Nick woke in a strange bed with a head that felt on the verge of exploding. He could feel the blood pumping in his temples and hear the rhythmic pounding in his ears.
He was hungover—a good reason for why he rarely drank.
Nausea rolled over his stomach, but he suppressed the feeling. He’d left a small overnight bag on the dresser at the far side of the room. From it, he pulled out a pair of sweatpants and tugged them on over his boxers. Shirtless, he took his toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste down the hall to the bathroom.
Last night had been a blast. Having the women join in on their evening had been an unexpected pleasure. Brooke and Emma seemed to get along great. They’d emerged from the hot tub and slipped into the living room. Wet hair soaked through their clothing, and the lingering warmth from the water had kept their cheeks rosy. Brooke’s pale coloring had returned, but Emma’s cheeks remained a little pink, probably from the increasing number of beers she’d consumed.
Teasing Emma was great fun. She assimilated into their little group easily. They soon found that she gave as good as she got. Ed hadn’t spoken much on the subject, but they had discovered bits about the two’s relationship through Emma.
They knew about the day Ed had skipped work. They knew Emma had spent every night that week in Ed’s bed. She’d moved a dog in.
But what mattered to Nick was the change in Ed. He’d smiled more; he’d been attentive to Emma’s needs. When she sat on his lap, he stroked her hair, back, and arms. Ed was more relaxed than Nick had seen him in years. He was different.
It was good. Hopefully, it would last.
Nick spat toothpaste into the sink and rinsed his mouth. After relieving himself, he returned to Ed’s spare bedroom. In the hallway, he paused when the faint sound of music carried up the stairs from the kitchen. He tucked his tooth products back in his bag, rolled on some deodorant, popped a couple of Aspirin, and wandered down the stairs.
In the kitchen, Emma greeted him with a broad smile and a cup of coffee. She glanced at his face, and for a moment, she looked disappointed. She was probably expecting Ed. She bounced back quickly enough, her face filling with concern. “Oh, I know that look!” She passed him the mug of coffee. “Here, this will help.”
Rufus ran to greet him. Nick gave the dog a few pats before turning to Emma.
Taking the cup to the table, Nick sat at the far end. Preferring his coffee black, he bypassed the milk and sugar that Emma had put on the table. He sniffed the hot liquid and relaxed into the wooden chair. His momentary pleasure didn’t last long.
“So, what’s with Ed and commitment?”
Nick paused with his mug halfway to his lips. He was far too hungover for a conversation like this. He returned the cup to the table. “Pardon?”
Emma sat down. Placing both elbows on the table, she propped her cheeks against her knuckles and stared at Nick with bright eyes. “I only ask because of what happened with Chantal.”
Having only met Emma last night, Nick wasn’t privy to all the information about their relationship. And he sure as hell didn’t know what Ed had told her about Chantal. Ed usually kept mum about most of his relationships, so if Emma was hunting for insider information, Nick doubted she’d be able to pry much from him. “He told you about Chantal?”
“Not really. I accidentally ruined one of their date nights. But then, I guess I sort of ruined their whole relationship.”
Nick took a sip of coffee. It felt like heaven to his still-raw throat. “How’s that?”
“Well, the night I ran her off was also the first time I slept with Ed. I know he’s not really into the whole commitment thing, but I assume he felt guilty because he broke things off with her the next day.”
Nick fought his way through everything she said. Was she looking for reassurance about her relationship with Ed? “Yeah, I was wondering what happened to her. Last I knew, he was dating her, and it had been for several months. But then, last night, here you were.”
“Was he always like this?”
“Like what?”
“A commitment-phobe?”
Ooh, direct hit! Nick wondered how much to divulge. This woman was very different from the women Ed had been dating. Ed was different for having been with her, and Nick thought that was a good thing, so he decided to be honest. “No, he wasn’t.”
Emma took a sip of her coffee. “I assume this has something to do with the cheerleader from high school.”
Momentarily, Nick was shocked, but then he remembered Emma had spent a long time in the hot tub with Brooke. They’d probably exchanged secrets, and now Emma was looking for additional information.
“There’s not much to tell.” Nick did his best to fill her in. “For about a year or two during high school, Ed dated this girl. They were really hot and heavy. They moved pretty fast, making plans for the future. You know, marriage, kids, the whole shebang.” Emma nodded. Nick kept glancing at the doorway. He didn’t want to get caught gossiping about Ed’s past. “They wrote to each other while he was overseas, and things seemed pretty good. When he got back, they bought this house together.”
Emma glanced around. “Really? It’s pretty nice for two kids barely out of high school.”
“They’d both been saving up. Like I said, they were making plans. Plus, his parents helped them out with the down payment. Ed’s also made a lot of upgrades over the years. He’s basically an overqualified handyman. Anything that breaks in this house doesn’t stay broken for long.”
“What happened with the girlfriend?”
“About six months after he came back, they broke up. We had no idea they were having issues, then suddenly, she moved out, and we never saw her again.”
“Why?”
Nick shrugged. “You’d have to ask Ed about that. He never told us.” Nick thought about his relationship with Amelia and all the fears he’d had when they started dating. “Could have been that reality often doesn’t match up to the fantasies we create in high school.”
Emma looked down at her cup for a long while, considering everything he’d said. Nick decided then to give her a little push. If anyone had a shot at helping Ed, it was this woman. “But you know what I’d put my money on?”
She glanced over at him. “What?”
“The military. He’s never been quite the same since he came back. I don’t think she could handle the change in him.”
For the first time since meeting her, he saw her frown. “You really think that could be it?”
“You tell me. Ed says you served in Afghanistan. Are you the same now as you were before you left?”
That quickly put an end to their conversation. Emma abruptly stood and asked him what he liked in his omelet. Nick hid his smirk. She might not realize it yet, but she was just what Ed needed.
She started pulling things from the fridge. Briefly, she muted the music blaring out of the speakers on her cell phone. “What was her name?”
“Jenny.”
Her chest rose and fell. Finally, she nodded, turned the music back up, and went about making breakfast.
Twenty minutes later, she’d cut up all the ingredients for the eggs and was almost done frying up some bacon. It smelled amazing. The salty scent made his mouth water. She had a stack of rye bread next to the toaster, ready to go in, and orange juice in three glasses on the table, along with a slab of butter, salt and pepper, and a bottle of ketchup.
Nick had offered to help, but thankfully, she’d called his bluff. Sipping his coffee, he sat, willing his headache to cease. It had improved a bit, thanks to the Aspirin. Amelia would call it a fitting punishment for abandoning her last night.
But when it came to fitting punishments, he was the expert.
Emma was streaming the local rock station and quietly singing along as she flipped bacon. In bare feet, she danced around, wiggling her slender hips to the music. All she wore was an enormous T-shirt. Given the size, it probably belonged to Ed. It kept slipping off one shoulder, revealing a dark tattoo and causing her to constantly yank it back up.
As she hopped around, Nick caught glimpses of what he thought were Batman underwear. Smiling to himself, he wondered if she realized just how scantily she was dressed, but from what he gathered about her, he doubted she gave two fucks what anybody thought.
That’s when he felt the thundercloud.
Ed’s baritone clipped out from the kitchen doorway, “Nick!”
Nick pried his eyes away from Emma’s derriere and grinned at Ed just because he could. “Hey-o.”
Rufus, rump wagging, ran over to greet Ed. Still giving Nick the death stare, he reached down to pet the dog’s head. Rufus leaned against Ed’s leg, obviously loving the attention. Ed, however, looked less than impressed that Nick had been alone with Emma.
* * *
Often, they all joked about Nick’s way with women. Like mice with the Pied Piper, they swarmed to him, but seeing him alone in the kitchen with Emma when she was wearing so little bothered Ed.
He should know better. Nick was unwaveringly faithful to Amelia and completely smitten. Nick’s smooth charm had never bothered him before; he trusted his friend, but because it was Emma, it was different.
The bastard that he was, Nick grinned at Ed’s discomfort. Ed snagged the first available chair and, glaring at Nick, sat down. Rufus followed him and, with a loud huff, laid at his feet. At the stove, Emma flipped what looked like egg in a pan. After pouring a cup of coffee, Emma approached the table, pressing the down button on the toaster as she passed.
She blew the steam away from the coffee before setting it in front of him. Urging him to shift his legs so she could sit comfortably on his lap, she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. “Morning, babe. Coffee?”
“Thanks.”
Her bare thighs and the exposed curves of her ass rested on his legs. Possessively, he clamped a hand over her hip.
“Mushrooms and green peppers are okay in your omelet?”
He nodded, then said, “You’re all but naked here.”
She nuzzled his nose with her own. “I thought you liked me naked.”
“We’ve got company.”
She jumped up and motioned to her body. “Everything vital is covered.” Her gesturing lifted the oversized T-shirt, exposing more of her thighs and another tattoo. Nick had the good sense to look away.
“You should put on some pants,” Ed ordered.
Her only response was a wide smile. Clearly, she wouldn’t be getting dressed.
Nick seemed a little shell-shocked over her behavior and Ed’s casual acceptance of it, but Ed had learned that Emma was a damned bulldozer and wouldn’t be denied. He’d figured that out the day she broke into his home.
Ed buttered the stack of toast that Emma brought to the table. While she was busy at the stovetop, Nick got up to refill his coffee mug. Ed noticed his eyes were a little bloodshot and he kept rubbing his temples as though to alleviate a headache.
“A little hungover this morning?”
Nick nodded, yawned, and then cracked his neck before slumping in his seat once more.
“I’m surprised you’re not hugging the toilet.” Emma laughed. “Ed tells me you’re not much of a drinker.”
He shook his head. “No. I’m a personal trainer. The whole body as a temple thing, I try to live by that.”
“He even stays away from sugar.”
“What?” Emma gasped. “How is that even possible?”
Nick lifted his mug to his lips. “I never had much of a taste for it. I’ll have the occasional cookie, but that’s about it. I prefer my food fresh rather than processed.”
“Wow.” Emma set a plate on the table for Nick, before returning to the counter to grab one for herself and one for Ed. More than half of each plate was filled with a moist-looking omelet and topped off with several strips of bacon. “I could never do that. What about carbs and cheese and stuff?”
Nick took a sip of his orange juice. “I try to stay away from carbs, but that’s a little harder. Cheese and dairy products, nearly impossible.”
“Last night, you guys kept mentioning the gym.” Emma bit down on a slice of bacon and yanked a chunk off. “Is there one nearby that you guys go to?”
“Yes.” Nick cut into his omelet. “There are a couple of gyms in town, but we go to the one I work at.”
Emma turned to him. “Last weekend, you mentioned that you go to the gym, but so far, you haven’t gone.”
Ed swallowed the mouthful of egg he’d been chewing and accused, “Because I’ve been here, with you, every night. When have I had time?”
Rather than be upset by his gruff tone, Emma grinned, and for some reason, despite his mood, he wanted to mirror the action. “I guess we have been getting plenty of exercise in the evenings.” Emma dropped her fork and reached for his hand, stroking over his knuckles.
Nick hid his smile behind his coffee mug but Ed still saw it.
“Even though we’ve been—” Emma searched for the right words “—physically active, I’d love to go to the gym sometime with you.”
“Generally, we go on Tuesday nights. Is that okay with you?” Ed asked, around a mouthful of toast.
“Awesome!” she exclaimed before returning to her breakfast.
After they’d finished the meal, including the giant pile of toast Emma expected them to eat, Nick and Ed did the dishes, tossing most of them in the dishwasher. While Nick went upstairs to grab his bag, Ed scrubbed the frying pan, which Emma had made an utter mess of.
With what wouldn’t fit in the dishwasher now drying in the dish rack, Ed and Emma said goodbye to Nick.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Nick,” Emma said as she approached the staircase.
Confused, Ed asked, “Where are you going?”
That stubborn grin kicked up again. “To get dressed. I mean, come on, Ed, I’m practically naked here!”
She tossed a wink in Nick’s direction. Growling, Ed took a step toward her. She squealed and raced up the stairs, her Batman underwear visible with each stride. Shaking his head, Ed followed Nick onto the porch.
“You need to be careful with that one.” Nick’s attempt at a scowl would have been more convincing if his lips hadn’t twitched.
Amused, he replied, “With Emma? Why?”
“She’s contagious.”
Thinking back to that first night at the bar and the assumptions he’d made about her, Ed frowned. “What?”
“Yeah, if you’re not careful, you might catch it.” Apparently, Nick’s hangover had disappeared because he bounded down the steps.
“Catch what?” Ed demanded.
Turning back to face him, Nick pushed a pair of sunglasses up his nose. “Happiness,” he said with a smirk. Shock held Ed rooted in place while Nick entered his SUV and pulled away from the curb.
Sauntering back into the house, he realized Nick was right. Spending time with Emma was having a positive effect on him.
As he closed the door behind him, he heard his landline ringing in the kitchen, followed by Emma’s cheerful, “Hello?”
The only person who ever called on his landline was his mother.
And Emma had answered the call.
Well, there went his jovial mood.