Emins’ Mate(21)

"Anton gave interview?" Emin asked, incredulously. "About his time with Navuka?" His brother, who barely said two words a day, had given an interview? A feeling bubbled in Emin's stomach.

"I know, crazy, right? Glory talked him into it."

The feeling in Emin's stomach tumbled over like carbonation in a shaken soda. He swallowed against it. He shrugged like he didn't care. "They are close."

"Sure," Dora replied, eyeing him closely while pretending not to. "Like brother and sister."

Emin scoffed. "Don't be naive. They spend each day alone together."

"I don't think so," Dora said, shaking her head and taking a sip of Emin's untouched water. "Not the way you mean, at least."

"There is only one way a man spends time with woman like her," Emin said, scowling darkly. He couldn't even bring himself to say her name. How pathetic.

“Well,” Dora said, treading carefully. She didn’t want to tell any secrets, tread on any toes. She was comfortable with the Malashoviks, but she was still the new kid on the block. “Anton doesn't love Glory. I can tell you that much. And if you ask me, Glory's got a thing for-"

She cut off when her phone vibrated and Emin could have smashed the offending gadget under the heel of his boot. He really wanted Dora to finish that sentence, but he'd be damned if he'd ask.

"Speak of the devil!" Dora laughed as she opened up a text. AJ had gotten Glory a cell phone last week. And Glory was quite taken with emojis. Every text she sent was heavily laden with fireworks, shooting stars, acorns, hearts of every color. "Looks like she and AJ are hoping for a girl's night tonight. Better go clear it with hubby." Dora hopped off the bar stool and paused only to give Emin a brisk kiss on the cheek.

Emin finished his beer.

He'd really wanted her to finish that damn sentence.



***



"How do you get a man to touch you?" Glory asked as her hips swayed to the beat of the song AJ was playing. The three women were scattered around AJ's kitchen, AJ pouring margaritas in three salted glasses and Dora tearing into a bag of tortilla chips.

Both the women stilled and glanced at one another.

"Excuse me?" AJ asked, a sudden, expanding pit of ice in her stomach.

"A man, how do you get him to put his hands on you? His mouth on your mouth? And then when that happens, how do you get him to have sex with you?"

Dora choked on a tortilla chip but recovered quickly. "Well, it varies case by case. Each man is different. You got a specific one in mind?"

"Emin," Glory answered quickly and guilelessly, as if it hadn't even occurred to her to keep it a secret. She didn't notice the long, unsteady breath that AJ blew out, but Dora did. Glory plunged on. "He's so handsome. And smells so good. And is always so warm and grumpy in the morning. I like when he's grumpy. I'm not sure why. But I just do. He's like a bear coming out of hibernation."

"Wait," AJ said, latching on to one particular piece of information. "What do you mean that he's warm in the morning?"

"His body," Glory replied, taking a sniff of the margarita that AJ handed her. "When I'm on top of him in the morning. His chest and arms and neck are so warm. And yummy."

Dora squinted her eyes. "You sleep on top of him?"

"Not every night. Just when I'm chilly."

"But he doesn't touch you or try to have sex with you?" Dora asked, really working for some clarification on the issue.

"Never," Glory said, shaking her head.

"Jesus, no wonder he's grumpy in the morning," Dora murmured.

AJ bit back her grin.

"It would make him grumpy to be close to me?" Glory asked, her brow furrowing, and then exploding into pleased joy when she tasted the margarita. "How delicious! Like the way a butterfly might taste!"

AJ, quite used to Glory-isms at this point, just plowed right past. "Glory, I think it would be hard for most people to be that close to one another and not - um - do anything about it."

"Well, why wouldn't he do something about it then?" Glory asked, taking another big sip of her margarita.

Dora squinted her eyes at Glory. "Sensitive question here, Glorious. But have you ever had sex before?"

Glory laughed. "Of course not! I've barely ever talked to men that weren't the Malashoviks."

AJ and Dora exchanged glances again.

"So never even a kiss?" AJ asked.

"No. But I want to. So badly. I want Emin to kiss my lips the way Danil kisses yours," she said to Dora.

Dora had the grace to blush lightly. "Well, kissing is one thing. Sex is another. I think that's probably the reason he's not touching you, Glorious. Sex can be a big deal."