“Yeah?”
“Oh, I thought you’d gotten disconnected,” she said.
“Nah, just thinking about how I’m going to get a teenager to do what I want her to do without her knowing it was my idea,” I said, feeling confused and a little frustrated.
“I’ll give you a hint,” she offered. “Don’t overthink it. They are experts at manipulation and can smell it from a mile away.”
“Good point,” I laughed. “All right, I’ll figure something out. I wish I could take the day off.”
“I do, too,” Emily said softly. “That would be nice.”
“We’ll see each other soon,” I murmured into the phone.
“I’d like that very much,” she replied, before disconnecting.
As I headed into the kitchen to cook dinner, I kicked myself for not inviting Emily to join us. I thought about calling her back and issuing the invitation, but that seemed a little desperate, so I let it go and focused on figuring out how to convince my daughter that a trip to the history museum would be a good thing.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Emily
Knowing that Blake had to be at work by 9, I showed up early the next morning with bagels and coffee. He greeted me at the door with a smile and a kiss before leading me into the kitchen. Nina wasn’t up yet, so we took advantage of the few moments of privacy and made out like a couple of high school kids.
I laughed as he grabbed me and pulled me to him, but my laughter soon turned to soft moans as he kissed me deeply. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled me closer as I returned his kiss. He cupped my face with his strong hands as we let our mo
uths do what our bodies desperately wanted to do, but couldn’t.
“We have to stop,” I whispered into his lips, as I felt my legs getting weak. I wanted to strip his shirt off and taste every inch of his strong, broad chest, but I knew that heading in that direction wasn’t possible. When Blake lowered his head and slowly ran his tongue up my neck, sending shivers down my spine, I pushed him back and said, “Stop, we’re going to get caught!”
“Who cares?” he whispered, as he kissed his way back up my neck and covered my mouth with his. My blood felt like molten lava as it surged toward my most sensitive spots. I groaned softly as he cupped one of my breasts and gently squeezed my nipple.
“Blake, you need to stop,” I whispered more urgently. I was afraid that if we crossed the line that we were careening toward, it would lead someplace I wasn’t ready to go; namely, a confrontation with Nina. I placed the palms of my hands on his chest and pushed him back to a safe distance. I looked up into his warm eyes and said, “Seriously. We have to stop.”
“I know,” he nodded, looking more than a little disappointed, then sheepishly offered, “I’m sorry, I just can’t help myself.”
“I know the feeling,” I said, smiling warmly.
“Know what feeling?” Nina yawned as she entered the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. She was still wearing her pajamas and looked much younger than her 16 years.
“The feeling of having to get up and go to work when you’d rather spend the day perusing a museum,” Blake interjected.
“Uh-huh, are these fresh bagels?” she asked, as she opened the bag on the counter and peered inside.
“Indeed they are,” I said, as I pulled out several containers of cream cheese and set them on the counter. “And there’s coffee or hot chocolate here, if you want it.”
“Ooooh, I haven’t had hot chocolate in a long time!” Nina exclaimed, as she claimed the cup with her name on it and grabbed two bagels from the bag. “I hope you don’t mind. I’m starving.”
“There’s plenty there; eat up,” I encouraged, as I passed the bag to Blake with a smile. He grinned as he took it and pulled two bagels from it.
We sat at the table eating in companionable silence until Blake looked up at the clock and said, “Shit, I gotta go, or I’m going to be late!”
He stuffed the last bite of his bagel in his mouth and gulped down the remainder of coffee in his cup before he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.
“You girls have fun today, okay?” he said, looking anxiously in Nina’s direction.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she said, waving him off. “I’ll go learn something and have a great time. I promise.”
“Okay, good,” he said with obvious relief before turning toward me and adding, “Thanks for taking her with you, Emily. I’ll see you tomorrow, maybe?”