Ryder
Inod to Holloway, who strolls by me for the third time. Fuck, I look crazy. I know. Standing outside his employer’s bedroom. Does he even know that the relationship is fake?
There’s a gust of air, and the door swings in.
Thayer’s hazel eyes glare at me. His shoulders take up the doorway; he’s stocky, tall even.
But his neck cranes up at me. The asshole is tall, but I’m what my bastard uncle likes to refer to as stare-at-me tall.
So yeah, he looks up. A tie hangs loosely around his unbuttoned collar, an Italian suit jacket loosely over his arm, and on his face, he wears a furrowed brow and a hard sneer.
The asshole in me squares my shoulders and straightens my spine, bringing me to a good six inches taller than him.
“Are you looking for Mrs. Zambrano? She’s asleep,” Thayer says loudly enough for me to know that there’s no way Emily is still asleep.
Thayer smirks at me. He’s not getting under my skin. It will take a lot more than his quick jab.
I cock my head to the side. “I’ve been invited in.” I could move back, letting him step out into the hallway, but I don’t.
There’s the start of him rolling his eyes—Emily groans from inside the room as if she can see him, when I know she can’t. He blinks and turns to the side. I slide through the doorframe, my shoulder to his chest, and kick the door shut behind me.
Thayer’s gone before the door can hit him in the ass. Emily’s fully dressed in a white Pine Green Academy T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her purple ones with the hole in one knee.
“New shirt?” I nod toward the edge of the mattress, asking permission to sit. There’s a line of pillows down the center of the bed. Emily tosses one onto the floor and pats the space next to her. She doesn’t have to ask me twice. I roll like a ninja up next to her on the bed.
“I need help.” She picks up her phone, ignoring my ironic question about her well-worn shirt, and holds it out to me. “Does this sound believable?” She starts to hand me her phone but pulls it back. “Let me read it to you.”
“Sure.” I drop my hand to the valley between our bodies.
“Lil, so, crazy story, but I have to come clean. I’m staying in London.
I’ve been seeing someone.” She sucks her lips into her mouth.
“Then she’s going to freak out. She’ll probably call, but I’m going to push it to voicemail and keep texting.
I can’t talk to her about it. I have a feeling she’s going to pull the truth right out of me. ”
“That’s a good plan. What will you say after she’s done freaking out?”
“You mean after she’s done guessing who it is?”
“I suppose that too.”
“I’ll tell her who it is and send her to voicemail a second time when she calls. I’ll tell her I’m in a meeting and can’t talk.”
“That will work?”
“It’s our code for ‘with a guy.’”
“Oh, right. Girl code.” I pivot to look at her directly. The low sunbeams coming in through the massive lead glass window light Emily’s eyes to a pale, shimmering blue.
She slaps my leg with a playful touch, sending a current through my body. “It’s a best-friend code. We used to say we were in lectures when we were in school. In college, it progressed to class, and now in a meeting. Don’t you have anything like that with your best friend?”
I laugh because no. I don’t have a best friend, but it’s not something I go around advertising.
Not after I was told that’s a red flag. But when you grow up like I did and have done what I’ve done .
. . I’ve spent a lot of time with people who weren’t like me.
And definitely weren’t my age. “I had something like that with my uncle. He’d text cops, and I’d know enough to go bail him out before my mother or granny could find out. ”
“Okay, so you know what I mean.” Her hand lands on my leg and stays there.
“Yeah. Are you going to do it now?” I’m regressing. I’m somewhere around fifteen now; my dick’s hardening and I’m about to tent my pants.
“I’m going to have to do it soon; people are going to wonder why I’m not at home. My dad, Rachel, Maria in Miami. Heck, even Haley and Easton have texted me and I haven’t answered.”
“You’ve got this. Take it one at a time. I’ll stay with you for emotional support.” That and I’m not able to walk.
“I’m ready.” She lifts her hand from my leg. Her fingers fly over her phone, and it rings, right on cue. “Told you.”
I put my hands up in the air. “I never doubted.”
She leans toward me, her shoulder pressing against mine so I can see her phone.
Emily
In a meeting
Lil
Right. Is he there?
Emily
Yes
Lil
Fuck me. No, fuck you. Finally, you’re getting some action. It’s not Florida-man is it?
Emily bites her lip. “Sorry.”
“Who’s Florida-man?” I mean, I know she was sort of dating Anders, but not really.
“I . . . I’m not sure. I never told her a name. It felt too complicated to tell her I was confused . . . I didn’t think this through.” I expect her to pull her phone back, but she doesn’t. “I want to tell her about you and Anders, but not now. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, Emily. I don’t like this plan at all, but I don’t want you to be in danger.
I also don’t want you near him. And I sure as fuck don’t want you sleeping next to him.
I’ve been wracking my brain for an idea of how to get you and all of us out of this.
But it’s the only option. I hate it, but tell her. ”
“Right.”
Emily
After the wedding, I got in touch with Thayer.
Lil
YOU DID WHAT. WE ARE OVER HIM. That’s what you said.
Emily
Apparently not.
Lil
YOUR brOTHER IS GOING TO KILL YOU.
Emily
Easton will have to learn to keep his opinions to himself. He’s not living a traditional lifestyle, so he has no right to judge.
Emily cringes but hits send. “He has every right to judge. Thayer’s dad tried to kill him. Kill all of us as collateral damage.”
I nod.
Lil
Emily Ann Rockwell, his family tried to kill you. He held a gun to Easton.
Emily turns to me, her eyes wide because that’s not public knowledge. I only know because Anders told me because the captain told him.
“I told her.”
Emily
Don’t tell anyone that.
Lil
It’s true, though. He tried to kill your brother. There’s kinky and there’s, well, HELL NO, no way, take your hot toned body away from me. Tell him that.
Emily
He didn’t want to do it, but he had to make it look like he might for the crew.
Emily glances at me and mouths, “Sorry.”
I rub my hand over her knee. I wasn’t there when it happened. The whole thing was a psychotic mess. It’s one of the reasons I cling to my roots. I might have had a petty criminal in my family, but he had standards. A lot of the rich people I’ve met don’t.
Lil
Do you believe that?
I don’t know Lilith—I’ve never met her; I’ve only heard about her from Emily—but she doesn’t seem to be the kind of girl who will buy any of this. A change of tactics might be needed.
Emily closes her eyes tightly shut, and her phone rings. She sends it to voicemail again.
Emily
I can’t talk
Lil
Why? Has he kidnapped you?
“This isn’t going well. I knew it wouldn’t, but I thought Lil would be the easiest. She has an odd inner sense of romance.”
“You’re doing great.” I put my hand on her knee. “Maybe you need to pull out the rest of the story.”
Emily squints and rubs her forehead.
“Yeah, it’s now or never. Not really—I could wait. But I need her on my side. She’s a master of spin. She was put on probation in college, and she spun it with her parents in a way that she got an apartment in Monaco for a year, a hot tutor, and weekly spa treatments to deal with her anxiety.”
“That’s less spin, more spoiled.”
“No, you would think so, but her stepmother never gave her anything.”
“Sounds like they wanted to get rid of her.”
“They were living in Monaco too. She spent more time with her dad and his wife than she had in her entire life. I need her on my side.”
“You’ve got this.”
Emily
I met up with Thayer after the wedding for drinks.
Lil
You little ho. What happened to running for the hills?
Emily
He’s my kryptonite.
There’s a stirring in my gut. And I have to pull my hand off her knee because I’m squeezing it too hard.
“Not really.”
I smile and put my hand back. I’m acting like a jealous prick, and I have no right to.
Lil
And what happened, Wonder Woman?
Emily
Supergirl . . . I’m pregnant.
The phone rings again. Emily sends it to voicemail.
Emily
We’re not telling anyone yet.
Lil
I’m someone. And what are you going to do?
Emily
I’m getting married.
Lil
This isn’t the 1950s; you have options. You don’t need to marry him to have a baby. As thrifty as you are, you could have seven kids on your trust fund. Don’t have seven kids. I’m planning on being the fun aunt, and I’m not sure I have that much fun in me.
Emily
I’m not having seven kids. Just one for now.
“I hate lying to her.”
“It’s hard. But she’ll understand.”
“I hope so.”
Lil
Can you call me?
Emily
I will later. When I figure out the details.
Lil
Of your wedding? Are you sure?
Emily
Very
Lil
Okay. All right. How can I help?
Emily’s shoulders drop, and her glassy eyes turn toward me. “She’s a good friend. Crap, I hate this.”
“Your safety is worth it. She’ll understand in the end.”
“I hope so.”
Emily
I need a way to tell my dad that won’t kill him. And a way to tell Easton so he doesn’t kill me.
Lil
Ooh, those are both challenges. Let me work on it. Do you want a script of lies? I think I can stir up my creative juices and send you a script like I did in college when you wanted to get out of the stupid requirement they threw at you last minute.
Emily
You are an amazing friend. I love you and your scripts.
Lil
I wouldn’t do this for anyone else. And you hate my scripts, but it’s better than you suffering. And I don’t mind being your lie dealer. But this doesn’t mean I won’t try to talk you out of the wedding. Stick to the script. You’re a horrible liar, and they aren’t going to buy—I’ve always loved him.
I find it interesting that Lilith doesn’t ask Emily if she loves Thayer. There’s another stir of tension in my gut, and I shift my legs around.
Emily
I know
Lil
You’re going to have to convince me this is the right thing. But for now, I’ll defend you, even though I think it’s wrong.
Emily
Thank you
Lil
Take care of that pea.
A wave of confusion flashes over Emily’s brow before she types.
Emily
I will. I have an appointment with a doctor here in London next week. I’ll call you later.
Her phone bounces on the bed.
“I’m going to need some support when I have to actually talk with her.”
“I’ll be there. Has she written a lot of scripts for you?”
“I hate to admit it, but yes. She’s not wrong when she says I’m a horrible liar.
Most of the scripts were for good reasons.
I hated visiting Dad when Susan was around, and they got me off the hook for that.
Or explaining why I didn’t take the internships my dad arranged for me.
But now I’ve grown into myself. Heck, our time on the raft made me realize that.
Now I tell people what I really want and feel.
It’s the only way you’ll get what you want.
When I was younger, I thought it was my responsibility to keep everyone else happy.
Which meant not doing what I wanted to. Lilith skirted the issue with her scripts of lies. ”
“Scripts of Lies.” I laugh.
“I’ve told her more than once she should be a screenwriter.” She shifts on the bed; our faces come less than an inch from each other. Her head tilts to the right, and she leans in.
Her lips hit mine, firm and warm and tasting nothing like lies as they melt into mine.
A hand lands on my waist, and I wrap my other arm around her.
Our tongues collide while heat builds in my dick.
She moans into my mouth while I slide forward, pressing her back into the pillow.
Chests aligned, her soft body pushes up against mine.
Emily laces her fingers behind my neck, and my dick rests at her core. She thrusts up beneath layers of clothes that need to go.
“Breakfast is ready. Downstairs,” Thayer barks.
I’m about to yell “Go away” when Emily squeezes out from under me and stands in a comically short amount of time. With cherry-blushed cheeks, she brushes her shirt down and runs from the room.
“I take my clothes off when I have sex,” Thayer says before he pivots out.
I collapse onto the bed and huff in her vanilla scent like a damn teenager.