“Don’t be out there too long, Jake,” Emily said with a quick wink. “Since they’re leaving, I have plans for us…something that might involve pickles.”
Jake gave her a quick kiss on the lips and headed for the door, wearing a huge grin. “I’m feeling a little lazy tonight. Might let you do all the work,” he teased.
Emily smirked at him. “So what else is new?”
Cowboy chuckled as Jake stepped out the door, mumbling under his breath.
I waited until the door shut behind them. “Pickles?”
Emily laughed. “Jake won’t allow me to eat pickles in front of him anymore. My entire pregnancy, he swore I was torturing him.”
Normally, I would’ve blushed and stammered all over myself after a sexual innuendo such as that, but the alcohol in my system lent me some perspective. Instead, I broke into a fit of giggles.
“About time you loosened up,” Emily said, smiling. “Now would you mind telling me what’s going on between you and Cowboy?”
“We’re friends.” My cheeks grew warmer, so I took a sip of my chilled wine.
“Uh-huh. And Jake and I are brother and sister,” she said. “Has he tried to undress you yet?”
Nearly swallowing my tongue, I choked at her bluntness and let out a little cough. “Um, not exactly.” I wasn’t aware that having a conversation with Emily would lead to such an intimate discussion, but maybe it was a good thing. She obviously had more experience with men than I did and could probably give me some fascinating advice on how to handle the situation with Cowboy. “If anything, he pulls back whenever we start to…you know, do stuff.”
Emily’s face warped with genuine confusion. “Really?”
“You seem surprised by that.”
“Well, it is Cowboy we’re talking about. Hmm. Guess that puts a whole new spin on that fireman saying, ‘Find ’em hot, leave ’em wet.’”
We both laughed at that, and the sudden camaraderie put me at ease. Emily was impulsive and wore her blatant sexuality on her sleeve like a badge of honor. No wonder Jake couldn’t keep his hands off her. All the sexual energy buzzing in the air between them after their ten minute round of under-the-table touching hadn’t gone unnoticed.
But I wasn’t Emily, and there was nothing wildly sexual about me. “Most men are simply not attracted to me. Not that I’ve given them much reason to be.”
“What? That’s ridiculous! You’re much hotter than you give yourself credit for.” She shook her head in disbelief. “You have the most amazing blue eyes I’ve ever seen. And look at that gorgeous red hair of yours. Any woman would kill for that shade of natural red.”
“But I dress like an old maid,” I said, averting my eyes to avoid showing her how embarrassed I truly was.
“Well, Cowboy doesn’t seem to mind.” I glanced back to her and caught an unreadable expression on her face. Then Emily grinned at me. “I think he likes the primness. You could probably curtsy and cause him to ache in places he never knew existed.”
I shrugged lightly. “I don’t know about that.”
“Well, I do. Cowboy is well-known with the ladies for his insatiable desire. If he’s not jumping in the sack with you, especially when you’re offering, then there’s something more going on.”
It was true I’d seen oddities in his behavior that didn’t coincide with the rumors I’d heard. But that couldn’t possibly mean anything, could it?
“I don’t know. I think we’re just circling each other, trying to figure out what’s about to happen. I’m not sure how to take things to the next level.”
Emily leaned toward me. “You want to seduce him?”
I felt compelled to answer her honestly, but there’s nothing like being asked a direct question that makes you lose confidence. So I chewed on my lower lip and nodded.
She grinned at that. “Anna, just think of this as sexual warfare. Panties are your weapons.”
“Chalk this up to cluelessness, but how do I go about getting to that part?”
“That’s easy. Just give him a sexy look and you’ll be knocking boots with him in no time. Here, try one on me and I’ll tell you what I think.”