Mark gave him an answering smirk before he spoke. “That depends on the woman. I’ll just say, I’ve never had a woman who didn’t want to come back for seconds; I just rarely serve them. It’s not all black and white, my friend. I would think that with a brother like Declan and a sister like Ava, you’d know that better than anyone. It appears that your family keeps just as many secrets as mine.”
“Fuck you,” Brant murmured halfheartedly. He had a bad feeling that it was too late to warn the other man off his sister. The thought of Mark punishing his sister was more than he could bear to think of. Ava was just messed up enough to look for something like that over choosing a man who had loved and looked out for her for years. Damn it, he should have never started this conversation.
Mark chuckled. “This all started with a simple question. It’s not my fault that you choose the hard way around answering. I won’t pursue Emma. In avoiding the question, you told me all I needed to know. Don’t screw around, though, if you care about her. Trust me, even the most faithful people get tired of someone who runs from the truth.”
Brant looked at Mark in confusion, but the other man was back to staring in his drink, almost as if seeking answers to some unknown questions there. Maybe he was completely off base with his assumption that Mark’s family caused him to be the way he was. Maybe it was much more basic, more simple. Could he have loved and lost someone? It happened every day and maybe Mark was no exception. He had been right about one thing, though. It would be so easy to lose Emma, especially with the uncertainty that Alexia had unleashed in his life. Just the thought of it was enough to make a surge of panic race through his system. He just prayed he could keep it all together until he had a clue as to what to do.
“I totally love you, Ella—you know that, right?”
Oh God, was she slurring already? Emma wondered. This was only her second—or was it third—drink? Beth had given them an update on Suzy earlier. The first round had been to ease some of the sadness they all felt for someone who was dear to each of them.
Beside her on the couch, Beth nodded her agreement. “Isn’t she the best? She can’t drink right now and she still fixed us this big-ass pitcher of margaritas. Who does that?”
Ella smiled indulgently at them. “You girls really needed it. You both looked like you were either fixing to cry or have a breakdown. You are much happier drunk.”
Emma held her glass up in the air. “I’ll drink to that. If Brant had never done me with his sexy-ass body, I wouldn’t be in this condition. I would be happily hating him instead of remembering what a big . . .”
“Personality he has?” Beth added before falling over in laughter.
“It must run in the family because Declan has a really big . . . personality.” When both Emma and Beth gaped at her, Ella’s face flamed. “Well, he does,” she murmured under her breath.
Beth took another sip from her glass, then added, “Nick’s no slouch in that area either. When I finally got the release to have sex again after having Henry, I couldn’t walk right for a week. Henry’s staying the night with the grandparents tonight, too, so when I go home . . . oh yeah, baby.”
Emma giggled. “I really should hate you right now. I don’t even have a vibrator to go home to. The Miami airport kept my pink rabbit for evidence. I should have picked those pills off it and taken the damn thing with me. Of course, after the drug dog slobbered all over it, that would have been kind of gross.”
“Did you want to . . . do it more when you were pregnant?” Ella asked Beth.
“Mm-hmm,” Beth laughed. “I was constantly horny. Nick loved it.”
“I’m not pregnant, but I am constantly horny between the hours of eight and five now,” Emma moaned. “When Brant shows up in one of his uptight suits, I almost orgasm. Things were much easier before I knew what was under his clothes.”
“I bet he feels the same way,” Beth offered. “Men can’t get caught in a stiff wind without getting hard. It must be torture for him to see you every day and not throw you down on the desk.”
Emma fanned herself, saying, “Oh, how I wish he would.”
“I still have that fantasy about Declan,” Ella added. “I’ve always dreamed of him throwing me on top of my desk and taking what he wants. Of course, being that I work in reception where a hundred people walk back and forth during the day, we’d be sure to have an audience.”
“At this point, I don’t think I’d care if Jason Danvers himself watched Brant and me as long as I could have him.”
Beth wiggled her brow suggestively. “Maybe you’d just like for Jason to join in. Come on, I wouldn’t admit it to Claire but . . . haven’t we all had a fantasy or two about that man?”
Emma raised her hand. “Guilty as charged.”
When Ella looked around the room without answering, Beth said, “Oh, come on, Els, you can’t tell me you’ve never had some dirty thoughts about Jason. Every woman who works for Danvers has had them. The whole rich, powerful man in charge thing is a real panty-dropper.”
Emma snickered, nodding. Ella looked like a kid with her hand in the cookie jar when she asked, “You both promise you will never tell Claire I said this, right?” Emma crossed her chest before taking a vow of silence along with Beth. “I did have a crush on him when I first started. It was nothing like how I felt when I met Declan, but I would get to work early every day just so I could see him walk in the lobby and to the elevator. He had the best butt I had ever seen.”
They all howled with laughter. Emma spilled some of her drink on her shirt and did her best to wipe it off with her hand. Beside her, Beth had slumped from her chair and onto the floor, still giggling. “All right, I’ve got one for you,” Beth gasped out. “This is a pinkie-swear that you not tell anyone.” When everyone agreed, Beth confessed, “Nick dances for me sometimes. I bought him a pair of red thong underwear for Valentine’s Day and he likes to wear them and dance to the song ‘Sexy and I Know It.’ He thrusts his hips better than a Chippendale dancer.”
“No-o-o,” Ella sputtered.
“Oh yes.” Beth smirked. “I even put dollar bills in his underwear sometimes. He’s got this really dirty thing where he rubs his—” At that moment, the front door opened and they all jumped. Declan walked in with Nick not far behind him.
Ella bolted up from the couch looking flustered and guilty. “What are you doing home so early?” she stammered.
Declan walked over to his wife, curving an arm protectively around her waist. He gave her a hard kiss on the lips. “It’s not early, baby. I’m actually running a little late because Evan wanted me to come in and see his new science kit. Nick was pulling in behind me when I got here.”
“Oh,” Ella said, clearly at a loss as to what to say next.
Emma jumped up and then grabbed the back of a chair when she swayed on her feet. “Whew, I think I should have skipped that last one. I need to head home.”
“Oh no, you don’t,” Nick said. “We can’t let you drive yourself home. Beth and I will drop you.” Beth snuggled up against Nick, giving him a smacking kiss on his neck.
Great, Emma thought, now I have to watch them grope each other all the way home.
“I’ll run Emma home,” Declan offered. “I forgot Ellie’s orange juice, so I need to go back out anyway.”
“You’re my hero.” Emma beamed at him. When she saw Beth cup Nick’s butt on the way out the door, she knew she had been saved from some awkward moments. She hugged Ella and stumbled toward the door. Declan embraced Ella once again, causing a lump to form in Emma’s throat. You would have to be blind not to see how much he loved his wife. What would it feel like to have someone waiting for her at the end of the day?
Next Declan took Emma’s arm and led her toward his truck. Just as she settled into the passenger seat and Declan closed the door, her phone rang. She rummaged through her handbag with what seemed like five thumbs before finally pulling it out. “Yes?”
“Em?” Her heart skipped as she heard Brant’s voice on the other end.
“Hey! Where are you?”
“Er . . . Still in South Carolina. Greenville, actually. Mark needed to make a stop here before heading on to Boston. We’re staying at the Hyatt on Main Street.” He was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Where are you?”
“Oh, I’m with your brother. Did you want to talk to him?” Emma had just started to pass the phone to a surprised Declan when Brant said hurriedly, “No, but what are you doing with him? Is Ella with you?”
“Ella? No, she’s at home. It’s just Declan and me.”
Brant almost sounded angry as he demanded, “What are you doing with him? It’s midnight.”
Surprised, Emma said, “Really? Wow, that is late. It’s okay, though, because we’re going to my place now.”
“What the fuck!” Brant exploded.
Declan, obviously hearing his brother’s loud curse, held his hand out for her phone.
Relieved, she handed it over. “Good luck, the stick’s back up his ass tonight.”