Nine

Emery

I’d say that the service was interesting, but I was a horrible person and didn’t pay attention. Not that I was not religious. Not exactly. But, when the most eligible bachelor in the city was sitting three rows in front of you and you knew he’d wanted nothing more than to get into your pants the night before, it was a bit hard to concentrate.

Especially at the halfway mark when everyone was allowed to get up to greet their neighbors, and he turned to look right at me. I probably should go up to him to apologize for running away yesterday and just fucking explain who I was. I still couldn’t believe that I hadn’t just told him.

How hard was it to say I dated your brother?

Apparently, really difficult. Really, really difficult. Especially with his tongue down my throat.

I’d known what Heidi was doing by only giving him my nickname, Em. Emery was not common at all, and the light bulb would have registered immediately. Still, I hadn’t corrected her, and I hadn’t told him why I’d run away. Because I hadn’t wanted to walk away. Maybe a part of me was still thinking about that unattainable, hot college guy that Heidi and I had dreamed about in high school.

Now, he was an even hotter billionaire CEO who was looking a whole hell of a lot more attainable.

If only I hadn’t dated his brother.

My mother, of all people, saved me from humiliating myself in front of Jensen. She latched on to my arm and dragged me over to Betty, a woman I used to work for at the Buddy Holly Center when I was in high school. They had an opening after their latest hire quit, and she was more than excited to have me back on staff.

So, at least something positive came out of the whole church experience.

When the service ended, my mother milled around, chatting with all her friends. I knew that we wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while unless I hitched a ride with Noah. And, by the look on Kimber’s face, she was already getting ready to tell me off for considering it.

I stood and stretched, all the while wondering whether or not I should wait for everyone outside…or if I should say something to Jensen.

Before I could decide on what to do, Jensen left his family behind in the front row and then walked casually over to where I was leaning against the edge of the pew.

“Hey. Surprised to find you here,” he said with that same charming smile.

God, did he have another smile? Oh my God, I had made out with those lips.

“Hey. Yeah,” I said back, glancing away.

Smooth.

Let’s just take awkward to a whole new level.

“I didn’t realize your family went to church here,” he said.

His eyes wandered past me to Kimber, Noah, and Lilyanne and then traveled to my mother.

“Yeah. My mom has been going here since…forever.”

“Right. I didn’t put two and two together.” He smiled. “Well, I really came over to apologize about last night.”

My eyebrow quirked, and I shot him a dubious look. “What exactly are you apologizing for?”

Last I checked, that kiss was the hottest thing I’d ever experienced, and he had no need to apologize.

“Everything apparently,” he said. “I realized that my advances must have been…unwanted. I think I might have pushed you and made you feel…uncomfortable, which was not my intention.”

Ha! Uncomfortable was not the right word. I’d felt like my body had a different brain. One that was screaming yes when I knew no was the right answer.

“You didn’t push your luck. It’s fine,” I said with a wave of my hand.

What I wanted to say was, Kiss me again. God, please, kiss me again. I won’t run this time.

And the look in his eye said he knew.

“I assume you’ve figured out who I am.”

“Emery Robinson,” he drawled. “Yes, I know who you are.”

“And see, now, you’re not interested,” I said before tacking on a shaky laugh.

“Oh,” he said, his eyes intense and commanding, “but I am.”

My mouth popped open into a tiny little O of surprise. Jensen knew I’d dated Landon, and he was still interested in me? No way. He must be mistaken.

His eyes dropped to my mouth, and he swallowed. We both seemed to be having the same damning thoughts.

He took a step toward me, entering my personal space, and leaned in near my ear. “Perhaps we should take this conversation outside. I try to avoid impure thoughts in church.”

A small gasp escaped my lips, and then I covered my mouth with my hand. My eyes slid from his to survey the church as I was slammed back into reality.

Jensen Wright was having dirty thoughts about me in church.

Oh, hell yes!

“Okay,” I found myself saying.

He even seemed surprised that I had agreed. Last night, I’d dashed away from him and into oblivion. Found Heidi and disappeared entirely. Now, I was saying yes to talking to him again.

“Okay then.”

“Hey, Kimber,” I said, turning to face my sister.

Her eyes were as wide as plates when she looked at me.

“I’m…I’m just going to go outside, all right?”

“Sure,” she said.

“Just, um, come find me when Mom is done.”

“Will do. But…if you get another ride home, that’s okay, too,” Kimber said boldly.

I rounded my eyes in exasperation, but Kimber stifled a laugh behind her hand. Between Kimber and Heidi, they were determined to set me up by Christmas. As if I hadn’t just gotten out of a sort of three-year relationship with Mitch. God, thinking about that made my head hurt. What a huge mistake.

“Good to go,” I said, snatching up my cell phone.

Kimber had my wallet in her purse since I hated carrying one.

“That’s it?” he asked.

“What? Oh, my phone? Yeah. Purses are annoying.”

He laughed and cocked his head to the side. “Interesting. Why do you think that? I thought most women loved purses.”

I fell into step beside him. “Yeah, well, I’m not most women. I think they’re pretty, but why would I want to lug something around full of junk that I probably won’t need, only to hurt myself by carrying the weight around?”

“Fair point,” he said with an amused smile on his face.

We passed through the narthex and went out into the Texas sunshine. I stripped off my cardigan since the weather was in the seventies. It never stopped amazing me, how bizarre the weather patterns were here. But I would take it if I got to wear a short-sleeved dress in December.

“This is a little strange,” I said.

“Why?”

I chewed on my lip and shrugged. “I don’t know…because I dated your brother?”

Jensen shifted his feet and then stared down at me like I was his next meal. “That was a long time ago, right?”

“Yeah,” I admitted. “You’re right. It was forever ago.”

“And you’re away at school right now?”

I narrowed my eyes, wondering where he had gotten his information. Not that I wanted to tell him that I’d just quit pursuing my degree. Only my mother, Kimber, and Heidi knew that.

“Away is kind of a loose phrase for someone who hasn’t lived in Lubbock in almost ten years,” I said nonchalantly.

“That’s true, I suppose. It’s not like many people move back once they’ve seen the big wide world,” he said with a grin.

“Yeah. There’s a reason for that.”

“What would that be?” he asked, genuinely curious.

But he had to know. Lubbock was suffocating. Big enough to have an airport, small enough for the airport to have to reroute you everywhere you really wanted to go. It had improved in every way since I left in high school. Better restaurants, better shopping, better amenities. But it was still Lubbock—dry, dusty, and flat as hell.

“Because not everyone has a private jet that can fly them wherever they want,” I said. Then, I covered my mouth in horror. “Oh God, you know what? That was really rude. Definitely rude. I don’t even know if you have a private jet.”

“I do,” he said with blatant amusement as I tried to cover up my mishap.

“Okay. Well, even if you didn’t…still rude.”

“Do you want to go out with me?” Jensen asked point-blank.

“What?” I gasped. “I was just rude to you. Why would you want to?”

“You’re refreshing. You don’t have to apologize to me. I’ve been in your presence for fifteen minutes, and I’m already certain that I want to continue to do so.”

His eyes slid to my lips with the unsaid words hanging between us.

I’d like another one of those kisses. Please, and thank you.

“But…but you don’t even know me,” I said. I had no idea why I was arguing with him.

“That’s true. However, I would very much like to get to know you, if you’d let me, Emery.”

I was pretty sure that it was the way he said my name that made me realize he was serious.

It made no sense to me. I couldn’t be like the other girls he had dated. I remembered a tall blonde girlfriend he’d had in college who was around the house when I dated Landon. Smart, beautiful, legs for days with a body that belonged in a Victoria’s Secret ad and a smile that belonged on a Crest commercial. She was the kind of girl someone like Jensen Wright picked up. Not me.

Yet, in some strange twist of the universe, this was happening. To me!

I wanted to ask why. Perhaps the glamorous look from last night had won him over, but today, I was once again makeup-free. My hair still held the curls from last night, so they looked all right. But I still didn’t understand it.

I was an average girl, and he was a gorgeous Texas billionaire. He could have anyone he wanted, but he’d picked me.

“All right,” I said finally.

“Great. Let me get your number.”

He handed me his phone, so I could add my number into his cell. Then, I texted myself from his phone.

“I was thinking tomorrow night. Does that work for you?”

“Tomorrow?” I squeaked.

“Fine, you’ve convinced me,” he said with a grin. “How about tonight?”

“Tonight?”

“We could just go now,” he suggested. “I don’t have a free day, but I can rearrange.”

My mouth was slightly hanging open in disbelief. “You want to see me right now?”

“I am seeing you right now.” He passed me back my phone. “And I like what I see.”

I laughed at the comment and felt a blush creeping up my neck. “Well, I think maybe tonight would be good. Where do you want to go?”

“I have an idea,” he said with a grin. “Bring a big coat, and wear something comfortable.”

My brows furrowed. “You don’t strike me as a wear-something-comfortable sort of date.”

“It’s the suit, isn’t it?” he asked.

“I suppose so.”

“I have a question. How do you like sleeping?”

“What does that even mean?” I asked with a laugh. “I love sleeping. Doesn’t everyone? Though I didn’t get much of it in grad school.”

“Okay, good. Don’t plan on getting any tonight,” he told me.

“That’s awfully presumptuous,” I said softly, averting my eyes again. The blush was full-blown now.

He pressed his finger under my chin and tilted my head up to look at him. His eyes were warm and inviting. I suddenly felt as if I could drown in them. My body responded to his touch like a struck match, and I was sure he knew it.

“Big coat and something comfortable. We’ll see if I’m presumptuous tonight.” He smiled and looked like he wanted to kiss me again. “I can’t wait until then.”

Then, he released me and disappeared into the parking lot.

My body was humming. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I had a date with Jensen Wright tonight. And he had already promised that I would be out all night. Even though my logical brain was saying not to lose my heart to someone like him, my body was screaming to lose everything else.