All of them murmured agreement, except Suz, who all of a sudden whistled innocently, her attention firmly on the ceiling. “I know someone else who thinks your hair is really pretty when it’s down.”
Gillian stopped dead, an icy glare fixed on Suz. “Not another word, or I will hogtie you to your bed in the morning and you won’t even hear me coming.”
Suz waved off the threat with a hand. “Honey, you need to do a little more research before trying to intimidate me. Most mornings that’s how I start my day—hogtied and having fun.” She leaned across the table, her green eyes snapping with amusement as she taunted Gillian a little harder. “I know a certain gentleman who would love for you to let your hair down.”
“Not discussing this,” Gillian repeated in a monotone voice.
Lynn poked her best friend, winking as Suz raised her hands in a “what?” gesture.
“Stop teasing her,” Lynn ordered. “Although I do think it’s a hoot that one of your brothers has a strong enough death wish to fixate on our resident sniper.”
“Hey, I call them as I see them.” Suz grinned wider. “And it does make sense, since we’re talking about Chase. Working for the SFPD was too boring for that man. He had to go sign up with some ridiculous foreign-aid security team.”
Gillian pressed her palms to the table and turned her gaze pleadingly on Emma as she tried to change the topic. “What’s this I hear about you and a certain young man?”
“Oh, gossip time. Let me grab snacks and then you can tell us all your dirty secrets,” Pepper said cheerfully.
They’d zoomed past the taking-publicity-pictures portion of the evening, and Emma found herself drawn into the circle of women. She brought in a chair for Pepper before slipping into the open spot beside Lynn. Suz smiled her approval as Pepper lowered a full pitcher of lemony goodness to the middle of the table, and a bowl of chips that Gillian nabbed possessively.
Pepper tugged on the bowl. “Nothing doing, Reyes. I’ll share, but you can’t hog the goodies.”
Gillian reluctantly pushed the bowl halfway between them. “Bossy chick, ain’tcha?”
“Takes one to know one,” Pepper taunted with a wink.
Gillian’s expression turned to amusement. “True. Very true.”
Then Emma found herself the center of attention as Pepper’s gaze swung to focus on her. The other women followed suit, and Emma fought to keep from squirming in her seat.
“Spill,” Pepper demanded. “Old flames reunited—it’s so romantic. Is he just like you remembered?”
Emma’s face felt warm, but maybe that was the alcohol she’d swallowed down all too quickly. “Dean is…”
She’d figured there would be talk tonight, but she still didn’t know exactly what to say. All the emotions she’d experienced over the past weeks swirled together, mixing with memories, both the good and the bad until it came to rest here and now, the eye of the storm.
“He’s so sweet,” she admitted.
Four jaws swung open.
Suz pulled herself together first. “Dean? Our Dean? The guy who—”
Lynn elbowed her friend again, shaking her head in disapproval. “We know the stories, or at least the ones you’re about to tell.” Lynn turned her pale blue eyes towards Emma, sincere curiosity in them. And something more—caring and concern. “What makes him sweet?”
Emma shook her head, still confused. “That’s the thing, I’m not sure how to describe this. I mean the sex is—” She forced herself to continue. “Oh-my-God good, and dirty, and he’s got me tangled up so I don’t know if I want him to lock me in a room and keep me as a sex slave, or if we should run away and get stranded on a deserted island.”
She stared at her drink, swirling the yellow liquid carefully, keeping it inside the upper rim of the glass. “And yet as dirty as it is, it’s like he’s always being careful. Like I’m precious and breakable…”
When she lifted her head. Lynn and Pepper were nodding, secretive smiles curling the corners of their lips.
“That makes sense,” Pepper said. “He’s obviously very much—”
“—smitten with you,” Lynn interrupted.
Suz snorted.
This? Was what a terrible job explaining sounded like. Emma tried again. “It’s not that he’s doing anything wrong, or even that he’s doing anything out of character—not the Dean I knew. He screwed up big time, back when we were young, but he was also a very considerate boyfriend, and the gentlest lover. I mean, he put up with a huge amount of bullshit from his brothers and the guys at school because we didn’t have sex until I turned eighteen. I know that’s the kind of thing that—”
“Wait.” Pepper’s nose twitched. “Dean’s what, a year older than you?”
“About a year and a half.”
Lynn dragged her finger around the rim of her glass, a smile playing about her lips. “Smitten. Absolutely smitten.”
“You are so Sugarplum Fairy sometimes,” Suz teased.
“Go on, you know you love me just the way I am.”