Emma's pride made her want to argue with them, but she wasn't stupid. Ethan and his family seemed pleasant enough, she didn't think they would harm her, but she didn't know them, and going somewhere alone with them wasn't the smartest idea. It was better to go with her friends than to argue with them over it because of her pride.
"We have to get ready," Mandy said as she slid her arm through Emma's and led her toward the stairs.
Chapter Seven
"You invited the humans?" Stefan placed the paper he was reading on the table and fixed Ethan with a look that made him wonder if he'd sprouted horns.
"Sure, why not?" Ethan replied casually.
Stefan exchanged a glance with Isabelle, whose arms were resting on the edge of the pool as she treaded water. "Because they're human," Stefan said slowly.
"You once dated humans," Ethan reminded him.
Isabelle shot him a look that could freeze fire as she pulled herself from the pool. Ethan almost chuckled, but he thought she might kick his ass if he did. Stefan looked like he might also laugh. He wisely chose not to.
"Since when do you want to hang out with a human?" Isabelle demanded. Water dripped onto the bluestone patio with soft drips as she walked across the patio to retrieve her towel from a chair.
Ethan shrugged, but he knew his casual gesture didn't fool his sister. "Things change."
"Or is it her?"
Unreasonable anger filled Ethan as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels. He didn't like being questioned about Emma, and he certainly didn't like her referenced in that way. "I don't think that's any of your business."
"Ethan—" Isabelle started.
"If you would like me to un-invite them, I will."
"That's not what I'm saying at all," Isabelle gushed. "It's just unusual to see you continuously interacting with humans, much less the same human. That's all."
"We all change with age."
"That we do. Lord knows I did," Stefan agreed as he rose from the table.
Stefan strolled over to Isabelle and placed his hand on her shoulder. He squeezed it reassuringly before moving her back a step. Isabelle turned to look at him, and from years of experience with watching his parents, Ethan knew they were having a silent conversation with each other. It frustrated him, he was certain they were discussing him, but he kept his temper under control.
"I'm sure it will be fine," Isabelle said.
"It will be," Ethan assured her. "I'm going to get them."
Before his sister could argue with him further, he turned and walked away. His earlier run had helped burn off some of his excess energy, but he could feel it building within him again. He walked at an increasingly brisk pace down the road to the small house where Emma and her friends were staying.
Emma tried not to ogle Ethan as he took her hand and helped her board the boat. Between the home they were staying in and this boat, she didn't know what to make of Ethan or his family. She knew they were only renting the house, but she imagined the rent on this place was more than some people made in a year. She could tell Jill and Mandy were as impressed and overwhelmed as she was by their gaping mouths when they looked around the glistening white boat.
She was so busy trying to take in all the details she didn't realize Ethan still held her hand until he pulled her toward the back of the boat. Or was it the stern? She wasn't sure, as she'd never been on anything bigger than a rowboat before. He settled her into a seat before turning to help Mandy and Jill get seated.
"I'll be right back," he told her.
Emma admired the fit of his swim trunks on his thighs and ass as she watched him walk away. She was so focused on him that she jumped when Jill leaned closer to her and spoke. "What does his family do for a living?"
"I don't know," Emma whispered back.
"Maybe they're in the mob."
"Yeah, the mob is huge in Oregon," Emma retorted.
Even Jill had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "Maybe they've decided to expand."
Emma chuckled as she shook her head, but Jill's question made her recall how Ethan avoided her question when she'd asked him about what he did. There was a lot of money here, but it was his brother-in-law’s, not Ethan's. She could understand if Ethan didn't have a plan for his future, she wasn't exactly planning or doing much in life right now. Maybe Ethan felt the same way and didn't like talking about it; she hadn't told him everything about herself either.
The boat engine firing up drew her attention to Stefan standing behind the wheel with Isabelle at his side. Ethan said something to Stefan she couldn't hear over the engine, but Stefan glanced at them before nodding. Emma turned her attention to the water as the boat started to pull away from the dock.
Excitement built within her as the powerful vessel hummed beneath her and the wind began to kick up. The boat picked up speed as Stefan steered it away from shore and into the open water. Her hair blew back from her face; the warm, salty ocean spray kicking up around her was cool as it landed on her cheeks and tickled her face. It was impossible not to smile as the boat skimmed over the ocean and plumes of water shot up around them. She turned her body and rested her arms on the back of her chair to watch the wake coming from the rear of the boat.
Ethan’s arm brushed against hers when he returned. She watched him as he settled into the seat beside her. Something about him and this whole moment made her feel as if someone had opened the door on the cage she'd locked herself in since Tristan. She could almost feel her wings
