Ten Days of Perfect (November Blue #1)(57)

“Ember? Hey, Ember, wake up!” Bo’s voice rang with panic.

I sat up in a flash, breathing heavily, looking around. It was just a dream. Embarrassed, my cheeks flushed. “Sorry,” I tried to regulate my breath, “bad dream.” Bo pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my head as I struggled to pull myself back to reality.

“Hey, don’t be sorry. I had vivid night terrors the year after my parents died.” He squeezed me tighter, “What was it about?”

“Just . . . being chased.” I shrugged as the nightmare slipped away.

“Well, good thing you run.” He playfully rolled me over and swatted my butt, eliciting a horrifically girlish giggle from my throat.

“Can we go to Concord yet? Do you have to check out of your hotel?” I smirked as I stepped out of bed.

“We can leave whenever, I checked out last night.” He winked as he rose to meet me at my bedroom door.

“Overconfident much?” I playfully punched him in the stomach as he slid past me and headed for the bathroom I stared at the closed bathroom door, remembering last night. All the anxiety and stress from our morning dealing with Josh, to the revelation of Bo’s blackmailing, slipped away as soon as we left Finnegan’s.

When we returned to my apartment, I got in the shower. Having heard a small knock on the door, I poked my head out from behind the curtain; Bo stood before me in naked splendor. Wordlessly, I let him in. We spent several minutes soaping each other, washing the heavy off our shoulders and down our backs. He lifted me against the shower wall and kissed me without mercy or pause. He carried me to the bedroom before we collapsed breathlessly in each other’s arms. Passion toweled us dry against my sheets until dawn. Yes, last night was a home run.

“Yo, Dream Girl, you OK?” Bo was suddenly in front of me, snapping me out of my memory of last night.

“Are you picking on me for having a nightmare?” My brow furrowed.

“Jesus, no, sorry,” he chuckled, “you’re just…never mind.” He smiled as he lifted me and spun me around. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he breathed into my ear.

*

I called Monica before Bo and I left. I told her I talked to Josh last night, and encouraged her to spend the weekend really talking with him and working it out-they were so good together I couldn’t bear the disaster that would follow a full break up.

As we headed off the Cape, I thumbed through Bo’s CDs and his iPod.

“Indigo Girls, Alanis, The Wailin’ Jennys . . . are you sure there’s not a vagina hiding in this car somewhere?” I teased as I looked back and mockingly searched.

Bo chuckled, “I like good music, and that is good music; there are some balls in there - keep looking.” He grinned as he grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips.

After a few minutes of Mumford and Sons, I took a breath and forged ahead with the question I rehearsed in my head all night and this morning.

“What’s the blackmail about?” I turned to face him.

Bo swallowed hard and released my hand, placing his back on the steering wheel.

“I’m not really supposed to-”

“Fuck Adrian Turner.” I cut him off.

“It’s not just that, Ember . . .”

“Well either it’s such a big deal that you should drop me off on the side of the road right now so I can run scared back to Barnstable, or it’s handled enough that you can tell me. I don’t get naked and tell just anyone that I love them, Bowan, you have to trust me. Trust is really important, you know.” I realized with building irritation, that I hated not being trusted.

“November, you can trust me, too. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.” His tone told me I’d pushed far enough.

“Sorry,” I said as I turned my shoulders back to the windshield and let out a long breath. I reached for the “play” button again, but he stopped me.

“No, it’s ok. Look, you’re right; I owe you something after all we’ve gone through this last week.”

“I’m sorry for pushing you, it’s your business . . .” I conceded, though I really wanted to know.

“It’s about Rachel.”

“Your sister?” My pulse quickened as my voice rose.

“Yea.”

“Does she know?”

“No.” His face paled.

“What the hell?”

“They knew if they went to her for the money she’d probably tell me and I’d kick their asses. They were smart; they went directly to me, threatening to expose some nude and other graphic pictures of her from her drug using days. If she even remembers taking them, she certainly doesn’t know they’re still around. She’s my Achilles’s - I’d do absolutely anything to protect her, Ember. Those pictures, and that part of her life, need to burn with the *s that have held onto them.” He clenched his fist against the steering wheel before continuing, “No one else at DROP knows about it, not even David Bryson - just our legal team.” He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

“Wow. You said you knew who was blackmailing you, though, so why wouldn’t you just go to the police?”

“We have to build the case, and it’s a small town. When you’re as wealthy as my family is. . . I couldn’t risk anything getting out before we were ready. I involved the legal team because they are from all over and didn’t grow up with me, my friends, or my parents. When dealing with blackmail, you’ve got to push it to the breaking point to mount as many charges as possible,” He replied unapologetically.