Page 25 of Sweet Passions at Bayside
“You don’t want to do this. I’m not even yourtype.” She knew his father would never approve of a small-town, uneducated yoga teacher for his precious son, which meant they could never have anything real and lasting even if she was willing to risk everything.
“You’re wrong, doll. I’ve wanted to do this since the first night we met, and every phone call, every text, every freaking thought of you since, has only made me want you more.”
Panic swelled inside her, warring with the manic butterflies that had taken flight. She’d done such a good job of not letting herself see him as anything more than a friend for so long, she couldn’t relent now. It would only lead to the beginning of the end of their friendship, and their friendship was too important to risk.
His fingers tightened around her hip, hot and enticing. She held her breath, fighting against what felt like an unrelenting force between them.
“What’s wrong, Emery? You don’t like mykiller smile? Myeyes that say I’ll take you and cherish you at once? Or is it myhot bodythat you’re opposed to?”
A half laugh, half oh-shoot-me-now sound fell from her lips as he threw her own words back at her. “That’s a stupid question. How could any woman in her right mind not find you attractive?”
To prove—to herself?—he hadn’t opened some sort of floodgate, she pressed her hands to his chest, but heat seared up her arms, and she pulled them away as if she’d been burned. His lips curled up in a satisfied smile.
“We can’t do this, Dean.Ican’t. I’ll mess us up.”
“I won’t let you,” he said, steady and confident.
“You can’t stop it.” Fear exploded inside her at the thought of losing his friendship—and at revealing the truth she’d never shared with anyone. But with Dean, she suddenly couldn’t hold back. She didn’t want to. He needed to know why this was a bad idea.
“It’s who I am, Dean. I don’t know how to be whatever it is that you want.”
“Emery.” He cupped her jaw, andmercy, she leaned in to his reassuring touch. “I want you. Emery Andrews. The girl who downs ice cream when she’s had a bad date, watches creepy movies from behind splayed fingers, and refuses to admit she’s too tired to stay awake. You don’t have to be anything other than yourself.”
Oh, how she wished that were true! She forced herself to step out of his reach, her heart thundering so hard she was sure he could see it, and she did what she knew she had to in order to redirect the heat between them, even if it felt wrong. “Was this your plan all along? To get me here so you could make your move?”
Anger crawled up his features, but it was the deeper emotions keeping that anger at bay that had her dumbstruck. “Do you think I planted the naked guy in Violet’s cottage? C’mon, Emery. I saw you were uncomfortable and I gave you a solution.” His gaze softened. “You blew into my life last Christmas, and you’ve been there with me nearly every night since. OfcourseI wanted to protect you from that situation.”
“What else do you want from me?” she snapped reflexively. “Because a one-night stand will ruin us—”
“That’s thelastthing I want.” He closed the distance between them. “You know me better than that. You know I don’t sleep around. I’m a one-woman guy—”
“Right. That’syou. But did you forget who you’re talking to? I don’t even know what that looks like. My parents split up, remember? I’ve never dated anyone for longer than a week.” Her chest constricted with her confession, even though he already knew this about her. Saying it face-to-face drove the ugly truth of it home. “My brothers and I are broken or something.”
“You’re not broken, Emery. You just haven’t been with the right guy. You haven’t been withme. I’ll show you how.”
Her heart stumbled, and it took a moment before she could find her voice again.
“You can’t show me. I ruin everything that evenbeginsto look like a relationship.”
“You’re wrong.” His face was serious, his blue eyes determined and authoritative, as if he were silently challenging her to give him all she had, so he could prove her wrong.
“I wish I was,” she admitted. “But if there’s one thing I finally figured out about myself, it’sthis. I’ve told you about all the guy friends I’ve dated—”
“They were thewrongguys. They weren’tme,” he said adamantly.
She opened her mouth, but no words came.
“Think about it, Em. We’ve been in a relationship formonths.”
“It’s different” fell from her lips. “Over the phone is one thing, but in person? As a couple? And let’s not forget that I’m going to be workingforyou. There is no doubt in my mind, Dean. I’ll mess this up big-time. I only know how to beme, and apparently I’m too—” Her mind reeled back through the last twenty-four hours, and the truth sank in. Shewasflirtatious and unfiltered. Tears burned her eyes and she turned away. Unwilling to be one of those weak girls who fell apart in the face of hard times, she straightened her spine, keeping those stupid tears at bay as she turned to face him again.
“I’m not willing to risk our friendship.” But she wanted to because,oh, she loved everything about him. He was confident and funny, honest and rational. And they got along so well. To experience all of that in an intimate way for one night would be more than she ever had, but if they shared even one kiss, everything would change—and not only because she wouldn’t want to stop.
She met his gaze, and the hurt and desire she saw there nearly did her in. She felt gutted.
Everything had already changed.
“Why did you have to tell me how you felt?” she spat. “How can we ever go back to being just friends? Now I’m going to question everything I do around you—and everything you do for me.”
