panics and starts beating my back.
“I have to go! No, t
hat’s the TV you hear. I’ll call you later.” She hangs up and continues to pat my back until I catch my breath.
“Sorry, your conversation shocked me.”
Heat creeps up her cheeks, and she starts laughing. “That sounded terrible! I meant a Blow Job shot! I’m never doing a Blow Job shot again!”
“So are you turned off from blow jobs for life?” I flirt, seeing how far I can push her.
“You have no idea! Do you know how they are done? Cruz actually held my hands behind my back and made me swallow every bit of it. The drink itself wasn’t so bad, but the whipped cream dripped down my chin, and I felt sticky for the rest of the night.”
The image of her swallowing the shot with whipped cream spilling down her face instantly sends my blood rushing south. Thoughts of her pink lips wrapping around a shot glass fills my mind. I shift in my seat and try to think of something else. She notices and slaps her hand to her mouth.
“Yeah, babe, I know what a Blow Job shot is, and how they’re done.”
“It was humiliating.”
“I’m sure it was all in good fun. One night, the guys were out, and we talked Gabe, Tripp, and Jimi into taking a shot Finn and I learned about in the Marines. It’s the worst shit you’ve ever tasted in your life, but the best part is the bartender mixes it with blue food coloring.”
Her jaw drops then snaps back together. “What is it called?”
“The real name is Sucked a Smurf, but of course, we didn’t tell them until afterwards. We called it a Blue Salute.”
“Why would anyone willingly do that?”
“No one does. It’s a Marine thing, sort of an initiation to newbies. The idea is to make it seem like a badass shot, tempting unsuspecting guys that only ‘real men’ can handle the liquor. Almost any guy that hears this wants to prove his manhood and falls into the trap. My idiot friends are no different. They always wanted to prove that they were as hard as Finn, Max, and me. So one night we tempted them with the Blue Salute. The best part was that no one knows about the dye. Most think it’s blue liquor. When those three finished the shot, we finally told them the truth.
“Tripp and Gabe had already rubbed their lips together so the coloring was now all over. It was fucking priceless.”
It’s obvious she’s trying to hold back laughter, but fails. “That’s…that’s… I can’t even think of what that is. It’s beyond hilarious.”
“Oh, I can keep you amused for days with stories like that.”
Her smile widens. “I’d really like to hear more.”
“Okay, I’ve got all afternoon if you’re free.”
“I don’t have plans until later this evening.”
The way her face lights up wakens something inside of me. Suddenly, I want to know everything about her.
“Okay, then, your turn. Did you always want to be in retail, or did it just happen.”
“That’s a really long story.”
“Already told you, I have all afternoon.”
“I guess the answer is yes and no. Not necessarily retail, but always fashion. I actually went to school for Fashion Design at O’More College of Design.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but like I mentioned Saturday, Clyde’s is a family business, so I’ve worked there for the five years I’ve lived here.”
“What made you choose Fashion Design?”
“My love for clothes, accessories, and design. When I was little, my Aunt Chloe would help me make doll clothes. I’d draw sketches, and we’d spend hours on her sewing machine making these little clothes.” Her eyes are stuck on the wall behind me, and a look of sadness clouds her face. When she looks back at me, the playful mood from earlier has faded.
“So you still design?”
“I don’t know if you call it designing as much as sketching.”
“Do you have anything I can see?”
Instead of her face blushing, she pales. It’s obvious she isn’t ready to share them with me. “Never mind.”
“No, I’m sorry. You caught me off guard. I’ve never really shared my sketches outside school and family. But if you want to see, I can show you.”
She reaches over and pulls a black portfolio from a bag on the floor. I move our plates and scoot closer to her as she lays out papers on the table. I know absolutely nothing about fashion design, but what I’m looking at is incredible. One dress in particular catches my eye. I’ll never forget the first time I laid eyes on her that night. The deep blue color of the material was the same shade as her eyes.
“This is the dress.”
“You recognize it?”
“It’s the dress you wore to the Launch Party.”
“I can’t believe you remember that.”
“How could I forget? You were stunning.”
Her breath hitches as our eyes lock. The warmth and beauty in her gaze sends a thrill up my spine.
“Absolutely stunning.” My fingertips skim softly across the back of her hand as my pulse increases. I inhale deeply and breathe in the scent of coconuts, the same smell of the night she fell into my arms. The tip of her tongue lightly moistens her upper lip. Heat and energy buzzes between us, as a bead of sweat trickles down my back. We’re so lost in each other, neither of us realizes we aren’t the only ones in the room.
“What the fuck is going on here?” An angry voice booms through the small room, breaking our connection.
Ember jumps so high, I’d swear there’s a spring under her ass. She falls forward and into my lap. When I turn, there is a large and extremely pissed off man glaring at me. My protective instincts kick in, and I cocoon her closer.
Who the fuck is this guy?
Chapter 4
Never Be Nervous
Ember
“Cruz! What are you doing here?” I shriek and try to dislodge myself from Robbie’s hold.
“I live here. Question is, what is he doing here?” His tone is bitter.
I scramble to my feet and shoot him an icy glare. “This is Robbie. He brought lunch.”
“I know who he is, Ember. I wasn’t sure you’d ever talk to him again after last night.”
The room goes quiet, and I silently plead with Cruz not to embarrass me further. He gets my message and relaxes his stance a bit, dropping his arms.
“It was an asshole thing to do. So much has happened with my family lately, and I didn’t think of the repercussions. It won’t happen again,” Robbie tells Cruz and squeezes my shoulder.
Cruz tilts his head back to look at the ceiling, letting out a deep breath. Then he walks over with his arm extended. “Cruz Walker, Ember’s cousin.”
“Robbie Hayes.” They shake hands.
“Cruz, who’s at the store?”
“Mom came in for a few hours. I thought you may need me to bring you something. That’s why I called. I got the feeling you weren’t alone. Curiosity got the best of me.” He shrugs his shoulders and takes in the buffet of food. “Looks like you’re taken care of.”
I start cleaning the table¸ avoiding eye contact with either man.
“Are these your sketches?” Cruz thumbs through the papers on the table.
“Yes.”
His eyes melt. A look of approval spreads across his face, and he grins widely. “Wow.”
I shake my head quickly, hoping he doesn’t say more, but no such luck.
“Little Star doesn’t usually share these. We have to beg to see them,” he tells Robbie and starts making a plate of food for himself.
“Really, who’s we?” Robbie raises an eyebrow at me.
“My mom, Alex, me.”
I’m going to strangle him!
“Cruz! Aunt Chloe sees almost everything. Stop embarrassing me. Don’t you need to get back to work?”
“In a bit.”
Robbie raises an eyebrow, clearly waiting for me to say more.
“My Aunt Chloe owns the store, Cruz and I work for her full time. We have another associate named Marlow. She and Cruz have night classes, so t
hat’s why I close most of the time.”
“Only for a few more weeks. Then my schedule changes.”
“What are you studying?”
“Business Management. I plan on going on to Law School when I’m done. I did the free spirit thing for a while. Went to community college and then took off to Europe for a year. When I returned and we finally got Ember moved, I went back part-time. Only a year left.” He winks at me and shoves pasta salad in his mouth.
He and Robbie talk more about Cruz’s trip to Europe as I listen happily. Robbie tells us about his best friend, Finn, just returning from Paris and the security work he did over there. Their conversation is light and laid-back, and a touch of envy rolls through me. Cruz is an open book and has such an easy time talking to people. If only I had inherited that trait.
Robbie looks between the two of us fondly and shifts closer to me in his seat.
“So did Ember tell you about her night of wild sex?” Cruz raises one eyebrow at me, and I feel the color drain from my face.
“Excuse me?” Robbie’s mouth goes tight, and something flashes. Is it jealousy?
“Let’s see, first we started with Pop my Cherry, then went to Sex on the Beach, Blow Jobs, and ended with a Screaming Orgasm.”
Lunch threatens to reappear, remembering all the shots. “You make it sound so dirty.”
“Oh, but Little Star, if done the right way, it can be soooo dirty.” He wiggles his eyebrows and grins.
Robbie starts to shake beside me. “No wonder you felt like shit. That’s quite a mix. And you did Fireball, too? Surprised you’re even out of bed,” he jokes, reaching over to rub my shoulder.
Cruz sees the small gesture and shoots me a knowing look. Then he ruins the moment.
“Alex took care of her. He made sure she had some Aleve before she passed out on top of him.”
The hand rubbing my shoulder stills, and his body jerks. He looks at me with a questioning glare. His arm moves back to his lap. Right as he starts to push back from the table, Cruz grins.
“From your reaction, I guess you don’t know Alex?” he questions Robbie.
“Not any of my business really.”
“No, I guess not, but to let you know, he’s my boyfriend.”
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