Chapter 25

Oh, that could not be someone pounding on her door at—Emma looked at her phone—oh, shit, it was already ten in the morning. She blinked blearily at the clock on her phone, trying to figure out why she was still in bed and so comfortable, when a warm arm snaked around her waist and the events of yesterday came flooding back. Ian nuzzled at her ear and pulled her flush against him. “Who the hell is that, and can you make them go away?”

Emma snuggled closer into the warmth of his arms for a moment, enjoying the closeness, but the knocking started again. With a sigh, Emma pushed herself upright, Ian making a small noise of disapproval as she left his embrace. The knocking stopped again, but then her phone buzzed with a text . . . from Julie.

Rise and shine.

“Apparently, it’s my sister.” Emma got up and pulled a bathrobe around herself.

“You invited your sister over?” Ian sat up, still naked, his hair mussed from sleep.

“No, it seems she just showed up.” What the hell was Julie doing there? Emma toed her way into her slippers and padded to the front door.

“Good morning!” Julie held up a Dunkin’ Donuts box and a cardboard tray of iced coffee. “Surprise?”

“Jules, what are you doing here?” Shit, did she invite her sister and forget about it? No, she’d definitely remember something like that. Rubbing her eyes, Emma tried to blink sleep away. “Does Mom know you’re here?”

“Yeah, I told her you said we could spend the day together.”

“But . . . I didn’t say that.” Emma wasn’t awake enough to make sense of this.

“No, but I needed to get out of the house, and Mom doesn’t let me go into the city unless I’m seeing you, so . . . can I come in? I brought donuts.”

Emma stepped aside for her sister to enter. “Julie, you should have called. It’s not really a good time for you to be here.”

Julie put the donuts down on the kitchen table and separated one of the iced coffees from the cardboard tray. “If you’ve got to work, I’ll go shopping or something and . . . oh. Hello.” Julie stilled, looking over Emma’s shoulder, eyebrows raised to her hairline.

Emma turned to see Ian coming out of the bedroom, fully clothed (thank God) but rumpled and sleepy-eyed. At least he’d brought a change of clothes and wasn’t in his suit from the night before, because that would have “walk of shame” written all over it. Not that there was any question about what he was doing in her apartment all sleep-mussed, with adorable bed head; that much was obvious.

Ian smiled easily, scratching the back of his head. “Good morning.” He thrust a hand out. “I’m Ian.”

“Oh, hi, Ian. I’m Julie.” Her smile was full of mischief as she shook his hand. “So, Emma, this is bondage guy?”

“Oh my God.” Emma buried her face in her hands. Maybe she would fall through the floor and die right now.

“I see Emma’s been talking about me to the family.”

“Just Julie.” Emma’s voice came out muffled from between her fingers. “I told her I was helping you with some workshops.”

“Looks like you’re helping him with some other things, too.”

Emma could hear Julie’s smile in her voice, and Ian let out a hearty laugh. “I like this one, Emma. She’s all right.”

Emma uncovered her face. “Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean she’s not a little bitch.” She opened up the box of donuts and pulled out a chocolate frosted one. “Thanks for the coffee and donuts.”

“I’d have bought another coffee if I’d known you had company.” Julie took a napkin and a glazed donut from the box.

“I like to think you’d have stayed home if you knew I had company.” Emma pulled up a chair, folding one leg under her. The donut was delicious and the iced mocha made exactly how she liked it. She could almost forgive Julie for showing up unannounced and interrupting a lovely morning with Ian . . . almost.

Ian poured himself a glass of orange juice out of the fridge. Emma was glad she had orange juice. The contents of her fridge were pretty sparse, she knew, but Ian didn’t say anything about it when he joined her at the table and snagged a Boston cream donut out of the box.

“So, Julie, what year are you in school?”

“I’m a junior.” She studied Ian intently, with no obvious caution. “And what do you do aside from the bondage thing?”

“I’m an accountant.” Ian bit into the donut and licked a tiny bit of chocolate off his upper lip. “You thinking about college next year?”

“Pre-med. How long have you been sleeping with my sister?”

“Jules,” Emma hissed, face flushing again, but Ian drank some orange juice and met her gaze head-on.

“A couple of weeks now. Do you always lie to your mom about where you’re going?” He took another bite, licking more chocolate off his lip in a way that Emma was starting to find very distracting.

“Only when my mom’s being crazy.” Julie chewed her donut. “Are you dating Emma, or are you two just fooling around?”

“And that’s enough of that.” Emma got to her feet. “Julie, can I talk to you in the other room?”

“It’s all right, I’m going to take a shower. You two can talk in here.” Donut in hand, Ian got up from the table. When he walked past Emma, he leaned over and gave her a long, slow kiss that made her knees go weak. Afterward, he fucking winked at her before sauntering back to the bedroom.

When the door had shut, Julie turned to Emma and raised her eyebrows, smiling. “So I thought you weren’t his type. You sure seem to be his type.”

“You need to mind your own fucking business.” Emma tried to sound stern, but she was too wobbly after that kiss and her night with Ian to muster up much resistance.

“What’s up with you two? Really. Last weekend you’re all ‘there’s nothing between us,’ and this weekend he’s sleeping over?”

Emma gave a long-suffering sigh. “Are you still young enough that I can say ‘it’s grown-up stuff’ and you’ll leave me alone about it?”

“Not a chance.” Julie finished her donut and sipped her coffee. “Unless it really, really makes you uncomfortable to discuss it. I’m curious about my big sister’s life. Not the sex parts, though.”

“I don’t know what’s up, honestly.” Emma sat back in her chair, tipping it off its front legs enough to rock back and forth. “I think . . . I might have feelings for him?” Admitting it out loud twisted her stomach in an uncomfortable way, and swallowing her last bite of donut became more difficult. Julie didn’t say anything, waiting for Emma to continue. “And that scares the shit out of me.” Emma drank some coffee to give herself a minute to breathe, because this had suddenly gotten way too honest.

“Do you think he feels the same?” Julie’s teasing tone was gone, and she had become all patience and comfort. In these moments, she always seemed older than her years.

“I’m not sure. He hasn’t said anything yet. He hasn’t even asked me out, really, unless you count the fact that we keep ending up in bed together.” Emma rubbed the back of her neck and looked away. “Which I always initiate. I think . . .” She trailed off, considering Ian’s point of view. He was always happy to be physical with her, but nothing else. “I think to him, it’s meaningless sex. There’s nothing emotional between us, just some good chemistry. Nothing more, and no potential for more.”

Movement out of the corner of her eye made her look. Ian was just emerging from the hallway, still dressed. He paused at the edge of the dining room. “Is it okay if I use your towel and shower stuff ? I realized I didn’t ask.”

“That’s fine.”

He headed back the way he’d come.

Julie bit her lip, thinking, a habit Emma recognized in herself. “Maybe you should ask him.”

“And have him get weird about it? No way. I like doing the workshops with him, and I need the money. If he knows I like him and he doesn’t like me back, it’ll be weird.”

Julie sucked on her iced coffee for a long while, chewing at the straw. “You know, I was kind of hoping these games ended after high school.”

“They don’t. The stakes just get higher.” Emma looked back down the hallway where Ian had disappeared. “So why’d you need to get out of the house?”

“I need a dress for junior prom, and I didn’t want to go shopping with Mom because she makes all these little disapproving noises and comments about trying to hide my arm fat.” Julie finished her iced coffee with a loud slurp, the cup echoing hollowly as she drained the last drops. “You’d think it would be good enough that I’m the top pitcher on the softball team and can run an eight-minute mile, but I guess I have to be skinny along with my straight As.” She snorted and shook her head.

Emma remembered similar shopping trips with her mother in high school, but without Julie’s positive attitude about her body. “Jules, can I ask you something?”

“Sure. I already disrupted your hot breakfast sex, so I guess I owe you one.” Julie pulled the elastic out of her hair and shook down the loose brown waves.

“How do you keep your confidence?”

Julie looked off to the side and pursed her lips, eyes vacant as she considered the question. “Body positivity blogs, mostly. I try to read them every night, especially when I’m feeling crappy.”

“Hmm. You want to . . . send me some links?” She didn’t have the Internet, but she had Starbucks.

“Sure.” Julie smiled. “You wanna take me dress shopping? Or do you really have to work? Or go back to bed with Mr. Bondage?”

Emma looked skyward and blew a curl out of her eyes. “Seriously, I don’t know why I put up with you. You’re such a little brat.”

“You love me.” Julie batted her dark eyes at her sister.

“Yeah, I love you.” Emma reached over and messed up her sister’s hair, earning a squeal of disapproval as Julie swatted her hand away. “I don’t have to work today. I’ll take you shopping. Where do you want to go? I found my dress in Downtown Crossing, but we could also hit the Prudential Center shops if you want.”

“I don’t know. Let’s make a day of it. I’ll even buy lunch.”

“Sure.” It would be nice to spend time with her sister. In the other room, the shower was running. Emma didn’t realize she was staring down the hall until Julie cleared her throat.

“Yeah, you probably need to shower, too. Just . . . don’t be loud.” She pulled out her phone. “I’ll be here.”