Ten Days of Perfect (November Blue #1)(63)

“Rae, I think I’m in love with you,” I laughed.

“Well, seriously, her family has plenty of money,” she giggled, “Can’t she stay away from ours?”

Bo nodded in our direction, and Ainsley looked at us, causing Rachel to smile and wave excitedly. I guessed that Rachel had words with her at one time or another by the way Ainsley forced a smile and a barely polite wave back. Ainsley gave Bo a quick hug before he turned and walked back to the table.

“Sorry guys,” Bo said as he sat down.

“Yeah, we saw,” Rachel said cynically.

“What? Rae, cut me a break! Ember, are you pissed?” Bo’s voice rose to an unnatural octave.

“What? Me? Noooo,” I exaggerated. “I don’t know her, so it was less her personality that bothered me and more her hands’ proximity to the rest of you.”

“Ha, ha,” Rachel hooted, “Bo, marry Ember today, right now. What the hell is Ainsley doing here anyway? Are there no other restaurants in Concord?” Rachel paused for a moment before her face turned up in a wicked grin.

“Oh the poor dear, she thought you were going to play tonight, didn’t she? She didn’t count on Ember - oh my God what did you tell her about Ember?” Rachel was nearly bouncing in her seat.

“She didn’t ask. She probably thinks that Ember’s one of your friends, and I’d like to keep it that way for now.”

“Um, what?” I couldn’t keep the irritation out of my voice.

“Smart, bro. You see Ember, as I said before, Ainsley is a tramp.”

“Rae!” Bo said tersely.

“Prove me wrong Bo, prove me wrong. Anyway, she’s a tramp, so if she knew Bowan was with a girlfriend, it would only make the situation worse. But, since she’s left the restaurant with her tail between her trampy legs, feel free to engage in all the PDA you want.”

“Classy Rae,” Bo said as the waiter came to our table. We broke in to laughter and placed our order.

While we ate our dinner, I was overcome with the heartening feeling that Rachel was the sister I never had.





Chapter Twenty

“Bye Ember, it was great to meet you,” Rachel said as she climbed into her Lexus.

“You too. See you Monday. Rachel.” I smiled and waved as she drove away.

“I had a great time tonight,” I said to Bo as we headed back to his house. “Rachel’s a trip, I like her a lot.”

“She really likes you, too.” Bo grabbed my hand.

“I love seeing you two together; makes me kind of bummed that I’m an only child.”

“She’s my world. Rather, was. Now you’re in it too.” He kissed a smile against my knuckles.

“I love you,” I sighed as his kisses sent chills throughout my body.

When we got to the house, Bo led me wordlessly up to his bedroom. He kicked off his shoes and lifted my dress over my head before carrying me to his bed. He set me down and backed up to unbutton his shirt. He slid into bed next to me, pulling me close.

“I meant what I said before, you know; ‘love’ just doesn’t cover what I feel for you, Ember.” He kissed me from my neck to my ear.

Taking his time with sweet movements, Bo kissed my entire body. Our bodies moved together as they had since we met. I gripped his back with all my might, approving the pull from within. Bo kept his forehead on mine, our lips never parting as our bodies formed one picture of pure emotion.

Neither one of us made a single sound aside from our heavy breathing. My throat was choked with feelings I never knew I held inside; we made love - true love. The word ‘love’ seemed so bland in comparison to what happened between our bodies. I could barely wrap my head around what we expressed; there truly were no words. Our bodies spoke our souls’ language.

As one motion flowed seamlessly to the next, I realized I could do this forever. Forever is not a word that’d ever been a part of my vocabulary; but as I drifted to sleep in Bo’s solid arms, it was the only word on my mind.

*

The deepness of my sleep did not keep the dreams away.

“Hey, hey! Are you ok?” the distant voice echoed.

“Yes,” I whispered, looking around for the source of the voice.

“Get out of here,” the voice demanded.

“But-”

“Out!”

I woke breathless and in a panic, disoriented by my surroundings. I steadied my breathing when I remembered I was in Bo’s bedroom but when I looked to my left, he wasn’t there. The clock read 2:51 AM.

“Bo?” I climbed out of bed and threw on his t-shirt and my panties.

I paused in the doorway leading to the hall and listened, but couldn’t hear anything.

“Bo?” I said again, heading down the stairs.

The cold granite floor of the foyer was unforgiving against my bare feet. A soft melody drifting through the air broke through the massive scale of the dark house. I made my way through the living room and kitchen and stopped at the top of the stairs leading to the basement. I could hear the music louder now; it was a single guitar playing in the studio.

What the hell is he doing down here at this hour?

I tip-toed down the stairs. The studio door was open, allowing the sweet melody to meet my ears. Bo’s back was to me and he was hunched over his guitar; the only light came from a single lamp on the piano. He was shirtless, and sat only in his black boxer briefs. Goosebumps formed on my arms and I wondered how he could be comfortable in the cold room.