Unbreakable(20)

She smiles at me. “Do you want to come?”

Nope. No. Hell, no.

“Nah. I need to get in a workout after I eat. Gotta work out more this week since I’m not eating clean.”

She walks toward me with her arms outstretched and wraps me in a big hug. “I can’t thank you enough for yesterday. It was wonderful.”

I return the hug but release her quickly. It’s better not to linger close to her—that’s when I get into trouble. “I’m glad you had fun, Sunshine.”

Emmy steps back and peers up at me through her mussed hair. “Well, I guess I better go get ready.”

“Yep yep. Hey, if you have anything that needs to be washed, bring it down, okay? I’m going to do some laundry.”

Emmy nods. “Oh, thanks. I was going to do a load later.”

She turns and hurries up the stairs, disappearing into her room.

I’m beginning to hate Crew Cut. He’s taking Emmy away from me too damn much, and I’m jealous.



*

Emmy breezes into the cottage a few hours later and plops down on a chair next to me. I’m lounging on the couch in the living room, exhausted from my workout. I went a little nuts trying to work off all my frustration, so for the last hour, I’ve been f*cking around playing video games.

“How was breakfast?” I ask.

“The food wasn’t that great. We went to that little diner near the west end of town. Very disappointing. We made up for it by going to some of those little shops on the other end of town, though.”

I set the game controller down. “So what are you up to for the rest of the day?”

“Nothing this afternoon. I’m going over to Jackson’s later tonight for dinner. We’re going to watch a movie on Netflix.”

I guess tonight’s the night Crew Cut’s going to make his move. Son of a f*cking bitch.

“Uh-huh,” I say curtly. “A movie. Right.” I hit the power button on the video game system a little too hard and sink back against the couch cushion.

She gives me a sharp look. “What’s wrong with watching a movie?”

“Give me a f*cking break,” I snap. “Jackson just wants you naked on his goddamned couch.”

Shit. The second the words are out, I snap my mouth shut. That was way out of line, and I know it.

Emmy gets up and stalks into the kitchen, and I hurry to catch up with her. “Look, Em—”

“No, you look. You don’t get a say in who I get naked with or not. You could have had a say, but you’ve effectively taken yourself out of that equation. That means you don’t get to weigh in on who I f*ck. Understand?”

Her words are a slap in the face. I narrow my eyes. “Fine. But level with me. Are you seriously into this guy? For real?”

She takes a long drink of her soda and then shrugs. “I want to have fun. I’m not looking for some grand love, okay? It’s just about sex. About hooking up and blowing off some steam.”

“You’re spending a lot of time with him.”

“I’d rather spend time with you. I’d rather spend all of my time with you.” She gives me a meaningful look. “But obviously, that’s completely off the table.”

“We can still spend time together, Em.”

“Can we?” she asks, her voice soft. “I’m not so sure anymore.”

To be honest, neither am I. Emmy was right when she said the sparks are getting harder and harder to ignore. It’s like we’re dodging electrical currents left and right.

“How about we head down to the lake for the day?” I suggest. “We can go swimming. I was going to put on my trunks and take a dip.”

She gives me an incredulous look. “You want to go swimming?”

“Sure. Why not?” It’s the least sexy thing I can think of doing at the moment. Then again, so was four-wheeling, and look how that turned out. But I’m willing to give anything a shot to spend some time with her.

“Swimming. Okay,” Emmy says slowly. “I have a few things I need to do first, can we go in like an hour or two?”

“Let’s make it two. I’m going to go take a nap first.” I got up way too early today.

“Okay,” she agrees. “Swimming it is, then.”



I’m trying to figure out why I thought swimming would be the least sexy activity we could do together. Emmy, glistening in the sun, water droplets beading off her skin in a barely-there bikini?

Christ, I’m such a f*cking idiot.

Emmy walks down the dock as I float nearby in the water. Her long brown hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, and she’s wearing a tiny, pink two-piece bikini. The bottoms are tied together by bows that rest at the curve of her hips. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen her wear.

She places her bag down on the dock and begins applying sunscreen to her arms and legs, and I can’t f*cking look away.

“Will, can you put some sunscreen on my back?” she asks. “I don’t want to burn. I got way too much sun yesterday.”

Shit. How many X-rated movies have started out with this exact fantasy? The thought strikes me funny, and I let out a strangled laugh.

She frowns. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah. Just something caught in my throat.” I make a big show of coughing before hauling myself up onto the dock. She hands me the bottle and turns away as I pour lotion into my palm. My fingers glide gently over her soft, warm skin, and it sends my pulse into overdrive. She’s got a tiny, heart-shaped birthmark on her left shoulder, and I’m tempted to press my lips there.