Chapter 36
CHAPTER 36
EMERSON
Three Days Later
Butterflies erupt in my stomach as I rewatch Ford’s “Lose Control” performance at Rebels for the umpteenth time online. The husky timbre of his beautiful singing voice turns my bones to mush, and I hug my cell to my chest, still in disbelief that this is it.
The beginning of the life I’ve always dreamed of.
I lock the screen when the crowd begins to cheer and look up to find Ford striding out of the ensuite with a white towel wrapped around his toned abs as he dries his wet, dark hair.
Water trails down the tattoo of my name across his broad chest, streaking over the valleys of his taut abdomen to land on the fluffy towel. The sight makes me nibble my bottom lip as all manner of lewd thoughts flicker through my mind.
His eyes lift to find mine watching him appreciatively, and he quirks an eyebrow. “If you keep lookin’ at me with those come-fuck-me eyes, you’ll get a whole lot more’n you bargained for.”
I kick my feet as I giggle, my face overtaken in a bright smile that’s all for him as I inform him, “You know your accent gives you away when you’re angry or horny…and I’m thinking right now, it’s the latter.”
He booms a laugh, but even so begins to dress for the day, much to my disappointment. Seeing my smile drop, he walks closer, cupping my cheek. “I won’t be long, baby. Just have to make a statement regarding the gala and Beckham’s admission. Vaughn got the whole thing on his cell, so it’s merely a formality at this point.”
My shoulders droop, though I have plans myself, and he quickly reminds me.
“Aren’t you meeting your stepmom and Hayley for brunch at Fern?”
“ Yes ! But morning sex is my favorite.” He chuckles, seating himself on the bed beside me, and I shamelessly allow the sheet to fall, showcasing my breasts. “You’re always so hungry for me at that time of day. It’s like you’ll never get enough?—”
Before I can finish my sentence, he yanks the sheet from the bed and pulls my legs apart, reaching out his thumb to circle my clit over the material of my simple cotton panties. I look up at him, panting already as I feel a flood of arousal rush to my core, and he lifts his desire-laden eyes to mine with a smirk.
“I don’t need to leave for another five minutes.” His voice drops to a husky timbre that sends a shiver of lust rippling through me. “Enough time to show you just how hungry I am for you.”
He fists either side of my panties and whispers, “Lift those hips for me, baby.”
I oblige, and he slides the material down my legs, tossing them to one side before his mouth descends on me, eating me with a passion that makes me shatter to pieces in less than thirty seconds as I cry out his name.
He raises his eyes to mine as he stands, wiping my orgasm from his lips. Then he climbs onto the bed, gathering me against his hard chest to press a kiss to my forehead, and I close my eyes tight, so filled with bliss that I could float away.
We lie there silently for long minutes, wrapped up in one another in a comfortable silence that stretches on, filling us both and preparing us for the day ahead.
“I gotta leave, baby.”
I nod as he presses a soft kiss to my lips before sliding off the bed. He dresses as though in fast-forward mode, having spent his limited spare time with me.
With one final kiss to my lips, Ford rushes out of the apartment, and I quickly set to the task of getting ready to meet Hayles and Reese.
Once I’ve dressed in simple blue jeans, an oversized white shirt, and ballet pumps, I grab my purse and take the elevator to the ground floor, where I find Damon waiting.
My eyes blow wide in surprise as he winks. “Can’t keep a good man down.”
I squeeze his shoulder appreciatively before he escorts me to the waiting town car.
“First day back?”
He shakes his head as he opens the rear driver’s side door. “No way. Ford wouldn’t let me back near you again until I was one hundred and ten percent cleared and back in action.”
We share a smile as he closes the door to settle into the driver’s seat, and the conversation is light the entire way to Fern. Once he’s parked, he trails me inside, taking up his station by the hostess podium.
“Good morning, Miss Hart.” I share a bright smile with Inga, the hostess, as she directs me to our usual table.
Reese rises out of her seat, enveloping me in a tight hug before Hayley reaches across the table to squeeze my hand in hers.
“I’m famished. What about you, girls?”
Reese lifts her menu, perusing it slowly, and I meet Hayley’s eye with a smile, knowing well that we all know the menu inside out.
“I’ll have the vegetarian quiche.” Hayley makes a face at my announcement as I pat my tummy. “All those yummy mushrooms and bell peppers…and the cheese ! Yes. Double yes. All the yeses. I’m in heaven.”
“Well, I’ll stick with my normal stack, please, and thank you. Cheese, eggs, and vegetables…yuck. Does Ford realize he’s living with a heathen?”
Chucking, I shake my head. “Oh, he knows.” I shoot her a wink. “And he loves it.”
We’re both laughing when Reese lowers her menu with a grin, tilting her head to one side in question.
“And how did things go for Ford when he visited his father? Did he ask him about his involvement with your mother’s death?”
Her words scratch at old wounds that will never heal, and I silently curse Hayley for having told her of Ford’s news as my smile dims before I reply. “He found closure. That’s all we could hope for in a situation like this.”
She nods slowly, deposits her menu on the table, and signals to Inga, who approaches swiftly. “I’ll have the eggs Benedict and a mimosa, please, Inga.” Then she faces us. “I just need to freshen up real quick.”
As she meanders off to the restroom, Hayley and I place our order before I twist about to face her with wide eyes. “Why did you tell her about Ford’s trip to Jasper? What if she mentions it to Dad? So unnecessary?—”
“I didn’t say a word about it, Em. Your business is your business.” She regards me with nothing but the truth in her gaze.
My forehead bunches, and I blink several times. “So how did she…”
Like a bolt from the blue, Beck’s nonsensical words from Tryst replay in my head.
I only ever did what she wanted me to. It was all for her.
Chest tightening, I try to tamp down on the thoughts that keep niggling until I push back my chair and stand. “I’ll be right back, Hayles.”
My feet take me to the restroom, where I find Reese washing up at the basin. She finds my eyes in the mirror, hers lighting up warmly. “Everything okay, sweetie?”
“Who told you about Ford visiting his father?”
She tilts her head to one side, confusion painted so openly on her face that I falter for a moment.
Maybe you’re wrong, Em.
“Hayley did, of course. Who else, silly?”
My stomach bottoms out when she instantly confirms my suspicion as she sets about checking her makeup in the vast mirror. With my mind whirring through a million thoughts, I’m unable to focus on anything except the now blatantly obvious.
My stepmother has been working with Beckham to elevate my career for God knows how long. And more concerningly… why ?