Ed stared in the mirror, disgusted with himself.
He’d slept with Emma. He basically had a fuckin’ girlfriend, yet he’d slept with Emma. He almost couldn’t believe it.
To top it all off, she’d spent the night. He didn’t have a clue how that had happened. One minute, he’d collapsed from a mind-blowing orgasm, and the next, he woke with Emma stretched out beside him. The covers had been in a tangled mess on the floor, and neither had a stitch of clothing on.
With Emma still snoring, Ed snuck out of bed and headed to the safety of the washroom to contemplate his actions. In frustration, he hit his palm on the counter. His hand stung, but the pain was worth it. What was he going to do?
Was Emma going to expect a repeat performance?
Who was he kidding? They’d already had a repeat performance. That must be the reason he’d passed out so thoroughly. She’d sexually exhausted him to the point that he hadn’t been awake enough to kick her out. But now, what was he going to do? What was she going to expect from him?
If she were looking for love and commitment, she’d be better off getting a dog. Just as broken as she was, he couldn’t give her those things. He was better at keeping it tucked away so no one would know.
Although, she might be done with him. Maybe all she’d wanted from him was one night.
That thought hurt.
He ran his hands over his head. God, this was so fucked up!
He knew he couldn’t hide out in the bathroom all day. Quietly, he relieved himself and then brushed his teeth. Thinking about what he was going to say to her, Ed gripped the doorknob. Almost as if on cue, he heard Emma stirring in the other room. “Ed?”
Swinging the door open, he stalked into the bedroom and searched for his discarded clothing.
“Whatcha doing?” Not the least bit modest, Emma sat cross-legged on the bed. She hadn’t bothered to get dressed, nor did she use the covers to hide that delicious body of hers.
“I’ve got to meet Chantal for coffee.” He stepped into a clean pair of boxers, then pulled on his jeans from yesterday.
“Oh,” was all she said, but her posture drooped.
Pulling on his shirt, he walked closer to the bed. “Yes, I always love the breakup part.” He was unwilling to hide the snarky sarcasm from his tone.
Emma seemed chastened. She ducked her head down and muttered, “I’m sorry.”
Ed grasped her chin and pulled it up. “It’s not your fault.”
“I shouldn’t have jumped on you like I did.”
“No, probably not, but it’s just as much my fault as it is yours. I could have stopped you.” Ed frowned. “I should have stopped you.”
Emma chewed on her lower lip, making Ed want to sink his teeth into the tender pink skin. Damn it, he needed to be thinking about Chantal. “We’ll talk about it later. If I give you a key, can you lock up, and I’ll pick it up from you when I’m done with Chantal?”
Jumping out of bed, Emma raced to put on her clothing. “How about I just leave at the same time?”
“I still want to talk about what happened.”
“Really?”
Ed couldn’t tell if she was hopeful or worried. “Yes. We need to discuss what happened and figure out the best way to move forward. Like whether or not we should tell your uncle.”
“No!” Emma gasped, clutching her shirt in one hand and black panties in the other. “How about I come back this evening? I’ll bring a pizza.”
Food would be a good deterrent and, hopefully, it’ll keep them from jumping each other again. He needed to tell her that this wasn’t going to work. That he couldn’t be her rock.
“That sounds great. I’ll see you downstairs.” Ed put on his wristwatch before leaving the room.
Downstairs, reminders of the night before stung his brain: the empty beer bottle, still half-full bowl of popcorn, and not quite empty glasses of water. The quilt his mother had made was hanging more off the couch than on it, and Emma’s shoes sat by his front door.
Two minutes later, he heard the toilet flush and Emma’s footsteps on the stairs. He glanced at his cell phone. Chantal could meet him in half an hour. “You’re okay to leave now? I’m short on time.”
“Of course. I’m ready to leave when you are.”
A quick glance was all he needed to know that she was telling the truth. Although she hadn’t brushed her teeth yet, her mouth looked lush and inviting; her hair was rumpled from sleep and sex. Her clothing naturally hung loose, leaving only a few wrinkles as proof that they had spent the night on his bedroom floor.
She slipped her shoes on and met him on the front porch. He locked the door behind her. For a moment, they stood awkwardly on the porch until finally, Ed muttered, “’Kay, bye.”
He didn’t look back. If he looked at her even one more time while she was all soft and inviting, he’d never make it to coffee with Chantal.
* * *
He hadn’t kissed her goodbye. He hadn’t even looked back. What a disaster.
Alone in her truck, she stared out the rearview mirror and watched as Ed started his car and pulled away from the curb.
Hot tears burned her eyes, but she blinked them away. She never cried. She certainly wouldn’t start now. Not after all she’d been through. Certainly not because of a guy.
He’d been just as into last night’s events as she had, but this morning, he’d been in a mad rush to get her out of his home and away from her.
Emma started up the truck and flipped through the radio stations until she found something loud and pounding to blare through the speakers. She backed the truck out of the drive, but rather than go to her apartment, she found herself pulling into a parking space at Liam’s condo building.
Despite the time, Emma entered the building and punched in the code for Liam’s place.
She waited a long time, but eventually, a sleepy voice came over the intercom. “Hello?”
“Liam, open up, it’s me.”
A pause. “Emma?”
“Of course, Emma. Who else would disturb your sleep on a Sunday morning?”
She’d expected a laugh, but instead, he replied, “What are you doing here?”
“Let me in and you’ll find out.”
“Seriously, this can’t wait? Can’t we meet up later for coffee or something?”
The thought of meeting for coffee only reminded her that Ed was sharing a friendly cup of java with Chantal. “No, coffee is definitely out.”
“Well, can I at least put a pot on here?”
“I take that to mean that you are going to let me in.”
The loud buzz answered her as the inner doors unlocked. It wasn’t long before she was knocking on Liam’s condo door.
Sleep-rumpled, he opened the door. “What happened? You look like shit.”
Emma’s hand immediately flew to her hair. “Gee, thanks.”
Liam leaned closer. “Have you been crying?”
Her hand slipped down to her cheek. God, she hoped she wasn’t one of those ugly criers. Sure, she’d teared up, but she still glared at Liam for the accusation. “No. Of course not. I’m sorry for interrupting your morning.”
He ignored her. “So what happened?”
The rich aroma of Liam’s dark roast blend filled Emma’s nostrils. She put a hand on the door, which he still hadn’t fully opened, and pushed against it. “You promised coffee.”
“Yeah, and good thing, too, because you look like you need it.” He left her by the door while he went to fix the coffee.
“Thanks,” Emma repeated. She shut the front door and followed Liam into the kitchen. “I slept with Ed last night.”
Liam spun around, nearly dropping the mug he held. “What?”
“Liam, is that coffee ready? It smells delicious.” A nearly naked Mark walked out of the adjoining bedroom.
Mark stood in the doorway wearing nothing more than boxers and a T-shirt he’d obviously pulled on from the night before. Emma’s eyes widened as she glanced at her friend’s date-turned-lover. She looked at Liam, who was pulling down a third mug. “Shit, Liam, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“How would you?” Liam went about making the coffee. His movements were short and quick, showing his frustration with her. He pulled out creamer and sugar, allowing his guests to fix their coffee how they liked.
Mark sat at the kitchen table and began blowing on the steam rising from his mug. “So, who’s Ed?” he asked, proving he’d heard what they’d been saying before entering the room.
“Two days ago, you said you didn’t know what was happening with him,” Liam stated while passing her a full mug.
“It seems she knows now.”
Emma blushed at Mark’s observation. She’d been doing that a lot lately, and she hated it. The flush meant Ed was getting to her in a way that no one had before. “I think it might have been a mistake.”
Liam shook off his anger, replacing it with concern. “Why?”
“At least I think he thinks it was a mistake.” Really, it wasn’t a matter of opinion. She knew that was how Ed saw their time together.
“Who’s Ed?” Mark asked again.
Taking seats at the table, Liam and Emma brought Mark up to speed, briefly outlining their meeting at the bar and her uncle’s interference in her life. Then, leaving out as many personal details as possible, specifically details that made her out to be a pussy that couldn’t deal with a bit of war trauma, Emma explained how she’d broken into his home. She told them about Chantal and, ultimately, how she’d jumped him. With her explanation finished, Emma waited for them to comment.
Somewhat shocked, Mark finally asked, “You broke into his home?”
Emma slumped in her seat. “I shouldn’t have done that.” But at the time, it had felt like her only option. She’d needed him.
“See, I’m not surprised by any of what you just said.” Liam looked at Mark. “If you know Emma, you know she doesn’t take no for an answer; nothing stops her, and she goes after what she wants, no matter the cost.”
“Hey!” she objected. “That’s not the way it is.”
Liam raised a brow.
“Fine. Not completely the way it is.” He hadn’t needed to put it so bluntly.
“So he thinks it was a mistake because of this other woman?” Mark surmised.
“I don’t think so. He doesn’t seem all that committed to her.”
“Then why is it a mistake?” Liam wanted to know.
Emma glanced from Mark to Liam. Both men had just roused from bed after a night that she assumed had been similar to hers. If she hadn’t interrupted, they’d probably still be in bed, not necessarily sleeping, which is precisely where she should be. In bed, not sleeping, with Ed. “I spent the night.”
“So?”
“After Chantal left, I grilled him about his relationship habits. He says he never lets women spend the night and vice versa. But I did.” She hadn’t meant to; it just sort of happened.
Again, Liam didn’t seem to get what she was saying. “So?”
“So, this morning, he was adamant that it had all been a mistake. The sex, me spending the night—all of it was a big mistake.”
“Honey.” Liam took her hand. “If he’s not used to committing, then you spending the night probably just scared him.”
“Do you think that’s all it is?”
“How was the sex?” Mark asked. Talk about blunt.
That stupid blush happened again, accompanied by the even stupider butterflies. “Phenomenal.”
“For him, too?”
“Yes. Well, I think so.” She thought back. They’d done it twice, and both times had been mind-blowing for her. Then she’d been so tired she’d crashed and not woken until the morning. He must have enjoyed it. But how much? “I hope so. Like I said, we didn’t have much time to discuss what happened.”
“Since when do you like the talking part?” Liam asked, a touch of skepticism lacing his tone.
Ed didn’t like to commit to a relationship, and she was definitely more of the love-them-and-leave-them type. She’d never really been hung up on a guy. Until now.
“When will you see him again?” Mark wondered.
“Tonight. I’m taking over a pizza, and we’re going to talk about what happened.”
“Well, that’s got to be a good sign, right?”
Emma wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know. He seemed kind of upset about the whole thing. Do you think he regrets it?”
“You had sex, right? I’m sure he doesn’t regret it.”
Emma felt Liam’s stare. “You like him, don’t you?”
Emma avoided answering, instead focusing her attention on her coffee.
“You do,” Liam said, excitement over that juicy titbit had him shuffling forward in his seat. “And it’s not just that he’s hot. It’s more than that. You like him, like him.”
Groaning, Emma hung her head and confessed, “Like is grade school. It’s so annoying. I have butterflies, Liam. At least, that’s what I think they are. My stomach is constantly upset, I feel nervous and sweaty, and I get this sort of buzz every time I think about him. Is that butterflies? Have you ever had that feeling?”
No one said anything, so Emma glanced up. Based on the heated look Liam and Mark exchanged, Emma guessed that Liam was well-acquainted with the butterfly sensation.
Pushing her chair backward, Emma removed herself from the table to rinse her cup in the sink. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have interrupted. God, I suck this morning. What’s wrong with me?”
It had been a rhetorical question, but Mark offered an answer. “Maybe you’re in love.”
Emma nearly lost her balance. That would be way too soon. No way could it be love.
But, then, she’d never been in love. How would she know?
No way, it just couldn’t be love.
Liam stood, too. “I can’t say your timing was great today, but I’m glad you came to me. Hopefully, you and Ed will talk it out tonight, and it’ll all work out.”
“What if he doesn’t want to see me again?” She hated being this vulnerable.
Liam touched a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “Come on, Emma. Are you really going to take no for an answer?”
After her conversation with Liam and Mark, Emma made her way across town to her apartment building. She showered, brushed her teeth, and packed an overnight bag. Liam was right. She wasn’t going to let Ed push her away. She wasn’t nearly done with him yet.