by Rachel Lacey
He scowled. “I’ve seen you around town with Ryan Blake.”
She nodded. “Yes. Sorry, but I’ve moved on.”
His scowl deepened. “Look, I don’t get the obsession you chicks have with dating a dude with tattoos and a nice ride, but you know he’s never going to be the guy you settle down with, right?”
Oh, he was starting to piss her off big time now. “Maybe not, but neither are you.”
“I could be.” He puffed his chest out with the words.
“With someone else, but not me.”
His gaze traveled slowly over the clingy blue knit dress she wore, lingering on her red-painted toes. “I really like your new look.”
“Is that what this is all about? You found me boring dressed as a tomboy, but if I sex things up a little, you want me back?”
“What? No, of course not…” But his sheepish expression told her everything she needed to know.
“We’re finished, Tristan. With this conversation and everything else.” Luckily, her sandwich arrived at just the right moment. She grabbed it and stormed past him out the door. For some ridiculous reason, she felt tears pushing at the backs of her eyes. Not because of Tristan, not exactly. But…well, because deep down she knew that what he’d said was true. Ryan wasn’t the kind of guy who’d settle down with her. He hadn’t been attracted to her at all until she’d changed her appearance to tempt him, and what did that say about her now?
She didn’t want to look too hard at the answer to that question.
Instead, she drove home, changed into yoga pants and an old T-shirt, and settled in on the couch with her sandwich and a glass of wine to catch up on the latest episode of Outlander. Hey, if she didn’t have her own man to keep her company tonight, she’d settle for her favorite fictional boyfriend, Jamie Fraser.
Still feeling lonely and unsettled, she polished off her second glass of wine. And her third. And then she apparently dozed off on the couch because, the next thing she knew, someone was knocking on her door, and Smokey’s claws were embedded in her thigh. The disgruntled cat launched herself off the couch and hightailed it for the safety of the bedroom.
Still smarting from her run-in with Tristan earlier, Emma debated following her. Instead, she walked to the door and peeked through the peephole. Ryan stood on the other side looking devastatingly handsome, all sexy and windblown from his bike.
She yanked the door open. “Hi.”
He gave her a funny smile. “You look all rumpled. Did I wake you?”
“Oh, um…I dozed off on the couch. What time is it?”
“Nine thirty.” He was grinning now.
She scrunched her nose. “In related news, I’m officially an old lady.”
“Or a woman who was up most of last night having her pretty brains screwed out?” He reached out and tugged her into his arms.
“I like that option better.” She sighed as his arms closed around her. He smelled like leather and…beer. “Did you go out?”
“With Ethan and Mark,” he said.
Then they were kissing, and she had a feeling she was going to continue to be sleep-deprived because she and Ryan just couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. I missed you. It was all she could do to hold back the words. Because when she was in his arms, everything just felt so…right.
And she was so screwed because this was no casual fling for her. Ryan was one of her best friends, and now he’d given her the best sex of her life, made her feel alive in a way she never had before. And in this case, two plus two equaled…well, love. Or at least something headed very quickly toward love. Maybe a little part of her had always loved him, ever since she’d been the shy, dorky teenager that he’d seen only as a pest.
Later that night, as she lay naked and entwined with him in bed, she couldn’t imagine ever doing this with anyone else. Which meant she needed to try to restore some sanity, pronto.
“Mind if I stay?” he asked.
“What?” Her mind was still in the future, imagining herself with Ryan, and he wanted to stay?
“Tonight,” he said, his arm tightening around her. “You have another climbing lesson in the morning so we could just get ready together here.”
“Oh. Yes, stay.”
So he did. And when they woke up the next morning, they made love in the soft morning light, and it was gentler, sweeter, than it had ever been between them before. And she imagined starting every morning this way.
Oh yeah. She was in trouble. Big time.
After they showered, she dried her hair and pulled it back in a ponytail. It was only sensible to go rock climbing. But also…Tristan’s words were still ringing uncomfortably in her ears, and she couldn’t stand thinking that Ryan was only with her because she’d changed her appearance. She liked her new look. Loved it, actually. But maybe she’d go back to “traditional Emma,” at least part time, to see what happened.
If he lost interest as soon as she reverted to yoga pants and ponytails, then it was all for the best. Because he was Ryan after all. He’d never had a real relationship that she knew of. He just had random hookups when the mood struck so it was ridiculous for her to expect him to want more than that with her.
They’d promised they wouldn’t let this ruin their friendship when it was all over, and she meant it. She’d been his friend for years without him ever knowing about her feelings. And she could keep doing it, because Ryan was too important to lose.
* * *
Ryan watched as Emma disappeared over the top of the rock above him. “Way to go, Em. You nailed it.”
Her face reappeared, peering down at him. She was grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t believe I did that!”
This morning, he’d brought her to a different rock face on the property. This one was lower and less technically challenging, and so, with a little know-how in her skill set, she’d free climbed to the top.
No ropes. No harness.
It was a pretty kick-ass feeling. He knew. It still took his breath away every time he reached a summit, no matter how small. He boosted himself over the top, and they sat side by side, their legs dangling over the edge. “Nothing beats this feeling. Am I right?”
She nodded, staring out over the hill they’d just hiked. “It’s pretty sweet. I never thought I could climb something like this.”
“I knew you could. It’s not that hard once you know how, and you’ve never shied away from a little hard work.”
She turned to give him a sweet smile. “We have that in common.”
“Comes from being on our own, I guess.”
“Do you think you’ll ever have a family of your own?” she asked, again looking out at the landscape before them.
He’d asked himself this question before, and more often recently. “Maybe,” he answered honestly. Sometimes he wanted it more than anything. But he also knew the chances were high he’d screw it up. “You?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation, and the wistful note in her tone tugged uncomfortably at his chest. “I want a family. I’m tired of being alone.”
Alone. It was hard to think of her that way. Emma was always surrounded by friends. But friends weren’t the same as family, no matter how much you loved them. He knew that as well as she did. Already the bond he shared with Trent was different from anything he’d ever experienced.
Family was a pretty awesome thing, maybe something he wanted more of. He was quiet while he let that thought sink in.
Emma looked over at him, her peaceful expression replaced now with a scowl. “You don’t have to get all broody on me. I wasn’t trying to sneak in a request for a commitment from you.”
“What?” Somehow she’d gotten pissed off, and he had no idea how.
“I want a family someday, Ryan.”
“And I hope you have one.” It was true, even if right now the thought of her with any other man made him see red as a fucking lunatic.
She let it drop then, and they sat there on top of the rock for a few minutes
in silence.
“So tell me about the memorial,” he said, partly to fill the silence but also out of genuine curiosity. He’d been eager to hear more since she’d told him about it the other night at Gabby’s house.
Her expression brightened. “It’s going to be a semicircular cut of granite with all the servicemen and -women’s names carved into it, facing a reflecting pool. I’m still fleshing out the gardens around it, but I see a lot of brightly colored flowers…and flags. Flags for all the divisions of the military.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“You inspired me that morning in Charlotte.” She slipped her hand into his. “I loved the way Metalmorphosis reflected in the water, and it got me thinking about seeing the names on the memorial reflected like that, surrounded by flowers. And the bottom of the memorial will appear as if it continues into the ground, like the cow statues you showed me. It kind of symbolizes how we all return to the earth after we die. Traditional but unique; that’s what Lucas and Mary told me the Planning Committee wanted.”
“I’d say you nailed it.” He wasn’t much for architecture, but he really liked what she’d described. And now he couldn’t wait to see the finished product. It was going to be fucking fantastic.
They sat together on top of the rock until it was time for him to head back to Off-the-Grid to get ready for afternoon appointments. He started down first so that he could coach her if she got stuck, but she handled her descent like a pro.
“Thanks for bringing me out here,” she said when they’d reached the bottom.
“You bet. So what’s next?” he asked.
“Next?”
“You know, on your list of conquests. You’ve ridden on my bike, bested the rock, gotten your tattoo…”
“Oh.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “I don’t know. What do you think I should try next?”
“I’ll give it some thought because I do love seeing you all shook up.” He said it with a wink, and she laughed, but there was a bit of an edge in her tone, and he had a feeling she was still pissed about that moment up there on the rock, talking about families.
Had she been fishing for a commitment from him? Christ, he hoped not. He liked Emma, liked her a hell of a lot. Liked her way too fucking much to tie her down with his sorry ass.
“Moving to Georgia, I guess.” She dropped that little bombshell with a casual shrug.
He stopped in his tracks, turning to face her. “Say what now?”
“I applied to the landscape architecture program at the University of Georgia. If I get in, I’ll move there. There are more job opportunities for me to open my own business after I graduate.”
“You’re leaving Haven.” He stared into her blue eyes, feeling like the ground had just fallen out from beneath his feet.
“If I get in.”
“Well, of course you’ll get in.” He’d seen her work, and he didn’t know shit about flowers, but he knew the gardens she designed were beautiful. She had talent and drive. She could do anything she put her mind to.
She shrugged. “We’ll see. It’s pretty competitive. And I’m not some kid fresh out of high school with shiny new SAT scores.”
“No, you’re a talented, ambitious landscape designer with ten years work experience.”
“My grades sucked in high school,” she said.
“So did mine. And we’re both old enough now to realize that doesn’t mean anything in the real world.”
“Yeah, but to colleges it does. So we’ll see. It’s always been my dream to go through this program, get my degree, and open a landscape design company of my own.”
“Well, I have to hand it to you. When you decide to shake things up, you go big. But this is awesome. I’m proud of you. And I have total faith that you’re going to get in.” Even if it might just break his heart a little bit when he had to let her go.
She was one of his best friends, after all. What would life in Haven be like without her?
“You want to do something tonight?” she asked after they’d hiked a few minutes in silence.
“Can’t. I’m bartending from six until closing.”
“Oh. Bummer.”
Yeah, it was.
She looked over at him, a sexy smile curving her lips. “Maybe I’ll stop by for a beer.”
Now he was remembering that night not so long ago when she’d sat at the bar and driven him crazy in that form-fitting red top and jeans. The night he’d first felt this crazy pull of attraction between them. It just kept getting stronger every day. Didn’t seem to matter that he’d had her in his bed. He still wanted her something fierce. “I’d like that.”
“It’s a date.” She leaned in to give him a quick kiss.
They kept hiking, and soon the main building came into view. “So I’ll see you later then?”
She nodded. “Thanks for the climb this morning. I never thought I’d do something like that, certainly not a few weeks after my first lesson.”
“I have a feeling you can do anything you put your mind to.”
She stopped and gave him a funny look. “Not anything, but you’ve got me thinking about the bluffs again. I want to do that with you this summer.”
He stopped in his tracks. “The bluffs?”
“Yeah. I mean, nothing crazy like you and my brother used to do, but if there’s an easy climb there I could do, I want to. And if not, I’ll hike up. But I want to jump.”
Yeah, she’d mentioned that when he brought her out there last month, but he hadn’t thought about it since and didn’t like it one damn bit. “Not a good idea.”
“That’s not what I asked,” she said with a smile. “I’m jumping, and I want to jump with you. And I’d really like to do a little climb while I’m up there, if you know a place that’s safe enough for a noob like me.”
“Yeah, I know a spot.” He did, and even though he still didn’t like it, he’d keep her safe.
“Great.” She pointed a finger at him. “So this is your warning. I’m doing it. You better teach me whatever I need to know in the meantime.”
He could teach her how to climb and keep her safe from a fall from the rock. But how did he keep them from falling for each other? Because Emma was headed for bigger and better things soon, and he’d never, ever be the guy that held her back from chasing her dreams.
* * *
Ryan was halfway home when he noticed Emma’s silver RAV4 on the road behind him. He’d been thinking about her all afternoon, about how sexy she’d looked as she climbed that rock this morning and the fire in her eyes when she’d decided to tackle the bluffs. The truth was, they had a lot of fun together, more fun than he’d ever had with a woman.
And she was leaving. He was having trouble wrapping his head around that fact.
When they passed the turnoff to her apartment, he realized she was following him. He couldn’t take his eyes off the road to check his watch, but if memory served, it was only a few minutes after five, and he didn’t have to clock in at The Drunken Bear until six. Which meant he had at least thirty minutes to spend with her.
He wanted to fuck her senseless, but really, any thirty minutes with her would do. A half hour talking about the weather or the stock market sounded good if it meant he got to be with Emma.
He pulled up in front of his condo and cut the engine. Emma’s SUV pulled in beside his bike.
“You’re working at six, right?” she said as she stepped out. She’d obviously been home since he saw her that morning because now she was wearing a white top and a long, blue skirt.
“That’s right.”
“Then we’d better hurry,” she said with a wink as she walked toward his front door, already tugging at the top button on her blouse.
Fuck. What did he ever do to deserve her?
“I like the way you’re thinking.” He unlocked the door, and they tumbled inside in a tangle of groping hands and frantic lips. He pressed her against the wall, her legs wrapped around his hips, his cock pressed into her soft body, and he was lo
st.
Emma whimpered, rocking her hips against his. “Now,” she whispered. “Right here.”
“Now?” He could hardly hear past the blood thumping in his veins. His pulse throbbed, pounded, for her. For Emma.
She reached between them and unbuttoned his jeans. “Yes.”
He slid his hands up her skirt. Her panties were the kind held together by just a string at her hips, a style he found particularly sexy and would usually take the time to enjoy, but today he hooked his finger underneath that string and yanked, ripping them right off her.
Emma let out a little gasp, then she wiggled her hips against him with a moan of pleasure. Fuck. He fumbled in his back pocket for his wallet and pulled out a condom, letting the wallet fall to the floor with a muffled thump.
He freed himself from his jeans, rolled on the condom, and pushed inside her.
“Yes,” Emma whimpered. Her big, blue eyes met his. They stayed like that for a moment, bodies joined, him buried balls-deep inside her. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as he pumped his hips, trying to hold back the frantic need that had overtaken him.
“More,” she whispered. “Harder.”
“Fuck, Emma,” he said through gritted teeth.
“That’s the idea,” she said with a laugh that turned into a moan.
He thrust into her so hard his forehead smacked into hers. “Shit. Sorry.”
“This never happens in the movies,” she said with a giggle as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Do it again.”
Christ. His forehead stung, but his cock was so hard it barely registered. He thrust into her again, harder, faster, and Emma hung on for the ride, urging him on with her whimpers and the way her heels dug into his ass. It felt so fucking good. His control snapped, and he pumped his hips so hard and fast he felt almost frantic.
She bounced in his arms to the rhythm he’d set, and then she tensed. Her body clamped down on him, and she screamed with pleasure. “Ryan! Oh…”
Boom. He came like a freight train going off the rails. A primal sound tore from his throat as pleasure slammed through him. His knees buckled, and he lowered them to the floor, his face buried in her hair, breathing in her fresh floral scent as his body trembled with aftershocks.