by K. A. Linde
Not good.
“Landon!” Heidi called.
She waved at him, and I wanted to bury my face in my hands and disappear. Sometimes, my best friend was the worst.
“Hey Heidi,” Landon said, appearing at my side. He leaned forward and pulled her into a hug. “Good to see you as always.”
“Congratulations on your latest PGA win,” Heidi said with a smile.
“Thanks. I appreciate that. I’ve had a pretty good year.”
And there I stood as they talked about his normal year, as if I didn’t exist. I was less than a foot away from him, and he hadn’t said a word to me. He was engrossed in his conversation with Heidi.
With a deep breath, I chanced a glance at him. He looked…exactly the same. Except not.
Same tall body with chiseled features. Same clean-cut look with the dark hair and puppy-dog eyes. But he looked drained and downtrodden. The last time I’d seen him was at the stupid five-year high school reunion party that Heidi had forced me into going to because she had been the student body vice president. I’d gone in protest and reverted to my Vans skate shoes and oversize T-shirt. Heidi had hated it. But Landon had looked as sharp as ever. He hadn’t lost his luster then. I wondered what had happened.
I seemed to have missed part of the conversation while staring at him…or maybe it was due to my buzz. But Landon was now holding his hand out to me. I furrowed my brows and stared at it.
“Sorry. I don’t believe we’ve met,” he said with his classic nonchalant attitude.
Heidi laughed next to me, but I couldn’t even turn to look at her. Is this happening?
“Seriously, Landon?” I drawled with disdain.
Landon’s eyes widened, and he instantly dropped his hand. “Emery?”
“In the flesh.”
He opened his mouth like a fish out of water. It was nice to see a flustered Wright brother. “I didn’t even recognize you.”
“Um…thanks?” I couldn’t decide if that was an insult.
My ex-boyfriend couldn’t even recognize me. Awesome.
I finally turned to face Heidi. She looked like she was about to combust.
“How much makeup am I wearing?”
“No, I’m sorry. That was rude,” Landon said, reeling it back in. “I recognized your voice right away. At least, the way you said my name. I just…wasn’t expecting you to be here, is all.”
“Yeah, I showed up with Heidi at the last minute.”
Landon nodded, but he was still staring at me, as if I were a strange lab rat he was about to dissect. “Are you back in town for the holidays?”
“Maybe permanently.”
“Permanently?” he said with raised eyebrows.
I shrugged. “We’ll see. I’m back from college at the moment.”
“Huh. Who would have guessed you would come back to Lubbock?”
And, right then and there, I remembered why I’d wanted to punch him in his pretty face. He was the one who had left me and made me feel like a pariah in my own hometown. He couldn’t turn the tables around on me, as if I were the one who had left on my own.
But, instead, I giggled through the champagne buzz.
“I’m pretty sure, no one. Ever,” I said dryly.
“There you are, honey,” a woman said, walking up behind Landon and latching on to his arm. She was taller than me in heels with a bleach-blonde bob and glamorous makeup. She was good-looking in an overdone sort of way. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Oh, Miranda,” Landon said, his face falling. “I was just talking to some old friends from high school.”
“Well, introduce me, lover boy. Your friends are my friends, of course.”
I caught Landon’s grimace, and suddenly, his downtrodden expression made sense if he had to deal with her every day.
“Y’all, this is my wife, Miranda. Miranda, this is Heidi and”—he cleared his throat and apologetically glanced at me—“Emery.”
Miranda eyed me up and down, as if she were sizing me up for a Miss America competition. “Emery. Like…Emery?”
“The one and only,” I muttered.
“Your ex-girlfriend is here, and you didn’t even tell me?” Miranda hissed.
“He didn’t know I would be here,” I said, stepping in for him for a reason I couldn’t fathom. “I came with a friend.”
Miranda didn’t seem to hear me, or she didn’t care. She turned on her heel and fled in the opposite direction.
Landon rolled his eyes and then scowled. “Sorry, y’all. I’ve got to…” He nodded his head after Miranda and then jogged to catch up with her.
My eyes widened with shock. Heidi’s mouth was hanging open.
“Wow, what a bitch!” Heidi said.
“You’re telling me.”
“At least we know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re way prettier!” Heidi said, holding up her glass for a toast.
Five
Jensen
The hardest part of the night was over, and now, I could finally have another drink. Dealing with Sutton had been harder than I’d anticipated, and the whiskey bottle was calling to me stronger than normal.
Or maybe it was that woman who had been seated in the third row. I didn’t know where the hell she had come from, but damn! Long dark hair, perfect legs spilling out of the slit in her dress, gorgeous mouth that had been begging me to kiss her. I had decided within three seconds that she was the hottest person in the room, and it had taken everything in me not to ditch the bridesmaid on my arm. I’d wanted to escort her straight out of the room and into my bed.
It had been a while…a long while…since I had that kind of reaction to anyone in Lubbock. Dating here was impossible, and since I did business all over the country, it was easier to meet people on the road. So, maybe she didn’t even live in Lubbock. I sure hoped not. Made it much more difficult to date when everyone knew the precise dollar amount you were worth and the dirty business with my ex.
Here was to hoping she wasn’t a local I’d somehow missed in my thirty-something years here.
I kept a stash of good liquor with me and poured myself a double out of a whiskey bottle that Austin had almost handled all on his own. He was out in the center of all those sorority girls, probably deciding which one or two or three he should bring home with him. But my eyes were searching out the brunette.
I nodded my head at Morgan, who was talking to Austin’s best friend, Patrick.
“Hey, man!” Patrick said.
We shook hands and clapped each other on the back. I’d known Patrick forever. He was practically family. And, if Morgan didn’t stop mooning over him, he’d end up as family for real.
“Hey, Pat. What did you think of the ceremony?” I asked.
Patrick cracked a grin. “Typical Sutton.”
“That is the damn truth.”
“She seems happy at least,” Morgan interjected. Her eyes were glued on our younger sister, who was at the center of the dance party.
“She always looks like that,” I said.
“Fact,” Patrick agreed.
“Oh, shit,” Morgan groaned.
I followed her gaze and saw Miranda storming across the room with Landon on her tail. Pretty common occurrence honestly. That was what their relationship always fucking looked like. I still did not understand how that idiot had ended up with her. And I hated that my failed marriage wasn’t warning enough for him.
“I’m going to go check on him,” Morgan said with a sigh.
“Just leave them,” I insisted. “Your hatred of Miranda will only make it worse.”
Morgan grinned wickedly. “Will it? Well then, I’ll just be a minute.”
I shook my head at my evil sister and watched her stalk out of the room toward Landon and Miranda. I wouldn’t wish Miranda upon my worst enemy, let alone my brother. But, for a while now, Morgan and I had been on Operation Miranda, which consisted of seeing how far we could push Landon into divorcing her.
But, despite my brother’s issues, my mind was still on that girl. There were hundreds of people in attendance for Sutton’s wedding. She could be anywhere. I just needed to find her.
“Oh no,” Patrick said.
I raised an eyebrow in question.
“You’ve got that look on your face.”
“What look?” I asked.
“The one you get in the boardroom. It’s the same one you get chasing pussy.”
I grunted at Patrick. He wasn’t wrong. “I hope she’s as big of a challenge as the Tarman merger I’m working on right now.”
Patrick laughed in that unabashed way of his. “I doubt it. You’re a fucking Wright, man. Girls are not a challenge.”
My grin returned at that. “We’ll see.”
That was when I saw her. Her body was turned, facing the exit. She had an empty glass of champagne in her hand, and fuck, did she look gorgeous. A tightly fitted dress showed off every single curve on her body. Her hair was tugged off to one side, and I almost licked my lips at the thought of kissing down her throat. I couldn’t wait to hear her moan my name into the night.
I picked up a tray of champagne on the way over to meet the brunette. I was glad that she was standing with two of my employees so I had an easy in for the conversation.
I knew all of my employees’ names who worked at the corporate headquarters for Wright Construction. I personally welcomed every employee and made sure they knew their value. No one was going to work at my company and not feel appreciated. I knew how I had gotten to where I was. I never planned to take it for granted.
“Ladies,” I said with a charming grin. I offered the tray to the group of women standing with the brunette. “You looked like you could use a refill.”
“Oh, look at that service,” Heidi said, winking at the other girl.
“Not every day you get champagne from the boss,” Julia said. She took a glass herself.
“Thanks,” the other girl said. She exchanged her empty glass with one from the tray.
A waiter immediately snaked over and removed the tray from my hands.
“Are y’all enjoying the party?” I asked.
“It’s nice,” Julia said.
“Your sister sure likes to dance,” Heidi said.
The brunette girl’s lips thinned, and she stared down into her champagne.
Okay, different tactic.
“Well, I’m glad you could make it. Who is your friend?” I asked pointedly, turning my attention to the brunette.
She glanced up from her champagne. Her eyes were wide open and as vivid green as I had ever seen. Her mouth opened slightly, and that vision was more intoxicating than my whiskey.
“Heidi,” she groaned, “what did you do to my face?”
“This is…Em,” Heidi said over Em’s widened eyes of disapproval.
I wasn’t sure what that was all about. She seemed particularly affronted that I was asking about her. I was sure I’d never seen her before. I definitely would have remembered.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jensen,” I said, trying to smooth over her concerns.
“Uh-huh,” Em murmured. She took a long sip of her champagne, as if she were looking for liquid courage.
I couldn’t get a read on her. I didn’t know if she was actually uncomfortable around me or if she was just nervous. But she seemed like she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to be acting right now.
“Head of Wright Construction, Em,” Heidi said, nudging her with her hip.
Em shot her a withering stare. “I know who he is.”
“I promise, whatever you’ve heard is a lie,” I said with a laugh.
“I didn’t say I’d heard anything bad,” she countered. She downed the rest of the champagne in one quick drink and then winced. “Seriously…what is it with you Wright brothers?”
“Excuse me?” I asked with a furrowed brow.
“Ignore her,” Heidi said. “She’s an old friend, and she just needs another glass of champagne.” Heidi leaned over and hissed in Em’s ear, but I could still hear her say, “Give. Him. A. Chance.”
Em sighed, as if resigning herself to the task. But, when she turned back to face me, she did have a half-smile on her face. It seemed a little forced, like she wasn’t used to smiling for strangers.
“I’m just…” She held up her champagne glass and motioned to the bar.
“Mind if I join you?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said.
We weren’t that far from the bar, but even that short distance, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off of her. And she seemed to be looking everywhere but at me. She chanced one look at me, and a blush crept into her cheeks. So, she wasn’t completely unaffected by me.
I’d said that I wanted a challenge after all. She was gorgeous and probably had guys hitting on her all the time, but I hadn’t expected her not to even give me the time of day. Something about that only made me want to try harder.
Why is she so closed off?
She retrieved another glass of champagne, but I stopped her before letting her walk back to her friends. I was not relinquishing this opportunity.
“I noticed you at the ceremony,” I said, my voice low and gravelly.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at me. And, fuck, that face. Those intense green eyes and bright red lips. The way her dark hair tumbled over her features, as if it were used to being unruly and was having trouble with staying tamed. Just like her. Something in her expression, in those sharp cheekbones and angled jawline, said she was wild and reckless. No amount of makeup and pretty clothes could remove the girl underneath.
“Yes. That was…” She trailed off. Her eyes darted to my mouth, as if she were distracted. Then, she sighed this short breathy thing that went straight to my dick. “I noticed.”
“Are you in town, visiting?” I prompted.
She slowly shook her head and then glanced away from me, as if she needed a breather. “Look, whatever this is, it’s not going to work.”
I arched an eyebrow. “And what do you think this is?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
“I’m just talking to you,” I said.
“I’m not fooled by that notion, Jensen.”
The way she dragged out my name was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. I was going to have to make her say it over and over again.
But I was so distracted by the way her mouth moved around the syllables of my name, I hadn’t processed what she had said. She wasn’t fooled by me. I wasn’t trying to fool her. I thought my intentions were perfectly clear now that we were standing together. So very close together.
I wasn’t even sure she realized that she had drawn closer toward me, the longer we talked. But, as I stared down at her, we were mere inches apart. I could feel the heat of her body, and it was turning my brain fuzzy.
Why didn’t she want this? Her body was saying something else entirely. I could think of only one explanation.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
She stepped back from me, as if my question were insulting. “I don’t need a reason to say no to you.”
She tried to brush past me, but I reached out and grabbed her hand. She didn’t need a reason. Of course not. But her refusal made no sense with the way her body was responding to me.
“I know you don’t need a reason. But it feels like you have one,” I said, instinctively pulling her toward to me.
“Yes, I have a reason. And, when you figure it out, you’ll no longer be interested in me.”
“I highly doubt that,” I said with blustering confidence.
“I swore off the Wright family a long time ago. So, you’ll have better luck somewhere else.”
She extracted her hand from mine, gave me one last sad smile, and then retreated back to Heidi and Julia. Both girls were frantically waving their hands, trying to figure out what had happened. And that was exactly what I wanted to know.
Six
Jensen
I had just struck out.
Majorly struck out.
I was sure that I’d had girls who weren’t interested in me before but certainly not any like this.
I couldn’t remember having this sort of visceral reaction to anyone in a long-ass time. But even women I had been mildly interested in were eager to get to know me.
Biblically.
Yet Em seemed unfazed. She wanted me. I could tell that from looking into her bright green eyes. She definitely wanted me. Still, she’d held back. And I had no idea why.
What could she know about the Wright family that would cause this reaction?
Sure, we had more baggage than most families, but nothing that made sense in this situation. Well…okay, that was a lie. There were plenty of reasons for her to stay away from me. My reputation with women, for one. And my ex-wife, for another. But she couldn’t have known anything else beyond that.
Her reaction flabbergasted me.
She didn’t seem the type to play hard to get either. She had actually walked away and not looked back.
Mostly, I wasn’t used to getting rejected.
Actually, I couldn’t think of a time when I had been rejected. Not that it mattered. First time for everything. But it only made me want her more. I wanted to go back over there, pull her aside, and kiss the breath out of her. I wished that I knew where it had all gone wrong.
Seriously, what the fuck?
With an unfamiliar feeling of rejection, I retreated back to where I’d stashed my whiskey. I poured myself another glass as I contemplated my next move.
She obviously knew me, but I didn’t know how. Nothing popped into my head. I had no clue how I could know her. And, now, I wanted to get to know her. It was an interesting woman who could turn me down…no matter how egotistical that made me. Just a healthy dose of self-confidence.
Morgan stumbled over to me a few minutes later as I was contemplating the dilemma.
“Fuck!” she said. “Gimme that.”
She took my glass of whiskey and downed it like a shot. I glared at her and poured another glass. I was going to need that.
“Trouble with Landon?” I asked, passing her a glass.
“With Miranda, of course.” She eagerly grabbed for the glass and took a large gulp.