Chapter Fourteen
E merie returned to her living room and set out a fresh batch of nachos. She set the warm dish on her coffee table, along with the pizza and a variety of snacks. Elaborate Valentine’s Day dates were nice—and every girl should experience at least one. But Em much preferred hanging out with Nick and Kassie for a casual evening.
“So tell me more about Harrison Dunbar, III.” Em folded a leg beneath her on the sofa. Kassie’s creamy skin—the color of the sand on Holly Grove Island Beach—flushed at the mere mention of the man’s name. “He isn’t one of the Dunbars, is he?”
“He’s their eldest son.” Kassie smiled sheepishly.
Nick and Em exchanged a subtle glance. The Dunbars were a powerful family, but not well-liked there on the island. Still, they were a frequent topic of conversation around town.
Dunbar Real Estate Development had built an upscale community called Fox Grove on the far side of the island. They were looking to expand the gated community, which had much of the island up in arms.
“How’d you two meet?” Em asked.
“At a fundraiser for the botanical gardens a few months ago. We had a little polite conversation, but nothing big. But then… this Soulmate Project of yours inspired me to join a couple of dating apps, too. Harrison saw my profile on the app and swiped right. We’ve been talking online and by telephone the past couple of weeks. We’re going on our first date next Saturday.”
“What’s Harrison like?” Nick mumbled through a mouthful of pizza.
Translation: Is he a pompous asshole, like his parents ? It was something Em had wondered, too.
“He’s handsome, tall, incredibly charming, and he has the most commanding presence,” Kassie said dreamily, a big smile spreading across her face. She scooped up a nacho oozing with four different types of cheese and piled high with ground beef, black beans, black olives, and a healthy dollop of sour cream. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like him.”
Kassie talked excitedly about her and Harrison’s plans for their date the following weekend, and Em was excited for her friend who’d always been a shy wallflower.
“Harrison sounds amazing, Kassie. I’m glad the Soulmate Project is working for at least one of us.”
This time, Nick and Kassie exchanged looks. Kassie’s registered as guilt with a hint of pity. And Nick’s furrowed brows indicated concern. She immediately regretted her comment, but it was too late to take it back.
Nick shifted his attention to Em. “You haven’t talked much about this dating experiment of yours lately. How’s it going?”
Em had been expecting the question. Still, her neck stiffened, and her cheeks warmed beneath her friends’ stares. Nick’s simple question shouldn’t feel like judgment, but it did. She shrugged, pushing her nachos around her plate.
“I’ve been preoccupied the past few weeks. There’s dance class, I’m revamping my business brand and my website. Then there’s the influx of new clients that are the direct result of implementing Dakota’s new marketing strategy.” Em licked melted cheese from her fingers, and Nick’s nostrils flared.
“Not ladylike. I know,” Em said in response to Nick’s wide-eyed stare.
Her mother and Sin often reminded her of that. She didn’t try to behave like an ogre. But clearly, being raised with three older brothers, she’d adopted a lot of their boorish habits.
Nick’s eyes widened. “I didn’t… I wasn’t—”
“You’ve taken on a lot,” Kassie cut in, and Nick seemed relieved. She set her mostly empty nacho plate on the coffee table and turned toward Em. “But wasn’t the point of all those things to put yourself in the ideal mental, physical, and emotional space to meet the right guy?”
Emerie frowned, shifting her gaze from Kassie to Nick and then back again.
She could usually count on Kass to let her off the hook whenever a topic was uncomfortable. But not this time.
Nick and Kassie stared at her expectantly.
“The self-improvement and business development are a huge part of the larger plan to find Mr. Right. But there are only so many hours in the day.” Em felt guilty for not being straight with her two closest friends. She collected a few empty paper plates and carried them to the kitchen, dumping them in the trash.
“But isn’t that kind of like a tennis player lifting weights to increase the power of their backhand, but then becoming a weightlifter instead?” Nick asked.
Em swallowed hard, her neck and face hot and her gut tightening as she hovered on the edge of the living room.
She could’ve just quietly chosen to go on this quest for a lifelong companion. But she’d chosen to announce her intentions to her friends and family, not only because she needed their help, but because she knew they’d keep her accountable. Nick and Kassie were doing that right now. So why did she feel persecuted rather than relieved?
Maybe because it’d felt safer to spend more time with her friends and to work on her business than to put herself out there like she had with Dillon. Maybe it was because she was afraid Dillon was right. That she wasn’t ready to find the right guy because she hadn’t let go of her feelings for Nick.
“We’re not trying to badger you,” Kassie said calmly. “But you said this is what you want, so we’d like to support your efforts. If your goals have changed—”
“They haven’t.” That much, she was sure of. Em stood taller, sifting her fingers through her hair. “And I didn’t do all of this just to give up when things start to feel hard. But I made such a big deal about it. I suddenly have this panicky fear of failing spectacularly.”
“You’re not ‘failing,’ Em,” Kassie said gently. “You’re allowing fear of failure to prevent you from even trying. And I know you well enough to know that you’ll regret giving up far more than running into a few relationship snafus.”
Kassie did know her well. What haunted her most were the opportunities in her life that she’d talked herself out of. Like the design jobs she’d been hesitant to pursue because she didn’t think she was talented enough. She’d been wrong. She was a gifted graphic designer. And with the help of her virtual assistant, she was becoming better at handling the business side of entrepreneurship, too.
“I guess I have been a little gun-shy since Dillon,” Em admitted.
“I love my cousin. But he isn’t the only fish in the sea.” Kassie walked over to Em and took both her hands. “I realize that you might have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. But you can’t win the game if you’re hanging out on the sidelines.”
“More sports analogies. Great .” Em groaned.
“We’re speaking in a language we know you understand.” Kassie poked Em’s arm and grinned. “Now are you ready to climb back on the horse and try again? You’ve been rejecting every guy who pops up on those dating apps. But they can’t all be terrible.”
Before Em could respond, Kassie’s phone rang.
“It’s Harrison.” Kassie grinned in response to the custom ringtone.
“Speaking of Prince Charming,” Em teased as her friend hustled to grab her phone from the coffee table before it stopped ringing.
Em glanced over at Nick. He was frowning, but she wasn’t sure why.
Was Nick interested in Kassie?
“You okay?” She tapped Nick’s foot with her own.
He was lost in thought and oblivious to their conversation—something that happened more often lately. Her guess was that the stress of this work project, the travel, and the prospect of relocating to New York was beginning to wear on Nick. Maybe he was feeling like he was in over his head but was reluctant to admit it for fear of letting Dexter down. But whenever she asked, he’d just claim everything was fine.
“I’m good,” he assured her.
“You don’t look good. You look—”
“I’m so sorry to bail on you guys, but Harrison sent me a surprise. He wants to video chat.” Kassie bounced on her heels excitedly.
“That’s sweet, Kass.” Em pressed a hand to her chest, happy for her friend. “Don’t you dare apologize. Go on. Don’t keep the man waiting. We’ll be fine.”
Kassie hugged Em, then she whispered something to Nick before hurrying out the door.
Em locked the door behind Kassie and flopped onto the sofa beside Nick. She turned up the TV volume, carefully eyeing her friend. He still seemed lost in thought, but the best approach was never to badger Nick. She’d learned to work her magic and coax the truth out of him.
“More nachos or beer?” Em set the remote on the coffee table and focused on the game. Their team was getting their asses handed to them. But the second half of the game was just beginning. Em was nothing if not optimistic when it came to her favorite sports teams.
“No.” Nick reached for the remote and muted the TV. “I want the truth. What’s the real issue with this dating thing? And don’t tell me you’re afraid of failure. You’re one of the most badass women I’ve ever known. You went skydiving for your thirtieth birthday, Em. Shit that even I consider too dangerous.” Nick jabbed a thumb to his chest. “You’ve suffered more sprains and breaks than any guy I know, and it’s never stopped you from getting back out on the court. You are fucking fearless, Emerie Roberts. You always have been. So level with me. What’s really going on with you?”
Why did her friends have to be so damn perceptive? Usually, she found it endearing. Tonight, she wished they’d play along and take her at her word.
“I’m gonna get a bottle of water.” Em stood abruptly, her throat feeling parched again. “You want one?”
“No, Em. I don’t want water or a beer or more nachos.” Nick caught up with her in the kitchen, grasping her hand before she could open the refrigerator. “I want you to talk to me. You were so enthusiastic about this plan. But now you’d rather go to dance class, update your business plan, or do anything except go on an actual date. So what’s going on? If you’ve changed your mind about this, no one is going to be disappointed in you.”
“Are you kidding?” Em tugged her hand from his and collapsed against the kitchen island. “Everyone in this town is invested in this Soulmate Project. And I can’t be upset about it because I’m the one who chose to announce my plans to all of Holly Grove Island. Which, in hindsight, was a foolish decision.”
Em shook her head and sighed, her heart racing.
“Don’t get me wrong… I’m grateful that they all care so much. I just don’t want to let them down. And I don’t want to let myself down, either. You know I never give up or chicken out once I decide to do something. I was terrified before I tandem jumped out of that plane. But I went through with it because you were all there expecting me to do it. But this time, I…” Em swallowed hard, the words stuck in her throat.
“But this time… what ?” Nick’s tone was gentle, his eyes searching. Em wanted more than anything for Nick to put his arms around her and tell her she didn’t need to resume her search because he’d finally realized that she had been the perfect woman for him all along.
But he didn’t. Because that was the way things ended in her fantasies about Nick, not in her reality.
“I feel like I’m in over my head,” she admitted.
“Why?”
“Because I haven’t done this in a really long time. And the relationships I have been in… I wasn’t the pursuer.”
“I’m pretty sure you walked up to Billy Johnson, kissed his cheek, and told him he was your boyfriend.” Nick chuckled.
“I was eleven,” Em reminded him. “Life was simpler then. Things are different now. I’m looking for the man that I’ll want to start a life with. Raise a family with. The stakes are so much higher and—”
“Hey, just breathe. Everything is going to be fine.” Nick squeezed her bicep, and the pressure eased the tension that made her feel as if she was going to hyperventilate.
She sucked in a deep breath, as he’d advised. The spinning in her brain and the sense of panic that had been swirling in her chest subsided.
“Better?”
She nodded.
“Good.” Nick released her arm, and she immediately missed his reassuring touch.
“I know it’s like riding a bike, and it all comes back to you. But I haven’t been with anyone for a while. Since before you returned to town.” Em shifted her gaze from his. “I feel like a novice at this again.”
Nick nodded thoughtfully and rubbed his chin. He leaned against the island. “And what would make you feel more comfortable?”
“Practice,” Em joked. “That’s what I’d normally do to shake the rust off in tennis or volleyball. But this is a completely different situation.”
After a few moments of awkward silence, Nick asked, “What if it wasn’t?”
“What do you mean?” Em studied her friend’s face. Surely, he wasn’t suggesting that…
“You’re intimidated by dating and intimacy because you’re out of practice. So what if we practice?”
“Okay, I’m going to need you to spell this out for me.” Em’s heartbeat thumped so loudly that the sound reverberated in her ears and her voice quavered. “You’re proposing that we practice doing what , specifically?”
Nick’s gaze dropped to her mouth. “Come here.”
Em placed her trembling hand in Nick’s, and a zing of electricity danced along her palm. He tugged her forward so she was standing directly in front of him. He slid his arms around her waist, as he’d done many times during their bachata sensual dancing. But this time, he eliminated the space between them that Ms. Idelle always reminded them was appropriate for social dancing.
Nick’s fresh, woodsy scent teased Em’s nostrils as her chest rose and fell with quick, shallow breaths. Her skin felt warm wherever their body touched: her breasts, pressed to his hard chest; their thighs; his hands on her waist. Em’s knees felt unsteady, and she couldn’t speak. If she did, the faltering of her voice would reveal just how nervous and utterly turned on she was by her best friend holding her like this.
In dance class, their bodies weren’t in full contact. And there were so many other things to think about. Ms. Idelle. The other students. The need to keep time with the music and follow the directions that had been called out. Here, there was only her and Nick and the sound of her own breathing.
Nick cupped her cheek and leaned in, his dark eyes locked with hers.
“Is it okay if I…”
“Yes.” Em nodded a little too eagerly. One side of Nick’s mouth curved into that devilish smirk she’d often wished he’d flash at her.
He leaned in slowly. So slowly, it felt as if time had stopped.
“Relax, Em.” Nick pulled back and met her gaze again. “There’s so much tension in your body. You’re about to kiss someone. You’re not getting robbed at an ATM.”
Emerie snorted, and the tension that had made her feel like a tightly wound spring eased.
“That’s more like it.” Nick’s gravelly voice lowered to a seductive whisper that vibrated through her body, culminating low in her belly. “Now about these arms… they’re just hanging at your sides. That reads ‘unengaged passive observer.’ At this stage, he needs to know you’re feeling him. That you want him as much as he wants you.”
“Okay.” Em swallowed hard.
Her gaze was glued to his as she lifted her arms. She rested her hands on Nick’s shoulders, prepared for the next instruction as if they were in dance class.
“Better. But I need to know that you want me to kiss you, Em,” Nick whispered, his dark eyes glinting. “Fuck that. I need to know that you’re desperate for my kiss. That in this moment, it’s all you can think about.”
Yes, yes, and yes .
Em’s hands were shaking as she lifted them higher, cradling Nick’s whiskered face. Her gaze descended to the lush lips she’d fantasized about tasting for the past several years. Then she lifted onto her toes and closed the remaining space between them, her lips crashing into his.
Nick wasn’t prepared for the dizzying feeling that hit him the moment Em’s soft, full lips met his. Or the way her strong, toned body would melt into his as his mouth glided over hers.
He loved the feel of her buttery, smooth skin beneath his fingertips as he pressed them to the bare skin of her back beneath her shirt.
The gentle glide of his lips over hers escalated—along with his heart rate. He devoured the lips he’d spent so much time fantasizing about.
Nick tipped her chin, and her lips parted. He swept his tongue inside her warm mouth, swallowing Em’s soft gasp.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling their lower bodies closer. As if she needed more contact between them.
He needed it… craved it, too.
Nick walked a few steps forward until Em’s back was against the wall. He lifted her arms, as they had done in dance class. His pulse raced, and his heart beat in his chest like a drum as he devoured her mouth. He grasped both of her wrists with one hand, pinning them to the wall over her head. His other hand glided down her side, lingering on her hip.
He palmed the firm, round bottom that had teased and tortured him as he’d stood there, mesmerized by the sensual swaying of her hips during her electrifying dance with Carlos. He gripped her flesh, evoking another gasp from Em’s soft, sweet lips.
Nick deepened the intensity of the kiss they both seemed so desperate for.
His skin was feverish, and the sound of rushing blood filled Nick’s ears. His heart raced like he’d taken off in a sprint at full speed.
So many times, he’d wondered what it would be like to kiss Emerie. Would there be any sexual chemistry between them? Or would it feel awkward?
He now had a definitive answer.
Their raw desire for each other was evident from the rapidly escalating kiss that was supposed to be a simple demonstration. A practice kiss that would ease Em’s nerves and make her more comfortable with the idea of kissing someone else.
Only deep down, Nick knew that was complete bullshit. He’d kissed his best friend because he was attracted to her. Because he couldn’t stop imagining what it would be like to kiss her. Because even though he knew all the reasons he shouldn’t, he desperately wanted to take her to bed and worship every inch of her deep brown skin with his hands, his lips, and his tongue.
Nick pressed a knee between Em’s thighs. She settled onto it and responded with a breathy moan. The sensual sound induced an instant response from his body, and Nick shuddered at the sensation that crawled up his spine.
Had he ever felt such a deep, desperate ache for anyone? Because right now, he wanted to run headfirst through the wall of reasons they shouldn’t be doing this. Nick intensified their kiss, pinning her body between his and the wall. He glided his hand up her taut belly and teased one pebbled tip with his thumb as he palmed her breast.
Em’s breathy exhalations made him desperate to touch more of her skin. To tease the stiff peaks with his tongue until she was riding his thigh and chasing her release.
Nick settled his hands on Em’s hips, using gentle pressure to guide her hips back and forth, as he had when they’d danced together in class. Only this time, he prompted her body to move against his, increasing the friction of their contact as she glided along his thigh. Em’s breath came in short bursts, her arms draped around his neck as she kissed him eagerly.
A knock at the door stunned them both, halting their kiss. Nick stepped back, his chest heaving as he dragged a hand down his face.
They stood there staring at each other, neither of them speaking. Em’s face registered confusion. His, no doubt, revealed guilt.
What am I doing ?
This was supposed to be a way to help Em get comfortable with intimacy again. To alleviate her anxiety about getting back into the dating game. Not a way for him to satisfy his own nagging curiosity about kissing her.
There was a reason curiosity had killed the fucking cat.
He’d sworn that he wouldn’t act on his attraction to Em because he was afraid of what it would do to their friendship. He’d learned the hard way, not once but twice , that friendships and sex didn’t mix. So this time, he’d use the head above his shoulders rather than being led astray by the still-hard one below his belt.
“I got carried away.” Nick cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. You good now?”
The confusion in Em’s brown eyes shifted to disappointment. She lowered her gaze and nodded but didn’t speak.
Nick’s gut knotted, and his chest clenched at the pained look on Em’s face.
He was a complete ass.
The way he’d kissed and groped Em just now… Of course she expected it would lead to something more. That was what he wanted, too. But it wasn’t in the best interests of their friendship. One of them needed to keep that in mind.
There was another knock at the door, heavier this time.
“Em, it’s me, Kassie. I left my wallet here.”
Em’s eyes widened. Sadness, panic, and a hint of guilt flashed across her face.
“You should get that.” Nick placed a hand on Em’s shoulder, startling her from her temporary daze.
Em tugged her shirt down and ran her fingers through her hair, reminding him of how his had sifted through the soft strands during their heated kiss.
“Coming!” Em called.
She gave him one last look filled with hurt and disappointment. Then she crossed the living room to open the door for her friend.
Nick leaned back against the counter and cursed beneath his breath.
His growing feelings for Em had made him anxious and a little edgy the past few weeks. But what he felt now was worse. He’d moved beyond wonderment or fantasy. Now he knew just how amazing things between them could be.
Now that he’d had a taste of Em, how could he not obsess over just how much he wanted her?