Page 13 of Never Finished

“Like you wanted to rip each other’s clothes off and have hot animal sex on the bar?” Caroline offered.

My eyes widened, and I felt my cheeks flush.

“Well?” Caroline pressed.

“Yeah,” I whispered, “how did you know that?”

Caroline laughed. “An educated guess. Think about it Emma, you two were practically babies when you last saw each other, and while you were drawn to him then, there is a very big difference between teenage boy cute and grown man hot. Young men are excited about the possibility of seeing someone naked. Grown ass men look at you in a way that lets you know they have very specific plans for what they want to do to you…”

Leave it to Caroline to break down a sensually palpable moment to that of textbook science.

“So my next question is… did Mr. Acosta look at you like he had plans for you?”

My mind rushed back to the memory of Jaime’s eyes skating all over me and how they’d returned to my gaze with a fresh heat. Did he have plans for me? The mere thought of it made me feel hot all over again.

“Aaaand, I will take that dreamy expression on your face as a yes,” Caroline said, smiling.

I warmed even more beneath her speculative gaze. “I haven’t told you everything… I made plans to see him again.”

Her eyes widened, and a mischievous smile stole over her lips. “Oh, I see. Arranging a little bump and grind time, alright Carter, that’s what I’m talking about.”

My head shook in denial before she’d even finished saying the words. “No, no, no, nothing like that.”

Caroline looked at me sternly. “And why not?”

My heart raced at the possibility, even as my mind insisted it was not an option. “Because…” I started, my mouth searching for the right words. Caroline watched me impatiently with raised eyebrows. Finally I huffed out, “it’s complicated.”

“Ah yes, the old standby. Well, my dear, the solution is simple—uncomplicate it.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You haven’t been living with the pain of having to choose between my family and Jaime.”

“True. But the fact is, you are adults. You could have a mutually satisfying affair while you’re here, as long as you both understand what the boundaries are.”

“Boundaries?” I squeaked out.

“I’m not talking about coming up with a safe word—although that could be fun. I’m just saying if you know this is just sex while you’re here, then that needs to be communicated up front. That way you might actually have some fun on this God forsaken trip,” she clarified.

The thought was intriguing but… “it’s hard to think about Jaime as just sex though.”

Caroline snickered. “Please, if you ask me, that’s the only way to think of any man. They’re too much trouble otherwise.”

I grimaced at her declaration, but I wasn’t surprised. Caroline had grown up as a child of divorce with parents who still fought to this day, even though they’d lived apart for most of her life. She didn’t have the rosiest outlook on relationships and she’d proclaimed more than once that the idea of a “one true love” was a crock of shit.

While I disagreed with her, this was not the moment to have a philosophical debate about love.

“When are you going to see him again?”

“I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t,” I mumbled.

“Come on, Emma, you have to see him. Even if you don’t get physical, you know you’ll regret it if you don’t. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been wondering about this guy. Maybe if you spend some time with him, you can at least get some closure.”

“Maybe,” I said, my mind twisting it over. “God Caroline, I am so sorry. I have been going on and on about myself and I haven’t even asked what possessed you to come here? I thought you were chained to your desk for the foreseeable future?”

Caroline’s expression dropped for a moment before she pasted a bright, very un-Caroline smile onto her face. “Well, you and Abby keep saying I need a vacation.”

“Yeah, but we’ve been saying that forever. Why would you take our advice now?” I asked, observing her carefully. Caroline could be cagey and of the three of us, she was definitely the most mysterious. I never got the impression she did this intentionally. She was just played her cards close to the vest, even with her best friends.

I could see the wheels spinning in her head, but I kept my steady gaze on her, hoping if I stayed unwavering she would fold.

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