NEXT TIME. Emma drove, the words racing through her head. What did he mean
What had happened?
Had she really just had oral sex in a closet?
She put her shaking fingers to her mouth as she waited at a red light to get onto the freeway. She’d meant to go home, to shower and crawl into bed with her laptop, where she’d get the most out of the experience and use it to her advantage.
Instead she passed her exit and drove to her sister’s condo. Her sister’s car wasn’t there. Of course not-she was off with Stone. It wouldn’t take long because Amber rarely lingered, so Emma sat on her porch and waited.
True to form, fifteen minutes later Amber pulled up in her red convertible Mustang, music blaring, hair snapping in the wind, cheeks rosy from the drive.
Or possibly from her little rendezvous with Stone.
She hopped out of the car, singing to herself, grinning like the cat who’d just eaten the canary, until she saw Emma sitting there. Then her step faltered, her smile froze and a wary look came into those eyes so like Emma’s own.
For one brief moment.
Then it was gone and Amber was sauntering close, swinging her hips, chewing her gum, looking like she’d just won the lotto. “Sis!”
“What happened to Kenny?”
“Well…”
“And how long have you been back in town?”
“I just…”
“And why the hell am I still doing this photo shoot for you?” Emma demanded, just before she horrified both of them by bursting into tears.
Amber’s bravado was gone in a flash and she sat next to Emma, her voice hitching. “Don’t you start now. Don’t you start. I’m not wearing waterproof mascara today.”
Emma ruthlessly swiped at the tears she hated shedding. “I wouldn’t be starting…if it weren’t for you.”
“Please don’t cry,” Amber begged, looking traumatized. “You never cry.”
“Never say never.” Emma would have said she’d never want a man to do half of what Rafe had done to her, and she sure as hell would have said she didn’t need it, or him, but it was exactly that which was keeping her up at night wondering, aching, needing.
Amber looked her over, satisfied Emma wasn’t going to continue with the meltdown. “And as for why you’re doing this photo shoot for me…because you said you would! You said not to come back! You said you had it all handled! Well, honey, if I’d known that having it all handled meant you were handling Rafe, I’d have slapped some sense into you. He’s not a man you want to tangle your emotions with.”
“I’m not sleeping with him.”
“Good. Because he’s-”
“I know what he is, Amber,” Emma said woodenly. “I’m just not sure you do.”
“You’re mad at me,” Amber said with a sigh. “And I guess I deserve it.”
“Yes,” Emma agreed, then sighed. “But I do like to run our lives, don’t I.”
“Yes. So really, this isn’t all my fault at all.”
“Things are going to change, Amber. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to take over and run your own life. No more calling me to bail you out of everything-I just can’t do it anymore.”
Amber looked unnerved.
“Yeah, I guess I deserve that. I’ll, uh, get the next fantasy shoot info.”
Emma blinked. “Oh. Well-”
“There’s not much left, anyway. Just September through December.”
“I didn’t mean you have to finish the shoot.”
“What
She had no idea.
“Don’t worry about it,” Amber said. “I think it’s the Harley-Davidson bike shoot next. Probably if I’d checked my calendar or with my agent, I’d know that already. But we both know how good I am at organization.” She let out a gusty sigh. “I guess I’m going to have to get better at that, too.”
Surprising them both, she leaned over and hugged Emma, who could count on one hand the times Amber had ever done so.
“Don’t be mad at me anymore.”
Emma hugged her back. “I’m not mad at you, I’m mad at me.”
“Because you’ve been boning Rafe?”
“I haven’t been-” She broke off rather than confess. “We should be talking about you. You were with Stone today.”
Amber laughed. “We needed to get it out of our systems. And boy, did we have fun doing that. We’re done now.”
If only it were that easy for Emma.
“So, about that motorcycle shoot-”
“I’ll take care of it,” Emma said, a little too quickly.
“But you just said-”
“I know. Don’t listen to me.”
Amber stared at her, then pulled back to get a better look. “What’s up? Is Stone right about the two of you being crazy about each other?”
Well, they were
But in any case, she wasn’t ready to put it into words. “Amber, you know how you got along in life just… winging it?”
Amber laughed. “Yes. It’s a particular specialty of mine.”
“And you know how you’re always saying I should try the same?”
“You’re not telling me you’re going to start winging it, not with this man. Oh, no, because honey, you’re supposed to start with something small at first. Say, like…going to the grocery store without an alphabetized list.
Emma knew what she was saying.
But it was too late.
“I have a thing for motorcycles,” she said to Amber. “A secret…fantasy thing.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Okay, maybe not really.
But she had her eye on the advanced run-the double diamond-and nothing else would do.
15
RAFE WALKED THROUGH HIS HOUSE, his pretty neighbor Irena at his side, taking notes on what he wanted to do to each room.
“I’m so glad we’re finally getting together to do this,” she said, and shot him a little smile.
It had taken him a few weeks to get in touch with her. He’d planned on doing everything for the house himself but found he was tired of living in such a sterile-looking place. “I still have a month or so of work left, but I thought we could at least get the ball rolling.”
“I’d hoped you would call. I’ve been looking so forward to working with you.” She was dressed in blue trousers with a crisp white blouse that made him think of June Cleaver.
