well, not that way.’ She sucked in her lips. Her cheeks were pink beneath her hands.
‘Am I detecting a double standard here?’ He couldn’t resist teasing her. ‘Okay for the girls to look but not the guys?’
‘Oops!’ Her pearl-tipped nails moved to her lips. ‘Can I say I didn’t look?’
‘Afraid not.’ He leaned closer. ‘I have to tell you, you looked hot too, last night, in that sexy little number.’
Her smile, when it appeared, was a delight to behold. ‘It
was
fun dressing up and feeling attractive for a change.’
‘You should try it more often.’
‘Try what?’ Her smile disappeared. Her hands fell away from her face. A shadow flickered in her eyes—a blue moon sinking into an inky sea—as she crossed her arms and hugged her shoulders. ‘Looking attractive? Gee, thanks heaps.’
‘Fun, Emma. Just try having some fun.’ He was barely aware that his hands had somehow moved towards her thighs, so close he could feel the heat from her body, and barely caught himself in time.
He jerked back and away. Pushed to his feet. If he stayed he was just un-sober enough to show her something about having fun … and he didn’t want to think about the consequences if he did.
Not tonight.
‘Since you don’t seem to need me for anything, I’mgoing to see if I can catch up with Ry after all. I haven’t heard the limo leave yet.’ He didn’t know what demon prompted him to add, ‘The night’s still young. Might as well enjoy my evening off …’
He winked—he
never
winked—leaving Emma staring wide-eyed at him as he lifted a hand, then turned and walked away. ‘‘Night.’
He let himself out and headed towards the limo at the top of the drive. He needed the brisk evening air to cool his groin. So much for keeping his past where it belonged. He’d moved on, made something of himself. Until Earl had died and all the old bad had rushed back.
He didn’t need Emma messing with his head, trying to make everything all right. Maybe he should just keep things as they were. Acquaintances. Casual friends.
He came to an abrupt halt. Except … now he’d tasted her on his lips, enjoyed the slippery slide of her lithe womanly body against his. Seen and felt her respond as a woman did to a man she fancied …
Friends,
hell
. It was too late for that.
CHAPTER FIVE
‘D ID you ever see such a view?’ Emma leaned over the balcony outside the room she was sharing with Stella for the night. ‘You sure know how to pick a wedding venue. It’s like some god has spread a knobbly green carpet over the Grand Canyon, then sprayed it with a fine indigo mist.’
‘It helps that one of Ryan’s uncles owns the place,’ her sister said cheerily behind her.
Nestled on the edge of the escarpment at Echo Point, in the famous Blue Mountains west of Sydney, the exclusive boutique hotel was pure luxury. The majestic view of Jamieson Valley stretched out below them, equally breathtaking. As evening approached, soft golden light coloured the sky. Inky pools were swallowing up the valley floor, and the sun’s last rays hammered the streaks of exposed rock with vermilion, carving deep purple shadows between.
Stella joined Emma at the balcony’s wooden rail. ‘The guys won’t be seeing anything like this where they are.’
‘No,’ Emma murmured, drawing her tracksuit jacket closer as the air chilled. The guys and Ryan’s parents were spending the night at a cosy little bed and breakfast in Katoomba, a two-minute drive away. ‘But I’m sure they’ll find something to entertain them.’ Her tone was more caustic than she’d intended.
She was still brooding over the way Jake had swaggered out of the studio last night. She couldn’t stop wondering what he’d got up to afterwards. Her fingers tightened on the cool wood. He’d
winked
at her. She knew exactly what he’d got up to.
And why on earth was she tying herself up in knots over it? It was precisely the kind of behaviour that reminded her that
‘Am I detecting a double standard here?’ He couldn’t resist teasing her. ‘Okay for the girls to look but not the guys?’
‘Oops!’ Her pearl-tipped nails moved to her lips. ‘Can I say I didn’t look?’
‘Afraid not.’ He leaned closer. ‘I have to tell you, you looked hot too, last night, in that sexy little number.’
Her smile, when it appeared, was a delight to behold. ‘It
was
fun dressing up and feeling attractive for a change.’
‘You should try it more often.’
‘Try what?’ Her smile disappeared. Her hands fell away from her face. A shadow flickered in her eyes—a blue moon sinking into an inky sea—as she crossed her arms and hugged her shoulders. ‘Looking attractive? Gee, thanks heaps.’
‘Fun, Emma. Just try having some fun.’ He was barely aware that his hands had somehow moved towards her thighs, so close he could feel the heat from her body, and barely caught himself in time.
He jerked back and away. Pushed to his feet. If he stayed he was just un-sober enough to show her something about having fun … and he didn’t want to think about the consequences if he did.
Not tonight.
‘Since you don’t seem to need me for anything, I’mgoing to see if I can catch up with Ry after all. I haven’t heard the limo leave yet.’ He didn’t know what demon prompted him to add, ‘The night’s still young. Might as well enjoy my evening off …’
He winked—he
never
winked—leaving Emma staring wide-eyed at him as he lifted a hand, then turned and walked away. ‘‘Night.’
He let himself out and headed towards the limo at the top of the drive. He needed the brisk evening air to cool his groin. So much for keeping his past where it belonged. He’d moved on, made something of himself. Until Earl had died and all the old bad had rushed back.
He didn’t need Emma messing with his head, trying to make everything all right. Maybe he should just keep things as they were. Acquaintances. Casual friends.
He came to an abrupt halt. Except … now he’d tasted her on his lips, enjoyed the slippery slide of her lithe womanly body against his. Seen and felt her respond as a woman did to a man she fancied …
Friends,
hell
. It was too late for that.
CHAPTER FIVE
‘D ID you ever see such a view?’ Emma leaned over the balcony outside the room she was sharing with Stella for the night. ‘You sure know how to pick a wedding venue. It’s like some god has spread a knobbly green carpet over the Grand Canyon, then sprayed it with a fine indigo mist.’
‘It helps that one of Ryan’s uncles owns the place,’ her sister said cheerily behind her.
Nestled on the edge of the escarpment at Echo Point, in the famous Blue Mountains west of Sydney, the exclusive boutique hotel was pure luxury. The majestic view of Jamieson Valley stretched out below them, equally breathtaking. As evening approached, soft golden light coloured the sky. Inky pools were swallowing up the valley floor, and the sun’s last rays hammered the streaks of exposed rock with vermilion, carving deep purple shadows between.
Stella joined Emma at the balcony’s wooden rail. ‘The guys won’t be seeing anything like this where they are.’
‘No,’ Emma murmured, drawing her tracksuit jacket closer as the air chilled. The guys and Ryan’s parents were spending the night at a cosy little bed and breakfast in Katoomba, a two-minute drive away. ‘But I’m sure they’ll find something to entertain them.’ Her tone was more caustic than she’d intended.
She was still brooding over the way Jake had swaggered out of the studio last night. She couldn’t stop wondering what he’d got up to afterwards. Her fingers tightened on the cool wood. He’d
winked
at her. She knew exactly what he’d got up to.
And why on earth was she tying herself up in knots over it? It was precisely the kind of behaviour that reminded her that
Similar Books
