Page 53 of Bad Behavior

Fuck. That’s just great. Not only did I break Asher’s rule about not having sex with Emma… but I’m the only one she’s ever even been with.

I bang my hand on the steering wheel a few times, angry with myself. I know I’m not a grubby teenager anymore, but I still feel like I’m a dirty kid from a bad part of town whenever I think dirty thoughts about Emma.

I’m about to turn on my car and drive away, but at the last second, I see Emma emerge from her house. She’s dressed in a fuzzy pink bathrobe and all but flashing anyone who has the good fortune to be looking. She spots me in my car, and makes a beeline straight for me.

I’ve never seen the expression she’s wearing before, but if I had to guess, I’d say I am in trouble. Sitting back, I watch her approach. She doesn’t ask anything before she pulls the passenger door open, probably flashing half the neighborhood as she climbs into my Jeep.

For a second we both just sit there, silent. I try to read her face, but I come up empty.

“So…” she says, looking down at her robe. She strokes the bottom of it a bit. “You probably could’ve handled that better, Jameson.”

I look off into the gently rising sun. “And you probably could’ve told me before we fucked.”

She studies me. I can feel her eyes on my face, but I can’t bring myself to look at her just yet. I’m ashamed of myself, of how I took her virginity. I’m especially embarrassed of how rough I was with her.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal. And honestly, I kind of thought you knew. Like, who would I have given it to?”

She sounds a little puzzled. I blow out a breath, running a hand through my hair. I look at her. “I don’t know. I just… I would’ve done things way, way differently if I’d known.”

Emma purses her lips. “I feel like if we’d talked about it back at the bar, you wouldn’t have even come over.”

I groan aloud. “Yeah, you’re probably right. You realize how many ways Asher is going to murder me if he finds out that I popped his little sister’s cherry?”

She pulls a face. “I swear, if I hear one more thing about how I am Asher’s sweet, innocent younger sister, I’m going to scream. You guys infantilize me too much.”

I raise a brow. “Come again?”

“You guys treat me like I’m a little kid!” she protests. I can hear the frustration in her voice. “I’m twenty four years old. And I’m in law school. I might not have as much life experience as you, but I’m a real, actual adult. I am capable of making my own decisions, without my parents or my brother speaking for me.”

I can see how upset she’s getting. I reach out for her automatically, like I’ve been comforting her for years. My arm slips around her, and I draw her closer. It’s meant to be a one armed hug, but she misunderstands. She sort of launches herself at me, laying her lips on mine.

And I’m ashamed to admit, I kiss her back. Even while I’m beating myself up over the night before, I still feel a special kind of weakness when it comes to Emma. It’s the same weakness that brought me to her house last night.

When the kiss ends, I look at Emma. She’s got the wispy bits of hair that defy her bun. I take a moment to smooth one back. She grabs my hand, very insistent. She looks at me, her green eyes intently scanning my face.

“Are things going to be weird between us?” she says. “I mean, I still want to learn to surf. And you still have a lot of studying to do. Can we just… still do that?”

I take a deep breath. I can’t say no to that. Not with her in my arms, asking me like the question will make or break her day.

I nod slowly. “We can do that.”

“Okay.” She scoots out of my embrace. “So… I guess I’ll see you later, then?”

“Uh huh.” I squint into the distance, uncomfortable.

She gets out of the Jeep, closing the door. She stops, then hangs her head in the open side.

“Thanks again. For… you know, unwittingly taking my v card. It was really, really fun.”

I don’t know how to respond, so I just incline my head. She turns and heads back into her house. I can’t help but check out the way that her ass cheeks hang out of her bathrobe as she scurries up the steps to her porch.

Damn. I literally had sex four times in the last seven hours, but I’m still scoping her out like a lovelorn teenager. I shake my head as I start my Jeep, and put it in drive.

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