Page 40 of Higher Ground
With no one.
Fuck.
Emory had been waiting to leave town for three years, but one mind-blowing sexual encounter with a man, and she was having second thoughts.
There was that damned pull again. Her attraction to Byron had always been purely physical, she’d thought. But over the past couple of days, there was another layer she couldn’t shed. Something deeper. Something that scared the hell out of her.
Because it was a desire that hadnoplace in her current situation. She couldn’t let feelings get in the way of her dreams. Not again.
Emory stretched her legs out in front of her, wriggling her toes in the grass. There was only one person she could think of who could help talk her heart out of this mess. She fished around the deep pocket of her hoodie, pulled out her phone, and dialled her best friend.
She set the phone to speaker then leaned back against her elbows. Clayton was still happily running laps, giggling every time Miff caught him.
“Is everything okay?” Mya’s concerned voice echoed through the phone line. The reception had cleared a little as the storms eased, but it was always a little sketchy here at the farm. Static interrupted every line.
“What? Of course everything is fine. How are you? How’s Tucker?”
Mya giggled but seemed to hold back the bulk of her laughter. “The cheek on you asking me howTuckeris right now?! How’sByron?”
At the sound of his name, Emory’s heart did a little skip. It leapt into her throat and left behind an itching lump. She did her best to swallow it down.
“Your silence tells me everything,” Mya teased.
The phone beeped next to Emory. “I am not FaceTiming you.”
Mya huffed, and the annoying tune stopped. Only for a second, though. It didn’t take much for Emory to give in. She grabbed the phone from the deck as soon as the second round of high-pitched pings started. Her arm ached as she held the phone above her, so she leant forward, propping her arms on her knees instead.
She pushed her sunglasses onto her head and took in her reflection on the screen while she waited for the video to connect. Her eyes were dark. Even in the sunlight, the chocolate brown looked deeper than usual. The rounds of her cheeks glowed with a pink blush. She could blame the sun, but she knew it was residual from the excitement of every moment she’d shared with Byron. The ones where she got to know him just as much as the ones where she got to know his body.
Mya would notice it, though, and she would make assumptions. And sure, Emory had called for her advice, but she knew how Mya would react seeing her like this. She was … glowing. But it wasn’t like she could do anything about it now. Emory’s face became a tiny little square in the corner as Mya appeared on the screen. She gasped as the video connected.
“I knew it,” she squealed.
Emory shook her head, cringing when the action made some of her loose hairs fly around her face. Her sunglasses toppled into her lap. “You know nothing.”
“Em, honey. Youclearlygot laid. I don’t see any other explanation for the colour of your cheeks.”
Emory could feel them heating up already, the blush no doubt spreading, deepening, and giving away all her secrets. All she could manage was a shy nod and an audible sigh.
“I fucking knew it. I knew you would.” Mya moved about, shaking the phone. The unsteady video made Emory’s head spin.
“Was it good? I bet Byron would throw you around like a hay bale and it would feel fucking amazing.” Mya flopped onto a bed—Tucker’s bed, probably—rolled to her side, and propped her phone up. “Actually, don’t answer that. It’s my boyfriend’sdad.Ew. That’s kind of gross.”
Emory rolled her eyes, letting them close as she pulled out her failing hair tie. Her hair dropped over her shoulder, but she looped it all to one side and tucked the front behind her ears. She looked past the phone to where Clayton was now climbing on the small wooden structure. He clapped when he reached the top, turning to her.
“Well done, Clay!” she cheered.
Turning back to Mya, Emory sucked in a deep breath. She needed her friend’s opinion, but God, it was hard voicing her feelings. If they even were feelings. She thought they might be, but she wasn’t sure. That was why she needed Mya’s help. Ugh.
In one long exhale, she threw the words out. “We did. And it wasn’t gross, it was fucking amazing Mya, but … I think maybe I caught feelings and now I don’t know what to do.” With them all out in the open, Emory felt a little weight lift off her shoulders. Her neck didn’t feel so tight. Unease still swirled in her stomach, though. She thought she might be sick if Mya didn’t help her. Soon.
Mya hummed, scratching her cheek. Her grin peeked through her hand. “Hear me out, yeah?”
Emory nodded. She had no breath left, even if she wanted to speak.
Mya continued, “Would it be such a bad thing if you did catch feelings?”
She hadn’t thought about it like that. Sure, it had crossed her mind, but Emory had been so caught up in releasing the tension and giving in to her desire and tryingnotto fall for Byron that she never really stopped to think it through. It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, would it?
