CHAPTER SEVEN
Sunlight streamed in through the open curtains, warming Emma’s face. She rolled over, shielding her eyes with her arm. For a moment, she forgot she wasn’t in the comforts of her own bed. And then the revelation hit her. She was in a king sized bed in the Honeymoon Suite at the Grand Hyatt.
When she turned over, she found Aidan had already left, without a goodbye. A pang of sadness crisscrossed its way through her chest, but she tried reasoning with herself that it was already almost miraculous he had stayed the night. She couldn’t expect for someone like him to wake her and give her a good-bye kiss. It was way out of his realm of understanding.
She glanced over at the clock and saw it was after seven. If she wanted to make it to work on time, she knew she needed to get going. Slipping on her dress from the night before, she lamented she hadn’t thought ahead of bringing something else to wear. At almost thirty, she had never experienced a walk of shame before, and now she would have one. After all, who in the world wore chiffon at seven in the morning?
Thankfully, the hallway was silent as she hurried down the floral carpeting to the elevators. When she got downstairs, only the hotel staff milled around in the lobby. She tried holding her head high as she passed them. She managed to keep her dignity until she gave the valet her ticket. He eyed her attire and rumpled hair and a knowing smile etched across his face. “One minute, ma’am.”
Emma inwardly groaned and willed herself never to forget an overnight bag again.
***
She barely made it into her office before Casey stormed inside and slammed the door. “I can’t believe you haven’t called me!”
Holding up her hand, Emma warned, “I haven’t even had coffee yet. I’d hold off on launching the Inquisition for at least thirty minutes.”
“Hmm, someone’s testy. Didn’t you get enough sleep last night?” Casey asked, wagging her eyebrows.
“No, as a matter of fact I didn’t.”
Casey squealed and then flopped down in the chair. “Deets, Em! I desperately need deets!”
“Then go be a good best friend and get me some coffee,” Emma moaned.
With a huff, Casey rose out of her chair. “Fine. But you better give me every single, erotic detail when I get back!”
As Casey stalked out the door, Emma sat her things down and turned on her computer. In the middle of reading her appointments for the day, her phone buzzed in her purse. She grabbed it out and scrolled through her texts. Seeing one from Aidan caused her heart to leap into her throat.
Sorry I didn’t say good-bye. You looked too peaceful to wake up. Looking forward to Wednesday---A
Emma couldn’t fight the goofy grin from filling her cheeks. He wasn’t such a huge a*shole after all. He actually cared enough to send her a text to check on her.
Quickly, her fingers flew over her keyboard. Thanks. I did sleep well last night…well, after everything. I’m looking forward to Wednesday too.
Casey came in the door with a steaming mug of coffee and passed it over to Emma.
As Emma blew little waves over the dark liquid, Casey’s lips turned downwards into a pout. “Em, I really am hurt you didn’t call me on the way home this morning. I mean, I’ve been dying all night and morning to hear from you! I drove Nate practically crazy last night wondering about how you were doing.”
Emma shot out of her chair, sloshing coffee onto the floor. “You seriously told Nate about mine and Aidan’s hookup?”
Casey rolled her yes. “Of course I did. Don’t you think he’d wonder what was up when you turned up pregnant out of the blue?”
“I guess you have a point.”
“I think by the end of the night, he was just as antsy to hear from you as well. I think his concern was more about making sure you were okay, and that Aidan hadn’t tied you up to subject you to some kinky shit or something.”
Sweeping her hand to her hip, Emma gave Casey an exasperated look. “And what did you expect? Me to text you a blow by blow account of what was happening?”
“That would have been interesting. I’m not sure how moans and groans translate in text speak.”
“You’re impossible,” Emma muttered, gulping down some coffee. The warm liquid burned a welcoming caffeine trail down her throat and to her stomach.
“So how was it?”
A flashback of the previous night’s events flickered through Emma’s mind like an X-rated movie, and she couldn’t help blushing. “Amazing.”
“So it was everything you thought it would be with him?”
Emma nodded. “And more.”
Relishing every detail, Casey leaned forward so far in her chair that she almost face-planted to the floor. “So how many times did you come?”
“Casey!” Emma cried.
“Oh come on, Em! With Nate’s crazy interning hours, I have to live vicariously through you,” Casey argued.
Warmth flooded into Emma’s cheeks. “Okay, fine then. Four…No wait five. There was the time in the shower, too.”
Casey’s dark eyes widened, and she clapped her hands gleefully. “Em, that’s fanf*ckingtastic!!”
“Only you would clap for orgasms!”
“I can’t help it! I’m just so happy for you.”
A dreamy sigh escaped Emma’s lips and then she told Casey some of the details that weren’t so mortifying. When she got to the part about Aidan staying the night, Casey’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you think that was sweet?” Emma asked.
“Yeah, it is but…”
Emma twisted her hands frantically. “Would you just spit it out?”
“I just want you to be careful, Em. You’ve slept with him once, and you’re already starting to invest too much emotionally.”
“I am not!” Emma protested.
“Yes, you are. You wigged out when he tried to leave last night, and you’re already giddy about him texting you this morning. I just don’t want to see you get hurt, okay?”
Emma let her head fall back against the chair’s headrest and sighed. “You’re right. I am feeling too much.” She blew a strand of hair out of her face and gazed over at Casey. “Why does everything have to be so damn hard on me? Women everywhere can drop their panties and have mindless sex, but no, not me. I have to get emotionally invested in a douchenozzle who is only willing to knock me up for his own pleasure!”
Casey laughed. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Even I have to admit that the douchenozzle, as you call him, does have some serious seductive game. Hell, I might’ve even been tempted to feel a little more with the fact he took me to dinner, gave me lingerie, and stayed the night.”
“I need a new strategy. I’m going to have to keep it purely physical from now on out. I’ll go in, do the deed, and get the hell out of there.”
“That’s my girl.”