“Not if you don’t want me to,” I breathed, feeling seen as hell. Yes, I wanted to press against her. Yes, the thought of doing so was making me hard as hell in my pants right now. But no, I wouldn’t if she didn’t want me to touch her.
She angled a look over her shoulder at me. “I guess it’s all in the name of teaching, right?”
“Right,” I confirmed. She relaxed against me as I guided her hips into a more twisted position and ran my hands up the outside of her body. “Feel your power come up from the ground, up your legs, and steady you. You are immoveable, strong, no one could shake you,” I murmured in her ear as I positioned her. “Now, try again.”
She aimed, and with me holding her firmly against me, fired, this time hitting the edge of the target. “Safety on,” I reminded her as excitement filled her. She flicked the safety on and turned around, smiling cheek to cheek. I grabbed the gun from her as she gave a tiny jump of excitement. I found my arms closing around her before I could stop myself.
“I did it! I hit the target on the second shot. I guess you didn’t know you have a shooting natural here?” she said, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from her smile. It was fucking blinding, and she didn’t want to be called sweet cheeks?
“You did well, really well. But more practice is needed,” I reminded her, and she sighed and then stiffened as if finally registering how we were standing. I had her waist in my hands and hers were splayed across my chest. We didn’t touch like this anymore, not like we used to when we were younger before I left. I hadn’t even tried not to. When I came back, it just happened. Like I was encased in ice and couldn’t break through it.
She lifted her face up, her brow creasing and sable eyebrows drawing together over the same Archer eyes that her brother had. Gray and mercurial. Just as she went to speak, her phone beeped in her pocket.
“Answer it, it could be important,” I said, stepping back. Much more of standing like that and I was pretty sure she couldn’t avoid being aware of how holding her turned me to stone. Rocking my hard-on against her belly, with the state of our non-relationship right now, seemed rude, even if the thought turned me on.
She stepped back and pulled out her phone, frowned at it, glanced my way, and then typed a quick response. There was something about that tiny glance that set my teeth on edge.
“Another date?” I asked lightly, but I already knew it was. I wanted to rip the damn cell out of her hands and toss it across the room. Instead, I watched her text some fucker back and put her phone back in her pocket.
She shrugged. “What’s it to you? You’re not my brother, or my boyfriend. You’re just my co-worker.”
Ouch.“And your friend too, right? After all these years we’ve known each other?”
She had turned away from me, untangling her ear protectors from her long ponytail. “You know, I don’t think we are. I don’t think we’ve ever really been friends, or at least, you’ve never been a very good one.”
That really fucking hurt something deep inside. I mulled her words over in my head. She was right. I’d never been a good friend to her. I’d been jealous and controlling, because I’d wanted more with her but hadn’t allowed myself to go there, and seeing her with others had destroyed me a little more every time.
I followed her out to the parking lot. I didn’t know if I could change. It felt impossible. What I knew for a fact was it wouldn’t be tonight. Tonight, Emily was going on a date and she was looking for someone to settle down with. That knowledge alone made it hard to breathe.
“Can we go? I’ve got some work to do at the office, and then I need to get ready,” she said as I closed the door of the truck for her and leaned on it. She studied me, and I met her gray eyes with all the emotions I didn’t know what to do with stewing in my head.
“For your date,” I said flatly.
She paused a moment and then nodded. “For my date. I don’t want to be late.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face, dread forming in my belly. “Yeah, wouldn’t want that.”
CHAPTER11
Emily
Isat in the bar, counting the minutes until I could leave. The only reason I’d agreed to this date at a local bar was to take my mind off Diesel. I already knew nothing was going to come of it, and the guy, Rich, had already annoyed me by talking about himself constantly and ordering for me.
There was a band playing on the stage, and that was the only saving grace of the night. I sipped the beer Rich had ordered for me and grimaced. I hated beer. Setting my bottle down, I shifted on my bar stool, and watched the lead singer of the band lament her broken heart. Yep, I got where she was coming from.
“This isn’t really my style,” Richard shouted in my ear, way too loud.
My ear ringing, I nodded and gave him a tepid smile.
“I like techno mostly, or hard house,” he continued. Yikes, we really couldn’t be more incompatible. I nodded and checked my watch. I’d stayed long enough to feel like I’d tried. I could officially make my excuses and leave. I sent off a quick text to Laura.
Me:Ok, I’m two hours in, and I’m done.
Laura: Two whole hours? Wow, a record!
Me: I know, right! I’m so proud of myself. See you tomorrow.
Laura: See you. FYI, someone is looking for you, and I caved immediately and told him where to find you. Don’t shoot the messenger, ok? Love you, bye.