Page 33 of Miles Apart
“Because your parents went out all the time?”
She nods. “Something like that.”
Tension slithers back to the table. Emma shifts in her seat, uncomfortable with the topic of her parents. But she refuses to falter or give any indication that their absence affects her the way it does.
“I watchedGossip Girl.”
“What?” Shock riddles her face, bending it into a grin.
I shrug to downplay one of my guilty pleasures. If it keeps that smile on her face, I’ll throw inBuffy the Vampire Slayertoo. “It kept my attention, low-key. You got most of the cast at this table.” I point to her horny-ass cousin. “Blair.” The prick still eyeing us. “Carter.” I nod at her aunt, who’s a second away from falling asleep in her soup. “Lily.”
My nose drifts back to Emma’s perfume. “What’s your mama’s name again?”
She tilts her head a breath away from my face. “Juliette.”
“There’s one of those too,” I say, my gaze dancing from the intrigue in her stare to the lust on her lips.
“Oh really?” She inches closer.
“Mm-hmm.” I follow suit.
“Care to let us in on your conversation?”
We break apart at the terse voice and face lips thinned into a straight line. Emma’s mother casts a commanding look between her daughter and me. They have the same moss-green eyes. Her ivory complexion reddens under the mound of diamonds on her neck.
“Nothing important, Mother. Just passing time.” Emma straightens and smooths the cloth napkin over her lap. “Did you need something?”
“You haven’t said a word about your companion for the evening.”
The wordcompaniontwists with curt disapproval she doesn’t hide. Juliette assumes Emma brought a fuck buddy to this fancy-ass dinner, and while that might be almost true, I won’t give her the pleasure of disrespecting her daughter at this overdecorated table.
There are enough “Juliette” roses to make Martha Stewart sneeze.
I cross my ankle over my thigh and rest my arm on the back of Emma’s chair. “What would you like to know, Mrs. Douglass?”
Emma leans over to brush my tux. “You’re asking for it,” she says through her teeth.
I reach down to pat her arm. “Did you forget this is your fault, kitten? You owe me,” I say with a wink.
“Let’s start with where you’re from and how you met my daughter.”
“Didn’t you pick him up at the singles’ retreat you’re at this week?” Carter asks Emma in cold sarcasm.
“A one-night stand? That’s digging low for a date, even for you.” Blair purses her fillered lips and flips her copper hair over her shoulder. Nutmeg eyes turn to me. “Certain activities should be more…private.”
To Em’s credit, she remains indifferent, evidence of the years of experience she’s had in dealing with her family’s bullshit. My family and I take jabs at each other, but never like this. The only people not piling on are her pops, whose back is now to us as he chats with a man at another table, and Lily, who’s snoring softly on a makeshift napkin pillow.
This fucking night.
“Our relationship is new, and Miles is far from a one-night stand,” Emma says in a tone far too gracious for this interrogation. “I went to the retreat with Justice and—”
“Em and I ran into each other in Paris during the September fashion events. I was in the city on business, and our chance reunion turned into a private dinner cruise on the Seine and a stroll across the Louvre courtyard. We’ve known each other since Justice and Terrence got together fifteen years ago. I surprised her on this trip because I couldn’t stay away.”
Emma’s cheeks color under the heat of my gaze as I take her hand and kiss her knuckles. Her breath catches, and our eyes lock before I look away. I might not date, but laying it on thick is a specialty, and I hit the spot every time.
Blair stares in awe while Juliette considers me with less contempt than before. I didn’t mean to interrupt Emma, but I had to jump in at Carter’s lips shifting to show his ass again tonight. He’s one question away from me hemming him up at this fundraiser.
The only person I can’t face is Emma—not because I don’t want another glance. She’s gorgeous, with layers I want to peelaway to learn more about her. What excites a smile, and what brings her peace? T and Jay are family, which makes Emma someone I care about by extension.
