Part 6 (1/2)
”Last night, yes. This morning, no.”
Leaning back in her chair, Alaina crossed her arms beneath her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. ”Splain.”
”We had s.e.x this morning. He got off. I didn't. Then he got dressed and left.”
Alaina blinked. ”That's all the explanation you're going to give me? I need to know exactly what happened.”
”I told you.”
”No, you glossed over it. I don't want a synopsis, I want all the chapters. Griff hasn't been with a woman since his wife died.”
”He still hasn't. He wasn't with me, Lainy. I gave him comfort and an o.r.g.a.s.m. That's all it was.”
Alaina studied her for several moments. ”How do you feel about that?”
Emma scowled at her friend. ”Stop sounding like a therapist.”
”Stop evading my question.”
To stall and get her thoughts in order, Emma uncapped her bottle of water and took a slow drink. ”I wanted to comfort him, Lainy. It didn't matter to me that I didn't come. And you know me. I'm all about the o.r.g.a.s.ms.”
”They're very nice to have.”
”I got close. If we'd f.u.c.ked a few more moments, I would've been there. But I didn't care when it didn't happen. I only thought about him. It's weird. I've never been so...unselfish.”
Leaning forward, Alaina rested her forearms on the table. ”Are you falling for Griff?”
Emma snorted with laughter. She couldn't imagine falling for any man. ”No. Absolutely not. I like him. He's incredibly handsome and very s.e.xy. I wouldn't mind waking up in his bed several mornings a week. But I don't fall for men.”
”Sometimes love captures your heart before you realize it.”
”Not me. Not gonna happen. I like my freedom too much.”
”Falling in love doesn't mean you'd lose your freedom. I love Rye with all my heart, but don't feel tied down in any way. He encourages me to be myself, to keep doing the things that make me happy.”
”I'm happy for you, Lainy. I'm glad you and Rye found each other. I'm not interested in anything with a man beyond some fun.”
Footsteps in the hallway stopped Emma from saying anything else. Kenneth Coleman entered the room, portfolio in hand. He smiled. ”Hi, ladies.”
”Hi, Kenneth.” Alaina stood and gave him a quick hug. ”Thanks for coming.”
”Always happy to help my favorite gal.” He took the chair next to Alaina after she sat again. ”So y'all are going to build a restaurant.”
”Your sons are going to build it, after Emma tells you what she wants.”
”So let's get started.” Kenneth opened the cover of his portfolio to expose a white legal pad. ”What do you want, Emma?”
Cooking had always been one of Griff's greatest pleasures. He'd stopped cooking when Jana died, relying on sandwiches or canned soup or frozen dinners whenever he could force himself to eat. Tonight, he needed something to do that would occupy his mind so he wouldn't keep thinking of Emma.
Although the temperature had reached ninety-four today, Griff decided to make spaghetti. Since he had practically no food in his house, he'd had to stop at the grocery store on the way home and stock up on supplies.
With the food put away and the spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove, Griff sat down at the kitchen table with a bottle of beer. He'd tried to push Emma from his thoughts while he prepared the sauce, but she kept creeping back. They needed to discuss what happened this morning, and this afternoon by Dax's pool. She'd promised him they'd talk tonight, but he hadn't heard from her since she left Dax's house.
The chime of the doorbell surprised him. His brothers and parents would come in the back door, and wouldn't bother to knock or ring a doorbell. After giving the spaghetti sauce another stir, he walked to the front door.
His stomach jumped when he saw Emma. She stood on his porch, a halo from the setting sun surrounding her.
She looked like an angel.
”Hi,” she said with a small smile.
”Hi.” He stepped back and opened the door wider. ”Come in.”
”I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner,” she said after Griff closed the door. ”Alaina and I finished with your dad a few minutes ago.” Her smile brightened. ”He's amazing. He took every idea I had for the restaurant and made it better.”
”I agree that he's amazing.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. A look of bliss crossed her face. ”What is that wonderful aroma?”
”Spaghetti sauce.”
Emma looked at him again, surprise clearly evident in her eyes. ”You're cooking?”
”Yeah.” He shrugged. ”I was in the mood.”
”Does it taste as yummy as it smells?”
”I guess you'll have to be the judge of that.”
Griff led the way to the kitchen. ”I want it to simmer a while longer, but you can sneak a taste.” He took a spoon from the silverware drawer, scooped up some of the sauce and held it to Emma's mouth.
She held his gaze while she blew on the sauce to cool it. Something as simple as tasting spaghetti sauce shouldn't be so sensual. Every move Emma made, everything she did, made Griff think of s.e.x. He hadn't been so obsessed with getting a woman naked in seven years of marriage.
Emma rolled her eyes and released a soft moan. ”Oh wow, that's incredible.”
”Do you think it needs more oregano?”
She shook her head. ”I think it's perfect. If you want a different job, you can be a chef at Alaina's restaurant.”
Griff chuckled. It felt strange to him since it had been so long since he'd laughed. ”I think I'll stick with the job I have now.”
Silence fell between them, a silence that Griff wasn't sure how to fill. Emma motioned toward his beer bottle on the table. ”I'll take one of those if you have more.”
”Sure.”
She sat at the table while he grabbed another beer from the refrigerator. ”Do you want a gla.s.s?”
”Nope. Bottle's fine.”