Razorblade Kisses(89)

“So I know there’s something you don’t want me to know.”

She sighed.

“I’m going to ask you questions, and I’d like you to answer honestly if you can. If not, tell me you don’t want to answer.”

“Whatever, Tim, can’t we just enjoy each other?”

“Oh, I’m enjoying myself.” He smirked as he ran a finger up her inner thigh. “So do you have a boyfriend?”

“No,” she answered.

“Wrong.” His fingers stilled dangerously close to an indecent area for public viewing.

She cocked her head to the side.

“You do have a boyfriend, Emma. He brought you coffee today and fucked you last night.”

“Tim!” She slapped him on the arm.

“So, when you left Nashville you just picked Savannah?”

“Not really. It was kinda picked for me.” Truth.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I needed to get away from Nashville and my friend Rachel directed me to Savannah and here I am.”

“Rachel, huh? She was the one at the dance club with you?”

Emery nodded and sipped her coffee.

“Why’d you have to leave?”

“Tim…”

“You don’t want to answer that?”

Emery shook her head.

“I can deal with that.” He shifted and lay on his back, staring up at that sky. “My parents were the kindest people I’ve ever been around,” he said, swiftly changing the subject.

She ran her hand down his arm and he caught her hand.

“I actually don’t remember if that’s true or not,” he admitted.

She squeezed his hand.

“It’s been so long with so many people talking to me about them, I can’t tell my own memories from what people say.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “My dad died when I was young too, but I feel like the opposite happened to me. No one talked about him. The memories are seared into my mind because I was afraid to lose them.”

“Me too, but I’m glad we’ve found each other,” he said softly. “You understand the sense of loss I feel. I can see it in the crease in your brow and how it sometimes takes you a few seconds to figure out a response to a question. I can see it in your grimace when you think no one is watching and I see it in your focus on the concreteness of what you can do.” He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

“I do know loss,” she agreed.

“And pain,” he said.

Silence.

“And…”

“Tim,” she urged him to stop. He knew her better than she wanted to admit and she’d told him nothing.

“…regret,” he finished for her.

A tear slid down her cheek before she pulled her hand from his and wiped it away.

“Don’t cry, Emma. I don’t want you to cry again. I want to show you there are things that will allow you to live again. I want to be one of those things.”

“I don’t think…” She stood up and left the thermos of coffee on the ground and ran toward her house, away from him. She needed to think. He was too close. She needed to be more careful.

“Emma, don’t run from your boyfriend!” he called from behind her, his voice amused.

Emery ran faster, but when she saw Rex’s nose in her periphery, she gave up. She didn’t feel like being tackled by the furry beast today. Tim’s touch was immediate and he pulled her to him gently by her neck. His lips crushed into her, his hands traveling down her sides. Rex moved in between them and buried his nose in her crotch.

She yelped, jumping back.

“He really likes you. I think he has good taste.” His thumb rubbed her knuckles again and her eyes snapped from Rex to Tim.

“Why? Why me?”

“Oh, Emma, you really don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Know that your soul shines through your eyes. You work tirelessly for kids that will never be able to pay you back. You want to repair their damage and make them whole again like no one did for you. And on top of that, you’re smoking hot and do that thing with your tongue.”

Emery was stunned into silence.

“Oh, I do love a challenge,” he whispered, “and you’ve proven to be one.”

“This…this is too much.” Emery started walking toward her place. “You’re too much for me, Tim. It’s not a game. Even if it were a game, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want the prize if you won.”

“Emma, let me date you. There’s no harm in that, is there?”

“I think you know there is.” She smiled without meaning it.

“I promise I won’t hurt you.”

“I can’t promise you the same thing.”