Lie, Lie Again(32)
“Touchy! I’m just teasing you.” He lifted a brow. “But you do kind of look like her tonight. Just saying.” His voice took on a playful tone, but a darkness crept around the edges. “I’ve also seen how you look at her husband. It’s cool, though. He’s married, and I’m the one you’re sleeping with, so I’m not jealous or anything.” He leaned in to kiss her neck. “Do you want to get out of here?” he asked in a gruff whisper. There was no faking the intent in that, and her insides sizzled.
She needed to go. She wanted to get lost in Chris, to let him have her fully and completely, washing away the sticky feelings of guilt that she could no longer deny. She only hoped she could keep her focus on him when they were in her bed. Because closing her eyes and imagining he was someone else would make things worse. “Yes. Let’s get out of here.” She moved her lips close to his ear. “And you have exactly thirty seconds to strip down once we’re back at my place.”
The surprised smile that lit his face was the relief she needed.
As they stood to leave, Calvin bumped fists with Chris. “We’re going to Mammoth next weekend for some skiing. My boss has a place we can use. You guys want to join us?”
Chris looked to Riki. “We’re in! Riki loves to ski, right, babe?”
“Um, I’ve been a couple of times, so I wouldn’t say I love it, but it’d be fun to try again.” She forced a smile but wondered if he’d gotten her confused with some other girl he’d once dated. She’d never said she liked to ski.
“Cool.” Calvin grinned. “I’ll count you two in.”
Once they reached the warmth of the car, Chris said, “I think Eddie is your biggest fan. He was like, ‘Dude, you’re so lucky.’”
“Wow. And I thought Eddie didn’t like me. He didn’t say a word to me, and I’ve met him a bunch of times.”
Chris gave her a pensive look. “It’s the opposite. I think he likes you too much, so he ignores you.”
“Really?”
“What? Are you going to tell me you think Eddie’s hot now?”
“No! I mean, he’s a nice enough guy, I guess, but no.” She touched his cheek. It felt like the right thing to do. “I like you.”
“Sometimes I need to hear it.”
“I like you, Chris.” It was true. She did like Chris. He was confident and outgoing. Funny too. And he made her feel special. Well, sometimes. The skiing comment rippled back to her mind. But that could’ve been his own excitement talking. Or maybe he doesn’t even really know me. Was that true? That she just fit the mold on the outside and he didn’t really care about the inside?
“So I can officially call you my girlfriend? I know we kind of talked the other day, but I want to be sure.” His nerves filled the space between them as he waited for her response.
With each passing second, his unease seemed to grow, filling Riki with a power she hadn’t felt before. One more second and she would be invincible. It was alluring and terrifying and gross all at once. Wanting to escape the confusion, she uttered, “Yeah. Now let’s get home so you can keep your end of the bargain.” The lusty shadow of her touched her lips to his, nudging them open with her tongue while her bewildered heart rattled in her chest, overlooked and alone.
Embry lay on her side in the bed she shared with Brandon, listening as he quietly slid off his shoes. Her arm was cramped, but she didn’t dare move and alert him she was awake. Usually if she woke when he came home after a long night of bartending, she’d whisper to him, and he’d slide into bed next to her. But tonight, she only wanted sleep. The afternoon had been a long one, and she still hadn’t come up with a plan to make any money. She was exhausted from trying.
Brandon’s jeans fell to the floor, and his shirt softly followed. The water in the bathroom sounded, and she knew he was brushing his teeth. Seconds later, footsteps padded toward the bed. Keeping her breathing steady, she waited for the covers to shift, but there was only silence. Was he checking his phone? Stretching?
As she strained to decipher what he was doing, his voice sounded through the dark—a husky whisper that swept across her.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I was an asshole, and I know it.” The covers shifted, and she felt his weight next to her. He kissed her cheek. “I love you, Em. Always. I hope you know that.” He wrapped his arms around her, and she softened into him. This is what matters. In the end, it’s all that matters.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sylvia turned up the volume on her TV until it was loud enough to drown out the sounds of the teacher wailing like a wet cat in the apartment below. And that boyfriend of hers. For God’s sake, he sounded like a fat football player grunting through his last set of jumping jacks. If they kept this up, she might be inclined to call the cops to file a noise complaint.
She poured herself a hefty shot of vodka and reached for a lime from the bowl on the kitchen counter. With a sharp knife, she sliced it into quarters before squeezing the juice into her glass.
The first sip went down like fire, but a smooth warmth followed, reaching all the way to her injured wrist. The pain was significantly reduced. It wasn’t because of the miraculous healing powers of vodka. She was certain of that. It was because of the body’s capacity to focus on the sharpest pain, causing any other suffering to all but disappear. The stabbing pain was the blade in her back. Or heart. She couldn’t really pin down where the knife had entered.