6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

“No.” She frowned. “Why would you think that?”

“That guy at the pizza place,” I said. “When we saw you, you were with someone.”

“Oh.” Emily rolled her eyes. “Him.”

“He’s your boyfriend?” Sarah asked with excitement.

“No,” Emily said firmly. “That’s just Tanner. We’ve known each other since high school. He’s always asking me out, but I’ve never said yes.”

“Why not?” Tommy asked. “Is he not nice?”

“He’s nice enough,” Emily said with a nod. “But just as a friend. Nothing more.”

My heart skipped a beat at her words. Suddenly, all the blood rushed to my pelvis, and I had to take a few cleansing breaths before I could speak again.

“I’m sorry to just assume,” I said.

“That’s okay,” Emily said. “Tanner can be pretty persistent. He’s harmless and sweet but not at all my type. We’ve never been anything more than just friends. I think he knows that too. He just enjoys teasing me by asking me out all the time.”

“You shouldn’t tease people,” Sarah said wisely.

“No,” Emily said. “You’re right. You shouldn’t tease people.”

Emily glanced at me, and I looked away. My heart was still beating rapidly as her words sunk in. For days now, I’d been telling myself she had a boyfriend. The fact that she was off limits made it easier for me to resist her. Now, I wasn’t sure how I was going to control myself around her.

When we finished dinner, Emily took the kids upstairs to give them baths before bed. I cleaned the dishes, moving slowly so I would stay busy for a long time. My mind was still focused on Emily and what she said at dinner. Everything seemed more confusing now, more uncertain.

About an hour later, I finally finished the dishes just in time for Emily to come quietly down the stairs. She stopped in front of me, staring at me silently.

“Are they asleep?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “They went down easy tonight. Can I help with the dishes?”

“All done,” I said. “You’re off the hook for the night.”

“Oh, well, thank you,” she said and smiled up at me.

I nodded, feeling my pants start to tighten. I shut the light off in the kitchen and went upstairs to kiss my kids good night. When I came back down, Emily was standing in the living room, looking out the window. I went to the couch, sitting down and pulling a pillow into my lap. I knew I should just go up to my room and lock myself away from her for the night, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it just yet.

Emily came over and sat next to me on the sofa. My heart was pounding in my chest and I hoped she co

uldn’t hear it. When I looked at her, she was watching me closely. There was something different about her expression. It was one I hadn’t seen before.

“I still can’t believe you thought Tanner was my boyfriend,” she said with a laugh. “God, he’s impossible.”

“I shouldn’t have assumed,” I said. “But in my defense, he was whispering in your ear.”

“He does that,” Emily said. She rolled her eyes. “Janie calls him my stalker.”

“Is he that bad?” I asked, a spark of irrational anger in my gut.

“No,” Emily said. “He’s persistent but truly harmless. He’d never hurt a fly. He just thinks his persistence will eventually win me over. He doesn’t realize it makes me less attracted to him when he comes sniffing around like a lovesick puppy.”

“If he ever bothers you too much,” I said. “I can take care of it for you.”

I didn’t know what inspired me to say that, but the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Emily looked at me with wide, grateful eyes. She still had that same expression on her face, and I suddenly realized what it was: desire.

Fuck.