Page 163 of Sin With Me

Chapter14

Emma

“I’m sosorry about your loss.” We still sat with our backs leaning against the barn, looking out into the distance.

“I’m healing. It’s hasn’t been easy. I guess losing myself in the cheating cases at work helped. I think I needed that more than I would admit, because believing in true love again was impossible and the cheaters provedit.”

“Do you believe in it now?” Eric asked.

“I don’t know. I want to, but I’m not sure I can justyet.”

“Love unscathed is not love. Love is pain and suffering, because one day, one of you will lose the other, and that is the day you wish you were both taken from this world. And all you can do is hope that you don’t go before a ripe old age, and within hours of each other.”

“I’m not sure I can believe in that kind of passion again.”

“It’s not something that can be rushed, Em. But I think you should definitely let your heart open up and give it a chance. Believe me, you definitely have the passion.” He grinned, and I felt my body warm withlust.

“Have you been in love?” I asked.

“I don’t think so.” Eric shook his head. “It’s been hard to find time for it, and no one has ever caught my attention for long enough to give it a go. Not until you, Em.”

I gasped.

“If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m quite fond ofyou.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to get in my panties again.”

“I have no doubt I will, Em. But I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t meanit.”

My heart went off its regular rhythm. “Oh, is that the house you used to live in?” I pointed, changing the subject.

“Yes.”

“It’scute.”

“It’sold.”

“May I seeit?”

“Clever girl. We’ll get back to this subject soon. I promise.” He helped me up. I straightened my clothes, making a note to change my soaked panties as soon as we got back to the ranch.

We walked through the field toward Eric’s old family home, where he reached under a broken pot and removed a key. Inside, lifted by the breeze, dust swirled in the air. The smell of mold was overpowering as I strolled past the threshold, leaving a trail of my steps behind me. Pieces of old furniture remained, some covered with white linens, other not. Even a few photographs that had never been taken down from the fireplace mantle remained. I picked one up–it looked like Eric as a young boy with two friends. I wiped the glass with the corner of my shirt and asked, “This isyou?”

“Yes,” he said. The side of Eric’s neck tensed as if he didn’t want me touching the photo. I brought it closer to my face and pointed to the boy in the middle. “I recognizehim.”

“You should. It’s Derek Fields. We were in the scouts together. This was one of the good years.”

“He looks familiar as well.” I moved my fingers to the otherboy.

“That’s Reeve. It’s the uniform, Emma. We all look the same because of the uniforms.”

I squinted my eyes looking closer, trying to place the face, but nothing would click. Eric removed the photograph from my hands and lowered it back to the mantle, face down. He pulled me into his full body, squeezing his arms aroundme.

“You were playing the role of my girlfriend quite well back there.”

I looked up into his sky-blue eyes waiting for him to continue.

“And I was thinking whether that’s something you’d think about permanently.”

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