AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Stop calling me that. I haven’t been that girl since the accident. Since before I left this town, and you know that.” I swallow, unable to look into his eyes.
“She’s still in there, though.” I clear my throat, unsure of where he’s going with this. “You’re still the sweet Emery, even if you have it buried beyond these thick walls you’ve built.” Welp, now's the time to ruin the perfect image of me for him.
“Sex is just sex, Ian. It doesn’t matter how you get it. Humans have urges. Some have busy lives, leaving them unable to settle down.”
“Unable or unwilling?” he questions, not missing a beat.
“It doesn’t matter.” At this moment, I almost believe myself. “Next question.”
“You didn’t answer the first one.”
“I gave up on the relationship thing many months ago.” I tug my bottom lip for comfort. “Trust me, it’s easier.” He abandons the pancakes and gives me his full attention.
“So, you weren’t engaged long?” I shake my head. “And now you’re trying to heal your broken heart through alcohol and guys.”
“I never said it broke.” He holds my gaze, and I hope the strength in my voice is all the convincing he needs.
“You also didn’t confirm it wasn’t.” He leans forward to rest his chin on his hand, looking for an answer. “You were hurt badly.” His eyes see right through mine. “Even after your parents’ accident, you had more emotion.”
My fork drops. “Fuck you,” I seethe, annoyed that something so small can flip my switch. That he’s the one to do it. “You think something else happened that shut me down more than that?”
“Seems like on a different level, it has, Emery.”
To my surprise, I still haven’t smashed my mug into his perfectly chiseled jawline. But I’ll be damned if I don’t slightly appreciate how well he reads me, as if I’m an open book. He still knows me, even after all these years. There are never any hoops to jump through or sugar-coated words. He’s always been straightforward. No matter how much it bugged me, he said what I needed to hear.
“I got burned in the same type of way we could have burned Hallie. Except, you two weren’t together for a year and a half and engaged,” I vent, staring at my empty left finger. “I found him with my roommate a month after our engagement party.” Shaking my head, I feel his gaze screaming at me to meet his. “I don’t want your pity. I deserved what happened.”
His index finger gently curls under my chin to tip my head toward him, thumb lightly pressing my bottom lip to release my teeth clenched onto it. “No one deserves that.” He knows I’m single now, and my heart palpitates, unsure of how I’ll respond if he makes a move.
I swallow roughly with the uncertainty of what I want to come from this moment.Don’t bring your eyes to his lips, I repeat for however long I’m in this trance. Why is looking at a guy's lips always a green light? I hate it. Or do I? It takes everything in me to pull my gaze away. Ian triggers emotions, and if I’m sucked into this moment, it will only cause more pain.
“Don’t.” I’m not sure if I even hear my own request.
“I wasn’t going to, Daisy Girl.” His eyes tell the truth as he returns his hand to his mug. “You’re vulnerable.”
“I don’t need you to feel sorry for me or to help me knock down walls that are up for a good reason.” Ian remains calm, as if expecting this reaction from me. It annoys me more. “I deserved what happened to me, because fooling around with you back then did cross my mind.” Fuck, the alcohol must still be talking, and I see sorrow in his eyes as he keeps his gaze on me.
“You’re a good person, Emery. You distanced yourself halfway across the country to make sure you wouldn’t hurt your friend.” If he’s guessing, he’s spot on…again.
“I don’t do relationships. If you get anything from me, it’ll be one night.” I lift my mug in a saluting manner. “So, if you think we can rekindle where we left off five years ago, you’re too big of a dreamer.”
“I didn’t say I was interested in a relationship with you in the first place.” He backs off, shaking his head. “We want different things.”
“Yeah, you proved that,” I think out loud and scrunch my face.
“I gave up one-night stands.” He throws me a challenging look. “Don’t worry about me making a pass at you.”
“Men always want sex. It’s inevitable, Ian.” One night of fun might be worth it, the more I think about it. Maybe then I could finally move past thoughts of him.
“How about we finish eating, and I’ll drive you back to your place,” he states, shutting down our conversation, and I remain silent as I devour the best pancakes I have ever tasted.
Chapter8
Ian
“Security has been upped,”Justin says over the phone as I pull into Quinn and Emery’s place. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You arrived on time and saved her.” Co-owning The Painted Pony with Justin has been great, until walking into what I did the other night. It has been difficult to sleep with that scene slipping into my mind.
“Good. That situation better not repeat itself under our roof again,” I grit out, my blood fuming at the thought.
