No Denying You (Danvers #5)(40)
Beth took a breath and said, “I met Seth through a dating service. He works at the Oceanix.”
“He owns the Oceanix,” Suzy added. “Big difference.”
“Wow,” Emma breathed. “I’m impressed.” The Oceanix was the most elite resort in Myrtle Beach and that was saying something. Her parents had insisted on taking her there for lunch on their last visit. She probably wouldn’t have been able to afford more than a crouton without them paying.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t know he owned it at the time. He just said he was the manager there. Not that it would have made any difference to me. Seth was a great guy.” And wiggling her eyebrows, she added, “And very easy on the eyes. We had only been out a few times when things with Nick started to . . . heat up. I had a very bad and temporary lapse in judgment and decided I was going to continue dating despite finding out I was pregnant.”
Suzy opened and closed her mouth. Emma had to give her credit for holding in whatever comment she had wanted to make.
“So, um, how did that work out?” Emma asked.
Beth started laughing. “Not very well. I met Seth for dinner one evening and Nick showed up. He introduced himself as the father of my child and also let Seth know he was living with me. When Seth asked me if it was true, I had no choice but to tell him that it was. Have you ever had a gorgeous man look at you like you were a complete and total train wreck? Let me tell you, it’s not a good feeling. It was completely humiliating and I have prayed that I would never see him face-to-face again.”
Ella squeezed her friend’s hand in sympathy, saying, “It could happen to any of us.”
Suzy laughed out loud before telling Ella, “Unless you are planning to start dating now, it’s probably not gonna happen to anyone at this table again.”
“I almost hate to ask,” Beth said, “but what were you saying about Seth?”
“Believe it or not,” Suzy said, “he’s dating someone at Danvers . . . again. With a little more success this time, though. She works in installations and her name is Mia Gentry. She’s actually pretty cool; I think you’d all like her.”
“Small town, small world,” Claire offered.
“Should make for a hell of a good Christmas party, though, right?” Suzy smirked.
As the other women gathered their things to leave, Emma was surprised when Ella pulled her aside. Ella gave her a shy smile before saying, “If Brant is what you want, then never stop until you get him. That whole family is so . . . closed off. Declan is better now, but he still has times when he wants to shoulder everything on his own. I’ve gotten to know Brant a bit since Declan and I got together. I can see that there’s a lot more to him than he lets most people see. Ava—she has been a bit tougher. I don’t think she’s ever gonna call me wanting to have a girls’ night. Evan is crazy about both of them, though, and they say kids are the best judge of a person’s character.”
Emma smiled her gratitude. “Thank you, Ella, and for what it’s worth, Declan is damn lucky.”
Brant was waiting for her near her desk when she returned from lunch. She looked at him uncertainly for a moment before putting her hands on her hips and breaking the silence. “What? Don’t tell me you wanted your slave to bring you back some lunch?”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise before a smile curved his gorgeous lips. “Now why would I want yet another sandwich that you had left sitting on the table for an hour before bringing it back to me? I’m sure you have been sorely disappointed that I haven’t succumbed to a bad case of food poisoning yet.”
Dropping her purse on the desk, she said, “It hasn’t been from a lack of trying on my part.” Suddenly Brant gripped her hips, pulling her bottom back against him. She felt his erection nudging against her and wiggled against it, eliciting a groan from him.
“God, you’re turning me on. One more nasty comment from you and I’ll have you lying on your desk with your panties on the floor and my cock driving hard inside you.”
Holy shit! Emma felt the moisture pooling between her thighs as erotic images of the two of them together ran through her mind. As he reached up to pinch her taut nipples, she groaned, “You . . . have . . . an . . . appointment . . . soon.”
“Fuck.” Brant cursed against her neck. He kissed her ear before stepping unsteadily back.
“Let’s go to your place after work,” Emma whispered seductively. Was it her imagination or did he suddenly look uncomfortable?
“How about your place? I’m . . . having some work done at mine.”
Emma felt herself relax. Things had seemed so awkward for a moment that she had been afraid he was going to turn her down altogether. She knew that her apartment was still a wreck with luggage lying around the living room, but she didn’t care in the least. If they had to make out on a pile of laundry, it was something she’d have to live with. “Sure, that sounds good. Do you want to grab some dinner first?”
Brant smacked her sharply on the butt, something he seemed to love doing, and said, “Have a snack this afternoon to tide you over. I can’t sit across from you in a restaurant without wanting to f*ck you. After we’ve released some . . . tension, we’ll order a pizza.” Emma was more than happy with his plan since she didn’t think she could last much longer without feeling him against her. Being this close to him for the rest of the afternoon was going to be hell. She had never been so glad to have a full schedule; otherwise, she would have ended up doing something she never had: beg Brant to meet her in the supply closet before she exploded.