Page 22 of Miles Apart
Neither of us anticipated a sleepover, but I covered her with a comforter the moment her long lashes fell closed. She let out a relaxed sigh at the warmth over the lingerie I wanted to pull apart with my teeth. The memory of our time at Ravenous had my ass back in the other room with a head shake and a hard dick.
There are certain lines I don’t cross, and fucking around for real with Emma is up there with messing with wives. She hits too close to home and will force you to break every rule. That makes her dangerous.
I got my own nut in the shower, jerking my damn dick like a Shake Weight while thinking about her. Then I threw on a pair of sweats and sat in front of my computer to work. Every so often, I’d hear soft snores pulling me back to her room.
Emma slept face-down under a halo of curls, her arms outstretched and a smile edging the corners of her bow-shaped lips. Justice would kick my ass if she found out Emma spent the night in my hotel room.
She was gone when I woke up the next morning, and there hasn’t been a sighting or a run-in since. Women who don’t spend the night don’t overstay their welcome, but how long did she wait to sprint her ass out my room like there was a plague in the sheets with her?
There’s a knock at the door before a gold envelope appears underneath. What is this?
Chapter 10
Emma
“Are you keeping warm? I can send thick socks.”
“I’m warm, Ms. Ang,” I chuckle. “We only have a few days left here.”
“Okay, sweetie! You know I worry about my girls.”
Like mother, like daughter.
Angela Garvey will ship heaters and a wardrobe full of flannel if I sneeze wrong. She hasn’t stopped loving me since Justice invited me into their home twenty years ago. She taught me about curl patterns. She showed me how to care for my thick hair without using the flat iron my mother pushed to “tame” it.
I learned about unconditional love from her. I still smile, years later, when she asks if I’m drinking enough water or getting enough sleep.
No judgment.
No snide comments.
Only acceptance.
“When will I see you?” Pots clamor on the other end of the phone. Ms. Ang loves cooking, even on a Friday night.
“Not sure,” I say. “You know how work goes.” I always try to swing by Alexandria to see the Garveys. Their place still feels like home twenty years later.
“Always on the go.” Pride shines in her voice. Justice is a carbon copy of her mother, from her face to her heart. “Make sure you take time for yourself. Are you drinking water?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I smile.
“How’s the retreat? Any prospects?”
Come for me again.
I swallow hard. “I’m keeping my options open,” I say.
“Good for you, sweetie. Whether you decide to take a life partner or not, never settle. You’ll know once you’re with the right person.”
“How will I? Just curious.”
“When the love feels safe for you to be your full self,” Ms. Ang says with the warmth of a woman in a healthy relationship. “Is Justice around? I haven’t heard from her since you two first arrived.”
“She’s…busy.”
Getting her guts rearranged in her room.
Justice and Terrence are making up for lost time. They are trying every sexual position possible in a hotel room. There are a lot, for the record.
