The laugh she let out was almost evil, leading me to believe that I will be running more today than I ever have before.
“Are you worried, honey? Afraid you won’t be able to keep up with a girl?”
Her sarcasm hit me straight in the feels. This is a side of her I hadn’t seen before. She seems relaxed today, completely carefree, and I love it. I placed my hands over my heart, pretending like her words broke me, “That hurts, Em.” I step closer to her, putting my mouth next to her ear, “I’ll take anything you throw at me. I’m actually wondering if you’ll be able to keep up with me.”
“Are you… challenging me, Mr. Bates? You should know that I am extremely competitive and you will not defeat me.”
I wink at her and take off down the trail, running at top speed. I look back over my shoulder as she yells, “Cheater! That’s not fair!”
I waggle my eyebrows at her, slowing my pace just enough to keep me from tripping while I yell, “Catch me if you can!”
Ember takes off after me, catching up in no time. We run for a few miles, exchanging glances at each other, but never saying a word.
We come to a stream where a fallen tree lies across the body of water, acting as a bridge. This is the perfect spot to talk to her about the date. Grabbing her hand, I slow our pace and lead her to the tree.
“Did Austin tell you about the date tonight?”
With a puzzled look on her face, she responds, “Yeah, a double date with one of his guys. Why do you ask?”
I figured he would neglect to tell her which one of his guys would be joining them tonight. “It’s me, Ember. He’s been bugging the shit out of me since I got here to go on a date with some girl he knows. I finally agreed.”
Her face fell, taking my heart with it. “Oh, I… I had no idea. Should be a fun night.”
Damn it. She looks hurt. “Em, it’s not like that.”
“What are you talking about, Dalton?”
“I only agreed to this to get Austin off my back. I have no intention of falling for this girl.”
She smiled, “Stop, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. We…” she gestured between us, “are not together. It’s fine, really.”
The hell it is. I fucking ruined her good mood. “I’ll cancel. I don’t want to put you in an uncomfortable position.”
“Don’t be silly. We’ll have fun. Come on, I bet you can’t catch me.”
Ember shot off down the trail. I wanted to explain more to her, but she didn’t give me a chance. I take off after her, running as fast as I can. When I reach her, I grab her around the waist and swing her over my shoulder. I take off running again; the sounds of her laughter cause me to run faster. Her grip tightens on the bottom of my shirt as she holds on for dear life.
I run a bit further, enjoying the fact that I am making her laugh uncontrollably. “Put me down ass, the blood is rushing to my brain.” I set her down and we collapse to the ground where more laughter consumes us.
Ember pushes my shoulder, “You are insane.” I smile as I stand up. Reaching for her hand, I pull her up with only a couple inches separating us. I bite my bottom lip, trying to fight the urge to kiss her. I lean closer, desperately needing to feel her pressed tightly against me, when a man and his dog run past. Startled, we break apart.
Ember takes a few steps back, her gaze fixated on the sky.
“You stare at the sky a lot I’ve noticed.”
She smiles and points to a cloud, “Is it just me, or does that cloud look like a giant cock?”
I glanced up, noticing that the cloud she is referring to does in fact look like a giant dick. “It’s a sign, Ember.”
She bumps into me, rolling her eyes, “Are you always this insufferable?”
“Only fifty percent of the time. Are you ready to head back? I have to go get sexy for tonight. I have a beautiful woman to impress.”
She frowns, glancing up to the sky again.
Clearly she thought I was referring to my actual date. I lean in, whispering in her ear, “You, Ember. I’m talking about you.”
When I make it home from the trail, I busy myself around the house. My anxiety level is at an all-time high. I cannot imagine that tonight is going to go well, but I need to push my worries aside and try to have fun.
Once the house is clean, I look around for something else to occupy my mind, when the phone rings and I answer, “Well look who is calling me. I see you and Trent came up for air long enough to call your best friend. I thought you two ran off together.”
“Shut up. I’ve been busy as hell at work.”
“Uh huh. Excuses are like assholes, everyone has one. Seriously though, how’s it going with Trent? And life? I feel like it has been forever.” Harper and I talk at least a few times a week on the phone, but with how busy this week has been, we only managed to get a few texts in here and there.
“Trent is… amazing. Why didn’t I listen to you all of those times you tried to hook us up?”
“Umm, because you never listen to me. Ever.”
“Not true, okay, a little true. So what’s up?”
I proceeded to fill Harper in on the details of my busy week, including my encounters with Dalton and the crap that happened with Austin. “So, how about Austin, Dalton, some girl Austin knows, and I are going on a double date tonight.”
“Shut. Up! That will not be insanely awkward or anything. Oh hey, I have to go, Trent’s here. You better call me tomorrow with all the details. Love your face!”
“I will. Love you too.”
I hang up with Harper and note the time. I have a few hours before I need to get ready. I run upstairs in search of something to wear tonight. Austin said to dress nice, but never mentioned where exactly we were going. I looked through my clothes at least five times, but nothing appealed to me. Since I have a few hours to spare, I head to the mall for some power shopping.
I make it to the favorite store and browse for what seems like forever. After passing over dress after dress, my eyes land on the perfect one. I pull it from the rack and head into the changing room. The fit was perfect and I knew I would drop some jaws tonight wearing this. The dress is black with thick straps across my shoulders. The length is extremely short and the bottom is edged in lace. The top falls low revealing a great deal of cleavage, but there is lace covering the cleavage, turning the dress from slutty to sexy. You can still get the full view of my chest, but in a more tasteful way. This dress is beyond perfect. I make my purchase and head home.
Austin has been gone the entire day, and I haven’t bothered to find out where he is. I make my way into the shower, making sure my legs are completely free of stubble. This dress is entirely too short to risk missing a few leg hairs. After I’m done showering, I blow dry and style my hair. I decide to leave my hair down, letting it fall in loose curls down my back. When I finish putting on makeup and sparkly earrings, I slip into my dress.
I head downstairs as Austin walks in the door, “Fuck no. You cannot go out like that. I do not need every guy in town eye-fucking my wife.”
A sudden anger consumes me as I narrow my eyes toward his, “I get eye-fucked regardless of how I’m dressed. I’m wearing this, or I’m not going.” Austin rushes toward me with anger in his eyes, he grips my forearm and opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn’t. As quickly as it began, it ended. He released his grip and went upstairs. Once he was out of sight, I hear the bathroom door slam shut and the shower turn on. Yup, tonight is not going to go well.
Twenty minutes later, Austin makes his way downstairs. We do not say a word to each other the entire ride to our destination. Finally we pull into the parking lot of Luna Blu, a new Italian restaurant I have been dying to go to. The place has been open for two months, and has been booked solid ever since.
“How did you get reservations on short notice?” Austin shrugs and exits the truck. Apparently he is still pissed about my outfit choice.
As the hostess leads us to our table, I lock eyes with Dalton. He looks del
iciously handsome in his black slacks and button down shirt. The sleeves are neatly rolled up to just below his elbows, revealing his sexy tattoos. His eyes are fixated on me, taking in every inch of my body as I sit down across from him. Austin introduces Dalton’s date, Lexi. Leave it to Austin to hook Dalton up with Malibu Barbie. She nods at me and begins to look through the menu.
I look up at Dalton, his eyes are still locked on mine, he smiles and mouths, “You look stunning.”
I blush, mouthing, “As do you.”
The menu is jam packed with amazing choices. I have no clue how I’m going to decide what to order. The waitress comes by to take our drink orders and I order a large glass of Italian Moscato. I’m fairly certain I will need three more glasses before we leave here.
“How on earth are we supposed to decide on something to eat? There are so many choices.” Malibu Barbie rolls her eyes at me, which only serves to piss me off. I have no idea what her problem is.
Dalton notices the exchange and smiles, mouthing, “She must be jealous.” I smile, because I really want to believe that’s the case. “I think I’ll order a steak.” Dalton says as he puts his menu on the table. The waitress comes back with our drinks and takes our food order. I decide on chicken fettuccine alfredo. The picture in the menu sold it for me.
We make small talk and I suffer in agony as Lexi tells stories about her “busy” life. I joked with Dalton about being insufferable, but this chick is the epitome of insufferable. Austin worried about guys eye-fucking me all night, but he and Barbie have been doing it to each other since we walked into the restaurant. I’m not complaining though, it’s a lot easier to sneak glances at Dalton when Austin is otherwise engaged.
I feel my phone vibrate in my purse, so I sneak a peek at the message.
Dalton: Is it just me, or are we tagalongs on a date intended solely for Austin and Lexi?
I look up at Dalton who has a shit eating grin plastered on his face.
Me: Funny, I was just wondering the same thing.
Dalton: I would never have been able to suffer through a date with her if you weren’t here. Thanks for coming. I felt really bad when I told you that I was the one joining you on the double date.
Me: I’m not sure why it affected me the way it did. I’m sorry.
Dalton: You have nothing to apologize for, Ember. Nothing! BTW, you look beautiful.
As I begin to type my reply, Austin grabs my phone, reaches across me, and throws it in my purse. Leaning in he whispers, “Quit being a bitch and engage with everyone at the table.” I look up at Dalton, his eyes are filled with rage as he glares at Austin. I tap my foot against his leg, hoping he stops giving Austin the evil eye before his anger becomes obvious to anyone other than me.
Our food arrives and the smell alone causes me to salivate. I take small bites, allowing my taste buds to savor every flavor the pasta has to offer. To my surprise, we are all able to engage in decent conversation during our meal, or maybe I stopped caring what we were taking about after my third glass of wine.
Once we were ready to leave, I excuse myself and head to the bathroom with Malibu Barbie trailing behind me. After relieving ourselves, we stand side by side at the sink, washing our hands and reapplying lip gloss.
“The guys look super-hot tonight, huh?”
I look at Lexi through the mirror, deciding exactly how I want to answer her. “Yeah, they sure do. Tell me, which guy exactly are you interested in? It’s really hard to tell.”
Lexi gasped loudly. Turning toward me, disgust written all over her boney face, she spat out at me, “Does it really matter? I could have them both if I wanted. In fact, I’ve already had one of them.”
Before I could respond, she smiled and left the bathroom. Did she sleep with Dalton? No, they just met. She’s just trying to start shit.
We step outside the restaurant; the cool night breeze feels amazing on my skin. I glance between Dalton and Austin, waiting for either of them to tell us what the rest of the date will include.
“Are you ladies up for a bonfire and drinks at my place?” Dalton looks at me, hard, willing me to say yes with his eyes.
I give him a goofy look, breaking his intense stare and causing him to let out a soft laugh. “Sounds great. I’d love to stop home first and grab a change of clothes. I’m not exactly dressed for sitting by a bonfire.”
Austin speaks up, but never looks at me, his eyes are too busy lusting after Barbie, “I’m not driving all the way home, Ember. I’m sure Bates has something you can throw on.”
Heaven forbid he drives ten minutes out of our way so that I can put something comfortable on. I look to Dalton for confirmation, hoping I don’t have to sit for hours in a lawn chair while wearing this dress. He flashes me a reassuring smile and winks.
On the way to Dalton’s, we stop at the store and load up on beer, liquor, and snacks. I’ve never been to his house and I’m very curious to see what it’s like. I actually thought he lived on base, considering he hasn’t been stationed here long. We drive for about fifteen minutes before turning down a long dirt driveway, leading to a two story house with a beautiful wrap around porch. Wow, this is not what I was expecting. We park and make our way inside. His house is spotless and surprisingly well decorated.
We place our drinks and snacks in the kitchen, and the guys pour four shots. We all cheer to a great night as we throw back the whiskey, my throat slightly burning as I swallow.
“Austin, why don’t you start a fire out back and I’ll run up and get Ember a change of clothes.”
Lexi walks outside as Austin turns toward Dalton, “Sure man, point me towards the wood and matches.” Dalton shows Austin where everything is, and then motions for me to follow him upstairs.
“Who lives here with you? This place is immaculate.”
Dalton lets out a deep laugh, “Are you surprised that a man can keep a house clean?” He doesn’t realize I’m married to a complete slob.
“Yes, yes I am. I can be gone for an hour and come home to a huge mess. It never fails.”
When I step into Dalton’s room, he turns to face me. He slowly walks toward me and gently grabs my arm, pressing my body against the wall. He leans close to my ear, sending shivers throughout my body when he speaks, “Not all men are fucking lazy, Ember. I still cannot figure out how someone like you ended up with a piece of shit like Austin. You deserve to be loved...” He places a single kiss on my neck. “You deserve to be respected...” His lips meet my forehead as his hand lightly grips the back of my neck. He closes the gap between us, pressing himself into me.
When his hardness pushes against my pelvis, I almost come undone.
He whispers, “And you deserve to be pleasured in a way you have never experienced before.” He presses himself harder against me, causing wetness to form between my legs. His grip on the back of my neck tightens as I feel his breath in my ear, “You want that don’t you, Ember? You want a man who fucking appreciates how amazing you are, not a shithead who uses you as a punching bag. Let me in, baby. Let me show you how you should be treated.”
Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Fuck! I try like hell to fight back my tears, but it’s no use. His words affect me. His body pressed against mine sends my body and heart into overdrive. My head is racing as confliction swims around the hemispheres of my brain.
Dalton’s hands gently cup my face. Bringing his forehead to mine, “Please don’t cry, baby. I’m sorry.” He wipes my tears away with his thumbs while keeping hold of my face.
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Dalton. You always say the right thing.”
He smiles, places a single kiss on my forehead, and grabs my hand, “Let’s try to have fun, yeah? We need to get you drunk.” His smile is so filled with hope. The way his lips curl upward, creating cute little crease lines under his eyes, causes butterflies in my stomach.
Dalton riffles through his drawer, searching for something for me to wear. Once he does, he places them in the bathroom and motions for me to go
in and change. After I’m dressed in a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt, I walk back out to meet Dalton.
He steps closer and grips my hips my both hands. Pulling me against him, he whispers, “You look so incredibly sexy in my t-shirt. I want nothing more than to rip it off you.” A flash him a shy smile as he takes my hand and leads me downstairs.
The fire is roaring as Austin and Lexi line up shots along the railing of the back porch. Dalton’s porch wraps entirely around his house, almost like a moat would surround a castle. Lexi eyes my clothes with a look of distaste. Clearly she has never experienced the joy of wearing boxers and a t-shirt belonging to a man who’s amazingly sexy smell permanently lingers within the fabric.
Dalton appears alongside me with two shots in his hands. We throw the shots back and he retrieves another. After three shots, we make our way over to the fire. I need to be drunk if I’m going to make it through the rest of this night.
“Daaaalton! Pay attention to meeee.” Lexi has been flirting with Austin all night, but as soon as he went inside for food, she sat down on my lap and started demanding attention. This girl is annoying sober, but get some alcohol in her, and she becomes unbearable.
“Please get off my lap, Lexi.” The frown Ember was wearing when Lexi threw herself onto my lap, instantly went away when I asked her to get off me.
Lexi reaches down and grabs my dick through my pants, “Kiss meeee, Dalton!” I may be a little drunk, but I’m not stupid.
I stand up, helping her to her feet, “Why don’t you go find Austin. You’ve been eye-fucking each other the entire night. I’m not interested.”
Lexi huffs and rolls her eyes, “Whatever, asshole. Have fun out here with your whore.”
I half expected Ember to kick her ass for calling her that, but to my surprise, she is doubled over in laughter. Seeing Ember’s reaction seemed to piss Lexi off more and she immediately stomped up to my house.
“Umm, Em? What is so funny?” Ember is still laughing, and not just a small giggle, she is red faced and barely breathing.
Ember Skies Page 4