Page 17 of Embers of Love

Both Josephine and Ember denied at the same time. It made her a little annoyed that her date had used a fake name as well as lying about her age, but then again, so had she. Josephine was in no position to cast any stones.

She recovered first.

“Hello, Ember, your mother has told me so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you,” she smiled and walked up to her with her best bedside manner on full display.

“Uh, hi. Mom mentioned you too,” Ember replied awkwardly. Her beautiful brown eyes looked as uncomfortable as was possible. Clearly, she was still reeling from the shock.

Josephine found her gaze dragging to Ember’s lovely full lips. She couldn’t stop thinking about what that mouth had done to her.

And those hands. Big strong hands.

Jesus. Josephine. Pull yourself together.

It made sense now, Josephine thought. She’d been wondering what job Emma—no, Ember—did that made her body so toned. Turns out, she was a firefighter, just like her mother.

And she had Becky’s brown eyes and reddish hair. Like a taller, stronger, more masculine Becky. Should she have recognized her as Becky’s daughter?

Now, how the hell was she going to tell her friend that she had slept with her daughter? There was no way Becky could ever know. She was fiercely protective of Ember, and something told Josephine her friend wouldn’t take too kindly to her daughter seeing a woman who was more than 20 years older than her. She wanted to sigh. Phoenix Ridge had been so perfect, up until just now.

She asked Ember a few questions, nothing particularly serious. All pertaining to her general health and how she was feeling. She seemed to be doing okay, but she was still going to wait until the test results came back. Ember’s eyes tracked her every movement, they flickered over her breasts and seemed particularly keen on her face. It was as though the young woman couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Josephine couldn’t believe it either. Ember looked sad. Clearly, they needed to talk but now wasn’t the time. Not while her mother was right there.

“Well, looks like you’re doing great.”

Josephine placed her palm on the back of Ember’s hand. It was supposed to be a kind gesture, but the feeling of their skin touching again made her develop instant goosebumps. She unconsciously clenched her thighs, remembering the feeling of Ember’s strong fingers, the same ones under her hand, as they teased her pussy before entering her.

Stop it, Josephine! She’s Becky’s daughter for god’s sake! She’s entirely out of bounds. Don’t even think about it.

Their night of passion was still very fresh in her mind, and with the way Ember was staring at her, it was fresh in hers too.

Josephine pulled away quickly, attempting to mask her slip up with a smile.

“I’ll come check up on you from time to time.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Ember offered her own fake smile; her emotive brown eyes held a great deal of questions. Josephine wasn’t sure she had the answers to any of them.

She turned to Becky. “She’s doing great. You can take a break if you need and go home. The hospital staff will keep an eye on her for you.”

Becky nodded. She had dark circles under her eyes. Josephine could tell she was tired and she did need to get some sleep, but it was clear she wasn’t ready to leave her daughter’s side. Josephine said her goodbyes and left hastily before things got even more awkward.

Ember Thompson. Josephine glanced at the name on the clipboard. Twenty-eight years old. She’s so young, she thought guiltily. And so beautiful.

Before, it had been difficult to keep Ember out of her mind. Now, with her in the same hospital, albeit as a patient, she was the only thing Josephine could think about. She went through the day mechanically, answering questions, asking some, but largely she barely paid attention. Most of the things they told her, she already knew about them. She noted when Becky finally left to go get some much-needed sleep at her house. Ember was alone. The coast was clear.

No, Josephine, you shouldn’t, she told herself. But multiple times throughout the day she found her feet carrying her towards Ember’s room. She would turn away, only to find herself back there a few minutes later.

Finally, she decided to end the farce. She knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Josephine tried to steel her nerves. A few deep breaths did nothing to calm her down.

Just go inside, she won’t eat you.

But I want her to eat me.

Josephine blushed suddenly at the double entendre of that thought. She forced herself to twist the knob and let herself in.

Ember’s eyes immediately fixated on her. Josephine felt so self-conscious under the young woman’s unwavering gaze that swept over her body.

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