Page 16 of Never Finished

I stopped in the doorway, not bothering to look back. "You know, you’re really starting to sound like Mom."

I didn’t catch her expression as I headed for the stairs, but I heard her little gasp and then a quiet and sincere “thanks.” I bit back a laugh. If I had said the same thing to my oldest sister Sofia, she would have thrown a chancla at my head. But to Maria, there was no greater compliment.

I shook my head as I headed up the stairs, the events of the day finally catching up to my body. I guess the adrenaline was wearing off. Although she was the baby of the family, Maria really was wise beyond her years. And her question continued to ring through my ears as I grabbed my pajama pants and headed to the shower.

So many emotions collided within me when I laid eyes on Emma. It was exhilarating… and absolutely terrifying, especially the feeling of relief that washed over me. I was aware of how hard it had been to live without her all this time, but this was the first time I realized I’d been holding my breath for years.

With Emma back in Silverpine, I could breathe again. The oxygen was rushing through my bloodstream and while I wanted to drink in the air and fill my lungs, there was a real possibility this feeling would not last. She would probably only be here for a few days, and then what? I would be right back where I started—maybe even worse.

The fact of the matter was, another taste of Emma could end me.

And yet… I knew with the clarity of a man walking towards his executioner, there was no going back.

If she were to offer herself up, I would go all in like a man diving into his last meal and I would savor every bite. And as I stood beneath the warm spray of my shower, I let my imagination run wild, thinking about how heavenly Emma would taste. How she would respond in my arms, throwing her head back and revealing the milky, sensitive skin of her neck.

Then I thought about my fingers tracing the low neckline of that dress, my lips following in their wake, and how I’d slip the thin straps off her shoulders and let the shimmery mass fall to the floor.

Emma had always been a stunner. My beam of light with that dazzling smile. But now that she’d grown into those beautiful curves and after watching the enticing sway of her generous hips as she walked away from me, it took everything in me not to hop over the bar and hunt her down.

I wonder how she would’ve reacted if I had. If I’d grabbed her and backed her into the wall of the lobby and taken her mouth, claiming her out in the open for anyone to see.

My hand tightened around my shaft and my strokes became more aggressive at the image. Would her creamy, fair skin blush at my touch? Starting high in her cheeks, running all the way down to her breasts?

That was all it took to inspire my release. I was needy for her. The mere thought of a blush was enough to make me come hard in my hand, breathing hard in the shower, until I came back to my senses and remembered where the hell I was. I let the hot water wash over me for a little while longer and then forced myself to turn it off and dry off.

She’d only been back for a few hours and I was already wrestling with myself, torn over what to do.

I glimpsed myself in the mostly steamed over mirror and laughed. Who was I kidding? I knew exactly what I was going to do… I was going to take any and every opportunity to get close to her again, even though it may wind up hurting like hell. But it would be worth it.

Emma

Icertainly didn’t expect to be up as early as I was. Then again, everything about the last few days had been unexpected. Between the excitement of running into Jaime and staying up late with Caroline, I fully expected to sleep like the dead, but here I was at the mahogany secretary’s desk going over financials for Get Outdoors, the Travers’ outdoor sports tour business.

I could still hear Caroline snoring softly from the bedroom as I focused on the figures before me like my life depended on it, though it was futile because all I could think about was Jaime.

I still couldn’t get over running into him here, of all places. Pine Crest had been a big bone of contention for us back in the day. I worried that he’d believed I was just doing my father’s bidding by choosing my family over him. But this resort was important to me—not because of the money it made my family, but because of what it meant to my mom and the way it supported the local community since it was built 30 years ago.

Silverpine was still a small town, thanks to our elected officials. They’d refused permits to big box stores and limited development of strip malls. The vacationers who came in droves to the resort had no choice but to frequent the small family-run businesses and boutique shops. I was proud of that. This resort helped fuel the community that my mother had spent her life adoring and serving.

I'd been terrified to lose Jaime back then, but was even more fearful of losing my mother, and now here I was without either of them. At least I'd gotten those final few years with my mom. It made me think about Jaime’s mom, Esmeralda. She’d always been such a spitfire. Her not remembering her past or her children tore at me. I could only imagine how difficult it was for Jaime, Sofia and Maria to watch her slowly decline.

I felt so helpless when my mother was sick and dying, but at least Lydia Carter had full control of her faculties right up to the very end. My heart ached for Jaime and his sisters and what they were going through. And with their father gone, they were going to be orphans at a much younger age than most facing the same situation. At least I still had my dad.

Though lately it felt like I was losing him, too. I could understand why there was no light in his eyes anymore. If it wasn’t for Abby and Caroline, I’m certain the light in my eyes would’ve been snuffed out as well. But I felt like I was spending most of my time fighting for his attention, to hold on to the best parts of him. Sometimes I worry all those good parts died with my mother.

“Come on Emma, focus,” I schooled myself as I tried to reexamine the numbers before my tired eyes. I needed to have a solid understanding of these figures before I had dinner with Andrew Jr. this evening and I hoped to God he’d be prepared to talk business, unlike the other night. Socializing was always a part of the deal, but I wasn’t interested in escorting an overgrown frat boy for the duration of this trip. All my father wanted was to secure this merger, but I wanted to make sure we were actually making a sound business decision that wouldn’t come back to bite us later.

As I sat working on some figures, I could hear birdsong through the suite window. I smiled to myself when the song struck a chord and grew closer. I jerked my head up and spied a brown-capped rosy finch.

A grin stretched across my face—it was one of my mom’s favorites. We would spend hours on the trail, hiking through the beautiful woods behind the resort, and she would point out all the birds, imitating their calls. Later, when Jaime and I became friends, we would sneak out to the same spot and I would educate him on the birds and plants. I remembered telling him about my mom’s favorite bird on one of those hikes.

I swallowed around a lump of emotion at the memory, then looked down, frustrated at the spreadsheet in front of me. It was no wonder I couldn’t focus. I had all this beautiful land waiting to be explored, and I was stuck inside staring at numbers.

I scooted back from the desk and dug out my hiking boots and comfy clothes from my suitcase. Before I’d gotten on the plane to Denver, I scolded myself for bothering to pack them because I wouldn’t have time to enjoy the serenity of woods. It would be work, work, work after all. But now I was grateful for being stubborn enough to keep the clothes in my suitcase.

In minutes, I was dressed and out the door. I left a note for Caroline, reminding her to have the Denver Omelet for breakfast since it's our specialty.

The halls were quiet this time of morning, so I didn’t have to interact with too many people as I headed out for my hike. I couldn’t help but sneak a peek at the bar as I passed by, even though I knew it wouldn’t be open for hours. Still, knowing I would see him again soon sent a thrill of excitement through me. Between that and the first gulp of fresh mountain air I inhaled as I stepped outside, I felt high.

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