Page 17 of Sweet Passions at Bayside
“No, thanks,” Rick said. “I’m taking Des out to dinner.”
“Dean?” Brody asked.
Dean shook his head, chewing nails over the idea of Brody hanging out with Emery in her barely there bikini.
The second Brody left, laughter fell from Serena’s lips. She came around the desk and unfurled Dean’s fingers. “Don’t even try to pretend you don’t have a thing for Emery! First you give her a key and now you want to kill Brody?”
“Never said I wanted to kill him.”Maim, maybe, but not kill.
Serena grabbed her keys from the desk drawer. “You know she has a date tonight, right?”
“Mm-hm.” He’d been trying to forget about it all day.
“You sure you’re not setting yourself up for trouble inviting Emery to stay with you?” Rick asked.
“I’m not sure of anything, but I’m not about to let her stay in a house with naked guys roaming around.”
“Guy,” Serena corrected. “Singular.And from what she told me, he wasn’t a bad sight to wake up to. He just surprised her.”
Dean trapped a growl in his throat. “TMI, Serena.”
She laughed softly.
He was gladshefound this humorous, because it was eating him up inside.
Rick lowered his voice and said, “You could fire her before she starts working here.”
“There’s no reason to fire her. We’re justfriends.” Firing Emery was sounding better by the second, but he knew how she felt about dating friends.If this keeps up, I’m liable to say or do something I can’t take back, and there will be no friendship to worry about.He pointed at Serena and said, “And don’t go spouting off to the girls about this thing you think is going on. That’s all I need, for you and the girls to make Emery feel weird around me.”
Unable to remember why he’d come into the office in the first place, he stormed out the door and headed across the grounds toward his place. Every step amped up his frustration as thoughts of Brody putting his hands on Emery in that tiny bikini of hers peppered his mind. By the time he reached his cottage, he was sure steam was coming out his ears.
The kitchen doors were wide open, and Emery’s bright orange Jetta was parked out front. He went inside and tossed his keys in the bowl on the kitchen counter—where he usually kept his golf cart keys. The darn things had been missing for two days, and he’d searched high and low for them. He usually used the cart to carry supplies around the property, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now. Besides, with Emery around, he’d likely have an overload of built-up frustration to walk off.
The cottage was too quiet for his sweet, infuriatingchaosto be there. He stalked to her open bedroom door.Man, I’m already thinking about it as her room.
The room looked like it had been hit by a tornado. Suitcases lay open on the bed. Emery’s clothes were strewn over the sides, across the bed, and a few stray pieces lay on the floor, like someone had raided her luggage. Tango and Cash were curled up in the center of the mess. Tango opened one eye, but he must have found him boring, because he went right back to sleep.
Dean stepped into the room, inhaling Emery’s unique scent, which wound through him, softening his frustration and tightening his gut at once. He reached out and touched a slinky black dress hanging over the closet door. Soft. Silky.And you’re not wearing it for me.He took a step and nearly tripped over several pairs of heels lying in a heap beneath the window. The dresser was already littered with her things—hairbrush, comb, perfume bottles—and boy did he like seeing her things in his house.
The devil on his shoulder sneered.She’s out on a date, you idiot.
The idea of another guy picking her up at his house sent fire through his veins. That probably made him a jerk, but he didn’t care. Would she have left for her date without closing up the house?It’s Emery. Of course she would.He should be more annoyed by her leaving the house wide open, but there was no room for that with the image of Emery and another guy front and center in his mind.
He tore off his T-shirt and headed for the bathroom to take a cold shower, hoping it would ease his mounting frustration. As he neared the bathroom, he heard water splashing, and an undeniable feminine scent filled his senses. He stopped cold, envisioning Emery lying naked in the tub, and he became aware of steam seeping through the slightly ajar door. One step backward might bring her into view.
“Dean? Is that you?”
Her voice jerked him from his reverie. “Uh-huh.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I got in the tub and forgot my razor. Would you mind grabbing it from the pink bag on my bed?”
“Seriously?” He closed his eyes, unable to shake the vision of her lying in his tub naked. He was a nice guy, but there was no way he could go in that bathroom without giving away his true feelings, and risking their friendship.
“Please?I have to meet Dave at six, and my legs feel like sandpaper.”
“Then don’t let him touch your legs,” he growled before he could stop himself. He clenched his teeth together and said, “You know it’s five thirty-five, right?”
“What? No!”
