First and Tension (Summersweet Island 4)

“Thank you for being honest with me. I’m sorry you had to deal with such a horrible situation for so long,” Jeanie tells her. “I spoke to several of the cheerleaders, and they had nothing but wonderful things to say about you. They respect you, and they miss your leadership and your support very much.”

“I’m sorry too,” I whisper quietly, hoping Emily knows I don’t mean just about the situation, but for the fact that I believed the lies along with everyone else.

“I’m just sorry I couldn’t make things better for the girls before I left,” Emily says sadly, making me admire the hell out of her for still being worried about them.

“Don’t worry about your girls. I’ll be making a few phone calls to the Vipers after I leave here,” Jeanie reassures her, making Emily’s mouth drop open in shock, when Jeanie turns her attention to me. “I can see now why you fell in love with her, and I would enjoy hearing the real story of how you two met and what drew you to each other, since I know nothing can be trusted in the media.”

Well, shit! It was stressful enough when Jeanie just thought we were dating, but now she thinks we’re in love? I don’t know how to do that!

“Oh, I’ll let Emily tell that one. She’s such a better storyteller than I am.” I laugh a little uncomfortably when the waiter comes back, clearing up the last of the empty stemware and plates.

“Don’t be modest, Quinn. You tell it so well,” Emily says with a smile through clenched teeth, making me want to laugh out loud and forget all about my nerves.

“Nonsense, boo,” I reply, hiding my wince with a cough when Emily reaches over under the table to pinch my thigh for that nickname, wondering why in the hell it’s so much fun annoying her. “I could listen to the sound of your voice forever.”

And that’s the God’s honest truth.

“I’ve dominated so much of the conversation already. Please, I insist you do it.”

God, this woman would be so easy to love if I actually knew how that shit worked.

“Should I leave out the part about the present you left in my juniper bush, or keep it in?”

I watch Emily’s face get a little pale and enjoy a few seconds of making her worry that she just gave me the perfect opportunity to tell a woman I can clearly see she respects that I was initially drawn to her because she insulted me in my own home and couldn’t hold her liquor. Jeanie already admitted she read some of the stuff that was said online, but she doesn’t know what’s true and what isn’t. I’ve been hard as a fucking rock under this table every time Emily has so casually and naturally reached over to rest her hand on my thigh, or grabbed onto my forearm resting on the table while she told a story, or leaned closer to bump her shoulder against mine when she said something cheeky. It’s all I can do not to grab her face and finally see what those lips taste like, and she deserves a little uncomfortable payback.

“I don’t want to bore you with all the little details,” I finally tell Jeanie, putting Emily out of her misery. Unfortunately, her shoulders are still tense since I don’t follow orders, and now that she’s relaxed back into her seat, I’ve gone back to twirling a lock of her hair around my fingers while I speak. “Emily completely mesmerized me from the first moment she fell into my life.”

My little pun is rewarded with Emily raising one of her eyebrows in warning when she glances over at me, and I give her a wink before turning my focus back on my boss.

“I’ve learned more about her in the last week than I have over the last five months,” I tell Jeanie honestly, feeling Emily’s eyes on me the entire time I speak. “She’s strong and sweet, funny and determined, all rolled up into a stunningly beautiful package. Whether she’s at home in a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, or taking my breath away in heels, and a dress the same color as her eyes… that’s now my new favorite color. She does things she doesn’t want to do with a smile on her face just to make other people happy. She gives up her free time to help anyone who asks. She’s a strong leader, and a good friend, and with each new thing I learn about her, I fall more and more under her spell.”

When I’m greeted with nothing but silence from the two women, I wonder if I laid it on a little too thick, even though every word out of my mouth is the truth and not something I made up or embellished to further the ruse and impress Jeanie.